Marine Corps Marathon 2024, Day 3: Blagden Alley, a Surprise Visit, Return to Jack Rose

October 24, 2024

Another lazy morning/day. After our breakfast, we stopped at a coffee shop for a bit (La Colombe). They had an exceptional Cortado, that was really great.

Interestingly, on walking in, the entire place was absolutely silent. I felt weird just talking with Liz, as we were sitting at a table, because of how quiet everyone else was. It was a little creepy.

After a bit, we moved outside and got to settle in on a bench just by the front doors. Took this photo of the nearby alley, where this (and other) shops are situated. I learned that Blagden Alley is a bit famous for its murals, and loved that we kind of “discovered” this interesting area within the city.

Interior view.

A map of the nearby artwork.

A lovely mural.

Looking down another area, several other murals.

A lot of other artist studios/spaces nearby.

Of note: this morning, Kirt (Liz’s dad) emailed me with the subject line of “Don’t Say Anything!”.

Turns out, he was headed to DC to surprise Liz for her first marathon, and to also show support for Tricia and Paige (who were also running the race).

When we were getting coffee, he let me know he was in our hotel lobby. I tried to sneak away to the bathroom, to coordinate with him… and learned that he had already texted Liz that he was in town. I think he might have lasted an hour, max, before spilling the beans.

Liz and I talked about our plans for the day, and decided to head back to our hotel to meet up with her dad.

Liz, surprising her dad (who surprised her by travelling to DC).

Surprise hugs all around.

The three of us ended up on scooters for the afternoon, bopping around DC. We stopped off at Rise Bakery, so that Liz could get some gluten-free food for the day of the race.

We caught a late lunch at Lapis.

Fast forward a bit. Tricia and Paige ended up missing their flight, and got on a later flight to DC. We had plans to meet up for dinner, but ultimately decided that we’d all fend for ourselves.

So of course, we ended up back at Jack Rose for some whisky and food.

Kirt got a bit of Irish whiskey to start the night off.

We were lucky enough to get Chris to stop by, and make some recommendations. Liz got some Waterford, while I got an older SMWS bottle (I was looking for something a bit more citrus/orange in flavor).

Second round – I was looking for fruit, but opted to go more of the apple route. Got this really tasty dram from a distillery I’d never heard of: Glen Keith. Chris mentioned it was a bit hit or miss, but I really did like this one.