I'm on my way to creating the perfect itinerary to convert the boyfriend who doesn't like DC.

I was in DC this weekend looking for an apartment, and my friend Erika took me to Bistrot du Coin on Connecticut Ave. in Dupont. I'd been there before, but hadn't appreciated it. Only now did I appreciate its noise, its food and its liveliness. It's a great people-watching venue too because there are so many tables.

After dinner we went a block down the street to Russia House, a debaucherous clubhouse-type bar that specializes in vodka and sells Russian and Lithuanian beers (one of the owners is from Klaipeda, Lithuania). The place is cozy; you feel like you're in someone's house, as people sink into the deep couches and spill drinks on the carpet.


Other suggestions for the missionary itinerary are welcome.