First Date of Summer

Every date has two stories–this is mine. Read Lauren’s here.

Monday was the perfect evening in Washington for Lauren and I to abandon our responsibilities for an ice cream date–our first date of the 10 dates of summer–on the waterfront with Gus, her white lab/troublemaker extraordinaire. After quick walk from Capitol Hill we reached our destination: Ice Cream Jubilee.

Ice Cream Jubilee opened near Navy Yard in Washington just a few weeks ago, and I can already tell it will be detrimental to my wallet/calorie intake. It’s near Nats Park and cushioned by the boom of restaurants and bars that have recently sprouted in the area. And the ice cream is oh-so good–creative flavors made with all-natural ingredients.

Both Victoria, the owner of Ice Cream Jubilee who was working the counter that night, and the girl working with her claimed the dark and stormy flavor as their favorite. With two positive reviews in front of me, obviously I tried it and yes it was delicious. But, forever a chocolate lover, I asked for a sample of the cookies and cookie dough, which tasted like Oreo cream flavored ice cream. Um…hello. Yes.

I got the delicious cookie flavor and chocolate chocolate, opting for a cone over a cup because it would be prettier for pictures–a decision I would later regret. Lauren went a more savory (does that work for ice cream?) route, with mint and honey lemon lavender, which Victoria described as, “like a trip to the south of France.”But the best part of our little excursion was seeing a tiny corner of the city that we rarely explore…even though Navy Yard as a destination has exploded lately (and, if we’re being honest, is less than a mile from my house). It was calm and quiet–certainly a rarity in DC. As we sat watching the Anacostia River at sunset and the lights on a bridge I can’t identify because I don’t drive around here, Lauren exclaimed, “How are we not in Venice right now?!” Sure, there weren’t gondolas instead of Ubers, but she was right–it definitely didn’t feel like Washington. At least no Washington I’ve ever been to (miraculously, there were no rats!).

Seeing the city the way I love it, sans hustle, bustle and Clarendon bros, was such a treat. It’s easy to complain about how expensive everything is and how everyone has five opinions about everthing and how WMATA still doesn’t always ever work how its supposed to, but this was an escape from that. This was one of those rare “we live here” moments, paired with “we are really lucky.”

---

  Ice Cream Jubilee

301 Water Street, SE | Washington, DC 20003

---