Category: dc
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The American Dream
I think a lot about the American Dream these days. It’s always in the news. There’s a new museum in DC dedicated to it. And it’s the core theme throughout most of my Drink•Eat•Walk DC food tour stories. Especially the ones about the specific restaurants we stop in. Most of the stories follow a similar…
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Drink•Eat•Walk DC Food Tour Business Quarterly Review — 2025 Q3
It’s been three months since my first tour, so it’s time for a self-assessment: 👍 👎 I’m in the star-rating biz, though, so I guess I have to review myself through that lens: Overall rating = ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆ Despite the negativity, I’m pretty happy with how things are going. All I really care about in this…
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DC Food Tour Learnings — TTFD
A continuation of this series On my first couple of DC food tours I had guests meet me at the fountain in the center of Dupont Circle. It’s the perfect local DC neighborhood meetup spot, with lots of benches & seats, and it’s alive with people & activity, especially at the 5pm meetup time. After…
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DC Food Tour Learnings — Reviews-22
A tour business like Drink•Eat•Walk relies on sites like Tripadvisor & Viator (the same company since 2014!), and Get Your Guide to bring in business, especially in the first season (I wrote about this here). The issue is that you can’t really get business on these platforms without reviews. Indeed, they state that they won’t…
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DC Food Tour Learnings — Choosing Curation
I wrote about the importance of guest feedback in this post. Since then, one of the main questions I’ve gotten when discussing the tours with friends IRL is “what kind of feedback have you gotten?” I love thinking & talking about this stuff, so with this post I’m starting an ongoing series where I’ll detail…
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DC Food Tour Learnings — Tour Business
One of the fun things about building this business & the tours has been learning about a whole new industry: how it works; the terminology; the business side of it. And what I’ve quickly learned is that one major part of the business side is especially terrible for a small, new DC food tour business…
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Friends & Family Fridays
I’m currently running tours Monday-Thursday, adding on Sunday once I start up my Rock Creek Park hiking tour. I partially don’t want to offer tours on Fri & Sat because I still want a two-day weekend. Lazy. But, I’ve heard from my local DC friends that Mon-Thu is always going to be tough for them…
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DC Food Tour Learnings — Golden Feedback
All guests on my first two tours have been friends. I mean, they’ve booked & paid like standard customers, but I’ve knew all of them before they did. That’s partially because: without a brand; reputation; reviews; word-of-mouth and begging are the only way to get bookings in your first season in the tourism world. However,…
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Gametime
Exciting day here at Drink•Eat•Walk World HQ getting all the walking supplies purchased and ready for my first tour and guests this evening.
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Let’s D•E•W DC Like a Local!
Is this thing still on‽ Welp, happy to announce that Drink•Eat•Walk is officially on! My first tour is this Thursday, July 3rd, and bookings are now open through the end of October. You can book directly here on DrinkEatWalk.com, but for now I’m trying to drive bookings through Tripadvisor & Viator to get some clicks…
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Nice Day for a Work
I’ve written how I like days where Drink•Eat•Walk working means researching & reading. The best working days, though, are the ones where I get out there to get at it. Yesterday was one of those days: I walked the route for my “Rock Creek Park + Mount Pleasant” tour. This is the tour I’m hoping…
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Geo. Journey
I’ve written about it before, but one of the many things I like about building Drink•Eat•Walk is that there are so many things to do. So if one day I don’t feel like doing something directly related —writing; businessing; designing;drinking•eating•walking— I can always be productive by researching & reading. Yesterday was one of those days.…
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Strike Out
I’m getting closer to starting my first Drink•Eat•Walk tours, so am furiously working on my stories, website, and messaging. I’m also starting to talk in more detail about the tours when I’m out in the world with people. One surprising thing I’ve learned is that not everybody knows what a food tour is. They’ve been…
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DAR Library
I visited a new library last week, one that DC uniquely offers: The Daughter’s of the American Revolution (DAR) Museum Library. It was extraordinary. Even from the outside you could tell it was going to be an amazing place. You then walk in and it’s even better than you hope: The long tables, the adornment,…
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Local Roots
Yes, the cherry blossoms in DC are fantastic, and we’re lucky to have them here to draw folks in to visit. And…boy do they draw DC locals know that, unless you can get there for sunrise, you want to avoid at all costs the tidal basin on peak bloom weekend. We forget, of course, and…
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Touch ‘n’ Go
It’s cherry blossom season in DC, meaning it’s the perfect time for one of my favorite short runs: To the Washington Monument; touch it; run back. It’s a great one because there’s a grove of trees on the Monument grounds that’s one of my favorites. You can see them in the pic above, and that…
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Accountability Tour
A few weeks back I finally committed to the date I’m going to start running tours. It’s helped focus me, and the public accountability is a good 🔥 under my butt. It’s now time to kinda do the same thing with all the things I still need to do before launching. There are still a…
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AI Usage
AI is in the news all the time now. Every day we read & hear about new companies, tools, uses, and problems to be solved with them. However, in my world, nobody really seems to be talking about them much. Since I’m a lone wolf right now building out Drink•Eat•Walk, this makes it hard for…
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DC’ea Culpa
I subscribe to the startup/Silicon Valley ethos to quickly Launch → Learn → Improve when building a product or company. The sooner you start this cycle the better, even if you’re not 100% ready — because you’re never going to be 100% ready. I think it’s time to admit, however, that I’ve now been actively…
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Toilet Inspiration
I’m trying to write & post something, somewhere, every day this year. Two months in and I’m definitely not hitting this goal. It’s partially because some days I just have nothing to say, and I don’t want to force it. So, sometimes, for inspiration, I’ll look back through the photos I’ve taken in the past…
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Regular Research
I’ve started actively researching the places I might want to stop at for some of my Drink•Eat•Walk tours, at roughly the times I’ll be stopping at them. Ya know, to see how crowded; to check the vibe; to pretend I’m a regular. It’s that last part I only realized last night that was totally bothering…
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Immigrant Confidence
I walk around DC a ton; partially to get places; partially to explore; partially to get out and get my steps in. So there are spots I walk by all the time without even noticing that I’ve been keeping an eye on and tracking them over time. Places like the one in the pic here,…
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On Writing
Tour guide are really just teachers & storytellers, and most well-crafted verbal stories start as written ones. There’s about a dozen stories I want to have ready for my Drink•Eat•Walk tours, stuff like ‘Why DC looks the way it does’, “Ethiopians in DC” and ‘Why you’re stuffing a delicious Papusa in your mouth’. I’ve spent…
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Cleansing Smells
I have sinus issues, and because of that I can’t smell. It doesn’t really bother me, as it’s been that way for so long that I just don’t even notice it. But, about once a year, my sinuses calm their shit down, and I’m able to smell a little. I’m in the middle of of…
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New Neighbor
A Taco Bell just opened across the street from me. This is big news because Taco Bell is my favorite fast food chain. I live in a city with amazing tacos & Mexican/Tex-Mex food, and I know that Taco Bell is none of those. But I still love it. I’m a fairly healthy eater, though,…
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Cabinet Bankruptcy
It’d be stunning to calculate the amount of time I’ve wasted trying to close the doors on my stupid kitchen cabinets. I hate them. And I’m not going to be a part of it anymore: From now on, all the cabinet doors shall remain unclosed 😡
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Snow Thump
We got a good thumping of snow last night here in DC. This has been a very fulfilling winter for me in this town. I’ll need to remember this when I’m deep in my July & August steaming weather hate for it.
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DC Peeps
When most people visit Washington, they learn about the history of the US, the politicians that led the way, and the structures that have been built to honor them. What they don’t learn about is the people that built the city, nor do they see the amazing neighborhoods we locals live our lives in. They…
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Final Tour
My plan for when I finally launch Drink•Eat•Walk DC is to have three different tours. I’ve known two of them for awhile: 1- Walk Dupont Circle & Adams Morgan → This will be a classic walking food tour, with an emphasis on the food, drink, and histories of theses communities, and the people that have…
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eyesintim
It’s been Tim’s infrastructure week, aka health care week . Today was the eye doctor to get the required yearly update to my prescription so I can order new contacts (a racket that burns my blood). Two highlights: 1- I made the appointment yesterday, and got it today. Unheard of. The doctor thinks it’s because…
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Dental Thumbs
👎 I haven’t been to the dentist in 2+ years 👍 But I actually have dental insurance 👎 The dentist I’ve been going to for years doesn’t accept my new insurance 👍 But the fancy dentist office (sorry, “Studio”) in my building does accept my insurance 👎 They can’t get me a new customer appointment…
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Me in Tim
A friend asked me why I never post pictures of myself here. It’s a fair question, and I don’t really have a good answer other than: I’ve never really specifically chosen not to post them. It’s more that when it comes down to choosing what I post, it always just seems to be the images…
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2024 Evaluation: Item #6 → Community
This post is continuing this series. Commitment #6: Community → I’m going to get involved with some sort of organized, IRL group this year. My default is solitary, and without being forced into any office, the default rules. I really am a better version of myself when I’m around other folks, so I need to force myself…
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Ross, Free
There’s a bunch of these poster boards around my DC neighborhood. They’ve been there for years. I’ve always wondered “why did that group spend money on those?” And “do they really think they’re going to work?” Welp, they did work → https://wapo.st/3E0WbHI More on how they did it here → https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/22/technology/ross-ulbricht-trump-pardon.html?smid=url-share
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Meditative Walking
DC has been empty, quiet, and eerily still this weekend. A great time to walk, walk, walk around and take it all in. Boarded up windows: Moving trucks: Blocked off streets: The strangest thing, though, was that there actually were 10’s of thousands of people around. They all just happened to be in one giant,…
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Still, Ikea
I finally splurged and replaced the cardboard boxes & baskets I was using for clothes storage with some new shelving units. And I’m not ashamed to say that they’re from Ikea. Look, I know most folks think I’m too old to still be buying Ikea, but I don’t care. I still love their stuff: *I…
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2025 Daily Schedule
Here’s my new 2025 daily schedule for standard weekdays, when nothing else is going on or, in the future, if I’m running a tour that day 8:30a → Out of bed, dress, 10 minute walk outside (no matter the weather) 9a → Coffee & internetting 10:30a → Work out 11:30a → Cook, eat, clean, chores,…
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Let’s Go Buff-a-lo!
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Old Snow
We got a bit of snow overnight, but it was lame. Monday’s storm spoiled me, so here’s my 2nd & 3rd favorite captures from then: This post is also lame, but a commitment is commitment.
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Finally, Productive
I definitely pushed the limits of this holiday break. Sure, I can blame this year’s calendar, and the amazing snowstorm we just had, but it was really just me being lazy. So it was great to finally have a productive day today — the initial DrinkEatWalk.com draft website is now live. There are only three…
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The One Thing I’m Going To Do In 2025
I’m going to focus on one thing this year: Build a tour business. For the past couple of years, I’ve kicked off the new year by committing to a bunch of things. I then do a yearend assessment of how I did towards the commitments. And it’s in doing my 2024 assessment (which is still…
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Snow Day
DC is having a big snow event last night & today. I walked in it for it for 3 hours/24k steps/12 miles, and took 82 pictures. This final one I took, on the corner near my apartment, is my favorite.
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’tis the Season
It’s been decades since I turned the heat on in any apartment I’ve lived in (except for that one year my then-landlord made me keep the inside temp above 55). I like it cold. That said, fronts & storms like the ones hitting DC right now always push me to my limits — it’s official…
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Fried Chicken Day
I hardly ever eat fried chicken (tenders don’t count), but every New Year’s Day I get some of it. I have no idea how or when I started the tradition, and I sometimes forget it, but it continued this year at Popeyes. The fried chicken is almost never as good as I expect it to…
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Golden Update
The day after I posted this some storms, and then a little snow, ripped through and effectively ended this year’s gold rush. Will now have to wait ~350 days until my next 📷 chance.
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First Tour & Route
Ok, I think I’ve figured out the stops & route for the first Drink•Eat•Walk tour I’m going to offer: Drink•Eat•Walk → Dupont Circle & Adams Morgan Here’s a summary of the tour: Here are the things I’ll be discussing on the tour (at the stops or while walking): I’ve pretty much known for a few…
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Searching for Gold
I’ve lived in my current apartment building for 3+ years (perhaps the place I’ve been in the longest since high school?). That means I’ve been able to track things over time, and the number one thing I look forward to each year are the changes in the leaf colors in the trees in the courtyard…
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DC Food Tour Learnings → Part 2
I took a food tour here in DC a few weeks back, and wrote up the first part of my learnings, focused on the business side, in this post. Now it’s time for my review of it from the customer side (though still through my business-building 👀). And my customer review is that the tour…
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Walking Practice
I walked out another potential tour route today, this time on Roosevelt Island on the Potomac. It’s an amazing place that most folks never visit, even locals. So, potentially perfect for Drink•Eat•Walk. Then again, everything outdoors here seems perfect during autumn.
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DC Food Tour Learnings → Part 1
I took a Georgetown food tour in DC last weekend, partially because I’d never taken one here before and wanted to learn more about Georgetown, and partially to check out how other local companies are running their food tours. I’m so glad I took it. The tour was good, and I learned a bit about…
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A Halloween Killing
A teen walking on the street was looking at her phone, and not where she was going. So, I let her walk right into me, as I always do now, to prove a point. Teen: <stunned & embarrassed> “I’m sorry sir!” Me: <stunned & laughing> “Sir‽ Wow, do I really look that old?” Teen: <earnestly>”I…
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First Tour Practice
I led some friends on a practice run yesterday for the potential hiking tour I’ve been working on. The route I mapped turned out to be a good distance: The hiking itself was great: And the fresh empanadas (and drinks) I bought & brought were the perfect mid-hike picnic fodder: I think this hiking tour…
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Workin’
Had another great day at work today
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Atlas Mapping
I love maps, and have lots of them up on my walls. I also have a great National Geographic Atlas that’s so much fun to browse through, or look for specific things in. It’s kinda big, though, and a tad annoying to pull off the shelf and open up. I’ve always wanted to just have…
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Same Same, but Different
I discussed in my Origins post that there wasn’t really anything like Drink•Eat•Walk in DC, which helped convince me to start building it. I still think there’s nothing exactly the same, but the more I’m researching the market, the more overlaps I’m seeing from other tours in DC. I’m still feeling good about my prospects,…
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Good Research Timing
I’ve been deep the process of finding places & walking potential routes for Drink•Eat•Walk. In doing so, I realized that I might want to offer different types of tours, including ones that will involve even more walking, maybe even real hiking. One hiking tour (Drink•Eat•Hike?) could be in DC’s huge, beautiful, right-in-our-neighborhood Rock Creek Park.…
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Hair, and Belief, Washing
Several years ago I stopped washing my hair after watching this YouTube video about how it wasn’t really needed. It went great, and I was a true believer who’d prophesize about it to anybody that asked, or even hinted at asking. Then I read this → https://wapo.st/3YsBDPR For a 54-year-old single fella, reading “may contribute…
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DC Gems
So many hidden gems in DC if you just corral your eyes once in awhile when walking around
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Cheap Barber
I’ve been cutting my own hair for over a year now. I started doing it myself mostly because I was never getting the haircut I wanted from the cheap barbers I’d go it. The thing they do is cut it the perfect length in the first pass, but then make another pass and cut it…
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Back to Work
The daily posting I committed to at the start of the year has really become…not daily. It was a lot of effort to travel like I just did on my bus journey, and pumping out a post each day also took lots of time & work. The thing is, I really enjoyed the daily writing…
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Haynes Point Station
Haynes Point is essentially the “riding the bus” of golf courses. I, thus, ♥️ it
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Buying V-22 Ospreys
My first job after college was as a (civilian) Contract Specialist for Naval Air Systems Command. The job was negotiating contracts to purchase major weapons systems for the US Navy & Marines. It’s one of those jobs that always sounded way cooler than it actually was, which was really mostly bureaucratic spreadsheets & paperwork. (Paperwork…
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Tides Inn
An amazing destination spot on the Rappahannock River & Chesapeake Bay, a few hours outside of DC → https://www.tidesinn.com/ It’s certainly not cheap, but this resort has a special spot on the banks of a creek just inland from the Bay. Was just there for a bday weekend & had an amazing time living the…
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Neon TVs
Saw this giant creation yesterday at the newly re-opened American Art Museum. The little TVs within each state played content from the state, eg. landscapes, events, famous people. And for DC, a camera in the hall captured you and showed it on a tiny little screen. Pretty cool.
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Bad Karma
The intersection of 14th & U, right next to my apartment, continues its curse of havoc & violence. Saw this crash today on my walk to the grocery store. More details about it here.
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Argentina Election
One of the cool little things about living in DC is when you get small glimpses into the outside world through the Embassies. Ex: Today is Election Day in Argentina 🇦🇷
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“Hmmmm, where did I put my EarPods after my workout today?” Miraculously, they survived & still work great! Apple products are good at being doused in water.
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U Street
I live on U St here in NW DC. It’s often called “The Historic U Street Corridor” as it was one of the original big entertainment areas back in the day, especially for African Americans — it was once dubbed “Black Broadway“. It’s a great place to live, as it’s still a fun area with…
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Meridian Hill Park
Meridian Hill Park is just the best. White, brown, black, whatever; straight, queer, trans, whatever; young; old; bros; hippies; nerds; soccer; corn hole; frisbee; readers; musicians; smokers; blankets; chairs; hammocks – we’re all here, especially on an early-summer holiday weekend. ♥️ DC.
eyeintim 