THEWASHINGTONPOST.
FRIDAY,JULY31, 2020EZ
4T
he first thing I would do is have a cup of coffee
and read the news on Twitter to see what I’m
waking up to. I would make myself an
avocado toast. Very Millennial, but I don’t
have to pay $20 for it — I can just make it at home.
Then I would take the Metro and end up at KoChix
Chicken. Their wings are so good. I usually get the
honey spicy sauce. They have a crispy coating, they’re
generously sauced, and then the chicken — I don’t
know if they’re some mutant chicken, but they’re
really good and just so meaty. The only caveat to
KoChix is that they don’t have a proper dining area —
it’s small. But I would find a seat and go to town on my
food.
Then I would head over to Lyman’s Tavern a nd get
a Bloody Mary and play pinball for a couple of hours.
[At Lyman’s,] I had my first taste of potato chips
drizzled with Sriracha sauce, and I immediately made
that one of my go-to snacks at home, it’s so good.
On my days off, before [the coronavirus pandemic]
happened, I would go straight downtown and lose
myself in the National Museum of Natural History.
It’s been my favorite Smithsonian museum since I
was a little girl. The new exhibit that they put in,
“Deep Time,” the one they had closed for many years
and I was so sad that I didn’t get to see my dinosaurs
for all that time — totally worth it. It blew my mind.
It’s cool that you can travel from the beginning of time
to now, or you could go backward! I’ve only seen it
twice since it reopened, and I’m itching to go back
eventually.
I love going to the United States Botanic Garden. I
could just take my time and walk around all day. I love
the view from above where you can look down and see
the giant jungle plants and the general humidity, a
rainforest kind of vibe. It’s cool to see all the different
cactuses in the desert area, and all the orchids.
For dinner, I would head over to Daikaya. I’m not
sure if they still have it, but they used to have a savory
mushroom dish that was really buttery. They also
have a grilled avocado, but that’s a lot of avocado for
one day. They have some nights with DJs, but the
music there is always good whether there’s a DJ or
not. Deeper cuts that you wouldn’t hear at a TGI
Fridays. I do appreciate the overall ambiance and
they really care a lot about your experience.
Then, I would come back to Silver Spring and go to
AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center. It’s a great
cultural experience to go see these classic films that
you wouldn’t see otherwise. Every once in a while
you’ll have that extra level of immersion like a live
organist or a Q&A with the producers of a film. It’s a
really wonderful experience and I strongly recom-
mend people go — especially because they have Uncle
Chips chocolate chip cookies for sale in the lobby.
If it’s still open, I would get ice cream from Islands
Tropical Ice Cream. They have really delicious
tropical ice cream flavors. They’ve got mammee and
taro ice creams. They’ve got all these cool, nonstan-
dard flavors and they’re all really good. Highly
recommend them. Then I would walk back home and
chill — and then probably eat something else before I
go to bed.
[email protected]My D.C. Dream Day
Sights, tastes are this tour’s soundtrack
In D.C. Dream Day, we ask our favorite people in the area to tell us
how they would spend a perfect day in the District.
D.C. is home to a number of record stores, nearly all owned by men.
It’s why Claudia Mendiola-Durán sees her Beltsville shop, Sonidos
Music & More, as an emblem of change — and a conversation starter.
“My objective is to have something engaging in one way or another
for somebody, whether it’s starting a conversation about something I
have on the wall or what music I would recommend,” says the 36-year-
old Silver Spring resident.
Mendiola-Durán spent several years working at Joe’s Record
Paradise in Silver Spring, Atomic Music in Beltsville and the now-defunct Tower Records’ Rockville store before opening Sonidos in
October. The bright yellow shop, which is adorned with playful music
and movie posters along with art, caters to all sonic palettes. You’ll
find such classics as John Coltrane but also lesser known titles
including “Authentic Sound Effects,” for sampling and special effects.
After Mendiola-Durán was forced to close Sonidos earlier this year
because of the pandemic, the Maryland shop is back in business —
albeit by appointment only. And as she returns to some semblance of
normalcy, Mendiola-Durán dreams of a day where her favorite D.C.
area spots are reopened as well.
— as told to Stephanie WilliamsJONATHAN NEWTON/THE WASHINGTON POSTOf the Botanic Gardens, Claudia Mendiola-Durán says, “I love the view from above where you can look down and see
the giant jungle plants and the general humidity, a rainforest kind of vibe.”MATT MCCLAIN/THE WASHINGTON POSTAMANDA VOISARD FOR THE WASHINGTON POST
LEFT: Dinner at Daikaya sometimes includes tunes
spun by a DJ, creating a fun ambiance to enjoy
mushroom and avocado dishes. ABOVE: S oy-garlic
and honey-spiced wings are served up at KoChix.
Mendiola-Durán said the wings “have a crispy
coating, they’re generously sauced, and then the
chicken [is] just so meaty.”