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.
As a high school and collegiate runner, it was a no-brainer that Elyse Braner would continue the sport once she moved to Washington for a government job more than a decade ago. As the community manager for Pacers Running , she’s on a mission to connect locals who share her passion.
“The greatest thing for me is to see the connections people make,” Braner says. “We’ve had Pacers marriages, and I see people come into it from all aspects of their lives. Maybe you have someone who said they’re going to run a marathon because they just got divorced, and they’re looking for that next thing to push them.”
Braner coordinates Pacers’ enormous slate of free running outings which take place multiple days a week in D.C. and Virginia (there are dedicated Facebook groups for both areas). They usually start in front of a Pacers store, cater to runners of all levels, and end with drinks at a neighborhood bar. Braner also coordinates special runs dedicated to raising money for local charities, including women’s homeless shelter N Street Village and health nonprofit Smith Center.
Advertisement
Aside from Pacers, Braner also chairs the D.C. chapter of Women Who Whiskey and volunteers for the Junior League of Washington. As a social butterfly, Braner would spend her dream day mingling with friends old and new around town — with, of course, a run to start the day.
My dream morning would start out by racing a 5K, my favorite distance. Pacers puts on a number of races throughout the year.
I love Vida Fitness. It is my favorite gym in the D.C. area. Love going there for yoga class and love the community there. I’ve also been a longtime member there for over 10 years. The club always has the most up-to-date equipment and a great class schedule. I love the rooftop pool on U Street [NW].
Share this articleShareThen, I would go to Yours Truly hotel for brunch. Their restaurant, Mercy Me, is fantastic and I think they have one of the best patios in D.C. I was there in winter, and it was one of the warmest patios because it’s surrounded by three different buildings so it doesn’t get as much of the wind, and they did a really great job keeping it warm. They have this really great martini, the [Vesper-ish, described as] “fashionably whet.” It’s a really warm, inviting environment but also very trendy.
The next step on my dream day is I’m going to hit up a bike ride on the Mount Vernon Trail. I live in Arlington, so typically I pick it up over in Crystal City — I guess now National Landing — and I would ride five miles down to Alexandria and back. Mount Vernon Trail is definitely one of my favorite spots in D.C. when I’m not running with Pacers, which is pretty rare.
Advertisement
I love to volunteer and there are a lot of great one-day volunteer opportunities through the Junior League of Washington, so I would volunteer for a few hours in the afternoon. The Junior League supports a lot of different organizations in the D.C. area, mainly literacy-based organizations.
I would then meet some friends down in Georgetown at the Sovereign. The Sovereign has a great happy hour. My favorite dish there is a pot of mussels, and they do these great absinthe cocktails and absinthe drinks.
Next on the agenda, I love the Woolly Mammoth Theatre. I think every year they bring in Second City, so I would take in a show at the Woolly Mammoth. At the end of the day, I would at this point take in a light dinner and head back to 14th Street over to Mexicue, [which has] Mexican-barbeque fusion. It’s close to the 14th Street Pacers, so I’ve gotten a lot of takeout from there, but it’s just a fun place and they do have the best spicy margarita in town.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7uK3SoaCnn6Sku7G70q1lnKedZLSwtc2gpq6sl6q2pbGOnqOyq5Vir7OtzZ6pZpyimq6uecOasGhqYGd%2BcH2QaGduZ2OWfaStkGltZmuTmrBufZCemmZwlZqGboDFamuaamZsgXqwkJiqraeirnupwMyl