Any ideas for a Washington DC proposal?

[jovialjonesy]

I'm in DC for an internship, and my girlfriend is coming out to visit me for a weekend. Anybody have any proposal ideas for the DC area? I have no real ideas. She is private, but a romantic.

 

[diamondnovice]

I don't know what sort of things you both like to do so here are a few ideas. Since the weather right now is wonderful, all my ideas are for outside.

If you want to propose at night, I think that two romantic areas in DC are the steps of the Jefferson Memorial or the Kennedy Center at night. You could sight see and end up at the Jefferson to propose, or you could go to a performance at the Kennedy Center.

If you want to propose during the day, I think that Great Falls Park (I am more familiar with the Maryland side) is very romantic. You could go for a walk along the tow path and then hike the rocks to propose on the rocks by the Potomac River.

Hope these ideas help. Good Luck!!!

 

[tayd]

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On 10/5/2002 8:07:36 AM

I don't know what sort of things you both like to do so here are a few ideas. Since the weather right now is wonderful, all my ideas are for outside.

If you want to propose at night, I think that two romantic areas in DC are the steps of the Jefferson Memorial or the Kennedy Center at night. You could sight see and end up at the Jefferson to propose, or you could go to a performance at the Kennedy Center.

If you want to propose during the day, I think that Great Falls Park (I am more familiar with the Maryland side) is very romantic. You could go for a walk along the tow path and then hike the rocks to propose on the rocks by the Potomac River.

Hope these ideas help. Good Luck!!!
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Not sure if this would constitute "romantic" but being here in the DC area, I was also thinking "The Awakening" at Hains Point/East Potomac Park would be a "unique" place to propose.

Below is a website that I came across that describes it:
http://www.pankin.com/pleasure/hains.htm

 

[tayd]

Looks like The Washington Post agreed with "The Awakening" being one of the places as they also mentioned it (and a few other places) on an article back in January 22, 2002 on "Where to Pop the Question!"

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/entertainment/new_features/dating/propose.htm

 

[diamondnovice]

My recommendations were taking into account that you said your girlfriend was "private". Depending on how private she is, you may want to reconsider Hains Point.

Although I didn't know the post ran that article, I was amused that they listed two of my previous suggestions and even called them "secluded" and "private". (Those suggestions were the Jefferson Memorial and Great Falls Park.)

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

 

[tayd]

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On 10/8/2002 5:30:29 PM

My recommendations were taking into account that you said your girlfriend was "private". Depending on how private she is, you may want to reconsider Hains Point.

Although I didn't know the post ran that article, I was amused that they listed two of my previous suggestions and even called them "secluded" and "private". (Those suggestions were the Jefferson Memorial and Great Falls Park.)

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

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I wasn't the person who originally posted the message but only offered some suggestions ... but I know what you mean about some of these places being "private" (or lack thereof).

Come to think of it, I'll be in the same shoes as the original poster in a few weeks, when it's my turn to pop the question to my g/f.

 

[diamondnovice]

Ooooops!!! Sorry, my bust. I didn't look at the name only the icon ..... which is the same.

So, Tayd, where/how do YOU expect to pop the question? As for me, I know my boyfriend has ordered the ring (he brought me with him) but I don't know how or even when he will propose. Since I am definitely not a "romantic" type (I would rather he take my car in and have the oil changed than give me flowers) I warned him that whatever he does better not be sappy and that it better not be cliche like a proposal on Christmas Day. I guess I really am a party pooper!!!!

 

[tayd]

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On 10/8/2002 7:14:19 PM

Ooooops!!! Sorry, my bust. I didn't look at the name only the icon ..... which is the same.

So, Tayd, where/how do YOU expect to pop the question? As for me, I know my boyfriend has ordered the ring (he brought me with him) but I don't know how or even when he will propose. Since I am definitely not a "romantic" type (I would rather he take my car in and have the oil changed than give me flowers) I warned him that whatever he does better not be sappy and that it better not be cliche like a proposal on Christmas Day. I guess I really am a party pooper!!!!
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Hmmm, if I didn't know better, I could have swore that it's my girlfriend that's posting the above message! She's been trying to find out if I had bought the engagement ring ever since I brought her along during the shopping process, including driving up to Long Island to see Jonathan at GOG to narrow down the choices, get her ring size, etc. two weeks ago. I keep telling her, "it's for me to know and for you to find out" whenever she tries to catch me off guard by asking, "so which one did you pick ?" I have a feeling that she already know that I've put the order in and am just sitting back and waiting for FedEx to deliver .... now it's just a matter of waiting and planning.



As to where/how I expect to pop the question, I'm still working on that. There are a number of places that she hasn't been to (she lives in Philly) including Hains Point, Old Town Alexandria, the Capitol, etc.

 

[diamondnovice]

----------------------------------
Hmmm, if I didn't know better, I could have swore that it's my girlfriend that's posting the above message! She's been trying to find out if I had bought the engagement ring ever since I brought her along during the shopping process, including driving up to Long Island to see Jonathan at GOG to narrow down the choices, get her ring size, etc. two weeks ago. I keep telling her, "it's for me to know and for you to find out" whenever she tries to catch me off guard by asking, "so which one did you pick ?" I have a feeling that she already know that I've put the order in and am just sitting back and waiting for FedEx to deliver .... now it's just a matter of waiting and planning.



As to where/how I expect to pop the question, I'm still working on that. There are a number of places that she hasn't been to (she lives in Philly) including Hains Point, Old Town Alexandria, the Capitol, etc.
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I swear that it is a small world. We (my b/f and I) are in the DC area and also went up to GOG in NY to look. He eventually bought in Philly, though.

The stone we looked at at GOG was a .92 G VVS2 but we really wanted a higher color, lower clarity. We ended up with a .90 D VS2. Another reason we bought in Philly was my b/f really liked a Scott Kay setting and matching wedding band that the jeweler had. What did you wind up with?

 

[tayd]

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On 10/9/2002 2:24:09 PM

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Hmmm, if I didn't know better, I could have swore that it's my girlfriend that's posting the above message! She's been trying to find out if I had bought the engagement ring ever since I brought her along during the shopping process, including driving up to Long Island to see Jonathan at GOG to narrow down the choices, get her ring size, etc. two weeks ago. I keep telling her, "it's for me to know and for you to find out" whenever she tries to catch me off guard by asking, "so which one did you pick ?" I have a feeling that she already know that I've put the order in and am just sitting back and waiting for FedEx to deliver .... now it's just a matter of waiting and planning.



As to where/how I expect to pop the question, I'm still working on that. There are a number of places that she hasn't been to (she lives in Philly) including Hains Point, Old Town Alexandria, the Capitol, etc.
-------------------------------


I swear that it is a small world. We (my b/f and I) are in the DC area and also went up to GOG in NY to look. He eventually bought in Philly, though.

The stone we looked at at GOG was a .92 G VVS2 but we really wanted a higher color, lower clarity. We ended up with a .90 D VS2. Another reason we bought in Philly was my b/f really liked a Scott Kay setting and matching wedding band that the jeweler had. What did you wind up with?
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This is a small world!

On Friday evening when I contacted Jonathan to give him notice that I was going to be at his store the next day, I had picked out four that I wanted to see. By Saturday evening after spending three hours with him, I narrowed it down to two: a .81 F VVS2 and a new one that he just got in the day before and and not published on his site yet, a .84 E VS2. The AGS cert. on this onen was only 3 days old!

I finally decided on the .84 (hope my g/f isn't reading this as she doesn't know which one I picked as the price difference was only $51 more for the .84 and Martin Fuller, the appraiser here in McLean gave it a thumbs up! The stone is now on its way back to Jonathan for the setting. She decided on a simple Stuller Tiffany style 6-prong platinum.

Regards,
David

 

[diamondnovice]

Hey Tayd -

Sounds beautiful. I think you made the better choice with higher color and lower clarity. Also, bigger is better ... at least when it comes to diamonds.

How did you like Martin Fuller? He is recommended on this site. Although I probably won't get an independent appraisal (based on input from the RockyTalky forum), my mom needs to have one done on her ring because her last appraisal was 3 years ago. I called there and it seems that a regular appraisal was an hour or more and could run into some bucks. Based on your experience, were they just being conservative with the time estimate?

 

[tayd]

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On 10/9/2002 5:18:32 PM

Hey Tayd -

Sounds beautiful. I think you made the better choice with higher color and lower clarity. Also, bigger is better ... at least when it comes to diamonds.

How did you like Martin Fuller? He is recommended on this site. Although I probably won't get an independent appraisal (based on input from the RockyTalky forum), my mom needs to have one done on her ring because her last appraisal was 3 years ago. I called there and it seems that a regular appraisal was an hour or more and could run into some bucks. Based on your experience, were they just being conservative with the time estimate?
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My first meeting with Martin Fuller took about 45 minutes (when Jonathan sent the diamond to him for his appraisal) and once the ring is set and I have received it, I'll take it back to Martin for the final appraisal with the ring (for insurance purposes) and the micro-photographs. An appraisal should take no more than an hour and his rates are reasonable. He's a pleasant person to deal with, very professional and explains everything in easy to understand terms. I picked Martin for the simple reason that he encourages his clients to watch him do the appraisal and his office is less than 5 minutes away from mine (I can actually see his building from mine!)

He checks his email several times a day (on AOL) and his email address is [email protected] Tell him I sent you.

Regards,
David

 

[diamondnovice]

------------------------
My first meeting with Martin Fuller took about 45 minutes (when Jonathan sent the diamond to him for his appraisal) and once the ring is set and I have received it, I'll take it back to Martin for the final appraisal with the ring (for insurance purposes) and the micro-photographs. An appraisal should take no more than an hour and his rates are reasonable. He's a pleasant person to deal with, very professional and explains everything in easy to understand terms. I picked Martin for the simple reason that he encourages his clients to watch him do the appraisal and his office is less than 5 minutes away from mine (I can actually see his building from mine!)

He checks his email several times a day (on AOL) and his email address is [email protected] Tell him I sent you.

Regards,
David

--------------------------

David -

Thanks for the input. I will be sure to let my mom know. She is not online yet so she will probably call him. She will definitely like that he encourages his clients to watch him. She does not want to let the ring out of her sight because the stone has no inclusions (it is flawless) so she can't map it.

What information did he provide in his appraisal for you? Did he basically recheck the color, clarity, polish, symmetry and all the basic Sarin info??

I will be sure to tell my mom to tell Martin that "David" (also my dad's name ) highly recommended him.

Thanks.
DN

 

[tayd]

David -

Thanks for the input. I will be sure to let my mom know. She is not online yet so she will probably call him. She will definitely like that he encourages his clients to watch him. She does not want to let the ring out of her sight because the stone has no inclusions (it is flawless) so she can't map it.

What information did he provide in his appraisal for you? Did he basically recheck the color, clarity, polish, symmetry and all the basic Sarin info??

I will be sure to tell my mom to tell Martin that "David" (also my dad's name ) highly recommended him.

Thanks.
DN


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I haven't received my reports yet since my appraisal isn't completed yet as I had to rush back to the office for a meeting but I'm sure will receive the full complete report once Jonathan sends me the completed ring w/the setting. He did mentioned that he had checked the diamond against the GIA master set and that it came in on the D color scale (the AGS cert. said it was E). While I was there, he had the diamond hooked up to one of those lab-grade gemscope that was attached to a TV monitor so that we could see the inclusions in magnified views. He also demonstrated what a fluorescence looked like as my diamond had a slight faint blue fluoresence, as stated on the AGS cert. I'm actually looking forward to going back and wrapping up the appraisal when I get the ring.

By the way, just in case he has more than one "David" as a client, tell him it's David Tay, his "neighbor" from Deloitte & Touche up the street.

Regards,
David

 

[diamondnovice]

I will make sure to have my mom give Martin that message.

When you get your final appraisal report, post to let me know if you are satisfied and what information Martin includes.

My mom has never had a Sarin type analysis done on her diamond and I think that she ought to since it may be the only way to distinguish her stone from another (due to the fact it is flawless).

The ring is over 40 years old and they did not certify diamonds back then. In fact, the color and clarity grading scales were also different but three years ago she had a basic GIA type cert done by a gemologist. It had the modern scale grading for color and clarity as well as the polish and symmetry. The measurements listed were just the diameter, depth% and table%. I would like for her to have more of an AGS type cert done where the crown and pavilion angles/% are listed.

 

[tayd]

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On 10/9/2002 7:13:04 PM

I will make sure to have my mom give Martin that message.

When you get your final appraisal report, post to let me know if you are satisfied and what information Martin includes.

My mom has never had a Sarin type analysis done on her diamond and I think that she ought to since it may be the only way to distinguish her stone from another (due to the fact it is flawless).

The ring is over 40 years old and they did not certify diamonds back then. In fact, the color and clarity grading scales were also different but three years ago she had a basic GIA type cert done by a gemologist. It had the modern scale grading for color and clarity as well as the polish and symmetry. The measurements listed were just the diameter, depth% and table%. I would like for her to have more of an AGS type cert done where the crown and pavilion angles/% are listed.
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I don't think Martin has a Sarin machine (you can always email/call to ask him) but I came across this thread on diamondtalk.com from another satisfied client of his on what tests were performed:

http://www.diamondtalk.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=15714&highlight=martin+fuller

Regards,
David

PS - Just got an email from Martin that the stone should be in Jonathan's hands by today!

 

[kentbrockman]

If this discussion is still about where to propose in DC...

I live in DC and vote for the Bishop's Garden at National Cathedral. Technically it's closed after sunset, but the gates are usually open. The garden is quiet, secluded and very romantic. The cathedral is lit up (I think until 11:30 or midnight), and towers dramatically above you. I think it's one of the most romantic spots in DC. If I weren't proposing in Paris, I'd definitely do it in the Bishop's Garden at night.

One caveat...there may be one or two other couples in the garden, usually in the gazebo or on a bench in one of the dark spots. On weekends, you are more likely to encounter this.

Good luck!

 

[tayd]

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On 10/11/2002 10:46:42 AM

If this discussion is still about where to propose in DC...

I live in DC and vote for the Bishop's Garden at National Cathedral. Technically it's closed after sunset, but the gates are usually open. The garden is quiet, secluded and very romantic. The cathedral is lit up (I think until 11:30 or midnight), and towers dramatically above you. I think it's one of the most romantic spots in DC. If I weren't proposing in Paris, I'd definitely do it in the Bishop's Garden at night.

One caveat...there may be one or two other couples in the garden, usually in the gazebo or on a bench in one of the dark spots. On weekends, you are more likely to encounter this.

Good luck!
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Thanks for the advice! I haven't been there before.

How's the parking, or is it Metro accessible?

Regards,
David

 

[kentbrockman]

It is located on Wisconsin Ave, just north of where it intersects Massachusetts Ave. There is not a metro station nearby, but it lies on two bus lines (most buses number in the 30s and 90s go past it...check www.wmata.com for routes and times).

Parking is usually not too much of a hassle. It isn't too bad on the street in that area, depending on the time of day (later it gets, more neighborhood people are parked for the night). There are parking spots on the Cathedral grounds. The garden is on the south side, with parking spots along the garden wall. If you strike out there, more parking spots are located on the north side of the Cathedral. If you are already in the District, a one-way cab won't be more than $10 from most areas of town.

Additional questions can probably be answered at www.cathedral.org (it has maps, and a listing of upcoming concerts, which might be a good excuse to get her there in the first place!).

 

[kentbrockman]

Came across this story, which gave some interesting ideas. I'd have to agree with it's suggestion of the Jefferson Memorial. Also a nice spot, especially as the sun is setting, when the marble monuments practically glow and the city lights start to come on.

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/vacations/great/proposals.htm

 

[tayd]

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On 10/11/2002 10:46:42 AM

If this discussion is still about where to propose in DC...

I live in DC and vote for the Bishop's Garden at National Cathedral. Technically it's closed after sunset, but the gates are usually open. The garden is quiet, secluded and very romantic. The cathedral is lit up (I think until 11:30 or midnight), and towers dramatically above you. I think it's one of the most romantic spots in DC. If I weren't proposing in Paris, I'd definitely do it in the Bishop's Garden at night.

One caveat...there may be one or two other couples in the garden, usually in the gazebo or on a bench in one of the dark spots. On weekends, you are more likely to encounter this.

Good luck!
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Just wanted to mention that between the Jefferson Memorial and Bishop's Garden, I picked the latter for my plan to propose last Saturday, October 19, 2002 and it was PERFECT! I "popped the question" around 8:20 pm inside the gazebo at Bishop's Gardens just as the church wedding bells had finished ringing (there was a wedding there earlier). The timing and moment were simply memorable...

Thank you for the suggestion!

Regards,
David

 

[kentbrockman]

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On 10/22/2002 5:10:59 PM



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On 10/11/2002 10:46:42 AM



If this discussion is still about where to propose in DC...



I live in DC and vote for the Bishop's Garden at National Cathedral. Technically it's closed after sunset, but the gates are usually open. The garden is quiet, secluded and very romantic. The cathedral is lit up (I think until 11:30 or midnight), and towers dramatically above you. I think it's one of the most romantic spots in DC. If I weren't proposing in Paris, I'd definitely do it in the Bishop's Garden at night.



One caveat...there may be one or two other couples in the garden, usually in the gazebo or on a bench in one of the dark spots. On weekends, you are more likely to encounter this.



Good luck!

----------------





Just wanted to mention that between the Jefferson Memorial and Bishop's Garden, I picked the latter for my plan to propose last Saturday, October 19, 2002 and it was PERFECT! I "popped the question" around 8:20 pm inside the gazebo at Bishop's Gardens just as the church wedding bells had finished ringing (there was a wedding there earlier). The timing and moment were simply memorable...



Thank you for the suggestion!



Regards,

David




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That's great news! May your marriage last as long as those cathedral walls will stand!