This past Friday evening, we decided at the last minute to have dinner at La Panetteria, it is a great little family-owned Italian restaurant in downtown Bethesda.  We love this place- it is fantastic food and always welcoming!

So we are sitting there, facing the bay window out to the little Bethesda side-street, Cordell Ave, when-

a big motorcade comes passing by!

My husband commented, “That almost looks big enough to be the President’s.”  We are both natives to the DC area, so we don’t get excited about motorcades and like to think we can guess what degree of dignitary it’s for, based on the amount of cars, SUVs and security.

“Yeah, but why would the President be in Bethesda… for dinner?”  We laughed… and went back to eating.

We had a great time and headed to the next block to a parking garage where our car was parked.

AND THEN we saw a large group of people gathering… around Imagination Stage.

I went up to a guy standing there to ask what was going on, then a saw that the entire road was blocked,

“The President’s in there, with the girls.”

All of a sudden, This DC native got really excited!  I mean, I CAN WALK to Imagination Stage.

Then the guy told me we wouldn’t be able to get out of the parking garage- UGH.

But I went up to the Secret Service and they told me ‘no problem’, the agents in the garage would just let us out on the other side of the garage.  The Secret Service was so nice, (I think they’re especially nice when you are holding hands with a 5-year-old)…

But I totally appreciated it because most were decked out with guns and stuff and for them to be nice and polite in front of my little guy was cool…

It was also cool that the President and First Lady were at Imagination Stage for officially an ‘extracurricular event’ for Sasha…

and Imagination Stage is down the street!!!

Okay, so I didn’t actually SEE the President- but really close!

So, ‘Bethesda is the new Georgetown’…   without the drunk college students-     YEY!