The Nest Is Where You Start: A New Chapter for P.S. Nest

There comes a point when you realize that a nest isn't meant to be the whole story.

A nest is where you gather. Where you settle in. Where you keep the things you love.

And then, sometimes, it's where you get ready to go somewhere.

That idea has been on my mind as P.S. Nest has evolved.

When I first started P.S. Nest, I was thinking a lot about home—how we arrange it, what we keep, and how our surroundings shape the way we live.

I still care about all of that.

But over time, I realized that the part of the work I loved most wasn't necessarily what happened inside the house.

It was what happened when people got out into the world.

A conversation that started over a painting.

A museum someone had been meaning to visit for years.

A garden discovered on a Sunday afternoon.

A game of Mahjong that gave people an easy reason to sit down together.

A visiting parent who wanted to experience Washington as a city rather than simply check off the monuments.

A rabbit hole that led somewhere none of us expected.

Those were the moments that stayed with me.

And they pointed P.S. Nest in a new direction.

A different way to explore Washington

I've spent more than 30 years working in Washington-area museums, galleries, historic houses, and cultural organizations. I've been a curator, an educator, a storyteller, a planner, and, above all, someone who loves figuring out what makes a place worth noticing.

I love digging deep.

Give me a museum website and I'll probably find the exhibition, the tour schedule, the café, the special program, the unusual admission opportunity—and the thing happening three blocks away that might make the whole day better.

Give me a neighborhood I've never explored and I'll start making a list.

But P.S. Nest isn't just about what I know about Washington.

That's one of the things that has changed.

P.S. Nest is now a partnership between two people who see the city differently.

One of us has spent more than three decades working in its museums and historic houses. The other came to Washington more recently and started exploring it with fresh eyes.

Peyton brings an educator's instinct, a traveler's curiosity, and years of exploring cities, countries, and national parks. She has taught middle school, led countless field trips, and now volunteers at the U.S. Botanic Garden, where she talks with visitors from around the world about carnivorous plants.

Together, we notice different things.

And that's part of what makes P.S. Nest interesting.

Sometimes you just need someone to go with you

Washington is full of places worth seeing.

But knowing where to go is only part of it.

Sometimes you want someone who knows the city well to say, Come on. I think you'll love this.

That's the idea behind Cultural Companions.

These are private, thoughtfully planned outings built around the person coming along—their interests, their pace, their curiosity, and what they actually want to experience.

Maybe you've lived in Washington for years but still haven't made it to that museum.

Maybe you're visiting and want to see something beyond the usual list.

Maybe you're introducing a parent, friend, or partner to the city.

Or maybe you simply want good company while you explore.

This isn't a lecture or a race through 47 masterpieces before lunch.

It's a day to look closely, talk about what you're seeing, follow a few interesting leads, stop for coffee or lunch, and see where the day takes you.

And sometimes the best way to meet people is to do something

Not every P.S. Nest experience involves a museum.

Our Social Circles are built around the simple idea that meeting people can be easier when you have something to do together.

Mahjong is a perfect example.

You sit down. You learn a game. You shuffle tiles. You laugh at your mistakes. You start talking.

The activity gives everyone something to share, which makes the whole business of meeting new people considerably less awkward.

And sometimes you discover that the person across the table is someone you'd like to see again.

That's the idea behind P.S. Nest Gatherings, too: interesting places, good people, and a reason to get out of the house.

And if Washington is coming to you...

Sometimes the challenge isn't finding something to do. It's figuring out what to do when your family or friends come to town.

That's where Visiting Family Concierge comes in.

Your parents are visiting. Your college friends are coming for the weekend. Your sister's family is bringing the kids.

You don't necessarily need a tour guide.

You need someone who knows Washington well enough to figure out which museums make sense, what needs a reservation, where lunch fits, how much you can realistically do in a day, and what is worth the detour.

P.S. Nest does the figuring out.

You get to do the visiting.

Follow the rabbit hole

This may be my favorite part of what P.S. Nest has become.

I have always been a planner. I am also an enthusiastic rabbit-hole follower.

A museum exhibition leads to a historic house.

A historic house leads to a neighborhood.

A neighborhood leads to a restaurant.

A restaurant leads to a bookstore.

Someone mentions a garden, and suddenly we're looking at the history of landscape design.

You get the idea.

The rabbit holes aren't distractions from the plan.

They're often how you find the good stuff.

That's why P.S. Nest isn't about producing the most comprehensive list of things to do in Washington.

It's about finding the things that are worth your time.

The museum you might walk right past.

The garden you didn't know was there.

The neighborhood that deserves an afternoon.

The restaurant that makes sense for the day you're planning.

The exhibition that gives you something to talk about afterward.

The person you didn't know you'd meet.

So this is P.S. Nest now

The name still feels right to me.

A nest is a place to gather.

But it's also a place to launch.

And P.S. Nest is increasingly about that second part.

Getting out.

Getting curious.

Going somewhere interesting.

Finding good company.

Following the occasional rabbit hole.

And making a really good day of it.

Whether you're new to Washington, have lived here for decades, have family coming to town, are looking for people to play Mahjong with, or simply want a reason to explore somewhere you've never been, there's a place to start.

Come curious. We'll figure out the rest.

P.S. Sometimes the best way to find something new is simply to leave the nest.