DC has been a blast. I’ve been here before and done the
tourist thing but this time I jumped off the beaten path a bit. I stayed on
Connecticut Ave. NW with a friend. Two blocks from the Metro station and
surrounded by more Laundromats than I’ve ever seen in my life. I woke up Friday
morning to the sounds of sirens down Connecticut – or somewhere in the
surrounding area. It made me feel at ease. I know! How could that be? I guess I
didn’t realize how much of a city girl I really am until I heard morning traffic
bustling outside. Maybe it’s the idea of all the different people
hurrying along with their travel mugs of coffee to their assorted important
jobs that excites me? I woke up with a plan; I wanted to start my exploration
of the city somewhere that I knew, so I decided on Capital Mall. Also, it'd be nice to see the sites as long as I’m here, ya know?
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| World War II Memorial |
I walked down to the Metro – scared as hell because I hate
public transportation. It could be the trip to New York when I was in Middle
School, where we took the wrong subway and instead of ending up at The Today
Show to see the Backstreet Boys, we ended up in an entirely different borough. It could also be the hoards
of people, smells and confusion that turn me off. Whatever it is, I wasn’t
looking forward to figuring out what I had to do to get where I was going – I’d
never done this alone before. I take the long escalator down to beneath the
city and try to look like I know what I’m doing. Something else about city life
that’s a little bit scary is that I’m a total target, a short little girl,
clueless about where she is and where she’s going (kind of a metaphor for my
life right now). It’s like at a haunted houses, how they can always pick out the
person in the group who’s going to pee themselves if they mess with you enough.
Yea, that’s me! I decide that pride isn’t worth wasting 35 minutes standing in front of the Metro machine, so I ask the man at the information booth what I need to
do to get to the Smithsonian stop. He explains it’s $3 and sends me to buy my
ticket from the machine. As I stand there straightening my dollar bills, taking
a little longer than someone who knows what they’re doing might, he comes out of his
booth and helps me with my ticket purchase and then shows me on a map of the
lines that I need to take the Red Line to the Metro Center stop then jump on
the Blue line toward Largo (or somewhere like that) and that will take me to the stop I want. Grateful for his patience and assistance, I head on my way.
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| Washington Monument |
I do some touristy things; see the Washington Monument and
the Smithsonian Castle, then work my way toward the World War II memorial –
it’s easily my favorite, maybe because my grandpas were a veterans. My friend, CJ, who I am staying with, invites me
to join some of his friends for Happy Hour near Dupont Circle. This means I
have to figure out how to get from where I am to where he is using the Metro
(sigh!). Shamelessly, I get out my map and figure out which Metro stop is
nearest me and get to steppin’. As I walk the well-kept streets of DC, I find
myself somewhat unmoved by the buildings. I know it sounds like such a jaded thing to say, but
there was something about the buildings that didn’t feel historic enough for
our Nation’s Capital. I thought of Philly and Independence Hall and how you know our nation was founded there because the worn buildings
and cobble stone streets remind you of it. The Metro stop I chose was across
from the Old Post Office Building, this is serendipitous, as I need to buy
stamps and the idea of buying stamps in the Old Post Office Building is just
too perfect! When I get my bearings, I find that I am just blocks from the
White House, I can see it from my route! I see the Ronald Reagan building
and some others and begin to feel more like I am in a place where things get
done. These buildings scream of
grandeur and importance. I’m sure the people working inside might be numb to
the feeling by now, but I can only imagine that one knows they are doing real
work when they go to work in them everyday. You know you work for the government in one of the greatest
countries in the world when you show your ID badge for entry to these
buildings. They are magnificent.
I figure out how to get to the Dupont Circle stop at the
Metro; it’s rush hour and there are even more people beneath the city than
there are above it, I’m sure, so this is somewhat more daunting than my morning
ride was. I’m not worried, though, because thanks to my buddy from earlier, I
know what I need to do! I jump off at Dupont and again, like a shameless
tourist, ask for directions to the bar I’m going to. I learned that, while it
may feel like you’re helpless, the best thing you can do is simply ask for
help.
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| I found me some Vols in DC! |
I’m determined to spend time running and writing in each
city I visit. Since I didn’t do either on Friday, I decide that Saturday morning should
begin with a run. It’s 45° and windy and I haven’t gone for a run in about a
month so this is sure to be an interesting trial. I make my way out and manage a
couple miles past exoctic food restaurants and, at least, 17 landromats. The run proves to be not so terrible.
As it is Saturday the Vols are playing and I’ve arranged to
meet some friends at the local UT alumni bar to watch the game. While, the competition wasn’t entirely thrilling, the company and conversation certainly were. I got
some great advice on what to do while job searching and got to spend time with
wonderful people.
In just a few short days in DC I learned quite a bit about
myself. I discovered that there’s no shame in asking directions, I’m capable of
solving my own problems and I also managed to make the Metro my bitch!
Thanks to my DC friends for making my first stop so much fun…
DC: 1 Home: 0
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