So I must apologize for the serious delay in the third act of my life. I have done so much since I've last posted and I don't know where to begin. First off, it has been HOT here in DC the past few days. I'm talking seriously hot, like upwards of 90 degrees. Basically, we've skipped spring--although, the pollen count of spring time is here, one of the highest DC has seen in years. It is supposed to cool down tomorrow after some thunderstorms tonight. Sidenote: DC has great thunderstorms here. If you are like me and enjoy a good storm, there is plenty of thunder and lightening here because it gets so humid, especially in summer.
Besides paying weirdly too much attention to the weather, I have been busy as always. The city has also been very, very busy. It is officially tourist season, as thousands of visitors flocked to the National Mall for the annual Cherry Blossom Festival. The Capitals are doing well right now, and the Nationals have just had their first game of the 2010 season, so there are a lot of people coming in and out of the city. I love that tourism boosts the DC economy, but it can be frustrating when tourists are completely inept at using public transportation. I've missed multiple Metro trains because people do not know how to use fair cards or board trains properly. There are several important courtesies one must ALWAYS remember to follow when using Metro. First, always stand on the right side of the escalator and walk on the left. Escalefting, as we call it, is a most awful offense and people in DC will immediately call you on it. Second, when boarding a train, listen to the robot woman announcer who says, "When boarding, please move to the center of the car." More people can get on the train and people won't be hit by the closing doors. Then, everyone is happy. It's a win-win. Lastly, when getting onto a Metro, one must first wait to let passengers off the train before boarding. They come out, then you go in; it isn't a two way street. To make everyone's lives easier and to avoid public embarrassment and angry glares from locals, we have all learned the manners of Metro. So, I give you this information in the hopes that when you come visit us, you will be an informed tourist who can navigate the Metro smoothly and efficiently, just like a District native.
With that said, let me now tell you about my tourist adventures this week. Early on Monday morning, myself and my roommate ventured to the Tidal Basin to have a look at the Cherry Blossoms without having to navigate through thousands of people. While it was painful to wake up at 6 a.m., it was well worth the trip. We got some great pictures and enjoyed the early morning quiet on the Mall, although by 7:30 or 8 we could see the masses gathering outside the Washington Monument and the Bureau of Engraving, waiting to get their day started. There was also the Easter egg roll at the White House and we saw several families with their daughters dressed up with baskets heading that way. Here are a couple of my favorite shots from Monday morning:
A view of the Jefferson Memorial.
Reflection of Cherry Blossom branches in the Potomac.
This past weekend I also did some exploration of new neighborhoods. On Friday night, my friends and I went out in the U Street neighborhood. I always enjoy getting out of Foggy Bottom on occasion because each neighborhood in DC really has its own character. U Street is known historically has a very jazz and music heavy area. Duke Ellington played there frequently in his day, and it still attracts some big names in jazz today. It has been more developed in recent years, and now attracts many people for its night life and restaurants. The famous Ben's Chili Bowl is located in U Street, which I finally had for the first time last semester. I was too tired to hang around when my friends went on Friday night, but the food there is delicious and it is a definite must do when you visit DC. On Saturday, our friend had a bar-b-que at his townhouse in the H Street NE neighborhood. It is a really up and coming area but a bit out of reach of public transportation. A trolley is being built right now in order to better connect it to other parts of the city, which has been a controversial issue in the neighborhood. After enjoying lots of food, we headed out to the H Street Country Club, which is a restaurant/bar themed like a country club. There's even a miniature golf course in the upstairs! We played a round and then headed to Sticky Rice, which is a Japanese restaurant by day and bar/club by night. It was a really fun night and made me again realize how much DC really has to offer in terms of geographic diversity. There were people from all parts of the city in H Street and U Street, and both areas also posses their unique qualities, just like Foggy Bottom has now become characterized by GW.
Well, I hope everyone has a great weekend! I'm running the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler on Sunday, so look for a post about that soon!
--Abby
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