Day 3: Rest and Producitiviy

Note that these entries are part of a series that I am posting after the fact. (Sorry about that: I did not have any time to find a free WiFi spot to even check my email.) Please use the search box in the page header to look for other daily entries about my inaugural travels and activities. This also marks the second time I am writing this, as Safari does not warn before closing a window full of tabs!

After yesterday’s whirlwind tour in two different cities, starting at five in the morning and ending at four this morning, I can definitely claim to be very tired. But time being precious, we awoke this morning at 11:00 am, allowing our fatigued bodies to rest and sleep in. The family went to brunch at a Corner Bakery where I had a delicious omelet of sorts. My friend Diana could not eat, as she became sick. She really wanted to go back to the hotel to throw up, but our toilet was disgustingly clogged. After sitting in the lobby, listening to some Texan go on about her experience at the ball last night, Diana found my step mom. Allison, and entreated her to allow the use of her bathroom.

Meanwhile, I endeavored to return the rented white Dodge Stratus to its rightful owner, my dad’s boss. As I stated yesterday, I never envisioned driving so much in this city, but I have enjoyed testing my navigations skills, verifying that they remain at their highest levels yet.

Our route this morning included departing from our hotel on L Street, going down the length of M Street westward, and crossing the Key Bridge to enter Rosslyn. In normal traffic, this takes only ten minutes, but apparently Friday mornings are a different story at 11:30 am! Delivery trucks obviously have no qualms stopping whole lanes of traffic on the far left or right sides of the one-way M Street. My superior, video-game-driven senses delivered us from the slow and the otherwise stopped vehicles on the road, the car maneuvering and weaving in and out of lanes, around turning cars and parked trucks, as necessary. My dad was with me and even he was impressed at my ability to get us through all that traffic.

The highlight of this return trip, however, occurred in the shopping district near (or in?) Georgetown on M Street. We found ourselves at a red light, and cross traffic was moving slowly. Suddenly, cross traffic stopped, and a Honda CRV was stuck in the middle of the intersection blocking both lanes of oncoming cars. Before the driver could even get himself out of the messy situation, his light turned red! He tried to reverse, but the cars behind him had already pulled up to his bumper, impeding that escape route. Our two lanes of traffic were moving, so he could not go forward either! The best part, however, was the passenger stuck in the car, powerless to change the situation. My dad and I witnessed her embarrassment at the situation, as she slid down in her seat and covered her face in her hands as all the oncoming, blocked cars proceeded to honk their frustration at these people. Oh, the hilarity! My dad and I laughed so hard, my abs hurt!

After returning back to our hotel, My friend Diana, Cory, Sean Louis, Mishon and her boyfriend Adam, and I departed to see some of the monuments and other attractions that many visiting D.C. often see. Today of all days, though, the weather was not on our side. From the picture below, this may not appear to be the case given the pristine blue sky. What the pictures do not convey is the temperature! From Weather Underground, the mean temperature today was 24˚F (-4˚C), wind speed was 12 mph (20 kph), and humidity was 44%. The combination of those three facts made the air dreadfully colder than any of us Renoites and Coloradans are normally accustomed.

Still, we made our way through the metro to emerge at the Smithsonian stop, where we began our long trek past the Washington Monument, through the decidedly cool World War II Memorial, up past the frozen reflecting pool to the Lincoln Memorial, over to the Korean War Veterans Memorial, and over to the other side to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. At that point, and many pictures later, we were so frozen that the decision was made to head all the way back to the Smithsonian metro stop. Our frozen bodies could take no more! I am not sure if you, the reader, are aware of the distances involved in the previously described trek, but let me warn you that they are not to be made lightly given the circumstances (weather, et cetera).

Dinner was had at a California Pizza Kitchen, where I had an always-delicious BBQ pizza. We fell asleep to the Napoleon Dynamite DVD.