If you know me well chances are you know I like a mini-vacay in a big city almost as much as a longer more luxurious vacation on, say a beach. Give me 36 hours and I will endeavor to run roughshod over a berg lighting hither, dither and yon on tourist traps and local favs alike.
I tend to dress like a hip local which is to say I wear stylish but comfortable clothing, layered on for temperature changes and no visible handbag. This may seem obvious but I have found airline staff go out of their way to take care of a well put together traveler than, say, someone flying in their pajamas and a sleep scarf. IJS.
My most recent mini-vacay was spent in the company of my dear niece Jennifer who was the main focus of my visit. She's been in the D.C. area for going on a year now so Auntie HAD to do a fly in to check her out during her birthday month. I rented a cute two room condo in the Greenbelt neighborhood and we hung like wet clothes catching Ubers, buses and subway trains. Talk about adventures! This was just my second time using Uber but I must say, the app couldn't be easier to use. Save your duckets cause Ubering around D.C. is not cheap!! My pro tip? Use Uber Pool if you're in no rush to get where you're going which will save a buck or four. I arrived around 1230 and started my visit off at her place. She was sweet enough to cook me shrimp and grits and eggs for brunch which was lovely. We gabbed and played with her baby cousin then set off for my condo just to quickly settle in. The Airbnb was exactly as advertised (again, only my second time using Airbnb) so that was a relief. We called another Uber to find a Vietnamese restaurant we thought we'd seen on the National Harbor website. The restaurant was supposed to be at the MGM casino but we had the wrong address. So, instead of eating at the casino like sensible people we walked a country mile over hill and dale (and three freeways!) to the National Harbor in search of that same restaurant. Little did we know we were in for yet another rude awakening. There turned out to be virtually NO restaurants open near the Harbor due to, get this, a water main break. Apparently, the Health Department swept through like the plague and closed down almost every restaurant within a three block radius. OK. By now we were cold, hungry and just a little slap happy. It's like 9pm. We finally found a pub serving comfort food all while using bottled water and store bought ice. It could have been dicey but we prayed over our food and ate it, thankfully with no ill effects. One more Uber ride back to the condo and it was lights out for these tired souls after fake watching TV.
The next day, after homemade cafe mochas, we thought we'd switch things up and use public transportation to the Mall to see the cherry blossoms. My niece didn't know the cherry blossoms were a "thing" but she is an expert at pulling stuff up on her phone. She got us a bus and a train route very near the condo which sounded great. An hour and a half later we finally caught the right bus to the Greenbelt station, purchased a subway ticket and exited the train right outside of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Did you know you have to go through a metal detector just to use the public restrooms in Federal buildings? Yikes! With that handled, we turned our attention to the amazingly beautiful cherry blossoms which were in full bloom all along the Mall. What a sight watching the wind gently rain blossoms down on squealing children attempting to catch them. So much of the noise of D.C. dies down when you are under the canopy of a pink cherry blossom tree; Highly recommended as a stress reducer! I looked to my right and what did I spy but the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture. Yay. It was about 1:30 and we breezed right through the doors. No lines, no hassle. Yay. This museum is a must see. Architecturally stunning, beautifully arranged and curated it was special because I was seeing it through my nieces lived experience. We got the chance to record a video together on how the exhibits impacted us. It was a special afternoon! So, now its 4:30 and I know she has class at 6:30 waaaay far away in the burbs She suggests schlepping it to Chinatown for a meal which sounded fantastic. A quick hot noodle bowl on a cold rainy day--what's not to like?. 10 blocks and 10 wet frozen toes later we FINALLY make it to a Korean noodle bowl place which was transformative. For real. But now we have to catch the train to its terminus then Uber it to her college. An hour and 45 minutes later she rushes in late late late to class. My former professor cockles have risen as I hate to see her late to someones class!! But it is what is is. So while she's learning, I'm plotting my next move. What if we were to catch a late show? She emerges from class unscathed and says to me, "you wanna see a movie?" Great minds think alike! Ubered it over to an AMC theater with reclining seats and yup we both managed to stay awake through the 9 p.m. feature. We got chewed out by the Uber pool driver but we made it to the condo around midnight. Sadly Jennifer had to head back to her home for work the next morning. I made a coffee and watched a bit of TV before laying it down. What a day!
I woke up around 7 thinking, 'my flight isn't until 2pm. Where else can I go?' These are the parts of my trip I don't usually tell my husband about until I get home. Why? Because he would want me to go straight to the airport at like 10. But I'm just not built that way. So I pack up, clean up and head out for the last time and take yup, an Uber to the National Portrait Gallery. How could I come this far and not see #44 and his lovely wife?! I get to the protrait gallery a good
hour and a half before it's due to open (I didn't check the times😑.) So, NOW what do I do? I notice I am right around the corner from, guess where, Chinatown so I wander around enjoying all of the architecture. I settle in at the bar of the Chinatown Starbucks and proceed to make friends with Chris, a wonderful man who happened to be without a home right now. It was the perfect opportunity to share God's love through a caramel machiato and good converstion. Now its 1115 so I head over to the gallery and chat up the security guard about the final four tourneys being hosted right next door. "Where EXACTLY are the Obama's portraits?" I finally ask. After getting very clear instructions I run through the front door as soon as the gallery opens at 1130, grab a map and race up the steps to the second floor (look for George Washington on the right). In the third Gallery back behind a pillar is the stunning portrait of President Barack Obama.
No lines. No obstructions. Just us. Lol. I chat up Wesley, a docent, and get all the fascinating skinny on Presidents Obama, Clinton, Johnson, Nixon, and Kennedys portraits. Just some good dish!! I slide upstairs to the third floor and find Mrs. Obama cooly hanging near Ms.The Queen Toni Morrison and L.L. Cool J; quite the juxtaposition. Photos in hand I sprint down to ground level to call my last Uber. It's 1215 and I need to be at the airport by 1pm. My Uber arrives and I confidently slide in the back seat like an Uber pro (at this point) and buckle up ready to rock and roll. The driver side eyes me and says, 'ma'am. I don't want to go to the airport. Can I cancel? Can you get somebody else? Its gonna take me an hour and a half to get out there and I just don't feel like doing it". Huh? There were too many things in his statement for me to handle:
Cancel. Don't want to. Hour and a half. I just couldn't!!!! So, I let silence do its nudge work then I calmly said, "sir, if you don't take me, I'm going to miss my plane home". And with that his responsible gene kicked in and he resignedly said, 'OK'. He drove like the proverbial bat. You know what I did? I read my Kindle and prayed for favor. He got me there in 45 minutes! I praised him every way I could then ran to TSA pre check. I even had time to grab a coffee and a snack and a breath prior to boarding. So, I got home safely dear reader convinced that there was nothing more or less I was supposed to do in D.C. those 36 hours.
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| D.C. day 1 |
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| D.C. day 2 |
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| D.C. day 3 |
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