Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Rhett Was Here!

Another epic weekend in D.C., but this time I got to enjoy it with Rhett! He definitely brought the Pacific Northwest weather with him on his journey to the East Coast... it was 70 and raining for most of his trip.  (Though I think both of us were relieved that we didn't have to deal with any scorchers!)


Rhett and I went with our typical modus operandi: explore everything and cover as much ground as possible! Over the course of three days we tasted Salvadorian, Indian, Italian, Southern BBQ, and Mexican cuisine. We saw national monuments, pastimes, museums, statues, markets, artwork, and even the zoo. We criss-crossed the city on each of the five metro lines and explored many of the pockets and neighborhoods in the District.

My favorite thing about it all? Having Rhett by my side! It was nice to play tour guide for once, too. I feel like I've begun to understand the ins and outs of Capitol Hill, which sights to see and which to avoid, and was hopefully able to give Rhett a peek of each of the hats D.C. wears. In a city this diverse, with Hill lifers mixed with temporary interns, embassies next to churches, and universities sprinkled among global headquarters, getting a glimpse of everything is a tall task.


We began Friday examining the primary role of Washington, D.C.: symbol of national identity. Rhett and I walked past the White House, under the Washington Monument, and along the rest of the Mall. In addition to the sights I had already explored, we spent time at the WWII, Vietnam, and Korean war memorials.


In addition to the Vietnam Memorial, to which I am particularly drawn (I'll write more about that in another post), Rhett was drawn to the regal solemnity of the WWII memorial and I appreciated the subversive and haunted nature of the Korean War memorial.




We also explored D.C.'s role as political epicenter with a private tour (from yours truly) of the Capitol building. Magnificent enough for its own post, I'll save that summary for another day as well.


Finally, we enjoyed D.C.'s identity as a sports powerhouse at a Nats game. We even ignited our Natitude with the rest of the crowd! After arriving nearly three hours early and exploring the stadium (beautiful, and below street level), we got soaked in the sixth inning when the predicted storm arrived. Another stadium checked off Rhett's bucket list!

On day 2, we celebrated D.C.'s vibrant cultural and culinary scenes with trips to the U Street corridor, Smithsonian museums, and historic Georgetown.




We saw legendary Ben's Chili Bowl (their #1 fan is Bill Cosby, rumored to be the only person other than Michelle, Sasha, and Malia Obama worthy of bypassing the line). Love that dentist sign next door, too!


The Air and Space Museum and American History Museum were packed with kids, but we braved some lines to see the Wright brothers' first planes, first ladies' inaugural gowns, and mention of Rhett's ancestor Stonewall Jackson.




These are Michelle and Hillary's inaugural gowns:


 On Sunday, Rhett and I walked along the Potomac to the tidal basin, explored Eastern Market (an awesome farmer's and flea market near the Navy barracks), saw the pandas at the National Zoo, went to the National Gallery of Art, and stuffed ourselves on Italian food in Georgetown. Whew!

This weekend was perfect in every way... I can't believe I'm past the halfway point in my internship now! I'll be home in 10 days!

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