DC: Day 1

We awakened at 5am. We had already packed on Sunday, so all that was left was to have breakfast, close down the house, and drop Mason off at Mark’s. The last part was the most challenging. We took Mason in Danny’s car arrived at Mark’s place around 7:15. Mason was so busy playing with Buster and Honey (who Mark inherited from his uncle) that he didn’t notice when we left. Danny and I, however, were weepy within a few minutes of our departure. We raced back to the east side, double checked that the heat, lights, and appliances were off, boarded my car, and we were on our way.

The drive itself was not too eventful, except for some bad weather which put us behind schedule. The route took us through some dreary towns. There are parts of Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio that I can’t imagine anyone wanting to live in - where the local economy revolves around the rest areas and restaurants.

We’re staying at the Days Inn in Arlington. I basically chose this hotel because it’s the cheapest I could find and it provides a shuttle to the Rosslyn Metro station, which can get us to any place in DC. All the hotels in DC proper were hugely expensive, and charged extra for parking.

After settling in, we crashed for a while before hopping into my car and heading to DC. We parked on Ohio Drive and I showed Danny the FDR memorial.

We were unable to walk along the Tidal Basin because it was flooded over. So, we took the upper sidewalk and headed for the Jefferson Memorial. Thomas Jefferson was a complex man who fascinates me - full of contradictions and for all his greatness, deeply flawed.

After driving back to Arlington we grabbed a late dinner at Astor’s Mediterranean restaurant, where I had a delightful vegetarian dish and tea. After a day of burgers and Pepsi, it hit the spot.