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Published: November 11th 2008
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A Different City
Today I'm heading off to Washington, DC. I wake up early in the morning to catch a taxi to Penn Station. I wake Mourad up so I can say goodbye to him even though I will be back in three days and he will be still here when I get back. Once into my taxi, I realized how bad traffic in New York can be. I guess I never noticed it before as most of the days I explored the city were non-working days. Good thing my cab driver knows how to get around the traffic.
I was fortunate enough to get a discounted ticket on the
Acela Express. It takes me two and a half hours to go from New York to Washington. That's better than the 4+ hours by bus and the 3.5-4 hours by regular train. Not much to do on the train. I can't believe they don't have free wireless on the train. Is that too much to ask for? Playing chess against the computer was a low point for me. Thank God for Itunes 😊 and writing in my journal.
Note to self: bring more books to read and download a video game.
My trip to Washington is uneventful and I make it to my
new home for the next three days. I get there and need to wait 30 minutes to check in. This sucks. Oh well, shit happens...lol. The hostel is more or less the same as the one in New York only smaller. I'm in a four person dorm as they call it. It's really just two bunk beds and four lockers.
On the Road Again
I dump my stuff in the hostel, grab a map, and head for the White House. I have a few hours before my dinner date and I want to make the most of my time sight seeing. Damn, the blocks here are just as long as the ones in New York. This is going to be a long walk. At least it's a nice sunny day in Washington and it's a lot hotter than in New York.
My stroll takes me from the hostel (11th and K Street) to the White House. It wasn't as bad as I thought, but then I see the
Washington Monument and decide to walk over to it. It doesn't look as big as I
thought. It's difficult to judge the height as there are no other buildings around it. I call it the big phallic symbol...lol. From the Washington Monument, I look over to the
Lincoln Memorial and figure I came all this way I might as well go there too. The walk over to the Lincoln Memorial reminds me of the one Mourad and I did in New York except I don't know where to catch the subway if I get tired.
Before I get to the Reflecting Pool, I end up at the
World War II Memorial. It's actually kind of a somber place to be at even though it's outdoors. I give my moment of silence then head up to the Reflecting Pool. After taking a few pictures from walkway between the Reflecting Pool and the WWII Memorial, I decide to walk beside the Reflecting Pool up to the Lincoln Memorial. As I stroll, I notice that there are a lot of bugs flying around. What the hell? Wait! The Reflecting Pool is all standing water. What the hell was I thinking? No wonder everyone else is walking on the tree lined pathway.
Note to self: Don't walk by standing water. I finally make
it to the Lincoln Memorial. Fortunately I was not eaten alive by all those bugs. The statue of Lincoln is very impressive I'm glad I spent another 2 hours walking to get here. I'm just wondering though. Will the walking never end?
Dinner
I'm heading to dinner with my friend Natalie and guess what? I'm walking to the restaurant...lol. Okay, back to Natalie. It will be the first time I meet her in person. She is another person that I have only talked to through the Internet. It's nice to have friends around the world who I can go visit 😊. We are eating at
Taberna del Alabardero. It's a Spanish restaurant and they actually speak Spanish too...ack.
Note to self: learn Spanish quickly for my big trip. I actually arrive a bit late (stupid traffic lights) and meet Natalie outside the restaurant. The food is very good and the wine from Spain is great. If this food is any indication of what I can expect in Spain, I can't wait to go there 😊.
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