The D.C. List

“Hi, Mom!”

I’ve made a list, front and back, of things to do while living in D.C. Although my stay is fifteen weeks long, I bet I’ll be lucky to accomplish half of my list! Time is flying too fast, and already I’m a third done with my stay.

On my first Sunday in "The District," I ventured to Georgetown by myself. I walked the Potomac waterfront and wandered through the John. F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Downtown Georgetown is incredibly well off, flaunting fancy stores and pricey restaurants with outdoor patios. There were tons of tourists—snapping photos like myself—and lots of young people dressed in eclectic, vintage clothing. I presume most of them hail from Georgetown University, which sits in the mist of the area’s hustle and bustle.

Kennedy Center

This is Bonnie Pickard, principal ballerina and friend, who trained under the same director as I did in Dayton, Ohio. Seeing her on the marquee in D.C. made me smile… someone who fulfilled her dream.

I empathize that loneliness is perhaps the worst feeling a person’s life. But there was something about my first Sunday in D.C.—exploring alone, journaling in random places, going wherever I felt like going—that really sparked my excitement. Thus, I’ve dedicated Sundays to myself. I’ve vowed to spend the day meandering through another part of the city each week to do or see one of the many things on my list.

So far I’ve checked off the following on my list:

Two of the Smithsonians

The National Museum of Natural History was educational, more like a biology review lesson than a museum. Looking at stuffed animals, however, got old after a while… at least for me. My favorite part was the dinosaurs! Can you imagine actually seeing one of those monstrous creatures roaming around our earth! Crazy.

The National Portrait Gallery was amazing. I can’t wait to take my mom! She’s loves to draw and paint, and I thought of her much of the time. Looking at the paintings of our presidents and most infamous and revered leaders throughout history was another review lesson. This time I brushed up on my history. Beside each caption was a short summery of the featured person’s accomplishments for our nation. I saw Tomas Paine, author of Common Sense; Oliver Henry Perry, famous Navy office and I think one of my ancestors; Emerson; Poe; Hawthorn; Harriet Beecher Stowe; good ol’ Abe; Katherine Hepburn; and even a 10-foot painting of L.L. Cool J. The famous from every decade were there in painting, if not in spirit.

I highly recommend the folk gallery as well. I spent two hours wander the corridors of the museum… but only saw the first of three floors! Guess I’ll go back, but I’ll wait for my mom.

Last Sunday I visited Chinatown after Mass, but I didn’t know which of the ga-zillion Chinese restaurants I should choose for lunch. After wandering the streets and knickknack shops for a time, I settled on a small Chinese café with a “$6.99 lunch” sign in the window. The exact minute I sat down, Billy Joel’s Piano Man began to play. At that moment I knew I’d chosen correctly. I ate lunch while reading a book…fabulous. It was the best.


Stay tuned for more Sunday exploration…