Washingtonian at <3 Heart

If I were in college, or young and single, I would live in Washington D.C. I LOVE that city! March 17-21 I was there for an OR nursing conference. Mostly educational, though I did take a test on March 18 to become a CNOR (more initials after my name)and crammed in all the sightseeing I possibly could. The city is great - so vibrant and metropolitan, it never shuts down. I became a master at riding the subway, even bought my own "SmartCard" to enter& exit more quickly. The highlights are as follows:

Of course, I picked a luxury hotel suite in Georgetown, Dupont Circle, close to the subway with a full kitchen (granite counters) etc., for my friend Candace and I to stay at. I will try to post a picture of 2 of my coworkers in the lobby of my hotel with a life-sized Marilyn Monroe statue with her skirt flipped up in back. It was too great a photo op. One begins to wonder where Washingtonians shop, as there are no grocery stores in the city; but there is a CVS on practically every corner and that's where we bought milk, bread, O.j., etc.... Later I found out most people do their shopping online from "safeway or Pea Pod" and have it delivered to their condo or house.

Ok, back to highlights. Dinner with Candace on the Potomac River, actually we wanted to eat at Sequoia, which is a really classy restaurant on the Potomac, but it was closed for a private party (yes, I did think about crashing!). Instead we ate at Tony & Joe's, next door to Sequoia, also on the Potomac. After dinner we walked up the riverbank and could see the Kennedy Center all lit up & pretty.

The next morning I got up early and caught a bus to Washington National Cathedral, which was amazing. I went to church there, very "high church" and heard a very good sermon, a lot of good readings, excellent soloists, and had communion. It was a holy experience. On the bus ride to WNC & back, you go down Embassy Row, where all of the foreign embassies are located, really beautiful big homes.

That night, I had dinner with a couple of coworkers at a (vendor)party at the Smithsonian Natural History museum. The desert spread was in the "gem" section of the museum where we saw the Hope Diamond (of course, with a 24/7 guard on duty and cameras galore), Napoleon's wife's tiara, and other jewels. It was a lot of fun....

The next night, 4 of us (me, Candace, 2 coworkers) took a cab to the Lincoln Memorial and walked to the White House, seeing the Vietnam Memorial, the reflecting pool, Washington Monument and WWII momument along the way. As soon as we got into good photo position for the White House, the lights went out (note: 11pm), so no pics, but we did chat with the Secret Service guy guarding the fence by the South Lawn. BTW: the buildings (monument type) in Washington are so big, that you think they are not far away-THEY ARE!!! Very deceiving. I wound up with blisters on my feet from walking.

The next day I was leaving, so that was my last chance to sightsee, I crammed in all the things I really wanted to do before I got to the airport at 2pm. First and foremost, was to go to the Supreme Court and hear them in session. That was the major highlight of my trip- I waited in line for 40 minutes or so, then was lucky enough to be alert when they asked for a "single" guest and didn't have to wait as long as I would have. They had us check our coat, lock our belongings in a locker, and go through a metal detector. I was first in line to enter the court for a 3-5 minute session, the doorwoman let me & my group stay a little longer than most. I got to hear pretty much all of the justices make a comment. Alito was on the end and kind of looking around more than the rest of the justices. Awesome experience. So Regal and Surreal.

Next was to the Library of Congress next door where I saw the Guttenburg Bible, Benjamin Franklin artifacts, and actual Civil war battle diagrams, and the most beautiful architecture there, quite awe-inspiring. When I left there it was SNOWING!!!!!! Just barely, but it lasted for 10-15 minutes or so. More subway to the Smithsonian American History where I spent a whole 30 minutes; foremost, I wanted to see the First Ladies' Dresses and their official china, so I made a bee-line to the Presidential section and saw those, and Jackie Kennedy pearls and Clinton's saxophone. It is an amazing place. Then to the hotel to pack & fly home.

The cherry trees were just beginning to blossom, I'll try to post a pic of Candace and I outside our hotel by a cherry tree. The people there are so friendly- I guess because it is a melting pot of a city. It is so neat that every building is an important place, FBI, Homeland Security, GWU, Watergate, etc... all right there together.

A most enjoyable trip ~ if you have never been to DC, I highly recommend it!