Wash-ing-ton

Washington: (n) Also called Washington, D.C. the capital of the United States, on the Potomac between Maryland and Virginia; coextensive with the District of Columbia.

Riding the train out of the city was a bit depressing as I came down from the high of Manhattan and the victory of the "Little Brown Jug" game, not to mention that I was also dreading the drive ahead. However, 6 and 1/2 hour drive turned out to be the most interesting so far, for as interesting as driving can be. Long after dark I came upon a new section of highway near a major interstate interchange. The 5 year old Garmin GPS my father was so kind to lend me had no knowledge of this new construction, and led me to drive in circles on and off the highway shouting, "when possible, make a U-turn!" in an automated female voice. Note to all GPS users: Update your Garmin BEFORE taking a long road trip. Did you know that in New Jersey people are paid to pump your gas for you? This was news to me and threw me for a loop when I pulled into a station a few hours later. It was the first and only time anyone had ever pumped my gas. Not 10 minutes after that I stopped for the toll booth where the attendant asked me, "Are you running away from home?" "Road trip," I answered, confused by the question. Much later it occurred to me that his inquiry was likely spurred by the sight my car filled with nearly half of all that I own piled in laundry baskets and duffle bags which I had packed for the trip. That was the last bit of "interesting" on the drive before I arrived in D.C. well after midnight. Melissa Maynard, older sister of my dear college friend Kelley Maynard and as of this past July my friend as well, was my Washington host. Over some milk and cookies we shared for a bit about life, long enough for me to decompress and allow fatigue to set in.

Sunday morning, over a delicious breakfast at a local hot spot, Melissa and I continued our previous evening's conversation. In the midst of exchanging stories of love, life, and loss, a feeling of homesickness swallowed me whole, or perhaps girl-friend-sickness would be a better term. Pouring out the silly internal thoughts from all depths of my female brain to another woman who is just as complex, and who had shared just as much with me, was just what I needed. It was a very real reminder of how valuable girl friends are, and how lonely I have been without them during my year abroad and weeks of solo traveling. The girly chatter was a continuous soundtrack to my D.C. experience. After breakfast we took Baxter, Melissa's golden-doodle, to the nearby dog park for some exercise before driving to the Mall for some monument touring. The new Martin Luther King Jr. memorial was the latest addition to the Washington Mall and was our priority number one. Despite the rain, the monument was quite beautiful and rather moving. From there we braved the weather and walked around the water all the way to the Jefferson monument, the only one I had not seen during my previous visit to D.C. while in college. Still un-phased by the rain and cold, we continued further onto the Mall and into the city. A few more monuments and Smithsonians later, our stomachs alerted us that it was nearly dinner time. While sharing a bottle of wine, Melissa prepared a delicious home cooked meal for the two of us which we both filled ourselves on to a comatose state.

While Melissa worked on Monday, I spent the day exploring more of Washington D.C. on my own. It began with a rendezvous at a classy lunch joint across the street from her office for our last girly gab before I left town later that afternoon. She gave me a tour of her office, which was renovated in an Apple store-like fashion, and then said goodbye. The Holocaust museum, which I had been eager to see, caught my eye the day before and was my first destination. In the future I hope to return when I have an entire day and evening available to devote to this one exhibit. Mentally and emotionally I came ill prepared. The depression became far too strong for me to finish the walk through, so I left. Outside, even the cold and rainy day seemed uplifting. With time to spare due to my early departure from the previous museum, I went on a search for the Hope Diamond. Nothing like a large sparkling gem to brighten a girl's day. The geological exhibit of precious stone which leads viewers to the Hope Diamond was actually more interesting than the diamond itself. Though anti-climatic, my depression had subsided enough and I was ready to move on.