It's official! I have been a resident of Washington, DC for an entire week now! My husband and son moved me to DC a week ago Tuesday and we had a wonderful time exploring the city. Adam loved riding the Metro and we all had a great time watching the Nationals play the Braves. But, the boys left on Saturday and I have been left to figure out the city.
I am having a BLAST!!
The 10 things I love about living in Washington, DC...
10. My apartment is a 15-20 minute walk to the Air and Space Museum. Little did I know when I visited DC for the first time in 1989 that I would be able to visit this wonderful museum ANY TIME I WANTED TO!
9. The Metro is very convenient and easy to use. I live between two Metro stops and I use them both, depending on where I want to go. It is clean and not scary at all. That being said, I wouldn't ride it alone at 3 am.
8. All of the Smithsonian museums are FREE! It is so much fun to have the chance to explore the museums without 65 of my favorite 7th graders with me (sorry AMS peeps). I have only begun to explore!
7. I am, once again, in the land of Target. I can either drive or take the Metro, but it's nice to shop there again. I am going to avoid Wal Mart at all costs, just to have a bit of a break.
6. I got my Library of Congress card, allowing me to go into the great and magnificent Reading Room. On the next rainy day, I plan on going there and looking for the Book of Secrets!
5. Yesterday, I stood next to the Washington Memorial and watched Marine One land on the south lawn of the White House. Well, I actually watched 4 of them land and take off again. It doesn't matter if you are a Democrat or a Republican - you can't help feel a HUGE sense of national pride in the presence of such iconic buildings and people.
4. I love the smells of this city! The street food trucks have every kind of cuisine you can imagine. While I don't eat sausages with peppers and onions, it smells FANTASTIC. I was excited to see a Chick-Fil-A truck parked outside of NASA yesterday, so I can still get a taste of home from time to time, but my goal is to be more adventurous with my eating habits this year. I even had Pad Thai the other night! Pretty exciting for someone who lives on plain chicken breasts and rice!
3. Capital Bike Share! You can rent bikes and ride them all over the city! I got a three day pass and am riding a bike to all of the monuments near the river. You ride for 20-30 minutes, park it in a dock, explore for a while, then pick up another bike, ride, dock, and explore some more. It is pretty cool.
2. My neighborhood is so quiet. Aside from the occasional siren, I would never know I was living in the middle of a city. I have to turn on my noise machine at night to fall asleep.
1. Not 1, but TWO IKEA's!!! Enough said...
And now...
The 10 Things I do not love about living in Washington, DC...
10. I have to roll out my washing machine and plug it into my kitchen sink whenever I want to use it.
9. The cost! Everything here is SOOOOOOOOO expensive.
8. Not being able to run to Wal Mart any time I need something. I really have to plan ahead and get everything I need.
7. Paying 5 cents for every plastic bag I use.
6. The Athens-Limestone Recycling Center. I have no idea yet how to recycle anything besides cardboard.
5. Stars at night. They are very hard to see and I don't go out after dark if I can help it.
4. The mosquitoes!
3. Having to make sure my car hasn't been broken into.
2. My school and church families are so far away. Know that I miss you terribly and I pray for you all!
1. My husband and my son are 700 miles away. They are my strength and my heart. While it is great to be able to video chat with them every day, it's not the same. I need a hug terribly!
That all being said, I am doing great. I have another week and a half before I begin work for the Triangle Coalition. This is the group that manages the Fellowship. I will officially begin work at NASA on September 3rd. I won't be able to tell you what I am going to do, but I can tell you all about my adventures after-the-fact, due to government security requirements. But, adventure IS out there my friends and I am taking it all in.
Off to go biking to the Jefferson Memorial. I will blog again soon.
Keep in touch!
