status: impatiently at a standstill due to a delayed flight
I have learned that if any major airport experiences a ton of cancellations from bad weather, it doesn’t matter if you’re 1,000 miles away – your flight will be delayed. I guess Chicago’s O’Hare had 500 cancellations from a snowstorm yesterday. Poo on them! They just announced my flight would leave at 12 instead of 11:30 now. That could have been an extra half hour of sleep, an actual sit- down brunch, or a few more photo ops of D.C.! How to pass the time? Write my blog that I mentioned would include some dRaMa…
An example of what NOT to wear in an airport...seriously people...
I flew from Omaha to D.C. Thursday evening aboard my first trip on Midwest Airlines – a new fave. Why? FREE fresh-baked soft chocolate chip cookies! Not only did we get those, but they also gave us pretzels…this may not seem like that big of a deal, but no other flights give out snacks anymore. Ok, AND I like my chocolate! ;P
Airport Arrival 7:00pm
Took the Metro (subway) for $1.95 instead of a $20.00 taxi or $12.00 Super Shuttle. After all, my hotel is only 4 miles from the airport. I looked like an idiot trying to figure out how to operate the FareCard vending machine. Then I headed up the escalator to wait for my line...
After seeing one train stop & go, I checked out the posted Metro map again, got cOnFuSeD & proceeded to look like an idiot again. Which side of the rail was I supposed to be waiting on?!
I thought I was wrong, hauled my luggage down the escalator & uPthe other side to a different rail. I checked out that map & thought, "okay, this isn't right, I was right the first time dang it!" Dejavu idiot sets in again...down the escalator I go again & uP the side I was originally on. The other passengers I'm sure were sayint to themselves "man, this girl is never gonna make it in the city!" ...BTW, this subway is MUCH cleaner than New York City's!
Passing the Washington Monument & Jefferson Memorial on the Metro
Riding the Metro
The Metro's Pentagon stop
Gallery-Chinatown Metro Stop Arrival: 15 minutes later
Then it was about a 5 minute walk in the underworld just to the exit to the real world...
"Absolutely SuRrEaL!" was my next thought.
I rode the Metro escalator coming from underground & the first thing I saw was the bright city light eluminating 2 huge white marble pillars of a museum. "Did I just die & go to Heaven?" LOL! – I totally felt like people’s description of a near death-experience (minus the tragedy). It felt like I was entering The Light through the white gates to God!
G & 8th Street Intersection: Idiot Incident AgainThe hotel rep I called the day before told me the hotel was only a block from this station....
I was the only person within sight pulling a suitcase, clothing bag & laptop case (that's embarrassing enough)...I got confused, & okay, LOST trying to find this ONE stinkin' block I was supposed to go down. I walked past the same 6 restaurant valet guys AND a really fancy restaurant window full of people THREE times, before finally deciding to call the experts - 411. I was going the wrong direction, duh. I crossed the street this time, so I wouldn't have to pass everyone again.
15 minutes Later Than Necessary: THE hotel on F & 9th Street - YAY!
I walked straight from a feeling of Heaven exiting the Metro to quite possibly the most awfully disgusting stench EVER entering the hotel lobby! I'm not exaggerating, this isn't just your normal human gas-passing odor...this is like all of your refridgerator leftovers + animal excrements + side effects of food poisoning all combined! Obviously, the front desk guy noticed my scrunched up nose & said, "it smells bad doesn't it?!" I laughed & said, "yeah, what is it?!" He said they just cleaned out the grease trap, so I told him I didn't think it was only grease that was trapped! LOL!! ...BTW, what IS a grease trap?
8:30ish: It's WAY past my DINNERTIME!
I hauled my stuff up to the 10th floor, dropped it off & I was so hungry that the unappetizing odor downstairs didn't faze my tummy grumblings. After asking the concierge what he recommended for pasta, he pointed me 3 blocks down the street to a restaurant called La Tusca Italiano.
La Tusca Italiano Ristorante Arrival
Just when I thought my day of stupidity was finally over, I walked into a night of dining with the Washington Elite sipping their wine in the latest Versace dress! No big deal, you think...well, I was wearing a hoodie & jeans! Thanks to the concierge for not forewarning me. "Oh well," I thought...I'm friggin' hungry. I sat down, acting like I totally meant to show up like that & told the waiter with a nice napkin hanging over his arm for a Sprite, LOL! The menu? Yeah, I had no idea how to pronounce most of it, so I just asked for the entree where I saw a word that looked like "tomato sauce" & "noodles." Good choice - it was MUY DELICIOSO! The waiter was really nice, particularly because he asked where Simpson was & asked if I was a sophomore - LOL, "gee thanks, but I actually graduated 5 years ago!" He couldn't beleive it. ;)
After returning to the hotel & calling some students, I ended the CrAzY evening with a dip in the hot tub, reading the D.C. Visitor's Guide...
Friday A.M.: AAARRRGGGHHH!
The ONE day I have to spend a little time siteseeing, it's POURING outside! (To make matters worse, the next morning when I flew out, it was sunny & dry!) I didn't bring an umbrella & was only wearing a small hoodie. I thought maybe it would pass if I went downstairs & ate breakfast first...negative. Thankfully, though, by this time, it was just light rain & 2 of the museums I wanted to visit were only a few blocks away. I've been to Washington a few times, so I was trying to see places I hadn't seen before. I booked it to the National Archives & was completely blown away...by what I saw!!!
THE National Archives Visit
I got to see the Declaration of Independence, The U.S. Constitution, Lousiana Purchase, letters & photos from Abraham Lincoln & Susan B. Anthony and more signficant documents in their ORIGINAL FORM! It was incredible. Another highlight of the visit was that SIMPSON COLLEGE was represented...directly across from THE Emancipation Proclamation! That's right...there was a signed Homestead Document by George Washington Carver & in the description it mentioned he left it "to attend Simpson College in Iowa."
A letter by Susan B. Anthony regarding the Women's Suffrage Movement
Check out this awesome handwriting! This is an article to The Constitution abolishing slavery.
THE Constitution!
THE Declaration of Independence
The first printed copy of The Constitution
An original letter written by Lincoln
An original photograph of Lincoln with Civil War Soldiers after the Battle of Antietam
The document signed by George Washington Carver & the description mentioning Simpson below it
I was only bummed because I just missed the opening of the Magna Carta exhibit! :(
THE Museum of Natural History Visit
Through the rain & onto the next place (the only umbrella I saw at the gift shop was $12...not worth it). Anyway, this museum was filled with several exhibits of Dinosaurs & Fossils, Mammals, Geology & Gems, Birds & more. I took some pics of the mammals, that, according to this museum actually exist...
A tiny, creepy, fliying Lemur-thing
Somethin' I hope to never run across... ewww!
This is some kind of armadillo, a little creepy & sci-fi looking to me!
Some kind of fox with very unproportional, freaky ears!
Isn't it ADORABLE! This is some kind of a hamster.
Some kind of goofy-lookin' porcupine thing
It was also very hard to fathom how OLD some of the fossils & rocks were that I saw...we're talkin' like 3000 BILLION YEARS OLD!
The oldest known rock from Earth on the left & a rock from Mars that fell in 1865
Diamond earrings worn by Queen Marie Antoinette!
A crown & necklace FULL of diamonds given by Napoleon
THE Hope Diamond!
THE Lincoln Memorial Visit
On the map, distance between sites seemed much smaller than what they actually were...I set out on foot for the Memorial at what was then a complete downpour - my dragging jeans & shoes are now soaked. I took cover underneath a tour guide hut, but after a few minutes I knew the rain wasn't letting up. I gave up on walking & went to hail a cab, which took forever. :( It cost me $9.80, so I decided this sadly would be my last visit of the day, since I would definitely have to catch the cab back to the hotel & couldn't afford anymore. (The cheap Metro doesn't go anywhere near many of the places I wanted to go...)
My dad was a history major & a major Civil War buff - he literally has a shrine to Abraham Lincoln at home & so I have grown up with an appreciation for history & the efforts of this great man.
The Gettysburg Address engraved into a wall of the Memorial
I was trying to decide whether to use a flash or not...ghost?! You tell me!
Another ghost?!
Looking @ the Washington Monument from the Lincoln Memorial on a miserable day
Me & The Stud
Unwanted Early Hotel Return at 1:45pm
By now, my jeans weighed about 10 pounds from water & I was freezing, not to mention very sore & uncomfortable from the chafing of wet jeans & fast walking...UGH! I tore 'em off, sat 'em by the heat register & went down to the hot tub to relax & read for a bit. After that, it was back to my room to work a couple hours before getting ready for the Simpson Alumni Event.
5:30pm Washington D.C. Simpson Alumni Event @ Gordon Biersch Restaurant
I headed downstairs & asked the concierge which direction I needed to head for the restaurant. Much to my surprise, he turned to his right & opened this irongate-type thing...LOL, it was my hotel's restaurant! (Idiot-feeling yet again.) It was a welcome surprise, though, after a wet day, that I didn't have to go outside all dressed up. The reception was good fun - I met a lot of really cool, accomplished alums of all ages - Classes of 1948 to 2007! We also had one of our current first-year students, Pat & a current senior, Amy Jo, come since they are interning in Washington this semester. After seeing such great people, it makes me even more proud to say I am a part of SIMPSON! Vice President for College Advancement, Bob Lane, President John Byrd & myself also spoke about the "state" of Simpson right now. They were all happy to hear about the positive direction we are headed with enrollment, financial goals & campus improvement!
9:30pm Movie Time!
Me, Paul '99, Katy '05 & Mel '00 set out for the theatre down the street in hopes to see Juno - they hadn't seen it yet & I was totally okay to see it again! Much to our dismay, it wasn't showing there. :( We settled for Diane Lane's movie, "Untraceable" & it was actually really good! After the movie, we unfortunately all had to part ways...'till the next Alumni Event...
...& past the Washington Monument & Jefferson Memorial
My next stop? SUNNY, WARM ARIZONA next weekend!
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