Big Lu is still mad about it.
We drove my trusty 4Runner up on a Saturday, spent a few days wandering around town and then finally celebrated Brett's Dad's retirement with a bunch of government folks and Bigwigs of a variety that I'm not sure I understand. "You're in charge of what?" I asked a fella named Doug, who somehow manages everything that is shipped in and out of this country. "Oh." I said, "That's cool. I like, decorate weddings."
This was my first trip to D.C. and as a proud, previous resident, Brett played the part of the informative though lackadaisical tour guide. We rented little red bikes and rode all over the chunk of town that accommodates all those important monuments and that big white house.
We had perfect weather and a number of noteworthy meals. I befriended the cutest little rat in the metro and picked out my favorite area of town. It's Adam's Morgan, in case you were wondering. Not Georgetown like you probably guessed. Also, the traffic there is sensational.
I've decided D.C. is an ok place. I liked it much more than the few other U.S. cities I've visited. Mostly because it was so bright and the landscaping is so lovely. They get an A+ on greenery in that town. It is currently cherry blossom season and an abundance of tulips was an unexpected surprise. In addition to the insult of not being able to photograph all the loveliness, almost every building of note was wrapped in scaffolding. For instance, here's the Capital Building.
What else did we do? Oh we saw the National Cathedral, endured an overly historic tour of the National Portrait gallery and visited the depressing building that Brett used to work in. I was secretly elated to have to go through a metal detector before they let us in. It felt so serious and governmenty.
We sat down at Ole Abe's feet and asked him about life, we drank lots of coffee and had a few afternoon naps. Oh and I had the best darn french toast to date! I keep thinking about it.
So, here's the White House but more importantly, those grandiose tulips. They were the size of my fist!
Here we have the National Cathedral,
your average sidewalk garden,
and one of two unimpressed cats we stayed with.
Thats it. Those are my six pictures of D.C.
And I just now noticed the Snapple in my sidewalk flowers shot.
I'm appalled with myself.
Tisk tisk Big Lu.
The most interesting part was the Bigwig Party. I was curious about these rare and elusive D.C. creatures, folks with important job titles and things to change up there in the Nation's Capital. It all sounds so important and impressive but really they're all just folks who, in my opinion, got sucked into a really awful life of paperwork and status. I could never accept the life that these people lead and yet some of them don't even realize it happened. Or maybe they like it, I guess.
Some of the Bigwigs met me, talked to me for a few minutes, and then realized I was of no use or importance and so politely moved on. I pitied these Bigwigs, for they're so deep into a swirling vortex of lifelessness that they aren't even interested in a conversation of no consequence. Other Bigwigs delighted in my simple bumpkin comments and became thoroughly invested in the silly stories I told them about my own inconsequential life.
"Wait, she said what?" a group of three said in unison as I told them about the girls I work with.
They would leave me to go mingle with their friends for a while and then circle back around.
"So I've been thinking about it..." Doug said, squeezing past co-workers with a tiny plate of shrimp in his hand. "She's never going to change. Not with that pig-nosed boyfriend hanging around."
"That's what I told her." I said earnestly and I received a sympathetic head shake from someone's executive assistant. The collective exhaustion on their faces really tickled me.
What good sports, those silly Bigwigs. I kind of miss them a little.
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