Way back when I visited as a kid with my family, I remember it feeling exciting (staying down the street from the White House, first time riding a metro, awesome museums, getting to be a fighter pilot in a simulator, spy museum, all the monuments). My strongest memory is that it made me feel hot and exhausted. We did a ton of walking, and I was still kinda small and slow (some people would argue that I still am. *cough* my brothers *cough*); I remember one of my brothers wrote that I was constantly red like a cherry because of the heat and exhaustion.
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| You never know what's around the next corner: things like these weird cabbage flower plant things. |
Now, I'm a big girl all by myself in the big city. But that's the thing: it doesn't feel like a big city. Or maybe I'm just really adaptable, I'm not sure which, but the riding the metro and the bus feels like second nature and I'm already used to walking to get my groceries. My neighborhood is quiet and homey except for the occasional emergency vehicle flashing by sounding more like an air raid siren than something driving along the road. But the main thing I'm noticing is that DC doesn't feel real. It hasn't sunk in that I'm living a block away from the Capitol building, that I can go to any of the Smithsonians any time I want, that I have practically unlimited access to the largest library in the world, that I am meeting real members of congress and all sorts of people who directly run our country. It doesn't even feel like a fairy tale or anything, it just feels like normal life, which almost worries me. If I can walk onto Capitol Hill and think "this is normal," then where do I go from there?
I hope it sinks in with time and with more experiences.
I have to keep reminding myself that I haven't explored all that much, and there's a whole giant city all around just waiting for me to get out of my comfort zone and stop following the same routes I know too well already. It's already the title of my blog, but I think it's true: DC feels most like a hidden adventure that I just haven't found yet.
I have to keep reminding myself that I haven't explored all that much, and there's a whole giant city all around just waiting for me to get out of my comfort zone and stop following the same routes I know too well already. It's already the title of my blog, but I think it's true: DC feels most like a hidden adventure that I just haven't found yet.
Adventure. I'd better start planning it, because otherwise it'll never happen. What are your DC must-do suggestions?
Oh, reading about your D.C. adventures is making me miss it so much. D.C. became home to me in many respects and it is such a wonderful place to be.
ReplyDeleteI do agree--it doesn't seem like a big city at all. I lived in Woodley Park, so not so close to the Capitol, but still a quaint and quiet neighborhood. There is so much to discover...I wish I would have gone off the beaten path a bit more, away from the touristy areas. I spent a lot of my time at museums, so it was just natural for me to gravitate towards the National Mall area when I wasn't at work, but there is SO MUCH else to see and do (and quite frankly, a lot more museums out there than just the Smithsonians).
By the way, if you like cupcakes, I highly recommend heading over to Baked & Wired in Georgetown. You will not regret it. It's off the main road, so not as busy...we were told that the tourists go to Georgetown Cupcake and the locals go to Bakes & Wired. :)
Thanks for commenting! It's always great to hear from friends that they're reading and enjoying my little blog.
ReplyDeleteI can believe that DC is easy to miss after you've spent some time here. I have really started to fall in love with the neighborhood I'm in and with the places I've been so far. It'll be hard to tear myself away when it's time to leave!
I wonder if part of how DC doesn't feel like such a big city is the height limit on buildings. I associate big cities with skyscrapers like they have in NYC, you know? I also think DC is more neighborhood oriented. Instead of being all business, there are residential areas--like mine, just a little bit away from the Capitol.
I will definitely do my best to get off the beaten path (I tend to stick to a small radius around my place, too), and one of my first steps towards that will be visiting that cupcake place! I've heard a lot about it :)
Thanks again for commenting. Have a lovely day!