VT Does Not Stand For Vermont: A DC Round-Up
Yesterday morning (A little over a week ago by the time I am finally publishing this article) I took an early flight from DC to Oakland, arriving just in time for work. I owe Kim not only for a great weekend, but for driving me to the Dulles airport at 4:30 in the morning. While I got to sleep for the next few hours on the plane, Kim had to go directly to work. Needless to say, she has informed me that it is time I graduate from Dulles to Reagan National, the slightly more expensive airport ten minutes from her house.
Thursday night I took a red-eye to DC, carrying two bags of luggage and one carry-on bag filled with pollo asado burritos and a chicken quesadilla from La Burrita on Berkeley’s southside. As a vegetarian, this was an indication of my love for Kim and also my deepest sympathy that she is unable to find a good burrito on the east coast (white rice doesn’t cut it). My Friday began at 7am (4am PST) and included quite a few large coffees, a nap or two, a tour of the Capitol Building. Kim’s friend Rachael led us into the Capitol rotunda and then onto the House floor where we sat discussing important political issues of the day including Barbara Boxer’s sanity, the Congressional leadership transition, as well as the state of TomKat and other pertinent Hollywood gossip. The day continued with a jeans shopping adventure (I bought jeans with a tapered leg!) and a night of “cosmic bowling” at a new DC bowling alley that came complete with a full bar and dress code.
Saturday we thankfully slept in, worked out at Kim’s gym (it’s a miracle), went to see Brokeback Mountain, had dinner with Laura (the one Cal Forester I didn’t meet in Berkeley) and then went out dancing in Adams Morgan, courtesy of Diet Red Bull. Brokeback was both sad and thought provoking, not a good pre-party video (like say Dirty Dancing), and Kim and I were baffled as usual by our inclination to discuss poverty and homophobia at dinner followed soon after by a vapid and self-absorbed marathon party top try-on/make-up application session. But I think those of us with this tendency know that we would be of little use in our chosen fields of interest if we did not know how to effectively unwind. And unwind we did, until Kim’s kick-ball friend got asked to leave the bar (he got too drunk in his devastation over the Patriots’ loss, the presence of Kim’s new man, and last but not least, his inability to remember what the “VT” in my screen name “LeaVT” stood for) at which time we cabbed back to his place (they won’t take us straight back to Capitol Hill from Adams Morgan – bad memories from my last trip ensue) and stayed up way too late making fun of him and his roommate and their libertarian world views. Pardon the excessive parentheses. By 4:30am we were safe and sound back in Kim’s room abusing the digital camera and falling quickly to sleep.
Sunday was chill, mostly because Saturday night was so crazy. Shockingly we did not make it to the gym that day and subsequently tabled the work-out concept for the duration of the trip. We “metroed” out to George Washington University and then walked to Georgetown. Halfway through our outing I thought we were going to succumb to late-onset hangovers but we persevered by way of a mid-afternoon snack at an adorable café. Europe is to the United States what Georgetown is to most of California – a reminder of how young the latter is by comparison. The cobbled streets and signs that read “since 1700-something” were quite a sight. It was restaurant week in DC, so Libby, Kim and I had reservations at a refined establishment for dinner. I am unfortunately feeling I need to revise my usual, “don’t worry, I can find something vegetarian” statement as there was officially one vegetarian item on the entire menu. Libby and Kim had mussels and steak respectively, while I ate a miniscule portion of very yummy vegetables for dinner. When the chocolate mousse came out for dessert, however, my appetite was quickly satiated – and the waiter was cute with an adorable English accent – so ‘twas all good. We quickly returned home to catch Desperate Housewives and Grey’s Anatomy and enjoyed a restful evening.
Monday we ate at Cap Lounge, where many a DC hangover has been nursed. Thankfully, we were in great shape after a night in of TV watching. Unfortunately the National Archives were closed for MLK Jr. day, so I have still yet to see the Declaration of Independence, but instead we went to the postal museum. Kim learned more than she ever wanted to know about my childhood hobby (I have now been to both the US and Swedish postal museums in the past year – NERD ALERT!) but she actually enjoyed herself. We proceeded to make and send postcards for the next hour at one of the stations (most likely geared towards people half our age), unfortunately I know two addressed by heart, so most of you are out of luck. Afterwards we took a walk down The Mall until we reached the new WWII memorial. At this time Libby picked us up and drove us back to Georgetown where they forced me to get my ears pierced. I kid, they challenged me too it Friday night and I promised I would do it. So, fifteen years after most people pierce their ears, and five years after I pierced my belly-button, my ears are finally adorned with small cubic zirconium “diamonds.” After another yummy dinner we were about to rush home to watch The Bachelor when we discovered Libby’s car had been towed. Around this point my plane fears started to set back in, and the realization that my trip was ending both relieved me (I needed tofu and yogurt desperately) and made me sad (come back to the West coast Kim!).
DC is an interesting place. I can say after two visits that while I enjoy visiting Kim, I could not see myself living there unless I was in school. It is fascinating to meet so many politically-oriented young people in the same place. However, I realize upon meeting them that I am not necessarily politically-minded. I will never be a master-mingler, and while I may think of myself as a pragmatist, I will never be a realist. Kim always mentions that in DC people are currency. For me, ideas remain currency – and so long as that is the case, I realize I belong in academic towns where books not votes rule.
Thursday night I took a red-eye to DC, carrying two bags of luggage and one carry-on bag filled with pollo asado burritos and a chicken quesadilla from La Burrita on Berkeley’s southside. As a vegetarian, this was an indication of my love for Kim and also my deepest sympathy that she is unable to find a good burrito on the east coast (white rice doesn’t cut it). My Friday began at 7am (4am PST) and included quite a few large coffees, a nap or two, a tour of the Capitol Building. Kim’s friend Rachael led us into the Capitol rotunda and then onto the House floor where we sat discussing important political issues of the day including Barbara Boxer’s sanity, the Congressional leadership transition, as well as the state of TomKat and other pertinent Hollywood gossip. The day continued with a jeans shopping adventure (I bought jeans with a tapered leg!) and a night of “cosmic bowling” at a new DC bowling alley that came complete with a full bar and dress code.
Saturday we thankfully slept in, worked out at Kim’s gym (it’s a miracle), went to see Brokeback Mountain, had dinner with Laura (the one Cal Forester I didn’t meet in Berkeley) and then went out dancing in Adams Morgan, courtesy of Diet Red Bull. Brokeback was both sad and thought provoking, not a good pre-party video (like say Dirty Dancing), and Kim and I were baffled as usual by our inclination to discuss poverty and homophobia at dinner followed soon after by a vapid and self-absorbed marathon party top try-on/make-up application session. But I think those of us with this tendency know that we would be of little use in our chosen fields of interest if we did not know how to effectively unwind. And unwind we did, until Kim’s kick-ball friend got asked to leave the bar (he got too drunk in his devastation over the Patriots’ loss, the presence of Kim’s new man, and last but not least, his inability to remember what the “VT” in my screen name “LeaVT” stood for) at which time we cabbed back to his place (they won’t take us straight back to Capitol Hill from Adams Morgan – bad memories from my last trip ensue) and stayed up way too late making fun of him and his roommate and their libertarian world views. Pardon the excessive parentheses. By 4:30am we were safe and sound back in Kim’s room abusing the digital camera and falling quickly to sleep.
Sunday was chill, mostly because Saturday night was so crazy. Shockingly we did not make it to the gym that day and subsequently tabled the work-out concept for the duration of the trip. We “metroed” out to George Washington University and then walked to Georgetown. Halfway through our outing I thought we were going to succumb to late-onset hangovers but we persevered by way of a mid-afternoon snack at an adorable café. Europe is to the United States what Georgetown is to most of California – a reminder of how young the latter is by comparison. The cobbled streets and signs that read “since 1700-something” were quite a sight. It was restaurant week in DC, so Libby, Kim and I had reservations at a refined establishment for dinner. I am unfortunately feeling I need to revise my usual, “don’t worry, I can find something vegetarian” statement as there was officially one vegetarian item on the entire menu. Libby and Kim had mussels and steak respectively, while I ate a miniscule portion of very yummy vegetables for dinner. When the chocolate mousse came out for dessert, however, my appetite was quickly satiated – and the waiter was cute with an adorable English accent – so ‘twas all good. We quickly returned home to catch Desperate Housewives and Grey’s Anatomy and enjoyed a restful evening.
Monday we ate at Cap Lounge, where many a DC hangover has been nursed. Thankfully, we were in great shape after a night in of TV watching. Unfortunately the National Archives were closed for MLK Jr. day, so I have still yet to see the Declaration of Independence, but instead we went to the postal museum. Kim learned more than she ever wanted to know about my childhood hobby (I have now been to both the US and Swedish postal museums in the past year – NERD ALERT!) but she actually enjoyed herself. We proceeded to make and send postcards for the next hour at one of the stations (most likely geared towards people half our age), unfortunately I know two addressed by heart, so most of you are out of luck. Afterwards we took a walk down The Mall until we reached the new WWII memorial. At this time Libby picked us up and drove us back to Georgetown where they forced me to get my ears pierced. I kid, they challenged me too it Friday night and I promised I would do it. So, fifteen years after most people pierce their ears, and five years after I pierced my belly-button, my ears are finally adorned with small cubic zirconium “diamonds.” After another yummy dinner we were about to rush home to watch The Bachelor when we discovered Libby’s car had been towed. Around this point my plane fears started to set back in, and the realization that my trip was ending both relieved me (I needed tofu and yogurt desperately) and made me sad (come back to the West coast Kim!).
DC is an interesting place. I can say after two visits that while I enjoy visiting Kim, I could not see myself living there unless I was in school. It is fascinating to meet so many politically-oriented young people in the same place. However, I realize upon meeting them that I am not necessarily politically-minded. I will never be a master-mingler, and while I may think of myself as a pragmatist, I will never be a realist. Kim always mentions that in DC people are currency. For me, ideas remain currency – and so long as that is the case, I realize I belong in academic towns where books not votes rule.
posted by LeahT at 7:15 PM
1 Comments:
Leah,
I always enjoy reading your blogs. You are the reason I opened a blog myself. I am having difficulty with it. I hope you'll have a couple moments this weekend to give me some pointers. I know you will be busy with your dad's retirement. Thanks, Claudia
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