The Elusive Declaration - A DC Recap

This past January I visited Kim for the second winter in a row - and this is what it looked like...

To see The Mall we bundled up in wool coats, gloves, running shoes and earmuffs.

So this time things were a little different...

Instead of following current trends in tourist wear (visible all over US metropolitan centers this summer) we donned workout clothes for our two long walks around the city. Don't we look like cheerleaders? - though not for the current occupants of the house behind us!

Childhood memories of east coast humidity combined with Kim's warnings led me to pack a suitcase of ten tank tops. I guess I brought nice California temperatures with me, however, because my trip was bookended by an apocalyptic flood and humid thunderstorms - while I was there, the weather was perfect. Unfortunately, the flood that preceeded my visit did derail what is now the most anticipated trip to the National Archives...

After three trips to DC in the past 2 years, the Archives have never been open when I have tried to visit - and the third try was not charming. God forbid this history student EVER see the Declaration of Independence - or the map on its backside moreover ;-)

After napping off the effects of my red-eye flight, I met up with Kim at her work for a quick bite to eat. Later that evening, in what has turned out to be an inexcusable offense (jk) she ditched me for a Kelly Clarkson concert in Virginia while I went to visit Tony who is interning in DC for the summer.

Over the next few days Kim and I took many long walks around the city – alternately sightseeing and discussing politics, dating, history, life goals and of course the unavoidable tourist wear around us (Kim: “12 o’clock, red socks” Leah: “ouch”). It was great to catch up – because I think we have both gotten tired of the phone of late – managing multiple friendships in different time zones while trying to have a life on your own coast can be difficult.

We went paddle boating on the Potomac so my bike muscles could get some exercise (hra hra), visited the Jefferson and FDR memorials...


Kim even fully endorsed my nerdy desire to see Lafyette Park, the setting of a history book I am reading, Patricia O'Toole's, The Five of Hearts: An Intimate Portrait of Henry Adams and his Friends.

The book, celebrated as a popular intellectual history, has actually been a slight disappointment, but the historical characters recounted are fascinating. That cliched feeling of walking in the footsteps of history happened to me in that square more than any other place in DC.

Meeting friends of friends was as usual, a highlight of my trip. We had a big dinner with Kim and Libby's friends. Aside from pre-dinner problems regarding my un-popular vegetarian status, the bi-coastal friend meeting was a lot of fun. This picture cracks me up - Someone must have said something hysterical - or it could possibly have been the wine, but Kim and I both seem to be cowing similarly in a fit of laughter...


Of course, outings with Kim and trips to DC always seem to produce blog/cringe-worthy moments. And this trip seems to be no different, even though we didn't make it to TomTom. So I will limit myself and only mention two silly occurances.

1. Bloggers: Please Come Out of the Closet or I Will Forcibly Remove You...oops!

I guess when you start dating someone, your blog is not the first thing you tell them about - or so I have now learned. I accidentally mentioned Libby's blog in front of her boyfriend and Kim's blog in front of her new boyfriend - both were unaware their girlfriends were blogging-inclined. It was kinda funny after I did it the first time (while slightly drunk off white wine), but the next day when I outed Kim as well, it was just bizarre. Blogs are super cool - I don't know why you wouldn't want them to know about your habit? [enter dripping sarcasm here]

2. Flip Cup: I Always Wanted to be a Prodigy


Kim plays kickball for not just one, but TWO teams. And after her games she plays another (probably tougher) game called "flip cup." Flip cup involves drinking shots of beer and flipping your cup upside down as part of a relay with other member of your (in this case, kickball) team. The Saturday I was in town, there was a flip cup tournament. When "The Kickbrawlers" asked me to be a ringer for their team that Saturday I was less than excited about it. I haven't drank much lately and I had drunk the past two nights - shots of beer wasn't high on my priority list. Plus when I walked in the bar (at 4PM - the same one we had been in at 2AM the night before!) and saw people flipping cups in a dingy/sticky atmosphere - my initial reaction was to judge the game as 1. LAME! and 2. beyond my usual hand-eye coordination skills - especially while intoxicated. Plus, I thought the game was going to be lighthearted - I mean, how could you possibly take a game that revolves around flipping a plastic cup over seriously, right? But they did. They were completely serious, competitive, and asked me questions like "you aren't going to screw up right?" They would add a slight chuckle at the end of the question, but I knew the pressure was on - I was mildly intimidated. One guy had a shirt on that read "In the world of flip cup, I am kinda a big deal" - ha! But let me tell you, there is something addicting about the game. I don't know if it was the team spirit, the competition, the deceptive size of the amount of beer you chug - but within minutes I was immersed within the game and invested in our victory. Oh, and in case you didn't guess by the headline of this segment, I am a flip cup natural. I kinda kid - it was probably beginners luck. And anyways, I had a great mentor (even if her performance that night lacked its usual luster).

Till next time DC - Kickbrawlers Rule, Go Dems in 2008, and thank you to Kim and Libby for putting me up (and putting up with me)!