Bagsy
Things I Saw in D.C.
I want to share some things I saw in D.C., even though the trip was two weeks ago. I was able to squeeze in some sights beyond my experience at the Russian consulate, even though I was not in the area for too long. This was the first time I travelled to a new destination since January 2019 when I visited St. Louis, my current residence, for graduate school interviews. So, safe to say that it’s been a while. Unfortunately I only had my phone’s camera to take pictures.
I flew into DCA on September 30th and did not check into my Airbnb until about 4 PM EST, which was too late to check out any museums that day. Upon arriving I easily figured out the metro system. Ever since I learned the CTA like the back of my hand during college, it has been a breeze for me to decipher public transit in other cities almost immediately. It’s a good life skill.
The D.C. Metro’s cleanliness and promptness impressed me. I frequented the Dupont Circle station because it was not far from me. The transition between the underground and the outside world was fascinating.
Here is some of the architecture in the neighborhood where I stayed.
The Lincoln Memorial and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial offered me a taste of the National Mall during my first evening in the area.
The next day I squeezed in visits to the World War I Memorial and the National Gallery before I had to travel to my appointment. That the latter is one of the nation’s beloved art museums did not surprise me. The visit felt rushed, but I was able to see most of the works in both buildings.
That night I celebrated my successful passport appointment with a nice stroll through Georgetown and its waterfront.
Before flying I mentally planned to take a day trip to Shenandoah on Saturday, my one entirely free day. I found out that I should have made official plans far in advance because booking a rental car was impossible. I am not bitter about it because I think driving that far on the day before a morning flight back to St. Louis would have stressed me out. I would have been in a bad place if something went wrong. My legs and back also already were killing me from all the walking I had done in the city. Besides, it was not like there was nothing else for me to discover in D.C.
The first thing I did on Saturday was visit the Eastern Market. On my way there I photographed Union Station and some of the homes in Capitol Hill.
At the market I expected to browse and take in the atmosphere more than anything else, but I discovered a vendor selling authentic vintage maps. I walked away with 75+ year-old maps of Chicago, Germany, and Russia!
My poor planning showed in other ways, too. Most museums were open but due to the pandemic required timed entry passes, which were sold out in advance. Some posted same-day “tickets” (most museums were free) at 7 AM EST. However, I was not able to snag an entry pass to my most anticipated destination, the United States Holocaust Museum. The passes were gone as soon as I entered my contact information. Oh well. Fortunately, I adore art museums, and the National Portrait Gallery and American Art Museum no longer required timed entry.
The portraits of all the US presidents are the main attraction, and I must say they are pretty cool regardless of one’s political views. The gallery also displayed portraits of countless other figures who shaped American history.
To my surprise and delight, the museum displayed a print of Hannah Arendt.
The American Art Museum was also nice.
One of its special exhibits focused on female artists and writers, including Toni Morrison and Susan Sontag.
I spent my final evening exploring Logan Circle and shopping at The Wharf. I had to wake up early the next day to make it to the airport on time. When I booked my trip I figured that departing from a different airport would be no big deal, but luckily I did plan ahead of time enough for me to learn that getting to Dulles is a pain. I was not interested in paying for a $70 rideshare, so I took the hard way: riding the metro to the end of the silver line and taking a shuttle bus from there to the airport.
This was even more difficult on a Sunday morning. I learned that the D.C. Metro does not run super early on the weekends, so I had to wait outside the station for twenty minutes. Then I found out that the silver line was under construction, so I had to take the orange line and transfer to the silver line so that I could make it to Wiehle-Reston station, where I could hop on the shuttle bus. This experience left a bad taste in my mouth because a stranger harassed me to the point where I was genuinely afraid for most of my rides on the train. However, a kind stranger also headed to Dulles showed me where exactly the bus stop was located, and everything worked out. I made it there just in time to have to take a shuttle from one end of the airport to the other so that I could reach my gate, which was then the very last one in the building. I had about ten minutes to spare before boarding. It was an adventure that saved me $65.