D.C. Reflections- A day of tours

So Friday morning I awoke really early from a bad reoccurring family nightmare. Couldn't shake the feeling or the tears so I showered, planned a day of fun activities and set out with Eric to conquer them all. A metro trip to Union station and $80 later, we were on the top of an open-top tour bus cruising the streets of DC listening to the sounds of history beneath the wind in our ears. It's incredible the way history feels when you're experiencing it and not just learning about it. For the first time ever in life I had the feeling of being a proud American. Riding the bus looking at the capitol, the white house, the botanical gardens, and all the memorials made me feel connected to my country and appreciative of what I have. I really enjoyed it!

I enjoyed even more walking up the seemingly one million flights of stairs towards the Lincoln Memorial. As soon as my eyes beheld him, my first thought was of the movie Transformers when the Decepticons implemented their take over and the leader smashed Lincoln's statue and sat in his chair!!! Great scene... lol- lame- I know- but I'm a movie buff ::shrugs shoulders:: So after I had my movie moment and reeled in on the what was before I was captivated and in wonderment of the site. The articles surrounding him about our country touched me. But more importantly the timelessness of the writings reminded me that our forefathers lived with purposed and my living now isn't futile or hallow. I needed that affirmation!

From there we walked over to the new Martin Luther King Memorial Site that sits beautifully behind 4 rocks that make beautiful entry into the memorial. These rocks symbolize his past "a Mountain of Despair" and our today "a Stone of Hope". As you walk in, you walk towards to the back of his statue that sits before a beautiful body of water and overlooks the D.C and Jefferson Memorial. And then, finally, you see him. Dr. Martin Luther King sitting so poised, confident, intentional, and ready! The site it captivating and breath taking to anyone who knows what he stood for and what his presence represents in America today, especially black America. I stood there before him looking upon him with reverence, admiration, hope, gratefulness and love! Dr. king was a great man and I'm so happy this memorial now exists!

We were one of the first 20 people to walk in at their opening that day and one of the first 5 to behold his face. The rush of people there from all walks of life-young and old, black, white and purple people, rich and poor, established and un-established alike- was overwhelming but delightful. Even reflecting on it makes me marvel at what it means...

But on to the rest, we spent the rest of the day continuing to roam the city by bus and  by foot. We stopped by the Madam Tassaud's wax museum for a little celebrity paparazzi fun, ate at Bar Louie's in China town, watched Colombiana and shopped until we just couldn't go anymore. i loved our day out in the city and I loved DC.

A night in DC

So I realize that single people are everywhere without a perspective of person. I'm in dc, chocolate city! The place where everyone in the south says to go to get a strong hard working man. But I see just as many thirsty women here as any where else and there dates seen more promising than ours ever will in the south, yet they are single too. Why is that?

On another note, Tonight was a great night. We ate dinner at CoCo Sala and came to Marvin's to lounge. I love being able to go from fine dining and a modernized atmosphere to the rugged feeling of wood stairs that creek and a roof top balcony lounge where you can see condominiums and everyday living people. Their social scene is real, balanced and cultured. As I leave Marvin's- a local lounge- I'll forever appreciate that they are playing ' Square Biz' by Tina Marie. Gotta love the culture :)

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Washington DC... Year 26!

It's My Birthday!!!!!!

So I've made it to DC and what an experience it's been already. We arrived about 8:45 and I was drunk with sleepiness… We took a cab over to the hotel and were greeted by minority workers at the concierge booth, check in desk and housekeeping staff on our floor. And if you know me, you know that made me happy! I love to see ALL PEOPLE working in equal settings…. Nonetheless, impressed with our services so far and the amenities of the hotel, we decided to not make a fuss about the small but quaint room. So we settled in and set out for breakfast.

We were referred to the Constitution Cafe off N street (a block a way from our hotel) but stopped by a local Harris and Teeter (a fresh market grocery store) for umbrellas and weekend condiments before we went to eat. On our walk over, we discovered a plethora of other local and chain restaurants surrounding us that were also appealing. So, if we do nothing else this weekend, we'll eat well and that's ALRIGHT with me :) Breakfast at the Constitution Cafe was DELICIOUS. Buffet style southern breakfast, all you can eat and charged by the pound. I loaded my plate with grits, eggs, smoked Georgia sauges, pancakes, fresh fruit, hash browns and more. I loved it!!! And I loved sitting by the window people watching as business men and women came in and out of their high security federal jobs. We ended our morning with a long nap into the late afternoon before heading out to Union Station.

Our trip to Union Station was intriguing, but I think we did well. We had to figure out the purchasing of the metro card, map out where we were going so we didn't end up on the wrong train and navigate our way there. We had no trouble in the application, but we did stand by and watch our train pass us by. We didn't know that was it! lol, But luckily, another came 5 minutes later. Once we arrived at Union Station we shopped a little bit, took photos of the buildings like tourist and scoped out things to do tomorrow. I spent about an hour in my fav store- Barnes and Nobles- and yes I do plan to go back before I leave!!!! And although we were trampled a bit by the many people who actually had places to go, I'm excited about the rest or trip and tours via public transportation. I think our virgin efforts were a "job well done"!