Washington, DC August 2016

Dustin, his friend Jessica, and I shared a trip to Washington, DC. They got there a day earlier than me and stayed a bit longer so I was only there for about two days total. I honestly can barely recall my two prior trips to DC so this was like seeing it for the first time to me, for whatever reason. I found the city to be as intelligent as I remember it being but more clean and beautiful than I recall too. I stayed at the JW Marriott right by the White House. Dustin arranged a tour for us to get into the East Wing of the White House and we walked through all the famous rooms, savoring the one last chance to

be there while Obama was still president. I doubt the place, or the city, would feel as optimistic to me with Trump in office.

We also got a nice tour of the lower levels of Congress and got to see the new Congressional visitor center. We didn't get to see any of the actual chambers this trip but I saw the House chamber on a prior trip.

Finally, we got in a good walk through the National Mall and saw all the major memorials. My favorite is of course the Lincoln Memorial but the World War II, Thomas Jefferson, and Martin Luther King memorials are all memorable too. I thought the World War II memorial was really breathtaking. We also got in a cruise on the Potomac out of Georgetown. Washington is really one of a kind among cities I've seen. There is no way really to describe the place in comparison to somewhere else. While I could spend days exploring the history of the place, I don't see myself returning willingly until the next president is in office.