So I saw my reflection in the Metro today, for a moment I loved who I saw, and for a moment I hated who I saw.
I love that I am here. That I got here on my own. That I figured this out.
I hate that in my natural state, I wear a frown. Thanks, Sanders genes. I wear it because it’s part of my DNA, not because I choose to.
And then this song came on. I came alive. I relived my whole day. I am so lucky. I am so grateful. I am stoked.
I took a bicycle tour of D.C. today. Two Park Rangers led it. Due to a “protest” at the Jefferson Memorial (see this), there was a small turnout for the bike tour. And by small I mean, me. Yup, two park rangers and myself. I got the executive tour! Nikki and Tim were great.
Side note: The protesters had no idea of the case they were protesting or the section of the CFR (Code of Federal Regulations), which is the mandate the case covered. As a dutiful law student I looked up the code; it’s Section 36. And it states that the interior of any Memorial, while a public place, is a restricted space. Restricted meaning it’s sacred. It’s the same as a church, or synagogue, or Arlington Cemetery. It’s not the place to dance. Dance on the stairs, dance on the lawn, just don’t dance in the actual Memorial. You don’t see people dancing at the Vietnam Wall, do you? There is something sacred about the place. (Tim and Nikki informed me that this is the reason that protests are always outside a Memorial. Reference MLK’s “I have a dream” speech, on what? The stairs of the Lincoln Memorial. Not in it.) See people you can protest, just not in what is viewed as the tomb of Jefferson.
Back to the bike tour, we rode over to the Watergate steps. Tim told me about the original architect of D.C. and where he is buried and how there used to be Symphony performances until Reagan Airport was put in and now the aeroplane noise is too much. (FYI Minute number 9 of above mentioned MLK speech, he pauses – for a plane coming in for a landing overhead).
Tim and Nikki gave me the tour of the unknown or overlooked memorials. We had a blast. Tim is from St. Simons, GA; Nikki is from Arkansas and was in the Peace Corp prior to being a Park Ranger. From there we went to Constitution Gardens. I mentioned this in a previous post. This area had been used for offices during WWI and WWII since the Department of the War had grown so large. These “temporary” buildings were torn down around 1974 and the Gardens were installed in honor of the Bicentennial in 1976. (FYI MLK Memorial will be opening in August, maybe I can sneak a peek before I leave since Tim gave me the inside info that they are apparently ahead on the construction.)
We rode to the German-American Friendship Garden next. If you have been to D.C. and visited the National Mall, I guarantee you walked through it and didn’t even know. Tim and Nikki showed me a bullet hole in the Washington Monument. From there we biked down the middle bike lane of Pennsylvania Avenue to the Capitol.
Tim and Nikki made a dynamic duo! We visited where Garfield had been shot, although he died from poor medicinal practices and not actually the gun shot. Then we went to Columbus Circle, well, Crescent, since Union Station took the other half of the Circle.
I did, and learned, all this for free. Actually, I should have tipped them. Golly, why didn’t I think of that when I was there.
This should conclude my sightseeing adventures. It's real life now and work comes early on Monday mornings.
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