Hey there folks,We’re at it again here in the Gorm-zone! Bringin’ you the latest from our nation’s capital. This past weekend was an exciting one here. A few friends from Stonehill came down to visit me. Steve, Steph, and Molly flew in from Boston on Friday night on what would be an action packed weekend. Steve and Steph had never been to DC before so I made sure to show them all the sights.
After picking them up at the airport and getting them settled in the hotel, we went straight out to Georgetown to grab some grub. There’s a really good place for barbecue called Old Glory, so I took them there! I have a weakness for some good pulled pork or a nice rack of ribs and Old Glory is the finest around. Everyone was pretty hungry so besides catching up on the latest happening at Stonehill
and in DC, we chowed down our food pretty quickly. After grabbing some dessert at IceBerry, we went to my apartment and just relaxed. They were all tired from a day of classes and traveling and we were planning big day on Saturday, so it was an early night.On Saturday we awoke bright and early and went to Arlington National Cemetery. I had not been there in quite a few years. It was a beautiful fall day and we walked all around the large piece of property formerly owned by Confederate General Robert E. Lee. We saw the revered Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and walked to the eternal flame at JFK’s grave.
We were pretty hungry after walking so much, so we decided to meet up with friends of Steph’s family that live in Alexandria, VA. They picked us up at the cemetery and drove us to Old Town Alexandria to
a restaurant called the Fish Market. It was great because I really wanted my guests to see how beautiful Old Town was. Though none of us, not even Steph, had met these people before, we hit it off and chatted about Stonehill and future plans.They graciously then drove us back to the Capitol where I gave Steve, Steph, and Molly a private tour. They couldn’t help but laugh after seeing how my Congressional ID could allow me special access and the ability to cut the lines. When we first got there, a Capitol guide was directing visitors to the long line just to go through security. When I flashed my badge, he exclaimed, “Oh, sir, you and your guests are all set,” and pointed the way to the door. Steve and Steph lost it at this. THEN, I got to a Capitol Police Officer by a barricade just before security. I then flashed my badge and she deadpans, “Have you briefed them already, sir?” I said that I had and ushered them in, all while trying to keep a straight face while my three comrades were doubling over in laughter. I honestly couldn’t have made them treat me more importantly if I had bribed them. We kept laughing about that the entire weekend.
After the tour, we walked over to Bullfeathers, which is a pub right next to my office building. We sat and rested our weary legs and got ready for a night of more walking. Immediately after dinner, we embarked on our Tour de Monument. We began first at the Capitol, then walked to the Washington Monument, then World War II, Vietnam, Lincoln, and the Korean War. By this time, we were basically ready to drop. However, we pressed on and walked to my favorite monument of them all: the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. It is setup quite differently than the others. Instead of one statue or scene, the memorial consists of 5 stages that you walk through much like a park. Each of them consists of certain statues and waterfalls to symbolize the times. For example, the stock market crash has a waterfall with one large pillar of water crashing down, while the chaos and destruction of WWII is symbolized through water crashing around from all directions and in all sizes. It is very powerful to see, especially at night. After FDR, we made it over to the Jefferson Memorial. After that, we just about had it and took a cab home.
The next morning was a beautiful Sunday. It was in the mid-70s, so I took my friends across from my apartment to my favorite Sunday ritual: the Corner Bakery. We sat outside on the deck and enjoyed some scrambled eggs and home fries. We then embarked on a short journey the Iwo Jima Memorial. It is the largest bronze statue in the world. After that, we went over the White House to snap some pictures. Unfortunately, no one was home.
Before we knew it, it was time for us all to say goodbye. The weekend had flown by. But our consolation was that I would see them in the not so distant future. I can’t believe that I only had a few weeks left here. It is so surreal.
Coming up: at brief stop home for Thanksgiving
Stay tuned! Thanks for checking out another installment here in the Gorm-zone! Happy Thanksgiving! (And thanks for taking the time to check out my blog these last few months! Feel free to give me some feedback!)
Take care!
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