travel

On March 18, 2010 I had the opportunity to travel to Washington DC for 5 days. My friend was going out for business and I could share her hotel room. So I bought my airline ticket and we were on our way.

Right when we landed we thew our stuff down at the Fairmont and headed out so I could learn the metro rail system…took a quick ride to the monument “Mall” area for a few quick snap shots and so I could catch an idea of the lay out. Then we headed over to the Georgetown area to check out the little shops. Becky had to leave me to go to a work thing, so I just stayed in Georgetown and did a check it out thing. I went back to the Hotel around 7. I was beat. I had been up since 530AM. We went to a local pub she wanted to check out and that’s where we meet “Alan” from the movie The Hangover. It was hilarious!! Since it was the day after St. Patrick’s day the pub was having a “hangover” party. Apparently, some took it literally.

The next day was Friday, I headed right to Arlington Cemetery. My intent was to go there, then go back to the central “mall” area and go to a museum then call it a day. When my tour of Arlington commenced I decided I needed to go for a walk…so I walked the mile across the Potomac to the Lincoln Memorial and the Reflection Pool. It seemed fitting to see that monument in light of those who gave their life for the country and then see the man who instigated the original fights that caused the ask of do we put our money were our mouth is? And as long as I was in the neighborhood I stopped by the Korean memorial…it was not something I had interest in but it ended up being one of the best memorials I saw. I also saw the WWII memorial and I thought the inscriptions were moving and the water features they installed were really appropriate. From there I finally made it to the Washington Monument. Becky met-up with me and we headed over to the White House.

Saturday was interesting…So it turns out that in some cases I am not that good at standing around museums. I think a few factors may have led to my slight break down.

1. It was day 3 of travel. I hate to admit it, “things” were starting to catch up to me…exhaustion, time change, scenery change, and in general…change.

2. Although I really hate to admit it, I was thirsty, probably hungry, overheated, and overwhelmed with tourists and protesters.

3. I spent 4 hours being visually and emotionally overwhelmed with sadness, horror and dispare that I could not constructively articulate. Did I mention I was at The Holocaust Museum? I realize it wasn’t a feel good place but…maybe it was just a bad day for me?

My frustration was not just physical but emotional. I was sore from walking from one end of DC I was tired, and actually kind of lost…all I heard was yelling and sirens and kids crying. I swore if one more helicopter flew over me I was gonna freak out.
I had to keep moving because standing still made me hurt worse….

The good news is that after I got a few beers in me I felt better, talked about the exhibit, got a few tears out, we skittered back to the IRS building so Becky could take a picture of me making fun of the IRS sign outside on the corner!!! OMG IT WAS SO HILARIOUS!! I laughed until we thought we were gonna puke!

Sunday was The Day of Rest. Brunch at The Historic Ebbit Grill and then off to the Red Door Spa in the Historic Willard Intercontinental Hotel. Becky went to a mall…then circled back to meet me for drinks in the Willard. Then off for dinner at the Third Edition in Georgetown. They used the front of that bar as St.Elmo’s in the movie. We did a little more walking around the area and I checked out some of the homes and architecture in the area.

Monday, we headed out to Madame Tussuad’s Wax Museum, Ford’s Theater, and The Smithsonian’s Natural History Museum for a brief run through of the Hope Diamond, and the Gemstone and Mineral area. And the Forensics exhibit…and the National Geographic photography award winners section…and the really big squidand then ran out of the building so we could catch a cab and make it to the airport.

DC was amazing. And worth visiting. But I wouldn’t want to stay. I am glad to be back home. I am happy to be with my cats. I missed my bed, my own laptop, my privacy, and my other friends.

I received an invite to meet up with a friend in a small town about 50 miles away. I had never really been there or spent any time there besides passing by.

We met at a local restaurant by the interstate. We had another place picked out downtown but I changed the location at the last minute. I just didn’t feel like dealing with going all the way downtown and hassling with parking. Which seems to be a reoccuring theme of my travels. I hate dealing with unknown parking situations in places I don’t know.

The meeting was good. I had a nice time visiting this friend for the first time. I thought we were meeting up as friends. The next day I got an email. Apparently we were on the wrong page. I didn’t know we were on a date. Huh, well that was interesting.

Despite the mix-up it was a good trip. It seems like a nice little town. Now I know what I am missing. I don’t suspect I will make a lot of return trips there. It was an experience for sure and I am glad I checked out the town.

Date night was more like a date weekend. I think I almost have Mpls figured out.

This was our first trip together and it was a journey in more than one way. We took a small detour into his home town and I saw the “sights” and saw where he spent most of his time growing up.

Back on the road, I came to realize that this trip was also about how we as a couple travel together. Would be want to kill each other by the time we got back home? Not everyone is good at riding in cars. Turns out that we did just fine. We both had an appreciation of not having to keep up a conversation that was idol at best for the sake of talking. I drove and listened to my music and he read me things he came across in the news paper.

When we got to our destination we did some shopping, went to The Wolfman, I got a tour of his adult home town after college and we had a nice dinner in his old neighborhood pub. The next day we hit up a tour of a brewery, checked out some frozen waterfalls, headed out for dinner on the town and headed to a comedy show at the House of Comedy. The show was hilarious!!

Part of this journey was also to see how we interacted with each other for longer periods of time. Could we share? Could we disagree and be ok? Most of all it was a trip to discover more about who the other person is and what they are like when nobody is watching.

As all things eventually come to an end this trip certainly did but with all things considered about where we started and what we found out about the place we went, I think we did good. Trips I see are not just about physical locations but discovery of how far you can go with another in that relationship. Be it platonic or romantic, it is amazing to look back on this and see something so much more than a souvenir.

Ok maybe an exaggeration…but we did go to the Titanic artifact exhibit at the Science Museum of Minnesota. It was a day trip just to get out of town. I met some new friends of his that I was traveling with.

I ate at a California Pizza Kitchen and didn’t have pizza. Ha!

The exhibit was fascinating and very well done. Intellectual, emotionally heart breaking and visually stunning. He is a real Titanic hound so he was a real treat to go with. I had my own guide.

After the exhibit we moved onto some shopping and it was my turn to show the ins and outs of a place he had never heard or seen of. IKEA. I helped him shop his butt off. Just couldn’t get over the joint. It was a good thing we drove my truck.

I don’t know how we packed it all in one day but some how we did. Not bad for a “quick” trip. I am having a lot of fun being a tourist in my own state and really making the effort getting out of the house whether it is by myself or with friends.

Time to run away from home. Made it back down to Mpls again to visit the Spa again. 3 days 2 nights. Less of a plan this time.

Actually it was kind of an after thought sort of a trip. The thing is that the holidays were kind of an experiment in terror so all of a sudden my after thought became something that I was going to do immediately.

So there it is, one minute I was here in town and the next day I was gone. Next Christmas I’m not staying here so I wind up feeling like I have to leave. Next year I will just travel right through Christmas.

My first attempt at this was a trip alone 3 hours away. I checked into a nice high rise hotel in a busy metro downtown area. My mission? To relax.

Sound counter-intuitive? I was actually spending 3 days in a day spa. I have never taken a trip by myself. I have never really traveled alone. Never set out alone.

I don’t think going for an unexpectedly long car drive counts…at least not for me…

When I wasn’t at the spa I enjoyed room service, went to a night club, had dinner at a lovely restaurant with a booth seat in the front window where I could watch the street traffic. I went shopping, and enjoyed brunch and live music!!

I met new people at the hotel and was invited to join their post wedding rehearsal party in the bar, and I watched baseball at a local pub and met folks from a little closer to home and talked about the weather.

It was an ok first run for being 3 hours away from home. Mental note to self…must mind a budget for next time…this trip was out of control…simply should not have cost this much.

I haven’t made plans to hit the road. However, I shared this idea with one person.