Our luck was a LOT better today. We got our groove back. We took that groove back to the Mall, which today, was completely empty, save for the construction guys breaking down all the tents and moving all the portapotties. There were virtually no tourists in sight.
Today's agenda included a trip to the top of the Washington Monument, something I never did while I actually lived in D.C. My mom was kind of nervous about going up, but she plucked up her courage and did it. (Good job, Mom!)
I wasn't nervous at all, until we got into the elevator, and the ranger told us the Monument is made of freestanding marble blocks simply stacked atop each other, and nothing else. No wires, no bars, nothing holding it in place except gravity and a little mortar (and the mortar works more like caulk than like cement). Then he warned us not to lean on the blocks once we got up top, and then I really felt nervous! I'm a native Californian, so my first thought regarding a tower of freestanding blocks was, "Wow, that would fall really quickly in an earthquake!"
The view from the top was spectacular! Definitely the best in the city. We looked one way, and saw Arlington Cemetery, Lincoln Memorial, and the Reflecting Pool. Looked another and saw the White House and Commerce Department. Turned again and saw the Capitol, the Mall, and all the Smithsonians. And then, with a final turn, we saw the Tidal Basin and the Jefferson Memorial. It was amazing -- we went to all the windows and views twice.
By the time we descended, it was lunch time. We took the Metro to Dupont Circle, and stumbled upon a little itty bitty restaurant claiming it had the best crabcake sandwiches in Washington. Well, I couldn't pass that by! We had a fabulous waitress who was so kind and sweet, and insisted we all try the seafood soup. Who were we to disagree?
We jumped back on the Metro for our final D.C. outing -- a trip to the National Zoo. It's in a beautiful park, and like all the other Smithsonian Museums, it's free. (I love that!)
We sauntered down the path, stopping to admire a cheetah. We got a little nervous when we realized that it was sitting across a small field from us, but could easily jump over the fence and across the frozen pond to get us if it really wanted to. Luckily for us, he was content to lie in the sun and soak up some rays.
Next up were the pandas. We saw two of them lazing in their habitats, and a third one pounding on the gate to his inside enclosure. Nobody ever let him in, but it didn't dissuade him -- he walked away a bit, then returned to pound some more.
The next stop was the Panda shop, where you could buy anything you've ever wanted with a panda on it. They even had some journals and stationary which proudly proclaimed they were made from recycled panda poop. I drew the line at that -- I'll be coming home panda poop-free.
Mark lost all interest in the live animals once he'd convinced his Grandma to buy him a stuffed one. I tried dragging him down the hill to look at more animals, but he didn't really care. I settled for the elephant house, which also had a hippo, a pygmy hippo and a couple capybaras.
And then it was back to the Metro, for our last ride. Our Inaugural 2009 trip drew to a close, and I felt it with every step on and away from the Metro. Over dinner, we discussed all our activities, and what we all liked best. The swearing-in ceremony was first (a given), but after that, Mom's favorites were the funeral procession (because it was so moving), and Mark's was the Lincoln Memorial. Mine was hard to choose -- I had such a blast at them all! I think I liked the Washington Monument, but mostly, I just liked returning to the city I called home a long time ago. It was fun to see all the sites that had once been part of my daily life, and fun showing them all to Mark. I took him to my favorite restaurant and showed him my old Metro stop and apartment. I told him all the stories and anecdotes I could remember, like the time Kelley and I sat in the middle of the frozen Reflecting Pool and some guy skied by us and said hi.
I got to show him a part of me that existed a long time ago, and I got to share my love of this beautiful city. (I also shared it with my mom, who lived through it with me the first time.) And I got to give Mark a piece of his own history, something wonderful that he can carry in his heart, and share fondly whenever someone asks, "Where were you when the first African-American President was sworn in?" His answer will probably be that he was staring at the back of some guy's jacket trying not to get crushed, but hey, he was here, and even if he doesn't remember it forever, my mom and I will. And really, what could be a better vacation than that?
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