The first day of exploring D.C. Was great! 

I got up without the alarm clock dragging me forth. In other words, I slept in. Hahahaha A long stand in the shower and a shave later I was emotionally ready to tackle the day. 

The Marriott Suites that I am staying at has a free shuttle to the Metro. It’s super convenient. 

The Section of the Red Line that I am on is under weekend construction, so once we were at the Metro station  we had to take a shuttle down the line a couple stations to get back on active track.  Sounds crazy, but it was super easy! The Metro had loads of people out answering questions as well. 

So, it was the Red Line in to the American University stop, and then the 30-series bus south about 1 1/2 miles to the National Cathedral.  The National Cathedral is absolutely amazing. It is a cut stone monument to the abilities of people with vision. And, it is an absolutely beautiful building.

I ended up having a great conversation about the state of the world with my new friend Andy. Andy has worked at the Cathedral for 18 years, and possessed a kin insight into the state of man. I’m continually reminded that the world is full of amazing people. In our conversation regarding the Cathedral and its place in the ranks of the great churches Andy summed it up as “It is the equal of any Cathedral in Europe, except for its age.” I tend to agree with Andy! It really is like no other Cathedral I have seen in America. It is worth the tour. 

I don’t take time to walk the gardens, which were extensive, but there is time for that another day. I did pause in the Shepards Chapel and say a prayer for the health of my parents. It is something I do at every church I visit. The fact that the Shepards chapel is located in the crypt made me laugh. 

The Cathedral actually has 3 chapels in the crypt. The first one I’ve seen like this. I chose the Shepards Chapel because it was small and quiet. It seemed the most comforting. 

From the Cathedral, it was back to the bus stop. I jumped back on the 30-series bus, 31N I think, and headed for the National Mall. Not knowing where I was going, I jumped off to consult a map. No map at the bus stop, but a good BBQ place across the street. So, it was lunch in Georgetown. The BBQ joint was called Old Glory. Good food and decent prices. The place was also an old building, which was cool. 

Moving on again, it was back on the bus. Wrong bus, but basically the right direction. Instead of the Mall, I ended up on the backside of the White House. I also ended up under blackening skies. By the time I made my way down to the Washington Momument there were great big rain drops fallling from the sky. Big, cold, rain drops falling from the sky. I took a picture from across the street and headed it for the Metro.

Of course, by the time I made it back to the hotel I had stopped raining. It was okay, I was done anyway. TIRED!!

I got woken up from the nap I didn’t know I was taking by a dinner text. My friend/tour guide, Beth, pushed back dinner due to the pounding rain. Yup, more rain!

Dinner was decided in the car. I got to pick, so Thai food. We went to a place called Tara Thai, in Bethesda. The food was good and had a good staff. The atmosphere was new and trendy, and reminded me more of a sea food restaurant. But, it was tasty Thai food!

After dinner festivities included a short walk to Barnes and Noble. Things I learned at B&N:

You can buy a detective field kit.

Image released 5 volumes of Sunstone. None of which I possess (YET)!

You can write a children’s book that contains less than 2 paragraphs of words ….. and get published. 

You can print a magazine about Anything!!

After that, it was back to the awesome hotel to chill. Bed coming soon tonight. 

Live. See. Enjoy. 

My chariot to the Metro station.

The decent into Metro. 

The National Cathedral.

The space window. It holds a piece of moon rock brought back from Apollo. 

The Washington Monument. You can’t see the HUGE raindrops falling, but they were.