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| All set to ride to the capital with the fam! |
What a day! From riding the metro, to the nature hike at Rock Creek, to getting around Dupont Circle, and checking out the local businesses, and even to hanging out with the group, it was a whirlwind. I learned a lot about our nation's capital in just a few hours, and did it with some really cool guys. This expedition opened my eyes to the daily routines of district dwellers, and even the culture of the area. This blog is a walkthrough of what I learned on the trip and my personal experience exploring Washington D.C.. Shall we start with step one?
Step 1: Metro Mayhem, a Bustling Bus Ride, and a Pretty Nice Nature Hike
The day started off pretty early for my brother and I, and we had to be at Largo Metro Center at 7:45. After a bumpy ride to Friendship Heights, we had to catch a bus to our first quest of the day
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| The first bus ride to Rock Creek Park |
, a nature hike at Rock Creek Park. We were a tad short on time, so we took the shorter Milkhouse Ford Trail. The park actually has some old origins. It used to be a quarry used by American Indians from the 1600's and on until the Civil War, when it was used strategically to halt the Confederate march. After meeting the whole group, (they were awesome and we all had a blast) we got going on the trail. Washington D.C.'s forests are really a testament to God's creative genius. Most of the roughly 2 million trees in the District are American Beech, Red Maple, and Boxelders.
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| A view of the forest while on the nature hike. |
I was hoping to spot any kind of wildlife as we went, but we didn't see much. One fascinating insect we found was a daddy long legs spider, but STOP. Forget what you think you know about this critter. These lengthy-legged creatures, if you thought they weren't dangerous like I did, are actually some of the most poisonous little crawlers on earth. But their fangs are too diminutive to harm us. And on top of that, there's daddy long legs, and then there's daddy long leg spiders, plus there's a third lookalike called harvestmen. Honestly, I've always found them quite interesting.
After the hike, we caught a bus to Dupont Circle for the second half of our capital quest...
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| Climbing up a small drop off on the nature hike |
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| The group halfway through the trail |
Step 2: A Likeable Lunch and an Interesting Intersection
After the woody walk, it was time for the second half of our expedition, so we caught a bus to Dupont Circle. After a delicious lunch (peanut butter and jelly, but it was still good), our assignment was to make our way to the Dupont Traffic Circle. The traffic circle is just that, but it has a large fountain in the center of a stony circle surrounded by benches and bushes, and the place, a relatively peaceful park during the afternoons, has some intriguing history, too. In the early 70's, nope, the 1870's,,a Nevada Senator bought the area for his mansion and planned to build "Pacific Circle" near the mansion. It was renamed DuPont Circle in 1882 after the erection of a statue of Admiral Francis DuPont, a key figure in the Civil War. In 1921, the fountain was built. Three classical figures representing the sea, stars, and wind, were carved onto the fountain as well. The three avenues that cross the circle are New Hampshire Ave., Connecticut Ave., and Massachusetts Ave.
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| The Dupont Circle Fountain |
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| A nice sky view of DuPont Circle |
Step 3: A Comical Cove, a Bedazzling Business, and Some Exciting Establishments
The final step in this walkthrough of what was an awesome day takes us down the three streets that intersect DuPont Circle. The first stop was Fantom Comics, a decade old comic book franchise that's bounced around in D.C. a bit and has quite an interesting selection of books. I enjoyed checking out the Marvel and Star Wars comics myself, and the staff was great. Next up was an eye-popper called Bedazzled. There was some extremely ornate eye candy to be found for sure; beads, small necklaces, and relatively inexpensive jewelry are the specialty.
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| Bedazzled's impressive selection of beads |
Afterwards we hustled over to Afterwards...well, the store is Kramerbooks & Afterwards, a fine bookstore/cafe`. With live music groups frequenting the bookstore, and a cafe`, the place is a real fan favorite
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| Me at Kramerbooks looking absolutely fantastic as usual! |
. You tired of reading yet? Well, there's a few more stores to go. We had to visit two consignment shops, and ironically, the first one we entered was Secondi, a women's clothing store.
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| My bro and I at Secondi |
It's quite a popular shop actually; they've won the Reader's Choice "Best Consignment Shop" award in three consecutive years and from what I saw, it just might capture a fourth straight award. It had some of the most exquisite clothes I've ever seen, but there was one little being that stole our attention there.
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| This is the attention-stealing canine we ran into at Secondi |
From there it was on to Fillmore & 5th, the other consignment shop. It had meager space, but it was a modest franchise, with locations as far as Palo Alto.
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| Filmore & 5th's selection of clothes |
A quick look in the place and a selfie later, and we were off to the final destination: Pansaari.
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| Inside Pansaari. At the bottom right is an area for relaxing, and the spices are stored in the back. |
This was by far the most fascinating and exotic store, as it features fresh spices, foods, fancy garments and fabrics, and even a full chai bar and cooking classes from Jaipur, India. It was a thought-provoking experience in Pansaari, entering the feel of Indian culture and talking to the staff, who really seemed to enjoy their jobs.
Overall, the day in D.C. was hectic, but enjoyable. This was just three steps, but there were many more small steps along the journey that were full of fun. I'm excited about the Metro Journey class this year and the destinations that await....until next time!
