Expedition 4: The Georgetown Getaround

Back on the journey! Metro Journey number 4 (I was sick and not able to go on the third one) was quite an adventure, with almost two dozen destinations this time.This blog is a virtual museum of Georgetown (go, Hoyas!), and its plethora of businesses, shops, and landmarks. Let's start on the first floor, shall we? 

First Floor: A Safe Way, a Mason's Mound, and a "Leafy" Library
Ugh, these early mornings are really a struggle. Up at 6:23, I was dropped off at Branch Ave. train station, and because Cortland and Trent weren't able to come on this exciting excursion, I rode with David and Kendra. I have to admit, I'm getting pretty familiar with how to read the information at train stations now. We rode the green line to L'Enfant Plaza, then switched to the orange line until Foggy Bottom station (remember Foggy Bottom?). After meeting the group, including an awesome newcomer, George, we endured a bumpy bustling bus ride into Georgetown. Our first stop was Safeway.

Safewayyyy

 A group photo and a pack of gum later, we were walking a ways to the Guy Mason Recreational playground, which had a large baseball field, impressive outdoor basketball court, and of course, a playground. Heading back past Safeway, our next stop was the Dumbarton Oaks Library. As we had a lot of destinations remaining, we took a picture and moved on to our next POI, or to you, let's head to the second floor!
Second Floor: A Cool Cafe, A New Antique Shop, and a Heck of a House
I love those section titles. Anyways, next up (and forgive me if the stops are a tad out of order, there were so many) was the Duke Ellington School of Arts. Sadly, we couldn't go inside because of construction. Moving on to Cafe Bonaparte,

The squad at Cafe Bonaparte

 a fine cafe. Next up was the decade old Jean Pierre Antiques. Up after that was a house with the most significant historical background so far, the Kennedy house. Well, one of them. John Kennedy, his wife, and his then young daughter lived there in the late fifties. Our next landmark was probably one of my favorites, the Old Stone House. It's the oldest pre-revolutionary war colonial building in existence and has been made into a small museum, as you can go up the stairways and view the rooms, and buy books and view brochures. 
Your mind stuffed? Hang in there, it's almost lunchtime. No, for me not you. Sorry. On to the Georgetown Waterfront Park, which was made in the late 1970s. Up next was an attention grabber, the Ritz Carlton Hotel.

Looking good, eh?

 Celebrities and the like stay at this POPULAR hub when in the D.C. area. Even the plaque on the outside seemed fancy (anybody got $359 a night?). Our last stop before lunch (at Chipotle) was Urban Outfitters,

Snazzy!

 an upstanding clothing store in central Georgetown. Like Secondi at Dupont Circle, Urban Outfitters brought out the best in clothing, with some elegant apparel for sure. We had to visit an underground mall, but like the name, it was off the radar and we were never able to find it. At this point we were all STARVING, so we grabbed a bite to eat, and then set out to wrap up the journey with our final destinations

Third Floor: A Celebrated Cupcake Cove, Some Steep Steps, and a Key Bridge
Finally, the stop the entire group had anticipated: Georgetown Cupcakes. 

The disappointment was real though

 With requests for their fine cupcakes from our moms, we eagerly approached the line...which went all the way up the sidewalk. Oh well. Homemade cupcakes will do. One more stop, reader. The most peculiar destination of the day, the Exorcist Steps were used in the filming of the horror movie, The Exorcist. We forgot to take a scary group photo, but one more fantastic photo from the steps capped off the journey.

The Exorcist Steps, and more snazzy pics

 After a bit of a complication, the group split up so we could get to the train stations to take us home. A few of us needed to cross Key Bridge to get to the train station, so we trekked across, and then Kendra, David and I were set to ride 40 minute ride back to Branch Ave.

Fourth Floor: Just Some Stories From the Day
Metro Journey number four was awesome, and it had some unscripted happenings that got me thinking about the real world. One such happening occurred early that morning on the train. As I sat down in the crowded train, I happened to sit beside a young man, maybe in his early twenties. He looked right at me as I doodled on my phone, and I wondered if he was about to ask me something. Turns out he did. He said "excuse me, can I ask you a question?" I was surprised, but I said sure, and he proceeded to inquire on something quite unexpected. "That cross necklace you wear," he began, "what does it mean to you?" I was shocked by the question, mostly because I'd never anticipated being spoken to on the metro, but his tone wasn't accusing or condescending, only timidly curious. I thought for a moment, then told him, "it means I'm not afraid to declare Who all things point to, and it's a helpful reminder for me when things go wrong." At this point, several people were watching, and I was sweating. He nodded thoughtfully, and I asked him if he was a believer. He said yes quietly, then I asked what his name was, we shook hands, and I told him "God bless you." It was an amazing experience to be used by God to speak out among many unbelievers, and be a light in the darkness. I've spent hours imagining that very conversation with someone, so I had in my mind already what I should say. I am thankful for the experience, and I hope to minister to lost souls one day. 
The other interesting interaction came at the very end of the day. As David, Kendra and I were at Rosslyn trying to get home, we had trouble working the metro fare card machine. I saw there was a metro worker on the other side of the turnstile, and I went across to ask for help. I asked the worker for help with the machine, and she followed me over. After quite an odd process of working the machine, she asked where we were going and why we were alone. Honestly, I had expected this, so we explained we were on a homeschool research trip into the Georgetown neighborhood. She asked what homeschool was like, and if all it was was sitting at home doing school with your mom all day, and we told her that it was more than that. It's doing work at home, sure, but there are homeschool tutorials, and social events, and classes like this add to real world experience that public school kids don't really get. She nodded skeptically and told us to enjoy our day, and to stay out of trouble. Now THAT was an eye-opening conversation. I wonder if there really is a stereotype of homeschool; that it's sit at home, do school with your mom everyday, live in a box. Conversations like that are an opportunity to show that homeschool is really a blessing, and that it provides unique opportunities like the Metro Journeys themselves. Again, I'm thankful it happened, and blessed to minister

Not sure what building this, but it looks AWESOME

The outside of the Dumbarton Library

Cafe Bonaparte

Right outside Jean Pierre antiques

A nice view of Virginia from the platform above the Exorcist steps

I'M BUYING THAT HOUSE ONE DAY

The group right outside the Old Stone House

Walking on Key Bridge

And that was Metro Journey four! I hope you learned a bit about the Georgetown neighborhood, and my experiences in the nation's capital. I sure learned a lot about D.C., and I'm looking forward to our next destination. I apologize if there are stops I forgot to add, there were so many awesome places we visited. Stay tuned for the next blog. Until next time, reader!