First few days

I've been in DC/Vienna for four days now, and I finally have the aching muscles and blisters to prove that I'm really doing something with my time.

The first few days I was here were mostly spent settling in, getting re-acquainted with my aunt and uncle, meeting my cousin whom I haven't seen since she was about 3 weeks old, and getting a feel for the climate and this place.

Monday I slept a lot because I hadn't gotten much sleep at home the night before, and I was pretty tired from my flights. My aunt made dinner and we ate and then I went to bed fairly early. I also spent the evening getting used to the different cable channels, just for the essentials.

Tuesday I got internet access. I didn't get on the computer until later in the day though, because we spent the afternoon driving through the city, so that I could get a sense of where everything was for future reference. Having my new blackberry helps with not being able to be on the computer like I usually am, because I can keep up with emails and messages from just about anywhere. I'm glad I got this phone before I left for DC, because it makes things a bit easier.

Wednesday I got a chance to shop at Tyson's Corner 1, which is a great mall with two things we don't have in Wichita: Ann Taylor Loft and Sephora. And of course Nordstrom, Macy's, Lord and Taylor, and others. I walked around that mall for a few hours, got a bit of shopping done, and then we went to an Indian/Pakistani restaurant nearby, which was delicious! Shiney. It's not the fanciest place, but the people there were all friendly and helpful.

Speaking of friendly, I've mostly encountered friendly people in this townl, which is contrary to everything I've heard about east-coasters and their cold and withdrawn demeanor. I'm sure there are people like that here, but I've met people like that in Kansas too. Of course, I've mostly seen tourists (who can be pretty awful sometimes) and retail employees (who have to be friendly), so my perception may be a bit skewed, but for the most part, I've gotten a fairly good impression of people here.

Today (yesterday EST), I finally got out into the city and explored the Mall a bit. Or a lot. As soon as I got off the metro stop, it was raining. I tried to just push through it with my newly purchased umbrella (I really hope that money went to fund a homeless shelter, because that's why I bought it), but after a few minutes, the rain became unbearable, and I rushed up to the nearest museum, which happened to be the National Museum of Natural History.

Apparently, everyone else had the same idea though, and the stairs were packed. I got in pretty quickly in spite of that, and had the chance to dry out and wander the museum a bit. I know a lot about natural history for whatever reason, so the exhibits didn't quite grab me as much as they could have, but I did enjoy seeing the Hope Diamond again (sparkly!) and reading about trilobytes. I freaking love trilobytes, always have. They're just so interesting. You think I'm kidding, but I'm not. I wandered the museum for a while longer, took some pictures of kitties (big, wild, taxidermied kitties), and as soon as I saw that the rain was clearning up, I went back outside to try wandering again. Actually, I ate lunch first, then I wandered.

I stopped at the Smithsonian Castle for a map and guide, then set off to the Air and Space museum. As I tweeted then, "when I visit the Air and Space Museum, I go for the air, not the space." Basically, what I meant by that is that while I enjoy space stuff, I adore flight, especially early flight, and early planes. And of course, the Amelia Earhart-Kansas connection might fuel that. Haha, fuel. I also discovered an affinity for the old stewardess culture, and the PanAm girls, and how vintage it all is. Sexist? Yes. Objectifying women? Yes. In spite of all that however, I can't really help but enjoy the pop culture that developed around them, like the adorable stewardess bag sold in the gift shop. Yeah yeah, I know. In the space section, I did enjoy looking at the exhibit on the planets that recognized Pluto. BAM! PLUTO! Dwarf planet indeed.

I tried to go to the National Gallery after that, but it closed at 5 pm, so instead, I figured, what the heck, I'll just walk all the way over to the Washington Monument. It's SO far! I would have just gone back to Vienna, but I wanted to wait til after 7 so I wouldn't have to pay extra. And I figured that as long as I was over there, I should see what I could see. So I did. I only walked around the outside of the monument, but it was impressive enough. Then I had the bright idea to walk down to the WWII Memorial and beyond that, the Lincoln Memorial. That was REALLY far. But I went, and I'm glad I did. I ended up probably walking to a farther metro station to get back, but that was ok too.

I came back, ate dinner, and then retired to bed for the evening around 9 pm, although I have been up since then, reading blogs and now blogging. I had best get to sleep soon though, because I have another long day ahead of me tomorrow (today EST).

So with that, I'm out, but I'll try and update again soon! :-)