After yet another delayed flight, I finally arrived in DC at around 10.30pm before taking a Super Shuttle over to Kari's place. Super Shuttles are 8 seater taxis which are the next cheapest method of transport from the airport to the subway. The benefit is that it takes you door-to-door.
Washington DC is certainly a lot cleaner than I imagined it would've been. I'd been told by other travellers that the city was dirty, grotty and to be honest a bit if a dump but I found it quite the opposite. I was lucky enough to be shown round the city by my good friend Kari. A personalised tourist tour.
Our first stop was of course The White House. A magnificent building which was just as I imagined. Barack and Michelle's back yard was certainly very impressive. Sadly they weren't in for a cup of tea...
We then wandered round to the Washington Monument which has only just recently opened from reconstruction. We never got the chance to go up it as there are only 100 tickets released every day to walk up the monument. From there, we headed over to the Lincoln Monument before wandering round the famous Reflecting Pool. Lastly, we walked by the WW2 Monument and Vietnam Memorial. Placed particularly poignant on Memorial Day. It was quite eye-opening having been to a Vietnam and experiencing the war memorial from the other side.
That evening, I met up with an old friend for dinner in Georgetown. Emily and I haven't seen each other since living in the same town in France back in 2008/2009. The weather was horrendous and DC was a washout. That being said, we had a great evening at a quaint Italian restaurant which ended by almost being done by the cops for jaywalking! It could only happen with Emily!! So great to see her looking so well and catching up on old times.
It's my last day in DC and where better to spend it than a personalised almost access all areas tour of the US Capitol Building. We swung by Kari's office where I got to meet her work colleagues before starting our tour of the building. The highlight was without doubt sitting in on the House and Senate galleries. Certainly a lifelong ambition for a politics geek like me. In the evening, Kari took me to Nationals Park to watch my first baseball game. I'm not going to lie, I didn't have a clue what was going on for at least the first 30mins or so but I think I slowly got the hang of it by the end. It was a great treat and an exciting way to end a fabulous few days in DC spending time with friends.
So, what are my final thoughts on DC:
1. Clean, spacious and friendly. DC isn't what I expected it to be. It was much more.
2. I visited government buildings, something which I haven't even done in my own country.
3. Experienced my first baseball game.
4. Would I go back again? Absolutely!!
Next and final stop: New York, New York
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