I hear this, but I cannot fully appreciate it. I am immersed in the first days of a Washington spring.
True, I am not here to play. A daughter is starting a job and helping her move here is the reason for this brief hike out east.
South east. If ever I needed a reminder that D.C. is part of the south, the weather this week-end does that for me, emphatically.
Lunch outdoors? Sure. Outside my daughter’s apartment building, the tables at the neighborhood eateries are crowded. (Sorry, Madisonians, for you, this scene may well be months away.)
A young man sits in front of a Starbucks, with a Whole Foods bag (Be Free, it reads) at his side – a new American urban vignette. It could be any city. No, wait, any city in the south.
I take the metro back to the airport to pick up a rental for the day. Washington is the only city in this entire nation that always jarringly reminds me of the wars fought, the sacrifices made. The memorials, sure, I see it in the memorials, and on the ride to the airport, in the rows of white stones at Arlington Cemetery. And further, as we pick up passengers at the Pentagon, in the faces of people, young men, young women, who think of this current war in such different ways than you or I.
An unreal city, with real people who work hard, long hours, others who look hard for work. People with families. Sons eatig lunch with parents at outdoor cafés, daughters leaning on mothers' shoulders on the metro.
I find D.C. fascinating. Last time I was there I had a soft-shell crab sandwich down at the marina (or whatever they call their wharfy area). It was delicious.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Would you say it's second only to SF? (New York doesn't count. Fascinating - yes. Livable? Only with huge somes of disposable cash. Wait, isn't that true of SF and DC as well?)
ReplyDeleteMe, I actually think greater Los Angeles is the most fascinating place of all. DC is special because it is just so...peculiar. It's not like any place else. History feels alive and vital in DC; it feels freighted and heavy in New York. San Francisco is so obsessed with itself, you get really tired of it living here. Los Angeles grew so big so fast, and so many interesting people are drawn to it, and although I've been there several times, I have absolutely no idea how it works. So it's a fascinating mystery to me. And unlike SF and NY, you don't need tons of cash to live there. Which is not to say that I want to move there. I'm quite securely installed in my city of self-obsession.
ReplyDeleteWashington, D.C. is the capital of the United States. It is coterminous with the District of Columbia (abbreviated as "D.C."). The city and the district are located on the banks of the Potomac River and bordered by the states of Virginia (to the west) and Maryland, sportsbook, (to the north, east and south). The city was planned and developed in the late 18th century to serve as the permanent national capital; the federal district was formed to keep the national capital distinct from the states. http://www.enterbet.com
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