The Drama Queen Travels to the East Coast-an Adventure (Part 1)

"Adventure" is a complete understatement! I planned to attend a seminar in Washington, DC for a few quiet days, then head off to New York for a day of shopping and a meal with my cousins. I got more than I bargained for!

Tuesday, 8/23: I arrived at my hotel in the Washington, DC suburbs at 1 am. A mere 6 hours later, I woke up to attend the seminar. I couldn't wait until the lunch break, at 12:30 pm, to crawl back into bed. I did just that, along with my friend, G, one of the girls with whom I shared a hotel room. At 1:45 pm, I woke and informed G of the time. G decided to stay in bed a few more minutes, so I headed downstairs alone. I had just a moment to grab lunch, so I stopped by the concierge desk to ask if there was a convenience store inside the hotel. A girl behind the desk turned her attention to me. Just as I was about to ask my question, the shaking started, then she yelped, "Oh, shit!". Being the California girl I am (and having been through many earthquake drills), I scanned the lobby for a doorway or table to duck under, but I couldn't find one! Then the girl ran from behind the desk and through the lobby, yelling for everyone to follow her out the door. People did just as she ordered, panic in the air, and me following them (hey, I'm cooperative), shaking my head in disbelief. It was just like a movie, and I pictured a giant tidal wave in the background, a la The Perfect Storm. So my co-workers/friends and I stood outside with thousands of other seminar attendees for about 2 hours, waiting for further orders. The seminar was canceled, so we decided to head out on the town. The gorgeous view of the harbor on which our hotel was located is pictured on the right. For dinner, I met up with a lovely fellow tpfer. We ate at a restaurant on the pier with her hilarious mom and sweet best friend.

Wednesday, 8/24: My coworkers/friends and I decided to head out into the city to lunch at Ben's Chili Bowl. This place is famous for being visited by Barack Obama after being elected President of the US. We were shown a short film on the history of the restaurant. The host was super-nice and was pleasantly surprised when we told him we visited from LA. The chili was good, but it was more than filling for me, so I was unable to finish my meal. We walked and walked and walked to the White House, then we took a cab back to our hotel. In the evening, we went on a nighttime city tour. We visited the Capitol Building; White House; Korean and Vietnam War and World War II Memorials; and the Washington, Lincoln, and Jefferson Presidential Memorials.

OK, I'm sooooo tired right now. I have too much to write about this trip, so I'm going to break up this story into 2 parts. We have just concluded part 1. Part 2 will follow shortly.