Yesterday was an insanely busy day! I saw Mark (my ex) and his redecorated/renovated house, the dogs (including Bailey, who’s now EIGHT?!?!), and got a CD from him with three songs from his new band. My photo shoot went well, I think. And I got a sneak peak at the new GW campus (I will be going back today to poke around a bit more and visit, among other things, the new SMPA building and the bookstore).
It was a gorgeous day, though. The temperature maybe maxed out at 85, and the humidity was low. Today (TGIF!) looks to be about the same. (Sorry, Texans.)
DC is remarkably changed since I was last here. One of my favorite places, a ratty old diner in Bethesda sitting on prime real estate, is now gone, replaced by two gargantuan towers that Mark says he can see from his house some five or eight miles away. The GW Hospital block is a pile of gravel, and when you come out of the Foggy Bottom metro station, there’s this huge, gorgeous, glassy new hospital literally sitting on top of the metro. The Marvin Center (student center) has a random arch and the concrete ramp up to it is gone; the building now extends to the street and has a new, glassy, gorgeous facade. In short, everything is different! Today, as I explore downtown, I’ll find out just *how* different.
Hard to believe it’s been five and a half years since I left DC. REALLY, really hard to believe. I miss the people and the places so much! Driving around Wednesday night after I returned from the eastern shore, I was hit with wave after wave of nostalgia. I’ve got my DC-driving groove back, and I just adore flitting around town. It’s so much fun!
Today’s my “DC day.” I will be downtown almost all day (as soon as I get off my duff and get moving!) and then out to dinner with AnnaLisa and Paul tonight. I’m going to be sad to leave tomorrow, as it’s been so wonderful to spend some time with then here. That having been said, I’m missing Rags and all you wonderful people who’ve been so faithfully following this travelblog, so I am happy I’ll be back home soon.
More tonight, mes amis!