WASHINGTON, D.C.

Thanks to my taste for crime fiction, I had imagined Washington to be a city full of crack addicts on every corner, rampant crime, and sad homelessness. I am so pleasantly surprised! Well, maybe it is, but definitely not in the tourist hot-spots, and also no signs of it in Arlington, where we are staying. It's all clean, wide streets, organic markets, and fresh air. The Metro is the cleanest and easiest of all we have traveled. No one has asked us for cash and it feels okay to sit on the subway seats and there are no unpleasant city smells.

Today we walked from the Capitol down the long National Mall to the Lincoln Memorial. We caught a few glimpses of the White House on the way back to the Metro. But 20,000 steps on we were too tired to tourist further. Good thing we have a week here. Sooooo much to do!

MONDAY:
Washington is great (apart from our president, who is a national disgrace). There’s so much to see, do, and learn. Nonetheless, we are never at risk of taxing ourselves. Caught up with my cousin, Matt, & his lovely family on Saturday. Very nice to see him after something like 20 years (& I hope I didn’t refer to him as Tony too often- the Lewis boys definitely look alike!) Another highlight was catching up with Michael & Tonya, fellow debate-team/ speech & drama nerds and v close friends from high school. They have gone on to live spectacular lives and I had no idea how much I missed them. Could have spent all day chatting.

We have toured the US Capitol, the Library of Congress, visited the White House, and played at the Smithsonian Museum of American History. And we haven’t even made a dent!!Read more