Tag: maryland

The Realities of Living in Washington, DC

M's Adventures

As I do for every place I’ve lived since I started this blog, I write a “realities” article where I talk about the downsides or less than lovely things about where I live (read about Rome here). This is about living in the greater Washington,DC, Maryland, and Virginia are (the DMV).

The traffic. The commute takes over an hour.

The prices. Everything seems to be expensive.

The politics. However one feels about politics, the reality is that this is a town based on it. So it is hard to ignore.

Seven dollars with tip.

Tipping: So much tipping and on EVERYTHING. 25 percent at some places.

The size. This is a spread out city. There are pockets that are cute, but in general it’s big.

The heat: In the summer, it is brutally hot and humid here. It is a swamp, after all.

The lack of authentic Mexican food: This is not really a problem for me, but for most gringos whom I meet around the world, this is a problem.

Annapolis Tourist and a Time Traveler

M's Adventures

Annapolis is the capital of Maryland and makes for an easy tourist outing from Washington, located just 30 miles to the east. One day, we went. It was a perfect day with blue skies and light breezes.

The downtown is adorable. Parking is not. One of the main attractions is the Naval Academy.

Lots of shops and antiques to gasp at.

There are boat tours and water taxis.

We ate on the south side and while it was quieter, we did not think the food was anything special.

We did stop at a cafe, Curated, and that was lovely. A young golden haired youth was sitting at the next table reading a Torah, a copy of Milton’s works, and a notebook in which he was taking concise notes with an old fashioned ink pen. No cell phone in sight. I wondered if he was a wraith, a time traveler, dropped into our world by the fumes of my coffee… it turned out that he was studying the connection between Milton’s assertions about the role of poetry in the Torah. He was going to do a doctoral thesis on this. We talked briefly about poetry. Then he left us to our breakfast. A bit later, a very modern young woman, cell phone attached to hand, sat down next to him. She asked what he was doing. He told her. At the blank look on her face, he asked if she had heard of Milton’s Paradise Lost. She said that she thought she had. Clearly no spark there. She got up and left quickly after that.

I remarked to my friend that artsy young men like that one were so unusual in the greater Washington area but probably not so out of place in New York City.

From inside Curate cafe.

If you visit Annapolis, you might not meet any interesting scholars, but you can absorb the history anyway.

10 Things to Do in DC When You Have Done Everything Else

M's Adventures

When you have seen everything else you need to see in DC as a tourist, try these things (or look at my list of walks):

Listen to the Drum Circle at Meridian Park, Sundays at 3 pm. It’s free and loud.

Visit the Library of Congress. Free but timed tickets required.

The Capital Wheel at the National Harbor.

Go to the National Harbor and the National Wharf. Free areas with restaurants and outdoor activities.

Visit the oldest farmers market in the USA in Alexandria. George Washington sold stuff at this market… Free, only on only Saturday mornings 7-12 noon.

Shop at Eastern Market. On the weekends, there are also outdoor stalls with art, fresh vegetables, etc. The market is over 130 years old. Free and on capital hill.

Take a water taxi from Georgetown to Old Town Alexandria or Mount Vernon or to the National Harbor. It’s a cheap way to get a boat cruise.

Go on a wine tour. There is one right in DC and there are many about an hour or two from DC. Read about all these great places from this Washingtonian article.

Harpers Ferry is one of my favorite day trip destinations from DC. Go for a hike up the other side but make sure to learn some history in the town. Free.

Hike or drive in the Shenandoah. You might go there to visit the famous cavern, but driving along Skyline Drive is fantastic too. Or stop for a hike. Fee for entering the park. Or buy a year pass.

Take the train to Frederiksburg, Richmond, Baltimore, or Annapolis. All within a two hour train ride.

Watch a comic or movie at Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse (this is a historic, if tired, art nouveau building from 80 years ago). Price of tickets, but you will likely not see other tourists here.

Take a paint and sip art class. See this list. Or a cooking class or some other class. Check out this site for more info.

Go to a Korean spa like Spa World or King Spa, or go to a hammam. Scrub yourself away to another world.

10 Walks in Washington, DC

M's Adventures

So you have done all the touristy things… now what?

Clamber the rocks and walk on the Billy Goat trail. My favorite in this area because it is rocky and yet you are so close to the city.

Walk on Theodore Roosevelt Island. Find the trail at Key bridge.

Walk along the canal in Georgetown.

Watch the mighty Potomac crash through Great Falls. It is magnificent without being strenuous. Great Falls is on both sides of the river but the better walk is on the Maryland side.

View the monuments by night with friends. The monuments are lit up at night and it is completely different than visiting during the day. And cooler (if it is summer).

Walk in Arlington National Cemetery. Available by Metro. It is quiet and hilly. Great view of DC.

Walk in Rock Creek Park.

Walk in the Arboretum. See pretty plants and Greek columns.

Explore a local trail. There are many that one rarely notices. One example is the Arlington Loop, map here.

Walk along the George Washington Parkway, or along the river on the Virginia side. Take the trail from Memorial bridge. Walk all the way to Mount Vernon if you… bike! It is 18 miles from Theodore Roosevelt Island (see above) to Mount Vernon.

A view from the car of the Washington Memorial across the river.

Join a walking group. Or find other walks in this list from Town and Tourist.

Good Things About Living in Washington, DC

M's Adventures

As I did in Dhaka, Bogota, Lima, and Rome, I will write a couple of articles about the good and not so good things about living in the Washington, DC, area. First, some of the good things.

Free drinking water. You can drink the tap water.

High speed internet.

International cuisine. I will write more about this later, but in the DC area, one can get good Vietnamese, Ethiopian, Korean, Chinese, Indian, Pakistani, Salvadoran, Japanese… you get the idea.

International people. Many embassies are located here.

Public transportation. Between the train, bus, and light rail, you can get many places for 3-10 dollars.

Availability of things – Amazon is sometimes delivered the next day or faster, and some shops are open 24-7.

Free museums, free concerts, free meetings, and free libraries. The Smithsonian is a collection of 21 museums and almost all (I think only the one in New York charges an entrance fee) are free to enter.

National Airport (DCA). Having an airport on a metro line and within a mile of DC is gold. Dulles is also on the metro but 25 miles away.

People like dogs. Oh, wait, that’s not just here. But I still think it’s a good thing about being here.

Often the dog treats are free.

A Day at the Races

M's Adventures

At Pimlico.
At Pimlico.

Recently, I went for a day at the races. Not having grown up going to the horse races, attending the Preakness was all new to me. I wasn’t sure if it was all about the hat (or my new fascination — the fascinator), the horses, the betting, or the concerts. It turned out to be a bit of all of it, a sort of combination country fair, concert, picnic, tailgate party, and excuse to dress up and drink cocktails at 11 a.m.

This is the sign above the betting windows...
This is the sign above the betting windows…

I’m not sure if I would go to a horse race again, although maybe in Colombia, as the actual races are very short (a few minutes) and it all goes by in a blur. But, the people-watching goes on all day!

Father and son in matching seersucker.
Father and son in matching seersucker.

One of the hats for sale was about two feet across and cost $496. Yes, almost $500 for a hat. Speaking of fashion, I enjoyed the variety of men and boys in seersucker suits and the ladies and girls in their dress and hats. Also, people were super friendly out at Pimlico in Maryland.

The Preakness.
The Preakness.