Detour

On Thursday morning I had a meeting downtown. On the way back to my apartment to work from home for the afternoon, I decided to take a detour and swing by the Mall to look at the cherry blossoms. I made the trek the first few years I lived here, but haven't done it the last few; the crowds are just too tortuous and I get too frustrated.

It's no secret the Mall is spread out and requires a lot of walking. Let me say this, when it's 85 degrees and you're wearing black dress pants and carrying a laptop, the distance seems to multiply. And since I really didn't have more than 30 minutes to spare, I decided to snap a few photos of the blossoms near the Hirshorn and call it a day. I mean, it's the same tree, same blossoms as those on the tidal basin, so technically I succeeded.

On the walk to the metro I saw that one of my all time favorite D.C. sights, the fountain at the National Gallery Sculpture Garden, was on. Yay! My first few summers in the city I used to attempt to satiate my need for water by heading to the fountain on the weekends. Since moving to an apartment complex with a pool, I don't go to the fountain as much. While I felt a little silly hiking up my dress pants and setting my laptop bag beside me, I still dipped my weary feet for a few minutes.

What happens in Vegas...gets posted on my blog

And I'm back! (As of Monday night, it has just been a long week.) Vegas was
wonderful - big, loud, exhausting, hot, and shiny - but wonderful.

My first impression of the city, seen from the van of my airport shuttle, was simply, "Too much!" Lights, buildings, trees, people, cars, random monuments, etc. Too much, too much. But as the days went on it became more like, "Too much? Not enough!" I never saw myself as a Vegas-type girl, whatever that is, and I'm not saying it's even cracking my top five cities list, but it was a good time and I'd certainly go back. All in all, I return a little more tired, a little more poor, a little more worldly, a little more happy, and a little more sad than when I left.

A little more tired because I don't do well with time changes. And also because, for the most part, our days started early and ended late. (The early part largely due to mine and Brandie's inability to stop thinking like East Coasters. And also a desire to get a spot by the pool.)

A little more poor because I lost a teensy bit of money on the slot machines. (Seriously, only about $20, I'm just not a gambler.) My favorite machine was definitely Star Wars - both the one featuring R2-D2 and the one with the Death Star. I'm a geek, what can I say, and I like looking at Harrison Ford as my winnings are depleted. I also had an amazingly good, amazingly expensive (for me) meal that I'll remember for awhile.

A little more worldly because I was in a new city in a new state. It's the furthest west I have been, and I went from flying over the manicured lawns of suburban Virginia, to the vast green of the Midwest, to the red earth of the West, to the neon lights of Vegas. While in one city I managed to swing by Venice, Paris, Athens, Rome, and saw Egypt and New York in the distance. I finally saw Phantom of the Opera - which I only mildly enjoyed, but at least I've seen it now.

A little more happy because I got to experience all this with two of my closest friends. There were hours of laughing, talking, joking, and walking. Oh, the walking. I'm happy because I drank a bellini in the Venetian, gazed at umbrellas suspended from the ceiling in the Palazzo, and lost my breath at the sight of the Bellagio fountains -- which as of right now this fountain freak is ranking #1.

A little more sad because at the end it meant leaving my friend, Jan, and it meant missing my other friend, Karey, a bit more. I love them all individually for various reasons but I also really appreciate our group dynamic. We all bring something different to the table and while it still works when one or two aren't there, there's always a noticeable gap.

(Yes, I really did take this picture, of myself, with my friends standing right there. This is why I shouldn't drink, be out in the sun all day, and then ride a freaky uphill escalator. It messes with the mind.)

And that's Vegas, in a nutshell. I have 350ish pictures to upload to my Flickr, plus whatever ones I steal from my friends, so they'll be up eventually.

"Rome, by all means, Rome." (Princess Ann, Roman Holiday)

According to my page-a-day History Channel calendar, today is the 56th anniversary of the release of Roman Holiday. By this point everyone should know my love of Audrey Hepburn and my belief that she is the epitome of class and grace. (Not to mention also strong, beautiful, a great mother and friend, and a wonderful humanitarian.)

This was the second Audrey movie I ever saw, after My Fair Lady. It's almost odd that I love it so much because for all my romantic cynicism -- and I have a lot -- I generally despise movies that don't have happy endings. (Life is hard enough, when I watch a movie, I want euphoria dammit!) But I think this film, ending and all, is perfect. All you need to know is captured in the look exchanged between Ann/Audrey and Joe/Gregory in the final scene.

When I went to Rome in June 2005 I set out to re-create a few of my favorite scenes from the movie...

Eat gelato on the Spanish Steps a la Princess Ann. (Also one of my official life goals.)




Place my hand in the Bocca della Verita (the Mouth of Truth)




Find a restaurant on the water like the one where they dance, kiss, and escape from her handlers.




Have a run-in with the Polizia. (Ok, so Ann and Joe got arrested, while me and my friend, Ashley, were merely two of about a dozen people soaking our feet in a fountain when we were politely asked to leave by the cops. It's not that different.)




Going through the movie tonite, and then my pictures, I realized just how truly timeless the city is. This isn't so much surprising, seeing as how the Coliseum has been around 2,000 years, just nice in a world I feel changes too much and moves too fast. Between Audrey in 1953 and me in 2005, it's the same.

The Vatican




Parliament




Trevi Fountain




Bridge of Castel Sant Angelo




Coliseum




Castel Sant Angelo




Ruins at the Forum




I didn't get to do everything I wanted the first go around. I tried to cut all my hair off like Ann, but the few places I tried were too much. I also didn't get to ride a Vespa, smash someone with a guitar, or find my own Joe Bradley. (Or even Joe's apartment, Via Margetta 51.) But that's alright, "Rome, by all means, Rome," will still be there.

All color photos mine.
All black and white photos taken from the Paramount Pictures film Roman Holiday. Dear Paramount: I'm just a fan, please don't sue me.

Chicago!

With the roommate/friend, a small guidebook, and all the Chicago knowledge I've picked up on from Kanye, Oprah, and Obama, I set off for my first trip to the mid-west on Friday and had a wonderful mini-vacation in Chicago.

I've uploaded all my photos to my Flickr, in the Chicago set on the right. I won't go into a lot of detail here as the pictures pretty much speak for themselves. But here are the main points I will remember about the city, in true you-really-shouldn't-take-me-too-seriously fashion.

1. The Windy City really is windy, and cold, especially for July. I honestly don't know what the weather typically is like there, so maybe it's normal. But as a die hard East Coaster, particularly a Southern East Coaster, July without oppressive heat and humidity just isn't July. I had some jeans, but only sandals and one cardigan, and spent most of the weekend cold. Seeing as how I barely survive D.C. winters, I've always known I could never handle a Chicago one. But I thought I could at least make it through a summer weekend. I really am far weaker than I thought.

2. It smells a little bit. I don't mean this rudely, but it did. D.C. doesn't exactly smell like roses, but I really don't notice an odor that often, unless we're talking about certain metro station areas or alleys. But there was a definite smell. In its defense, though, I was primarily in the tourist-heavy areas, so that may have had something to do with it. And maybe D.C. really is stinky, too, I just have become one with it and don't even know it. (The fountain has nothing to do with the smell, I just really really love it.)

3. There are revolving doors in nearly every building. I've been thinking about this a lot because that's just what I do. I recall quite a few in New York and barely any in London. And maybe D.C. has a lot that I just don't realize, but I swear I've never seen as many as I did in Chicago. I mean, even a Walgreen's had one! I just don't do well with them, not surprising, I'm sure. I'm constantly waiting for my foot to get stuck behind me or to miss the chance to exit and get stuck going 'round and 'round while people laugh and gawk 'round and 'round me in surround sound. Plus there was an episode of Dead Like Me where a guy tripped and fell into the door just as someone was turning it and his neck broke and he died. (The one revolving door I didn't mind was at Tiffany's, where I finally bought something after being in love with the store since I first saw Breakfast at Tiffany's more than ten years ago.)

4. Literally towering over the city on The Ledge. After an interminable wait we finally made our way to the Skydeck of the SEARS Tower. (Yes, it changed its name a day before we arrived, but I refuse to acknowledge it.) First, I am terribly afraid of heights. Or, rather, terribly afraid of plummeting to my death. I also get vertigo and lose all sense of perception when I'm up high or on spiraling or steep staircases. But after waiting in five lines, for three hours, with incredibly pushy and smelly people, once I made it up to the top, I knew I'd regret it later if I didn't take full advantage of every opportunity. This included venturing out ever so cautiously on the newly-opened "Ledge," where one can stand on a glass panel extending away from the building, to look down at the city below as your life flashes before your eyes. I only stayed a minute or so, tiptoeing the whole time, and never quite losing the swaying feeling heights give me, but it definitely was one heck of a view. That I have no desire to ever see again. Ever.

5. Getting away. I love travel almost more than anything and as much as I love home, most of my trips in the past two years have been solely to there. So it was nice to go somewhere new, get away from my real world, and just be still for a little while. It was also nice to go with Brandie, who I've never travelled with before.

All in all, with the beautiful "bean," view of Lake Michigan, majestic Buckingham Fountains, gorgeous architecture, and more, I'd definitely go back. Cold, smell, revolving doors and all.

Day 207: Reading by Fountains, of course

While waiting to meet friends for a movie, I left work and went to the Navy Memorial to read and people watch. I always say I am going to go downtown and read or walk around after work instead of go home and crash, and today I finally did.

Day 193: TGIF!!!

Normally, I would not count getting off at a different metro stop a new thing. There are plenty of stops I have yet to travel through, and I just had it as an un-spoken rule. But since there are technically two stops within walking distance of my apartment, and after 10 months I had never ventured to the other, today's getting off and walking home from the Virginia Square station, is a new thing.

The main purpose was so I could visit the re-located, non-rubble Staples, and buy blank DVDs, also a new thing. It also meant I walked by a previous unknown of courtyard and fountain, which naturally will have to explored further at a later date.

Now, it has been a loooong week and I am thinking of going to bed.

Day 138: If I only I could get stamps in my passport, too

On a beautiful Spring day, I travelled the world.

Serbia, Madagascar, South Korea, India, Australia, Peru, and Trinidad and Tobago. All without leaving DC. Today various embassies opened their doors to the public to partake in their culture - food, pictures, videos, dancing, and did I mention food? I not only entered an embassy, or seven, for the first time, I also ate all sorts of food I've never tried, and to be honest, don't really know what half of it was. Which I never do.

Serbian candy and a Munchmallow. Australian lamb and cheese. (Never had lamb before.) Indian sticky sweet rice ball and something stuffed with something green. Trinidad and Tobago chicken. A Peruvian olive. And Malagasy spiced stuffed something too. And more.

It was a great day spent being transported to other places, one of my most favorite things to do, even when it doesn't require me to change time zones.

Dancer at Indian Embassy:
Peru:Madagascar:Travelling the world is tiring. Resting my battered feet in the fountain at the Sculpture Gallery: