Oh DC, I will always love you. You taught me how to stand in the cold, miss the bus, grab a taxi and make it to work on time. I was able to perfect the art of the paper towel dry-off in the bathroom when arriving to work sweating through my scrubs on one of your sweltering hot and oppressively humid summer days. Because of you, I will always be able to assemble an appropriate and fashionable "business casual" outfit. I'll never forget how much fun it was to play Frogger with the tourists on the sidewalks, while out on a jog. Your traffic, with a rush hour that lasted from 6am until 7pm will always make me appreciate an open road and a parking space. And from now on, whenever I find myself in a one-sided conversation with a gentleman who insists on talking about his all-important job in the Senate, where he went to undergrad, the small southern town where he grew up, how many triathlons he's done and where he plans to enroll in law school, I will be able to plant a smile and zone out completely until he pauses long enough for me to politely but firmly cut him off and re-join my friends.
But in all seriousness. I will always love that town. I can happily and fondly call it my second home. Its the place where I really grew up (wait, what? I'm a grown-up?). I found my own dentist, eye doctor and didn't ask for any money from mom and dad. So, yeah, I guess that happened.
Washington, DC is a place that holds some of my very favorite memories: Sitting in kayaks on the Chesapeake Bay on a rainy, rainy afternoon in Annapolis. Car-bomb bar-hopping up and down U St on Saint Patty's day. Snowmageddon 2010... The thrill that never went away, of seeing the Presidential motorcade, or the Presidential helicopters landing on the White House lawn. Driving through the cherry blossoms on my way to work, making a magical commute. Having the National Mall as my running route and the United States Capitol in my backyard. The way the Capitol dome looks lit up at night. Standing on top of the dome and looking out over our Nation's capital city. Union Pub on a Wednesday or Thursday night. Countless broken wine glasses while living with the best pair of roommates I could have ever hoped for. Encounters with friends or acquaintances on the sidewalk in the neighborhood, which made the big city feel small. Wandering through Eastern Market on a lazy Sunday, sampling the produce and buying nothing, or something, depending on my mood. "To-Go" paper cups of wine while walking around the Capitol and chit-chatting with Liz after dinner. Haines Point swims and sunsets at the driving range. The way the city just bursts with flower blossoms in the spring and lights up with color in the fall. Those random 70 degree days in February. Playing frisbee in the middle of Maryland Ave because we owned that place.
Memories now, but always in my heart.
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