OMG get me OUT of here!

I've been in DC since Sunday --- man, am I ready to be out of here!!!!

There's traffic ---- wall-to-wall!
There's people ---- busy, impersonal, and important (apparently) people everywhere
There's trains, planes, busses, and trucks - everywhere.
The food is expensive ($10 at McDonald's expensive).
And the people ---- did I mention they're all really important people? And they all know better than me?
They wear Brooks Brothers suits, read the New York Times, and are only 3-4 persons removed from the President.
I suppose I should bottle, store, and treasure their mere breath, even though they're coughing and eating Ricola like it's candy. I mean - I could be bragging about getting sick from an important person. Maybe even carrying bacteria that's related to bacteria from the Whitehouse!

Maybe I should mention that I know Big Doug.......That might do it!

My hotel is supposed to be a 4 star experience

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it's a box in the sky with plush cotton towels, and a fancy TV that shows stuff I couldn't care less about.

Man

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I am so ready to get the hell outta here!

Good seafood? Crabs and clams. Enjoy the food , go to Baltimore.

For a minute there I thought Thomas Jefferson said all that.

So avoid all of those important people and go to the museum and have some fun. So much to see and learn. Bring your kids next time.

Two places I recommend:

The Vienna Inn: http://www.yelp.com/biz/vienna-inn-vienna Ignore the reviews and get there, late lunch is the best time. Back in the day they had a basic menu, you could get a hot dog, a chili dog, or a chili cheese dog, and beer, chips if they had not run out of them. Sounds like they have expanded their menu since the 1990's. The best part is that they charge on the honor system, when you leave you tell the cashier what you had and they charge you based on what you say you ate; I always get two chili cheese dogs, chips, and a couple of beers. Never more than $12.00 worth of food, hand 'em a $20.00 anyhow and go on my way. They remember me and while the place is really a dive, it's fun to visit a place in the heart of DC that is cheap, good, and fast. If nothing else, know this, the place burned to the ground and was rebuilt in a week through the donations of regulars!

Udvar-Hazy Aerospace museum: http://airandspace.si.edu/udvarhazy/ I could and would spend months at this place if the Curators would let me! Most of the time that I have to travel to Obamaland, I deliberately book flights that allow me extra time at this location on the way out. If you are a fan of aviation and aerospace you'll love this place!

Ah, the Vienna Inn - that was our hangout when we lived in Virginia for many years. Honor system was not at dinner time, but at lunch. Always got either the chili cheese dog, with onions, or a bowl of chili with onions, cheese and jalapenos. The original owners were from NY and were wonderful. The "Inn" sponsored our chili cookoff team and supplied their very special chili powder. We qualified for international competition one year and Abe, the owner, flew out to California with us for the event.

Go to Legal Seafood. If you're downtown, the one in Chinatown is practically outside of the Metro stop there. Wonderful food. Best clam chowder in the world. Let's see, this is December - oysters, etc. should be good. Get it from the Chesapeake Bay. Wonderful blue fin crabs. Get a dozen and get crackin'!

Great Indian food and other ethnic food. Chinatown has some of the best Chinese food I've ever eaten and I'm really picky and like stuff that's not cashew chicken or that other junk.

Have you been to the Spy museum or the Newseum? How about the Native American or Holocaust musems? National Geographic? Not the usual Smithsonians so expand your horizons.

Traffic? Absolutely horrible and gets worse every year, although I can never figure out how. Yeah, there are the guvmint and defense contractors who think they are the most important people on earth, but there are plenty of people who are extremely nice.

How do I know? I lived in the area for most of my life. Remember, if you're nice, most of the time you'll be treated nicely as well, even in DC.

I'm back ---- sure wish some moisture had visited Durango while I was gone!

I was at a meeting in Downtown DC ( next to the White House --- you can sense the importance in the air).

Spent most of my teen years in the area - so know it fairly well.

I usually stay in Alexandria, since I fly in/out of National, and use the Metro to get around. Old Town is just a short walk.

I lived in Old Town back in the 80's when it was considered a "transitional" area.

Spent a semester in college in DC back in the 80s, had a blast visiting all the attractions and museums. And the subway system was real nice and efficient back then. Must be worse there now. I remember our group even had Ralph Nader stop by and give us a seminar, it was a fun semester. I worked at the Dept of Justice doing BS paperwork and filing for grants. It was pretty boring work and unpaid.