After my cousin’s wedding I decided that crossing the border into the “US and A” could be a great idea. And it was.
So I took the bus from Toronto to DC (and it was a hell of a long drive), where I’ll spend at least a day, and then I’ll find my way to New York City by bus or train. Sure thing, greyhound seemed like a good option, but Megabus was far much cheaper, reliable and had more runs, so that’s my recommendation.
I got to DC on a Wednesday morning at its beautiful Union Station, my first impression about DC is that it was built by and for giants. Must confess that I’ve never been fond of my American neighbours and their nationalistic love for overwhelming monuments and beacons of their glorious history; however, DC is a gorgeous example of grand architecture devoted to enhance the past.
My good old Mexican friend from University, Sergio, picked me up from the Station and took me to one of Obama’s favourite burger places in DC, Good Stuff Eatery. I helped myself with a “Hillary”, because at that time, mid October, the elections were still on. Beautiful burger, you should definitely try the Prez Obama Burger or their Good Stuff Melt. Serious stuff.
After that “breakfast” I was on my own, Sergio told me to walk down from The Capitol all the way to the Lincoln Memorial, going around the Tidal Basin by the Thomas Jefferson Memorial.
Jefferson Memorial at Tidal Basin
This is such a great path if you don’t have enough time in DC, as no matter where you are at the National Mall, literally you get to enjoy a great view of everything!
The Lincoln Memorial is magnificent, as it crowns the National Mall bringing a sublime balance to the whole landscape, overwhelming Capitol Hill as it aligns in perfection to the Washington Monument. It was at the stairs of the Memorial where I sat down to rest, while hundreds of tourists like me were doing their best to capture a picture of Lincoln’s statue, trying not to hit each other with their selfie-sticks. After a while, I headed to the White House, choosing to walk by the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
I look so full of freedom and democracy
That afternoon I had beers and burgers (DC loves its burgers) with a great friend of mine. She is a smart-ass good looking journalist, one of the few people who appreciate my nerdy sense of humour and laughs at pretty much most of my jokes. That was the night of the last debate, mezcal was mandatory in order to hear Trump’s now famous quotes of “Bad Hombres” and “Nasty Woman” (which we all agree are great names for rock bands). Spoiler alert: Trump won the election.
Or a great Eau de Toilette brand name
Washington DC showed me a different and refreshing face of the “US and A”. Even though I’m a Mexican used to the American “culture”, experiencing something different from LA, Minnesota, or Texas, was needed.
On Thursday morning I had this wee piece of heaven at the Pretzel Bakery – gorgeous
All that happened in one day. On Thursday morning I was again at Union Station, ready for NYC, and that’s for another post.
