Day 16: Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD

Today was a really exciting day! (I honestly never know how to start these posts out. I apologize for this). Anyway, I feel like I did a bunch of stuff this morning and then sort of nothing this afternoon, and then a lot at night again.

I woke up in DC at around 7:45am ish and got ready quickly. Then Bowen and I made the short commute to her office, and by 8:30am I was sitting in the California Welcome Breakfast hosted by Senator Dianne Feinstein. The senator hosts these once a week (every Wednesday at 8:30am) out of her own pocket! It was just bagels and muffins and donuts and coffee and orange juice, but still was really cool.

The senator got up and welcomed us and ribbed the crowd a bit. Basically there were about 200 people there, and anyone who is a California resident who is in Washington can get on the list to go. There were some high school and college students there on school trips, and some families and other random people like me (even though I'm not technically a resident of the Golden State anymore, I faked it with great authenticity). So anyway, the senator welcomed us and let us know what she was working on in her committees and legislation. She then introduced most of her staff that was around and then opened up the floor to questions to answer. All in all, the whole thing was a little over an hour long, but it was gratifying to see a very busy senator take time and money to get to see some of her constituents. She is really engaging in person and answered people's questions rather candidly (for a politician at least). And she is still going strong even in her 70s. All in all, I left very impressed.

After that, I went back to Bowen's office, and she took me on the underground subway over to the new Capital Visitor Center. I remember riding this subway as a member of the general public when I visited in 2001, but times, they are a-changin'. You have to be an employee or escorted by one to take the ride now, so it felt a little scandalous to be doing so (especially with the "ESCORTED" nametag I had to wear). The new Capital Visitor Center is beautiful, and they did a great job blending it in with the current building and still providing some historical artifacts in the exhibit hall and lobby. And it was busy in there too!

I made my way through there and got to use my Senate viewing gallery ticket (thanks to Senator Feinstein) to see a live vote taking place. The whole viewing was fascinating, because it was nothing like I had expected. The senate chamber is pretty tiny considering they only need space for 100 or so people. It is still ornately decorated and kept up, and they gave us a pamphlet with lots of information about the chamber (and a senator seating chart which was helpful). I have to be honest that I forgot what the actual vote was about (something about unemployment benefits), but it was nothing what I expected. The senators just kind of come in and mill around and chat as the votes are counted electronically. I guess I expected lots of verbal "yay" and "nay"s and suspense, but that didn't really happen. And once a vote is over, pretty much everyone leaves expect for the president pro tempe (that title might be wrong) and who ever is speaking. Most of the actual work of senators is done in committees and subcommittees.

And the seating gallery in itself is a sight. It's basically stadium-style seating with movie seats. There are no cellphones aloud (you check them beforehand), no food or drink, no talking, no excessive standing, no showing any signs of support or disdain or what is being said, no wearing hats. Basically all you do is sit, read your senate info, and watch the proceedings. They actually kept my attention for about an hour, which is a miracle considering that I am not a politics junkie and have trouble siting still. And there was this one guy who was in charge of where everyone sat and all he would do was just get mad at people who were talking or touching things they weren't supposed to or jockeying for a better seat. He even kicked a kid out for sleeping! He was half the show up there, I swear.

After about an hour I left and headed back to Bowen's office. Gathered my things, said bye to her (and Washington) and walked over to Union Station to catch the MARC train back to Baltimore. After this trip I decided I am pro-train, and I am ok with the amount that our federal government subsidises railroads. Look at me, making political decisions based on personal experiences!

Got back to Baltimore around 1:30pm. Pat was gracious enough to leave work and come pick me up from the train station (I think he just liked being able to leave for a bit). I went back with him to work and hung around his office for a bit and met his co-workers (I met one of them twice, as Pat had temporary amnesia and introduced me to Jess, who I had had lunch with about 48 hours prior). After that, we took a trip through campus and went to the Student Union, where we went to the post office and bookstore (Aunt Terry, you would have approved of the bookstore - recently remodeled!). We also ran into his two bosses from Back on My Feet, and it was nice to meet this, as Pat has nothing but great things to say about them.

After that, I was not gonna lie - I was tired. I went back to Pat's apt and took a nap. I hope that I can always have a job where I can take naps! Pat got home from work, and we ran some errands. At this point, Pat was getting a little grumpy. After 3 years of friendship, I know exactly how to push his buttons, so I did just that during our car ride and stops and made him even grumpier. Jack, you would have loved it.

We met up with Pat's friends Tim, Ivan, and Jen (did I get that last name wrong? Maybe. My apologies) for dinner at Chipotle. This was a treat because we don't have Chipotle in Spokane and because I got to tell a few "embaressing Pat" stories (I know I spelled that word wrong but I don't know how to spell it! I just tried for like two minutes to figure it out and gave up). Ivan and Tim are the Resident Director equivalents here at Loyola, so clearly we had some stuff to talk about.

After dinner, the group of us went over to another friends' house (Ben and Christina) and played a couple rounds of a board game. I am not that competitive of a person, and board games make me nervous. Still, it was a very fun time. Pat has found some great friends here, and it is nice to see his new life and put faces to names and places.

Leaving here early tomorrow morning and heading back to Dayton. Should be kind of a boring day in the car, but I am making a stop in Columbus, so we shall see.

Joey

Day 15: Washington, DC

Sorry for the late update! Yesterday and this morning were so jam- packed that I didn't find anytime to update this thing in an appropriate fashion.

My morning started off rather early (for me at least) as I left pat's apt with him as he left for work. Instead of going to loyola's campus ministry department for the day (perish the thought), pat dropped me off at Baltimore's Penn station so that I could catch the train to DC.

How cool is this - Amtrak runs a MARC train (still don't know what the acronym stands for) that runs between DC and Baltimore many times a day for 7 bucks each way. What a deal! And the train gets you right to Union Station in washington, basically in the heart of everything.

Anyways, got down to union station at around 10am and didn't have anything planned until 1pm, so I wandered around, took the sights in, enjoyed the non-humid weather, and tried to not look like a complete tourist (I find that if you look exasperated and don't take any pictures you can kind of fit in).

I met up with my friend Michelle for lunch. Michelle and I were RAs and SRAs together at UCDavis (you will notice a recurring theme with most of my friends I think...). Michelle now works as a Department Coordinator at National Geographic, which everyone always oohs and
aahs over when they hear it. Not me though! Kidding. Anyway we had fun catching up and cracking jokes. And we went to Potbelly and got sandwiches, and even though it was super crowded and they made my sandwich late it was totally delicious and worth it.

After lunch, I went by the National Archives and saw their new exhibit on Civil War documents which was cool. I then tried to head into the Smithsonian (Natural History Museum) but I could barely stand the amount of 10 year olds there. Keep your students in the classroom,
teachers! No real learning takes place in the real world.

After that, I was kind of sick of crowds and just wanted to hang out, so I rambled down to the mall and just hung out on a bench and read a book. After about an hour, I noticed that there was a camera and a camera purse sitting on the bench next to me. I opened it up and called the number inside. The guy who the camera belonged to was appreciative that someone found it and wanted to get it tomorrow from me, but since I was leaving the city tomorrow (aka today) that wouldn't work. So I had some free time (and a day Metro pass), I took the Metro out to Pentagon City, Virginia and gave this guy his camera back. It was actually fun to do, and I only got a little bit nauseous on the metro train back (I don't like sitting facing backwards from
the direction I am moving in!).

Then I met a family friend, Alexandra, for happy hour. Alexandra has grown up acrossthe street from my parent's summer cabin almost all my life, so we go way back (and our mothers are still hoping we get married). Alexandra is a rising senior at Boston University, and she is doing an internship in DC for the summer doing some boring government work (her words). It was good to see her even it was only for about an hour, especially since I probably won't see her this
summer again.

After that, I had to put my Metro skills to the test and race across town to Capital Hill and meet Diana (henceforth called Bowen), Mariam (aka Spoon), and Michelle for dinner. Let's see, how do we all know each other- we were all RAs together at Davis at one point or another and hung out in the same group of friends for junior and senior years of college. Does that adequately describe our friendships? Probably not. They are all very hysterical in their own ways.

The above picture is an example. I had a painting in my apt senior year of college of three ladies in those positions. They thought it was hysterical, and for my birthday that year I got a life-size picture of them impersonating the pose (I still have both the original and new copy - I just don't know how they will go over at Gonzaga). Since 2006, many different versions of the picture have been created, and they continue to be hysterical. (Side note: I should probably put all of the versions together at some point if I could find them all - would be hilarious).

(P.S. You already know what Michelle and Diana do- Spoon is a teacher at a charter school in DC.)

We ended up at Matchbox for dinner which was a good restaurant. Dad, this placed served watermelon wheat beer from 21st amendment in SF! Small world. We stayed there until almost 10pm catching up, reliving old jokes, and probably making new ones too.

After dinner, we went back to Bowen and Spoon's apt where I crashed for the night ("crashed" seems like a very college word but I can't think of what else to say). I think after this trip I should create a website comparing and rating air mattresses- I am getting quite the tour of all different types on my summer vacation!

That's it from Tuesday- all I have to say is that I can't wait to update about today already!

Joey

Day 14: Baltimore, MD

Greetings from the Charm City!

Today's weather was not as terrible as yesterdays. Or maybe I am just getting used to it, who knows?

My morning started at 5am as Patrick left his apt to get to his meeting for Back on My Feet, the organization that he is a team leader in Baltimore. (check it out at www.backonmyfeet.org). I barely heard him, rolled over on the futon, and went back to bed...until I woke up at 10:30am. Whoops! Once again, my father has bestowed upon me a wonderful gift of sleeping anywhere and everywhere and never waking up. Anyway, I got ready decently quickly, updated the blog for yesterday, and got out the door.

First on the list was meeting Patrick, his co-worker Jessica, and their mutual friend Lauren for lunch. We went to Alonso's, a local bar and grill that still had pretty good food. The conversation was pretty lively, as we are all versed in Jesuit ways (and have all worked at or gone to Jesuit institutions) and higher education and such. After lunch, Jessica and Pat headed back to work, Lauren went back to DC, and I headed out to explore Baltimore on my own.

First up was Fells Point. Fells Point used to be the main shipyard in the city of Baltimore and where a lot of working class families lived. It has since been reinvented into a sort of 20-something living area with a lot of different shops and such, all with some original brick buildings and cobblestone streets (fun fact: Fells Point is actually where Frederick Douglass lived as a slave for a time and learned how to read and write). It was interesting to walk around and see different shops, and I did a little bit of shopping (oh, budgeting money for summertime). Baltimore's waterfront is so...historic compared to those of the only other city I can really compare it to - San Francisco, and it is interesting to see older buildings that still serve a purpose. And everything still looks classy in brick in my opinion.

Anyway, after that I drove about 3 miles south of the city and went to Fort McHenry. Now operated by the National Park Service, Fort McHenry served as a defense post for Baltimore for 200 years. It is most famous for the Battle of Baltimore which occurred between the Brtish and Americans in 1814 (side note: the Americans won. Yay us). Francis Scott Key oversaw the battle from a ship and was inspired to write a poem, which we now know as the Star-Spangled Banner.

The fort has been kept in pretty good condition despite have several uses over many years. The Park Service is building a new welcome and visitors center, but instead I was treated to the welcome and intro film straight out of the 70's - classic. The area around the fort is really pretty and provides some nice views of downtown Baltimore.

I then made my way back through the Baltimore traffic and back to Pat's apt. We went to dinner at Little Havana, a restaurant on the waterfront with half-priced burgers on Mondays. Afterwards we took a driving tour of the area of town where Pat's shelter is that he runs with (seriously, check out www.backonmyfeet.org !). Then we went and bought some work shoes for Pat (I never said that 100% of my trip would be exciting! Sorry for making fun of you, Pat...) and then we did a driving tour of a few more Baltimore neighborhoods. This city really is a collection of neighborhoods, and it is cool to see how quickly those neighborhoods can change.

That's it for today! Tomorrow I make my way down to DC again.

Day 13: Baltimore/Washington, DC

Yesterday started at 6:30am with Pat waking me up and asking if I wanted to go to the Farmer's Market with him and a friend of Back on My Feet. Only problem is, I don't remember the day starting this way. Patrick said I sort of grunted at him and he took that as a no. Whoops! That's what happens when you try and wake Grumpy Joey I guess. I am a little disappointed that I missed out, as Patrick had some good food at the place (or so he said when he got back).

Actually woke up at 9am and got ready for the day. Pat was going to take me to mass on the Loyola Maryland campus. We got over there in time for the 10:30am service - except for the fact that it actually started at 10am. Yes, that's right - Pat, the campus minister, did not know the correct mass time. Don't worry, I made fun of him for it a lot. Anyway, we went and saw his office and I saw a little bit of campus.

Did I mention the weather was atrocious? Because it was (and looks to be today too). In the mid-90's and super humid - ew. I don't know people live in this! Especially when I saw people running and hanging out outside for extended periods of time. I think I would pass out from dehydration due to the massive sweating that would ensue. But I digress...

Anyway, later that day I made my way down to Washington, DC to see Diana Bowen, a friend (and former RA and SRA nerd like me) from UCDavis. My GPS (actually Nicola's GPS) decided not to function for the first half of the trip, and yet somehow I still managed to find my way through downtown Baltimore and onto the freeway south - impressive for me at least! It finally started working once I was on the beltway and gave me adequate directions.

Diana (who also lives with Spoon, another RA friend from Davis) lives in a ridiculously nice apartment on Capitol Hill. The neighborhood isn't as busy as Dupont Circle which is nice, as there are pockets of quiet and a decent amount of parking.

Diana and I were going to kayaking on the Potomac, but the weather and her co-workers bailing made us think twice. So instead we walked to the Eastern Market and looked at some of the things being sold (and caught up and talked along the way). Very cool market on Saturday and Sunday, as there is fresh local food being sold as well as crafts and mementos.

I had wanted to send some postcards (ps if you want a postcard, leave me your address below if I don't already have it), so we went in search for some. That search took us down to the Mall for one of those carts on the side of the roads that sell FBI shirts and Obama ties. As we were walking down there, we got caught in a torrential downpour. I mean, so much so that we were completely soaked - it's like had jumped into a pool. I kind of had to laugh at the whole thing. And we didn't even get thunder and lightning to look at! Not cool.

We ended up finally finding postcards at one of those shops (after stopping at the American Indian Museum which apparently doesn't have postcards) and made our way back to Bowen's apt via the capital (and looking at the new capital visitor's center, which I am going to try to visit when I go back on Tuesday). We had dried off about halfway at this point (and it was in the 90's, so I wasn't sure what was water and what was sweat anymore). We went back to Diana's apartment and rested for a little bit.

Then we headed down for dinner at Taylor's Gourmet Sandwiches - picture from the internet below!

Taylor's is located on H Street. which is going through its own gentrification process. A lot of new "shnazzy" shops are opening and the city is installing a trolley line through the street. The sandwiches are awesome and the restaurant has gotten a lot of press for its new location and the design of the restaurant.

All in all, a good day (minus weird weather). Found my way back to Baltimore last night and chatted with Pat a little before bed.

Two weeks down! Crazy to think about - it has gone both quickly and slowly at the same time. I am not tired yet of life on the road (either physically or emotionally) which is a good thing. I am enjoying writing the blog and hoping you are enjoying reading it! Will try to keep it concise as I know I have a tendency to ramble.

Day 12: Dayton to Baltimore

I am having a really hard time remembering what number day I am on...this doesn't bode well when I am in the 20's and 30's!

Anyways, yesterday I started the journey to the East Coast (aka Baltimore). I was sort of excited about this, as I had never driven east past Columbus, so I had no idea what was in store. I left Dayton about 15 minutes behind schedule (at around 9:15am). This common occurrence just shows how little I care about self-imposed deadlines with no implications- this is both good and bad in life!

Anyways, drove east on I-70 for most of the day. Going from Dayton to Columbus is a rather boring - just lots of flatlands and farms. Eastern Ohio is rather picturesque, as there are some rolling hills and trees that continue into Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Maryland. The ride didn't have any mountain passes so that was nice! I went through some nice looking towns - Zanesville, Ohio, Washington, PA, and Morganstown, WV (the home of the University of West Viriginia - go Mountaineers!).

What the ride did have, however, was ridiculous weather. Dayton when I left was hot, humid, and overcast - I think I was already sticky and sweaty just from my walk to the car. That weather continued for the whole day. When I got to Hagerstown, Pennsylvania, I also got rain and lightning and thunder. The rain was coming down in sheets, and all I could see for about 10 minutes was the car's hazards lights in front of me (Mom, it reminded me of that ride back from LA that we had when I was 13). There was thunder and lightning that I kept driving closer to, until at one point the thunder and lightning were at the same time and my car shook a little. Needless to say this freaked me out and I drove a little bit faster to get to Baltimore. (Maryland drivers are also crazy, so this is not just a Midwest thing).

I finally got to Pat's apt at around 6:30pm. Pat is a good friend from grad school who got his Master's in Theological Studies and now works at Loyola Maryland as a Campus Minister. After I got to Baltimore, we hung out a bit and caught up, then went and got some dinner at Pei Wei, this sort of Asian diner. Delicious!

Then we drove down to Washington, DC and went to a party that one of Pat's friends was having that night. While at first I wasn't thrilled about this idea, it did turn out to be really fun. I know no one at the party except for Pat, and I really shine in those social situations - I can say whatever I want and will never see those people again! Also, many of them were involved in social work/ministry work, and I am amazed at the small circles that occur and how much people know each other. Plus, the party was on the roof of an apartment in Georgetown which provided amazing views of the school and the National Cathedral. Afterwards we got a little lost in Georgetown which was fun to see all the ridiculous houses.

All in all, a long but good day! Gotta go and stop using Pat's computer - almost time for church!

Day 11: Dayton

Or should I say "Daytin", as it is supposed to be pronounced (right, Mammers?).

So I thought that today was going to be a boring day, and I was worried how it would come across in the blog. But it turned out to be pretty fun (for me at least!).

I woke up later than expected - apparently I did not wake up when Megan left the apt this morning (I thank my father for the skills to sleep through anything). Anyway, I got up and started my day, which was pretty much entitled Errand Day in Dayton.

First, I went to the laundromat so that I could have clean clothes for the next week. I thought about going to Spin City (the laundromat that I went to for my first year of grad school oh so very much) for old time's sake, but instead I just went to a place closer to Megan's apartment. There was this old-time trucker who talked to me there about his views on unemployment and women, and I politely nodded and listened while my clothes dried.

After that, I went to the most glorious store on the planet - Meijer (pronounced Meyer). For those not in Michigan/Ohio/other states, Meijer is kind of a high-class Walmart, with food, clothes, and everything else in between. I used to go there all the time when I lived here, and since I needed a few things I thought of no better place to go! Somethings never change, and Meijer is one of them. When I used to drive Babe (my 92 blue Ford Explorer) around Dayton, it had a twin in the Meijer parking lot, and I found it today again!

After Meijer it was lunchtime. I had decided early on that I would go to a Dayton-specific place for lunch in order to soak in all the goodness. So eventhough I thought about Chipotle/Panera/Jimmy John's, since those are chains (delicious chains nonetheless) they wouldn't suffice. After some deliberation, I settled on Los Tres Amigos (or just "Los Tres" for short), a delicious Mexican food place we used to frequent. Apparently we used to go there a lot, as the waiter semi-recognized me when I went in. "Hi senor, you have not been here in a long time", he said. He probably was thinking, "Where is that girl that you used to come with who spoke Spanish a lot?" (aka Clare). All in all, a good meal.

I then gave my car some TLC and got an oil change and a new air filter - thanks Jiffy Lube on Wilmington! It was amazing driving back and forth from all these places and seeing what was new/old/changed in the course of a year. Norton's (bar on Wilmington) is now vacant, and lots of little shops have popped up here and there. There was something else I was going to add to this part but now I forget...

Anyway, later in the day I went to visit the Smith family. Christina Smith is an Area Coordinator at UD and I had grown close to her, her husband Mike, and their two little children in my time in grad school. It was fun to catch up with them some more and see how much the kids had grown in a year - I'm not sure they remembered me but who would at ages 3 and 5? They are a fun bunch as always.

And of course, I saved the best for last - a trip to Tank's. Tank's was my favorite bar in grad school, and a bunch of us spent many a Wednesday night pondering life's big questions over mini-pitchers and cheese sticks. The place has changed a little bit but was still as awesome as ever. Megan, Jenna, and I got dinner there, and then Rebecca, Erin, and Dave joined us later for drinks - a good time. I miss having a bar within walking distance of where I live (that isn't overrun by students and has pretty good food and a place to sit and chat - don't I sound like an old person or what?). After that we had a quick trip to Ritter's for some frozen custard - can't get much better.

Tomorrow - off to Baltimore and spending the next 5 days on the East Coast!

Joey

P.S. The weather today was gross! Hot and humid and muggy and a little rainy. And even with all this, I chose to wear a gray t-shirt. When will I learn?? I must have sweat through that thing like 4 times.

Day 10: Dayton and Cincinnati

I keep forgetting what day of the roadtrip I was in, until Megan reminded me that the day corresponds with the day of the month (since I started on June 1st). So, Day 10 is on June 10th!

I woke up this morning and got ready at Megan's apt (she was already at work). Then I was off to Cincinnati to watch the Giants take on the Reds at the Great American Ballpark!

The game was at 12:35pm, so I thought by leaving Dayton at 11:15 I would leave enough time to get there (since, as I recalled, Cincinnati was about an hour away). Well, I was right on the timing of the trip - what I had not counted on was the traffic I hit (darn you, 75 south) and the fact that it would take forever to find parking downtown (workday + ball game = most spaces being taken up!). So I ended up getting to the game at around 12:50pm having already sweat through my Giants shirt. It was hot today in southwestern Ohio - got almost to 90! Luckily there was little to no humidity.

I really like the Reds stadium - I had gone to watch a few games there during grad school. In fact, I realized today how much I enjoy watching a MLB game live. This was the first game I had ever gone to alone, and I still thoroughly enjoyed everything about it, even if I didn't have someone sitting next to me to talk to (and trust me, I didn't have many allies when I was so pro-Giants. I spotted about a dozen people total who were rooting for the Giants and that was it!). I hope that the next city I live in (or the city that I end up in someday) has or is close to a professional team.

Even though the Giants lost, it was still a fun game to see. And since it was so hot, I naturally got a little too much sun. I have never had the tops of my knees sunburnt before - interesting. Since the game went so long (after 4pm), I was late getting back to Dayton, as there was a bunch of traffic in the city and on the way back from Cincinnati.

Got back around 6:30pm and tried to help Megan with final preparations for dinner, even though she refused to let me since I was "the guest of honor". Megan had invited over some of her work colleagues who I hadn't met before (Andrea, Andrew, Melissa, and Brian, Melissa's husband) and some of our friends (Jenna and Chelsey). It was great to see friends again and also to meet more of Megan's new friends from work, as they are all very fun and have formed a good group. Megan made homemade lasagna, salad, and garlic bread, while other people brought fruit, spinach and artichoke dip, and strawberry shortcake. All delicious! Jenna and I secretly rated all the food, but it was only in jest at Megan...or was it??

After dinner, Megan wanted to play Quelf. What is Quelf, you ask? It is the most random, hilarious board game that we love to play at Gonzaga in Residence Life and which I noticed Megan also owned- what a coincidence. Unfortunately, we ended up playing Sexy Secrets, which is this sort-of dumb board game that Megan bought for a bachelorette party a couple years ago (and which we also played during grad school once). The game is tamer than sounds, and although playing with co-workers/strangers is a little awkward, it was pretty fun.

The best part of the day was actually Jenna and I helping Megan to realize that her MacBook Pro which she has owned for almost a year has a camera (yes, she is that technologically impaired). We took a bunch of photos. Some are below, one has become my profile picture on this blog, and the other has been added to my Yellowstone trip post. If I didn't take pictures where I was at, I might as well fake it!

Tomorrow is relatively unplanned in Dayton, so who knows what trouble I will get into!

Joey