commuting

commuting sucks. and i do it. a lot. but did you know that i drive by some really cool stuff every day? (or, ok, almost every day?)

to begin with, most of my commute is on the george washington parkway. it is so beautiful, especially in summer and fall-- when the leaves are changing to all orange and yellow.

i cross the memorial bridge, which is dc's most beautiful bridge. coming into the city, i see the lincoln memorial and the washington monument ahead of me. and leaving the city, i have a good view of arlington cemetery. ANYONE who has visited dc has been to these places, but i get to see them everyday. i also attended an event at arlington cemetery with eric and the head honcho (commandant) of the coast guard. i accidentally flung an empanada on a really important lady and then left quickly, but hey, i was there.

speaking of the lincoln memorial, i curve left after the memorial bridge and drive about 100 feet from it. i stop at a light and can see the detail in the stonework. there are people who never see this monument in real life, so i try to appreciate it and look for something new every day. lately, i've started to think-- particularly the view i have on my way home-- it looks like a giant wedding cake. mmm.

then i move down constitution ave. the national mall is on my right, beautiful. i make a left turn at the federal reserve. THE federal reserve. they're really busy lately.

my office is just a couple blocks from the state department, the white house, world bank and the international monetary fund. i walk across pennsylvania avenue on my way to/from meetings everyday. and, maybe one of the coolest parts, cbs is across the street! did you know their address is 2020? yes, like the show... that's also on cbs... i see bob sheifer often. he gets his sandwiches at the same deli i do.

i walk to georgetown on lunch on nice days for a smoothie or a quick trip into sephora, and right past the watergate on my way back to my office.

i've seen (and gotten out of the way of) more motorcades than i could shake a gloved finger at. we once even saw tony blair go by in his motorcade in a black bentley. how cool is that? and do you know my husband guards the PRESIDENT? yeah. well, he does.

i feel that i have complained and complained about my commute for years now. and, don't get me wrong. there is plenty to complain about. in my opinion, no human, no animal, should spend that much time in a vehicle, traveling such a short distance for such a LONG amount of time. but, to look at the upside, i do live in a pretty cool place. i do. and i see things each day that some people take vacations, field trips, many days off and lots of money spent to come and see. i know someday we won't be here anymore and i'll talk about how cool this stuff was.

so why wait until i'm gone from here to appreciate it? why not start now?