Why I Still Act Like a Tourist in DC.

As a life-long Maryland resident (except for those 3 years in Tennessee and those two years in Texas), I've visited DC so many times, I've lost count. While most of my excursions have taken place in or around the National Mall, I could probably drive my way to the Tidal Basin blindfolded at this point in my life. I've gone during the summer in the scorching heat, in the winter with the bitter cold, and during spring nights when the air is fresh and alive. I've visited for field trips, dates, personal fulfillment and even now as a faculty member chaperoning students.


But every time I visit, I almost always make sure to still act like a tourist. Why? Because I've realized something during my travels that has always made me sit back and scratch my head.

Locals act indifferent. Joggers run on the National Mall only paying attention to their breathing and the path in front of them, but I rarely see any of them looking around them at where they are, the architecture of the buildings, the groups of people they pass by. Drivers - well, they're a whole different breed. I understand you can't always take in the sights while dealing with DC traffic, but that doesn't necessarily dictate the attitude in which you handle it. Businessmen and women jet in and out of passersby, head down, walking to lunch or back to the office.

I find myself doing it too, but at home. How often have I gone up and down those roads to and from work without actually noticing what's going on in my periphery? I'm sure someone could be standing on a cow riding right beside the road some mornings and I would never even take a passing glance.

DC has always held this sense of wonder for me. It holds knowledge, resonates power, and gives off a vibe of not caring about anyone else. It's a memorial to great leaders, the men and women who have fought and died for our nation, and a promise of democracy and protection. So yes, every time I see the Capitol Building, rain or shine, scaffolding or not, you will see me with my camera in hand preparing to take a picture. I have 100 other pictures exactly like it, but those were from 100 different trips that I took. And I know, I know. Thomas Jefferson's face never changes as he looks out over the Tidal Basin, but that doesn't mean I don't want another snapshot of it.

I've become comfortable with the concept of looking like a tourist wherever I go (but travel safe - don't make yourself a huge target) because that means that I'm attempting to take in all of the beautiful things around me. It's a challenge to see the positives, to look at the same things from a different perspective or angle, and to avoid indifference. I visited DC a week ago today, and even though I could tell all the students where to go to find what they were looking for, no one else would have known by the way I was walking around - stopping to take pictures left and right, gawking at the way the buildings looked against the cool winter sky.

So, if anything, I want to challenge you, fellow travelers, to still act like a tourist. Whether it's in your hometown, any time you visit somewhere new, or even on your drive to work. Try to find something slightly different in your day-to-day. As a student once challenged me, "find the art in everyday." So, what are you doing to find the art today?

Happy adventuring! xoxo

P.S. These pictures are from my phone, sooo that explains the quality.

        

Cherry Blossom Festival 2014

I started going to the Cherry Blossom Festival in DC in 2008 and have gone pretty consistently ever since. However, the past two years I was unable to because I was in Texas and it broke my heart. It's usually a tradition that my mom and I share, but she was in Florida this week so I took it upon myself to go on my own.

If you're ever worried about traveling to DC on your own, don't be. As long as you're by the monuments and Smithsonian, there is always security and usually a lot of tourists. If you decide to venture behind the Eisenhower Building and White House into "real DC," then you may want to take other people with you.

BUT the Cherry Blossom Festival is a beautiful celebration of the 3,000 cherry trees that were gifted to the United States in 1912 by the mayor of Tokyo in Japan. There are parades, famous cameo appearances, special art galleries and tons of Japanese culture that flood DC for two weeks. If you want more information on events (the festival ends on Sunday), click here to find out more.

Here are some tips that I have for making the most out of your experience:

• Get to know the camera you're using before you go. There are various settings you'll need to be acquainted with and you don't want to be stuck standing around the Tidal Basin looking at your camera like a foreign object. There are a lot of photographers that go, and they can get cranky if you're in their shot.
• Leave early. I drive from Washington County, and it can take a good hour and a half without traffic to get to Downtown DC. I woke up and left around 5 am and still hit traffic on 270, but I got there in time for the beautiful sunrise. It's probably the most beautiful thing you can see and take pictures of while there.
• Know where to park. If you get there early, the East Potomac parking is free and it's right by the Tidal Basin. Always my go-to when I go to DC. They also change the traffic patterns, so have a GPS handy if you're not good with maps and be free and open to having to change your route often.
• Have a tentative schedule in mind. Like I mentioned earlier, there are a ton of things going on during the festival. Weekends are always the busiest, so make sure you know what's planned. Even if you leave early, you're probably still going to run into crowds throughout the day. DC is a big city that's hard to realize when you're walking around such big structures, so plan time to walk between places and make it to your desired events early.
• Carry something to eat and drink with you. Always. This is probably a no-brainer, but something you should always do.

Happy traveling, folks!

National Gallery of Art

Wednesdays are usually mom days. That means my mom and I hang out, whether it's watching TV at her house, or going to the gym, or eating somewhere new for lunch. Today has been a day that we've been planning for a couple of weeks - homeleave was originally planned to start today (which means all the boarding school kids go home for the rest of the week), but because of the excess of snow days, we had to cut it short. So, we parked by the Jefferson Memorial, as usual. It's quite a hike, but it's free parking and the walk isn't bad if you're into DC, I guess.

We could only manage to make it to the National Gallery of Art, which was our main goal anyway. It doesn't compare to any other galleries I've been to recently. The national galleries are always the best: Rembrandt, Monet, Van Gogh, Bernini, Degas, Rothko. And the atmosphere is always amazing. They had a special archives gallery based on the recent release of Monuments Men, and though it was small, it was really great. Other exhibits included Heaven and Earth: Art of Byzantium from Greek Collections, Modern German Prints and Drawings from the Kainen Collection, and the showcase of The Dying Gaul: An Ancient Roman Masterpiece from the Capitoline Museum, Rome. The latter was made in marble in the 1st or 2nd century AD and its showing in the National Gallery marks the first time it has left Rome since 1797 (before, it was housed in the Louvre until 1816 - can anyone guess why?).

The Dying Gaul

My mom usually isn't into these kinds of things, but I appreciate how she can find something to like in pretty much any situation, whether it be Bike Week in Daytona or the National Gallery in DC. She walked around commenting and analyzing the pieces, being more drawn to the ones feature nature and splendid amounts of detail as their focal points.

Although it was cold today, it ended up being a good day to be inside admiring art. We had a great lunch (with gelato for dessert) at the café downstairs, and then headed home after the long trek back the car.

One of my favorites, Lake Lucern by Albert Bierstadt.

Hercules in bronze.

Nymph of Spring

Nymph of the Forest

Adieu Caribou! xoxo