The Capital

One by one, the crowd dissipated. The empty carousel let out a squeek as it came to a halt. And there I stood, without my luggage - most importantly, without my bike. The UA attendant assured me that my luggage would be delivered first thing the next morning, but I made arrangements for a back up - a rental car - to make sure I wouldn't miss a beat. Good thing I did; my bags still have not arrived 24 hours later.

My destination of choice for the day was Washington DC. I'm generally not a fan of cities. I often find that I can see everything I'd like in about one day (there are exceptions, such as New York and London). Within less than an hour, I realized DC was going to be an exception to this rule. I couldn't walk a block without coming upon a monument or a museum. This is an impressive and inspiring city. So much to see and learn - it is overwhelming. I feel like I need a couple of weeks here to really take it all in. It's like a three dimensional wikipedia. Wait a minute, what does that say about my life?

The International Spy Museum, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, a Hoop Dreams Tournament on the Mall, the US Capital Building, the US Botanic Garden, the Washington Monument, the World War II Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the Korean War Memorial. After the museums closed for the day, I reluctantly headed back to Reston, feeling that I had only scratched the surface in DC. When I arrived at my hotel, the adjacent street was lined with tents and teeming with people. It was "taste of the town", which was perfect, since it was dinner time and I was tired after ten hours of wallking (in heels, no less).

In the spirit of learning, I'm presenting my valued (albeit small) readership with a challenge. I have a special prize for the first person who can accurately identify what is happening in this picture. (Cliff Clavin answers will be eligible to win, but intelligent answers will take priority).