Lett's See DC (and NY): One Last Hurrah

I brought my Mom back to DC with me after Christmas. We spent a few days gallivanting around the Nation's Capital before a quick trip to the Big Apple. I coaxed Mom into writing up her experience, and what you will get is a six part mini-series of the Mother Fish Out of Water. And let me tell you what, she was out of water! At some point along the series, I'll add my own brief recap of the events – you know two sides to every story. Part six of my Mom's six part mini-series of her trip to Washington, DC and NYC ends with our last day in New York and her last day in DC. What a journey!

Chelsea made plans to meet her opera buddies Sarah, Kari and Sally for brunch Saturday morning at a restaurant not far from our hotel. After showering and re-packing, Sam and Daryl decided to start back home to Connecticut. We parted ways in front of the hotel. Chelsea and I started walking to meet up with her friends. It was very cold and windy. Confetti left from New Year's Eve swirled high amongst the skyscrapers.

We joined Sarah, Kari and Sally. We enjoyed a great meal with great friends. I was made to feel so welcome. Sorry-I can't remember the name of the restaurant (I think it was Pigalle) nor what I ate. We didn't have much time to linger, so after warm good-byes, we headed back out into the cold. We wanted to ride the Staten Island Ferry and had to be back at Penn Station by 4:30 to catch the bus back to DC. On the way to the subway we came upon a street vendor selling scarves. Perfect gifts to take home! It was hard to choose from the variety of colors and patterns. We packed away our purchases and descended to the subway. We rode to the end of Manhattan then walked to the terminal to catch the ferry. It was foggy/misty so the view of the Statue of Liberty was not clear, but still awesome to see. We docked and boarded a different ferry for the ride back to Manhattan. I was given a different perspective approaching the city from the water. We exited the ferry and I bought a couple of magnets and shot glasses to take home (small and lightweight are key deciding factors). We got back on the subway to return to Penn Station. We decided we would only have time to see Macy's on the way back. We exited the subway and walked the few blocks to Macy's. We oohed and ahhed over the decorated windows and went inside to use the facilities. The store was jam-packed. After waiting in line for the restroom we left the store for the bus stop.

What little sun there had been was no longer shining down into the canyons of the city and it was very cold. We arrived at our bus stop only to be informed our bus had been cancelled. We would be first on the bus scheduled an hour later. Cold and knowing it would be hours before we arrived home, we went inside Penn Station to grab a bowl of soup. Our waitress was kind to serve us so quickly. Fortified, we went back out to the bus stop to wait. It arrived; we boarded and were soon on our way back to DC. It was dark so I wasn't able to watch the landscape. As tired as I was, I still wasn't able to sleep. I played my Game Boy off and on, which helped pass the time. We arrived in DC near 10 pm and thankfully Chelsea decided we would take a cab home. We exited the cab at the end of her block and trudged home. It was pretty hard to climb the stairs of the Harry Potter house.

Sunday: My last few hours here. My flight was at 2:40 pm so I needed to be at the airport by 1 pm. Chelsea had planned for us to have crepes in Eastern Market but it was too cold and windy for the vendor to set up. She knew of a restaurant in that neighborhood that served breakfast, so we went there. We gathered my suitcase and backpack and started out on the last leg of my trip.

On our walk to the restaurant, Chelsea asked me to name the "top five" moments of my trip. My answers: 1) The opera and meeting Renee Fleming, 2) spending the week with Chelsea, 3),meeting her East coast "families,” 4) Arlington National Cemetery, and 5) the Botanic Garden. Not an easy task.

We arrived at the Restaurant and ordered. I had a spinach and feta cheese omelet. So good. And then, time to go. On the way to the metro, Chelsea took me by a house that has been turned into a book store. I went in and did a quick walk-through. Oh my gosh-there are books everywhere. It seems chaotic but the owner can tell you where everything is.

Back outside, we headed to the metro to deposit me at Reagan Airport. Chelsea got me checked in and walked with me as far as allowed. We hugged and both started to cry. (That is a lie! I had something in my eye… yeah, that’s the ticket…) I'm now crying as I write this. I miss her so much! Maybe that's why I put off writing this part. I had plenty of time before take-off so purchased shot glasses for Kevin then settled in to wait for my flight. At last it was time to board. I found my seat and got comfortable. I watched the landscape through watery eyes. I cried pretty much all the way to Atlanta.

~ Susan