I arrived in DC late on Sunday night. Joe met me at the airport, and we took the Metro back to his apartment. He’s living in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, within walking distance to the Capitol. In the map below, Joe’s home is the red marker, and the capitol building is surrounded by green on the left (click for a larger version).
So neat to get to see Joe’s home. His first post-college digs.
Joe is a research associate with a non-profit called Taxpayers for Common Sense. His organization is a non-partisan budget watchdog group, and Joe’s been focusing on energy and natural resources policy. Here’s an example of a write-up he’s done🙂
Joe lives with two roommates from Bowdoin. One is working for a public polling firm and the other for the Justice Department. Thanks for making me feel welcome, guys!
On Monday, Joe headed in to work, and I wandered around his beautiful neighborhood, photographing the flowers and the houses.
I already posted many of the photos from my walk-about on Earth Day. You can see them here.
Here’s Joe’s apartment building.
Their place is on the second floor. They have a two-story high ceiling in the living room, two bedrooms upstairs, and one bedroom downstairs. Joe and his roommates are about the cleanest 20-somethings I’ve ever met!
Looking down the street. The flowers and beautiful trees help, but I kept thinking about what an amazingly beautiful place they live. There were kids playing in yards and people out gardening as I walked around. I didn’t know that areas so close to the Capitol and Mall could be so very residential!
I joined Joe for a yummy lunch of empanadas and tamales along with a great drink called Horchata.
Here I’m in the Eastern Market metro stop – being a tourist, taking pictures.
Here comes a train!
I emerged from the Metro at the Smithsonian stop. First, I headed down to the Holocaust Museum. Unfortunately, the permanent exhibition was sold out for the day. I was, however, quite moved by two of the special exhibits – one on the power of Nazi propaganda and one called Remember the Children.
From the Holocaust Museum, I walked across the Mall over to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. Pregnant-with-twins-Heather was at a conference, and I was planning to meet her at the end of her work day. That, however, is a topic for another blog post or two.
Here come the silly Segways (tour info here)!
How luxuriant to wonder around a beautiful town and photograph or do whatever strikes my fancy!
Since it was spring break (the week before Easter too), the Mall was teaming with school groups. It was actually quite remarkable to me how many people were pouring in and out of the museums.
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24 hours later…
Tuesday afternoon, Grace treated Joe and me to a wonderful tea at the Wilard Hotel.
I enjoyed the Wilard tea blend along with the following. Is there no better idea than afternoon tea? What a divine way to spend some of the afternoon. Especially when it’s with good friends:)
Here’s Grace and me before parting ways. We’re going to see her in July when she and Tim and John come out to visit. Already, I can’t wait!
One thing I missed doing was trying a Nutella latte. Ahh, well, maybe next time. The coffee shop, Pound, serves a specially concocted Nutella latte with Kickapoo Coffee (from Viroqua, WI)! They are just a few doors down from Joe’s office at Taxpayers for Common Sense.
Here’s me and Joe the morning of my departure. First a couple out takes and then the nice picture.
Thanks Joe, Joe’s roommates, and Grace for such a nice time!