I had my fourth of July planned out for a while with my friend Sam. The same Sam that went to Hershey with me for my birthday. We didn't have details planned, we just knew that we were going to go to Washington DC. The day before (yeah, we're productive like that) we made plans of what to do. Rather, we made plans of how to get there. It was going to be such a crazy day in DC. We invited a bunch of people from the ward, too. Jessie and Page decided to come as well. (For family members...Jessie went to the beach w/ me, and she's the one who takes me to church. Page is the guy who fixed my computer.) Since most of us had to be back early the next day for work, we decided that we didn't want to stay in DC for the fireworks. I was a little disappointed in this decision, but I really didn't care either way because we decided to watch them at the Harbor in Baltimore, so it was okay.
I rode the MTA (aka the public bus) to the church, where I met up with Page and Sam at 11am. We picked up Jessie on our way out of town and drove down to a place right outside of DC where we caught the metro.
From there, we rode the metro to the mall in DC. I didn't think it was too crowded...but then I found out why once we got closer. We got there right as the parade was going on! We wanted to cross the street, but we couldn't because the parade was happening. So..we got to watch the parade. Mom would have died. It was hot. And super humid. I mean, I was okay, but I wasn't totally and completely comfortable either. Anyway, the parade was pretty cool! There were a lot of bands playing. It was for sure the biggest parade that I have ever seen! It was like the parades on TV! We didn't watch more than about 15 or 20 min of it though, and then we figured out how to cross the street. We were all hungry and we needed to use the restroom...
On the lawn of the mall in between the Washington Monument and the Capitol building, they had a festival sponsored by the Peace Corps. It was a lot like a county fair kind of. They had sections for every country they were a part of, and they had food from each part also. I got my lunch from the South African section. It was terribly expensive ($9 for a styrofoam take-out box of stuff they pulled off a shelf), but I guess that's what they can do in DC for the fourth...regardless it was good. It was some sort of lemon chicken stuff. I'm pretty sure I like any sort of ethnic food more than I like American food.
There was a marry-go-round on the lawn there as well. Jessie and I wanted to ride it! So...we did. It was a holiday, so we decided to have fun and do it. Sam and Page watched us. They didn't have nearly as much fun. And it only cost a couple of bucks. Granted, I probably wouldn't have done it if I were at a Logan fair or something, but now I can say that I rode a marry-go-round while looking at all of the national monuments. Okay, that's dorky, but I can still say that I've done it.
We then walked down to the Washington Monument, and then down to the WWII Memorial. This was all on our quest to get to the Einstein statue that's back near the Lincoln Memorial. Well...easier said than done. There were so many people, and the security people were fencing off so many areas that it was pointless to try to get anywhere. We gave up on the Einstein idea. We stayed at the WWII Memorial for a while, and then headed back towards the Capital.
My friend Ryan from USU was in DC. I had been texting him during the day, and he and I decided to meet up. I met him at the Smithsonian Castle, and we chatted for a bit. I went off with him and his parents for a while, and we walked back down towards...you guessed it...the WWII Memorial. (That's a lot of walking). But it was soooo much fun to see someone from home! I don't know why. Maybe it's like I could be myself again. Not like I've been anyone that I'm not while I'm here (I definitely have not done that!), it's just that when it's someone you know for longer than a month, it's a lot better to talk to them, and somehow more relaxing.
I met back up with my friends, and it was about 5pm at this point. It was starting to get super duper crowded in DC. We decided to get out of DC, and head out to dinner somewhere. We walked to the metro station. Darren and Dad will be interested to hear that on our walk back to the metro we passed the Harrington Hotel :) I grinned. Jessie stayed behind in DC with some of her friends from Idaho, so it was just me and Sam and Page. We left on the metro, and then went to a Mimi's Cafe in some Baltimore suburb for dinner.
At the point, it was time to head to the fireworks already. We went to Tide Point to watch the fireworks, which is a place off the harbor in Baltimore. We sat on the dock and saved seats for our friends Emily, Elizabeth, and Elizabeth's friend Larissa that was here visiting with her. I sat right on the edge of the dock with Emily, Elizabeth, and Larissa. I think that every single person who owned a boat in the harbor had their boat out in the water (literally.) and they had it parked, with an American flag out, most of them drinking or something, and playing some music. The sun set, and it was just such a pretty atmosphere. Such a fun place to be! At 9:30 the fireworks started. It was sooo awesome to watch the fireworks over the water, and with the city to the side! Definitely a once in a lifetime experience. I'm glad we didn't go to Inner Harbor to watch the fireworks. I heard the next day that there was a stabbing AND a shooting there during the firework show. Hmmm... Baltimore. "The Greatest City In America"? I mean, that's what all the benches say...
The traffic getting out was nuts. It took us forever to get home. But that's okay. Whatever. It was still such a great day! Happy Birthday America!!
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