A Crazy Adventure #blogtemberchallenge

What is the craziest adventure you’ve ever been on?

Define crazy? The first thing that comes to mind is when I visited Washington D.C. It wasn’t really a crazy adventure, but it was the first time I explored an unknown city alone. My mom went for a conference and I tagged along. While she was stuck in the hotel all day everyday, I explored by myself.

I would go back in a heartbeat. I loved it. I loved visiting the Smithsonian museums, but felt like my time was too short. I would go in the spring when the cherry blossoms are blooming. I went when it was cold and raining. At least it wasn’t crowded, and I came back with a few stories. Here goes.

I’m convinced I saw two spies. I woke up early to visit the Pentagon Memorial. I rode the Metro to the Pentagon. I was the only tourist there. While walking around the memorial, a man came. Soon after, another man came. They talked for a bit in very hushed tones and avoided being around me. They didn’t look around. They didn’t visit a specific bench. They came, they talked, they left separately. Spies, I tell you.

The orangutan at the Smithsonian Zoo hammed it up for me and a mom and her son one early morning. Then the class of cute and excited but noisy preschoolers came and she went back inside.

I rubbed Einstein’s nose because the tour guide said some of his genius will rub off on you. Yeah, I don’t really believe that, but that nose has been rubbed so much that it’s a different color than the rest of the bronze statue.

I almost cried while looking at the Constitution. Photography wasn’t allowed, but that injected some gravity to the experience.

I got lost on the Metro during rush hour. I tried not to look like a tourist so I didn’t consult my maps. Yes, maps, plural. I didn’t have a smartphone then so I can’t GPS my way back to the hotel. I ended up taking the wrong exit about twice before getting to a somewhat familiar street, which I convinced myself led back to the hotel if I just walked straight on it. It did, but it took forever and night fell around me.

I saw the harsh reality of D.C. when I got lost. With the Smithsonian museums, national monuments, the White House, and other famous government buildings, Washington D.C. is a tourist destination. But there are many homeless people in D.C. that needs help. You can find them if you get off on the Metro stops far from tourist attractions. You can find them a block away from popular hotels. You can find them in the lonely and littered McDonalds situated on a random street you wandered onto. It’s a heart-breaking eye-opener that this important city has all this rich history, culture, and the government everywhere, but also a population of people who need help. I did pass by a shelter on the way back to the hotel, but it looked full already. There were people waiting outside with two cop cars waiting with them.

I had a run-in with the Secret Service Uniformed Division. I woke up very early to visit the White House, rather outside it because it takes months to get approved to tour inside. So I walked through a park and down a sidewalk toward the South Lawn of the White House (that’s the famous side they always show in movies). But I was turned around by the Capitol Police (he was in uniform), so I went to the White House Visitor’s Center just a block or two away. I went back to see the South Lawn, and this time the pedestrian sidewalk was open. Took some pictures and then decided to head back.

So here’s the thing. That open sidewalk is a not the sidewalk next to the fence of the White House. While walking back, I saw a man walking on the sidewalk next to the fence of the White House and I decided to cross the street and do the same because I wanted to be closer to the White House to take pictures…only I didn’t because I got scared of the snipers on the roof (they’re there, so I was told) or being suspected as someone with suspicious motives since the man had gone and I was alone.

I kept walking, but then missed the pedestrian exit, got confused when I saw the entrance gate with all the guards (except I was on the other side), and met a man in all black tactical gear who told me I had to turn around and pointed me to the exit gate. He was nice (but I think he called me ma’am). He was on his way in to work. It was 8:30 am.

Lesson learned? Early means prime photo ops because there are no other tourists in sight, but it also means possible run-ins with the law. Be obedient and polite, and they’ll be courteous though firm. The Secret Service Uniformed Division is responsible for securing the White House itself. They establish and control the outer perimeter of the White House and deal directly with the public. On that cold morning, that would be me.