Thursday, 3/18/10: AirTran flight to DCA (Washington National) was very pleasant and EARLY! Had the added excitement of being able to connect to the Internet free from 10000 ft. Accessing the Yellow Metro Line from DCA was no problem and the connection at Metro Center for the Red Line was accomplished with minimal mishap. Schlepping 2 suitcases, a rolling carry-on and wearing a backpack made the turnstile maneuvering somewhat of a challenge. Escalators were another formidable task. Took a taxi to Gary & Gwenn's, settled in and eagerly awaited everyone's return from work. Jenn arrived first, excitedly sharing her community health work and patient experiences and proceeded to create a dinner menu and start preparations. It was fun crowding around in the kitchen – helping or hindering – then greeting Gary & Gwenn on their arrival. Snacks and drinks were quickly consumed, then dinner and fun on our computers playing Scrabble.
Friday, 3/19/10: A planned sightseeing day for us. We used Andrew's car to get to the Metro and rode to the Union Station. After some street instructions, we walked to the magnificent Library of Congress.
We joined a docent tour and experienced a remarkable history lesson for about an hour. Our guide was a retired English teacher, clear, articulate and enthusiastic. To gain access to the 745 miles of shelves and stacks we needed a special reader's pass. Decided to visit the Thomas Jefferson Library Collection, HerbBlock cartoon Gallery and the section on the creation of the US., rather than stand in line at the Capitol Bldg., for an ID. All exhibits were enlightening and after 3+ hours we decided to visit the Hirshhorn Sculpture Gardens. As we were walking, we came upon the Native American Cultural Museum. It was long past lunchtime, so we went to their “Mitsitam” cafeteria, split a lunch, rested and used the facilities.
The Gardens were barren and the sculptures mostly modern. Strolled along the Mall, talking with other tourists and found a Metro entrance. Took the Blue and Red lines and back at home station by 4:00PM. A supermarket stop was necessary before we returned to the house. Everyone congregated for drinks and stuff and the 6 of us went out to dinner at the “Red Robin” close to 8:00PM. We took more than half the food home! We hung out for short time and went to bed after a long and wonderful day.
Saturday, 3/20/10: Three generations of Blau's did a morning exercise walk around Gaithersburg. There was a consistent caboose throughout the journey – he eventually left the train after 3½ miles – and the locomotive and passenger cars continued to run another mile or so. Later in the day, G, G & J plus us, traveled to Hagerstown, MD and spent 4½ hours shopping at the Prime Outlets. Strangely, I was able to find lots of clothes on sale, as was Jenn. A sleepy ride home, then she & Riley went to his family function at night. We went to dinner at a favorite Asian Indian restaurant.
Sunday, 3/21/10: A fairly laid-back day until mid-afternoon. Four of us went to Bethesda to see “My Name is Asher Lev.” We were very impressed with the performance and were happy we obtained tickets. Later that evening we went to share a dinner at a Tex-Mex in the 'hood. Since tomorrow was a work day for some of the younger ones, we went to be fairly early.
Monday, 3/22/10: We had the fortune of Jenn having the morning off. She chose to come over and spend time with us. About 11:30, Judy & Alan visited. After chatting for an hour-and-a-half, we went to a Diner in a nearby Mall, although Jenn had to go to the Clinic. Enjoyed breakfast or lunch and returned to the house. They left early to avoid traffic. We rested and got ready for dinner at home with the family.
Tuesday, 3/23/10: Devoted this morning to cleaning clothes, reading, starting this blog and initial packing for NY. Late in the afternoon, Louise had a very pleasurable massage by a young woman recommended by Gary. After drinks and snacks that evening, we tried to get into “Dogfish Head,” but a band and multiple fund raisers made the wait impossibly long. Instead, we went to “Ihop.” Gwenn volunteered to take us to the Metro in the early morning, so it made sense to get some sleep.
Wednesday, 3/24/10: Crowded Metro to Union Station especially with luggage. Able to get Red Cap and boarded train early. Very pleasant ride but the surrounding sights were bleak as a result of the recent bad weather. After 3½ hours we were at NY Penn Station and a quick taxi ride uptown took us to The Manhattan Club. Stored our luggage and headed to theaters. We were successful for each evening: Wed., “Next Fall;” Thurs., “Time Stands Still;” Fri., “Red.” All of these were excellent! Shared a pasta and gumbo dinner before the theater. Our rating of “Next Fall” – A+. This is based on acting, theme, set, lighting, etc.
Thursday, 3/25/10: It was a beautiful day so we took the subway to Canal Street. Wandered around, looked at lots of merchandise, bought a purse and strolled in SOHO. Shared lunch at “Fannelli's” and then subway to 47th. Slowly walked back to TMC with a stop at American Eagle where we were photographed and displayed on their outdoor jumbo-tron. They claim it was our 15 seconds of fame. As we watched from outside, some visitors took our picture!
At 6PM, we went to our favorite Italian restaurant, but large parties precluded a table. Instead, we walked a few more blocks to “Brazil, Brazil” and shared a seafood entree and black bean soup. To our delight, Sonya had recently purchased a portion of the restaurant and greeted us warmly. An easy walk to the theater and return to TMC. Our rating of “Time Stands Still” – A-/B+. It closes Saturday night.
Friday, 3/26/10: We shared a Frittata breakfast at the “Brooklyn Diner,” stopped at the Apple store,
then took a bus up Madison to 83rd. NYU has the Institute for the Study Ancient World, a 2-room museum free to all. It was very interesting and informative. Since we were in the area, we went to the MMA, concentrating on Instruments of Oceania & the Pacific and the Mourners. These were excellent special exhibits.
After a couple of hours of the museums, we bused to Rockefeller Center and slowly returned to TMC.
Our pre-theater dinner was at “Xie, Xie” where we shared soup and pulled pork mini-sandwiches. An easy stroll to the theater. The 90 minute play was very deep, intense and all the technical aspects superb. Our rating of “Red” – A+. When we returned to TMC, Louise stopped again for Gelato (3x). Did some packing, watched some NCAA ball and off to sleep.
Saturday, 3/27/10: Up early, finished packing, ate left-over stuff for breakfast and departed by taxi for LGA about 10:40AM. We were there in less than 30 minutes. Hung around, bought lunch and finally boarded flight to ATL. Uneventful flight and long layover at Hartsfield-Jackson A/P. Sat reading, blog writing, picture editing and charging “Little Guy.” Behaved poorly and ate Popeye’s fried chicken. It was bad but so good! Flight to Orlando quick and easy. Retrieved the car and at home by 11:00PM. Some minimal unpacking and in bed in 30-45 minutes. The 9 days were fantastic.
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