Our nation's capital, Day 2

As you know travel is meant to teach you certain things about a particular culture or way of life...well here are some lessons I learned today:

1. Don't attempt to drive around in D.C.
2. When a parking meter has hours posted for ex. from 9-4...it doesn't mean that after 4 it's free
3. All roads heading into and out of downtown lead to down town

So I started the day as ambitious as ever feeling like hey, I teach Kindergarten, I can handle anything. Well I guess I'm out of practice or I just fell victim to over confidence in navigating a new city, but I failed miserably!

If there is such a thing as the art of being lost I totally mastered it today! I tried to walk to the metro only after about 30 minutes of walking did I realize that I was looking at the wrong spot on the map and in that time managed to walk around the block and I realized I was much further than I thought from the metro. Then I stepped on a rock that went straight through my flip flop...back to the house to hatch another plan. Next I took to the streets with the jeep and the GPS...I was unstoppable! Well...until I realized that I had 20 miles to empty Which after attempting to refuel at 6 different gas stations and after having asked the mailman, the UPS man, and the AAA man where to find diesel, did I realize now with 0 miles to empty that I am stoppable. Sucking fumes I felt defeated and hoped to just make it back to Kate's house. Right as I turned a corner, there like a mirage sat a fueling station with yes, you guessed it DIESEL! Yay I'm saved! There was another Jeep diesel driver there and he said that this was the only diesel station he knew of in the area and that the other one is way on the other side of town. Wow that was close.

Now, I'm back at it again! Down town to the museum. Apparently Tuesdays are much much busier than Mondays because the streets were packed! I managed a miracle parallel parking job on the street and headed into the museum. By this time it was about two o'clock so I had about two hours before having to check the meter.

Some pictures from the Maritime exhibit in the American History Museum

That's pretty much all the sight seeing I accomplished for the day because I spent the rest of the time perpetually in traffic.

Here's a timeline of the afternoon:

3:30-left Museum of Amer. His to pay more $$ to the meter.
3:30-3:45 walk 15 min. to National Gallery of Art
3:45-4:00 walk 15 min back to car because the guard at museum told me I'd better move my car before 4 because my car will be towed for rush hour. And to try and park on a side street.
4:00-5:00 stuck in traffic trying to park
5:00-abandon that idea, go to Arlington National Cemetery
5:00-6:30 take a wrong turn and end up back down town in the middle of rush hour traffic

6:30- surrender!

Kim :)
hoping tomorrow will be a better day!