Exploring DC without a car is not difficult at all. The Metro makes everything easy. However, when you’re going about it all alone and wanting to try restaurants in areas you’d never been to, it is a little unnerving. I’m sure DC is safe, but you just don’t know where you should/shouldn’t go if you don’t live in a place.

So I started my second day with a ride to Pentagon City. My first stop was the DEA Museum. It was nothing too fancy, just a few rooms on the ground floor of the building, documenting the history of the war against drugs. Random photos and paraphernalia. I probably spent less than half an hour in there.

From there, I was in search of a delicious meal. A quick poking around on the iPhone found me walking down the road, under a freeway [only a little creepy because it was during the day], and up a hill. Beyond the Air Force Memorial was a fantastic Ethiopian meal waiting. I probably spent more time at the Air Force Memorial taking photos [see below] than at the DEA Museum!

The food was delicious, and there was enough food to feed another person. I ordered the dullet dish, which is chopped red meat, tripe, and liver seasoned with herbed purified butter, spiced chili powder (mitmita). It can be served raw, medium, or well done. It comes on injera with injera on the side. Very tasty! There’s also a little salad on the side, which is fantastic too. Balances all that meat on a platter.

Afterwards, I found myself wandering into DC and around the free museums. The Hirshhorn was fantastic and deserves an entry all to itself! The Bureau of Engraving and Printing, which I never ended up actually getting to [Saw a special on the plane about it afterwards, so all is good!], was closed at the time, so I visited the Holocaust Museum down the street. Very graphic, very moving. I would have spent more time in there if I hadn’t wandered in just an hour before closing time.

In the evening, I enjoyed a meal with Leslie and Mike in Crystal City, as well as checked out their old place. They’ve since moved, so I’ll have to stop by again.

I was riding up, down and around on the Metro with little regard for how far things actually were. If it was here in the Bay Area, it would be the equivalent of me constantly taking BART to the East Bay! I refilled my Metro card several times, so it wasn’t cheap, but you do what you have to to get around!

Arriving in DC on an evening flight, there wasn’t much to see/do aside from transporting myself to Matt’s apartment. I figured out which bus to take to Rosslyn for the cheapest and met up with Matt at the corresponding metro station. We then grabbed a quick bite since I hadn’t eaten during the flight. Nothing too exciting, just settling in.

Adventuring began the following day with a visit to the Capitol Building, a stroll through some seedy streets of the area to the American Society of Landscape Architects for a tour of their green roof [first in the nation, probably!], a quick run-through of the National Archive [see below for a few shots], meeting up with an AYCJer at the National Museum of American History [last photo below], and then later enjoying a scenic view atop the belltower at the Old Post Office.

I realize that this update is months too late. Time to catch up!

I seem to have disappeared off the face of the blog. It’s been less than a month, but if I don’t update for a few weeks, I start to feel like I’m forgetting to document everything that’s going on… not that it all has to be documented, but anyway!

The biggest thing is that I have a job! I started on Wednesday of this week, and so far it’s going well. I’m very happy with everything, and at the end of the three month trial period, hopefully I will be converted to a full-time employee. I technically work full-time now, but I’m under the recruiting firm’s payroll, rather than the actual company. They want to see how it works out before committing. The interview process was such an arduous one [I met with them five times!], and their search was essentially to fill the role in the long-term. I guess their last person wasn’t so great, so they’re taking a safer route now.

Before starting work, I spent a week in DC on the #AYCJ pass. I stayed with a friend [Matt] in his corporate housing and spent the days wandering around DC, Arlington, and Alexandria. I was basically all over the place, but I would’ve explored more if I wasn’t there by myself. There are a lot of areas that people advise you not visit, so I would stick to the areas that I was certain about. For the other places, I’ll have to wait for RV to accompany me to DC! Promise I’ll be updating with photos and lists of the places visited soon. They’re just sitting on my camera…

On the Metal Mouth front, I went to the orthodontist for the last time before the surgery! They put the hooks in, so basically when surgery is over, the oral surgeon can just wire me shut on those… I am so not excited about this. My pre-op is coming up next week!

As many are aware, I’ve had to cancel quite a few of the trips I’d planned due to unforeseen circumstances! I haven’t had time to talk about those circumstances on the blog, so here goes: I may start working again, which would cancel my weekday travel, and I have a surgery and post-op date, which happen to fall around the time of travel also. Fantastic, right? Luckily, when you book tickets at the last minute, they’re extra expensive, so I will get my money’s worth from the one trip I’m taking this coming week to Washington D.C. I just have to make sure I cancel/reserve according to the 3-day policy, and I’m set.

Today was my first #AYCJ encounter! I didn’t even have to leave my own city.

RV and I caught up with @redelvis, @sawyouonjetblue, and @Michele_Pacheco to cross the Golden Gate Bridge. We ended up thirty minutes late since brunch ran a little overtime! We caught up around the end of the second half of the bridge. After taking some quick photos, @redelvis stuck behind with us and spent the remainder of the stroll across the bridge teaching me binary!

Yep, another one off the list:
050 – Learn the basics of binary.

While it would probably have been easier to grasp if we actually wrote numbers down, he did a great job of explaining. I learned not only to count, but also to convert decimals to octal and then to binary. So I think I’ve got the basics!

The flights are booked. It was not difficult at all. I did searches for my flights online and then called Jet Blue with my requests. I didn’t have to wait long each time, except for the most recent itinerary change. Must’ve gotten popular! Had a few changes to make, but cancellation was an easy process too. My accommodations have, for the most part, been figured out. Thanks to my friends who’ll be hosting over the course of the month. I can’t wait to see you guys!

Here’s the plan:
09/08-09/11 – AUSTIN
09/14-09/14 – ORLANDO [w/ #12hrs]
09/14-09/18 – BURLINGTON* [w/ #12hrs] / MONTREAL*
09/18-09/22 – WASHINGTON DC
09/22-09/25 – NEW YORK CITY
09/25-09/29 – CHICAGO* / MILWAUKEE*
09/29-10/02 – BUFFALO* / NIAGARA FALLS* / TORONTO*
10/04-10/07 – BOSTON*

* = never been! Suggestions on what not to miss at these destinations? I’d love to hear ‘em!

I’ve gotten mixed responses from people. Most are excited about this opportunity for me and have basically expressed that they’d go if they had the time. I’ve got the time, so I’m doing it. Then there are those who send me links to various online articles about whether or not this is really a deal. I’ve read ‘em all. It IS a deal for me. I get to visit the people I’ve been meaning to see, go to the places I’ve been wanting to go. Sticking to the domestic destinations still puts me way over the cost of the flights and the cost of making reservations over phone. Jet Blue has a separate department handling these All-You-Can-Jet passes. By the way, passes are all sold out!

Besides, this isn’t the first time I’ve heard of such a deal. Cathay Pacific has an All-Asia Pass during the summer months where you can jet around its Asian destinations for a set price. I’d do that if I didn’t think I would want to spend at least a few weeks in each location! I’m the girl who spent her entire 3-week vacation in one country rather than move across a handful in that time. I travel to experience and to absorb. Perhaps I am just a slow sponge…

And of course, my plan of action is not as crazy as others out there. There’s the guy who is traveling to 10 flights within 60 hours [Source: Time.Com]. He’ll go from airport to airport and only spend time touching the ground of Portland. I’m not sure that’s the best way to go about making use of the deal if you can’t even experience the cities you’re traveling to.

Then there’s Joe and Clark who went so far as to set up Twelve Hours in A City – 31 Days of Jet Travel, 12 Hours between Flights. They’re going all out with a site, sponsors, and swag. That’s a little more manageable, in my opinion. Since I have a few gaps [mainly 09/12-09/17], I might look into plan on meeting up with Joe and Clark for part of their travels!, depending on if the time matches up. There’s a bunch of others taking advantage of the deal – many of whom are tracking their whereabouts at WhereWeJet.