An Ode to DC

I once heard "home" described as the place you want to return to over and over. These are the exact sentiments that I have about Washington DC. We had the opportunity of calling it home for three years, and they were a wonderful three years. Don't get me wrong, there were plenty of difficult and challenging times, but we both agree that we will forever look back at our time spent in DC with fond memories. Since moving back to Utah, people constantly ask me what I loved about DC. So even though my words won't be able to adequately describe why I fell in love with Washington DC, I will attempt to anyways. 

For starters, I will miss the weather. Growing up in Utah, it seemed that it was either ridiculously cold or blistering hot with only a few weeks of the seasons known as "fall" and "spring." In Washington, there were four distinct seasons each with their own unique characteristics. Upon moving to DC, we were told that the winters were typically very mild. Imagine our surprise when a storm rolled in during Superbowl Weekend now dubbed Snowpocalypse 2010 bringing with it over 34 inches of snow in a day and a half. That amount of snow is crippling to even the most snow savvy cities, but especially to a city which does not have many plows and no place to put the snow. I am not a big fan of snow, but that storm was absolutely amazing. Food shelves in the stores were empty. Schools, businesses, and even the government were shut down for weeks. 

Once the chill of winter subsided, spring came out in full bloom. Cherry blossoms opened their buds providing picturesque backdrops all along the Tidal Basin. Thousands of people travel to DC for the Cherry Blossom Festival every year, and every year they are not disappointed.

Spring gradually gives way to summer which can be a little stifling due to the heat and humidity. However, with the oppressive heat and humidity comes the most amazing summer storms I have ever witnessed. Torrential rainstorms caused drivers to pull over on on the freeways, lightning flashes could light up the entire room at 2 AM, and claps of thunder so close together it was hard to distinguish between which one was starting and which was ending.

Eventually, the humidity relinquishes its grasp on the area, the heat fades and gives way to my personal favorite, fall. In order to fully appreciate it, first imagine a place completely covered in trees. Thickets of trees so dense that you would not know that there is a road going in the opposite direction had you not traveled on it. Then imagine the foliage on those trees bursting with shades of orange, yellow, and red. Simply put, it was absolutely gorgeous.

I will also miss the museums rich with historical content and pop culture memorabilia. I have gazed upon the Hope Diamond, viewed the flag which inspired the Star Spangled Banner, and have stood in places presidents once stood. I have seen the original Ruby Red Slippers, George Washington's wooden dentures, and Enola Gay, the plane that dropped the atomic bomb. I have examined crown jewels worth millions and studied priceless paintings. I have seen sections of the Berlin Wall, a mangled radio tower from one of the World Trade buildings, and a mind-numbing pile of shoes from Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Even after three years, we had barely scratched the surface the Smithsonians and surrounding museums had to offer. 

There are also a lot of great lesser known museums and spots that only locals really get a chance to explore. When my brother and his family came out for a visit, we stumbled upon a gun museum which boasted some of the earliest known firepower. There was also a room full of pop culture memorabilia like the sawed off shotgun Heath Ledger toted around in The Dark Knight, Tom Selleck's rifle from Quigley Down Under, and several guns used in The Departed. 

One Sunday we decided to check out the Theodore Roosevelt Island. When we got there, we found ourselves completely alone and came across a statute of Teddy Roosevelt along with some of his most famous quotes. Another hidden treasure we discovered was the Great Falls National Park. North of DC, the Potomac flows down into the bay via different streams. When the water levels get particularly high, huge falls provide the perfect backdrop for hiking along the trails.

Then there are the monuments. Some of the most beautiful, inspiring landmarks famous throughout the world. Each of these monuments have their own story of how they came to be and their own little role they have played in history. It was on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial that Martin Luther King Jr delivered his "I have a dream speech." The reflection pool and National mall served as ground zero for protests during the Vietnam War. Arlington Cemetery, which serves as the resting grounds for thousands of veterans, once belonged to the great Robert E Lee and still serves as one of the best vantage points for the District.

And here are a few more shots of monuments at night. Everything just seems more imposing and dramatic at night. Driving along the George Washington Parkway at night and seeing them pop out against the dark sky is perhaps one of the things I will miss most.

Despite all the things I have previously mentioned, I still have not hit the heart of what I will miss most. I miss having a random conversation with Nate in the morning and then ending up in Philadelphia or Ocean City a few hours later. I miss going to a free zoo with Bryn and seeing how excited she is to see her favorite animals. I miss walking the hills around our neighborhood that put me into labor with Brynlee. I miss driving by the hospital where I gave birth to Hudson. I miss little things like that; small things but nevertheless important parts of our lives for the past three years.

And now on to the things I won't miss. I will not miss the traffic. The smack-yourself-in-the-forehead traffic if you leave at the wrong time. The roads are always busy but especially busy during rush hour. I will not miss the fact that completing a couple of errands could literally wind up taking the whole afternoon. I will not miss the cost of housing, gas, and groceries. And I won't miss all the people protesting about everything imaginable. Oh, and I won't miss law school (and I don't think Nate will either!)

And just in case you are not convinced to visit Washington DC for yourself, here are a few more shots to persuade you otherwise.