weather in dc

& (goodbye sweet city) &

it’s my last weekend in washington before i head back to california for my brother’s graduation and then on to copenhagen & berlin the next day.

i sense a very jet-lagged few days ahead &

during my last few days in dc, i plan on seeing a few of the museums i haven’t hit yet (national building museum, the portrait gallery), frequenting a restaurant and bar or two that has been on the list (,circa). getting in a couple more yoga classes. having an amazing greek salad at zorba’s once more, of course. strolling through the quaint dupont again (referred to in this past post). poking my head in tabletop for one last glance at all of the cool stuff. maybe a walk through georgetown for a stop at the lovely dean&deluca to grab one more bag of their delicious coffee to take home. perhaps a snack of edamame at teaism for the last time. 

and the packing, i guess, will begin soon too.

in reflection on the past few months here, i wanted to share a few notable things i’ve learned:

1.       drivers in washington are CRAZY. they will run you over if you even think about stepping off the curb when your pedestrian light red – sometimes, even if your light is green. watch out! they also like to honk ALL THE TIME. like every two seconds. they honk even when there is no one around to honk at. (i think this is because they view honking as a safe way to blow off some steam; washingtonians are pretty keep-to-themselves and cordial for big-city folk, so honking is their one, noisy release.)

2.       washington has some great local flavor that tour books and short trips do not do justice to. there are the prerequisite mainstream stores and restaurants, but the regional stuff is there it’s pretty astounding. the hidden neighborhoods, local pubs, home-based stores were plentiful. discovering the nooks, crannies and gems of the district was quite possibly my favorite part of my time here.

3.       the weather in dc is pretty unpredictable. upon arriving here in early february, i expected spring to be around the corner. no, apparently, winter had only begun. (spring arrived, oh, about a week before i left.) without a car, this proved a little rough to handle some days. with a gazillion snow storms & blizzards arriving after i did, i got plenty of use out of my boots heavy jackets. there were days when half of my entire closet was ON MY BODY, simply to keep me from getting frostbite. on my walk to the metro in the mornings, i would pop in to a couple coffee shops for a few minutes each, just to un-thaw before heading out in the 20-degree freezer they call a â€Smild winter storm” here.

moral of the story: east coast weather is VERY different than the west coast. be tough. be apparel-y prepared.

4.       whole foods is the best grocery store ever created. i will miss my weekly excursions of â€Sretail” therapy to the one at 1440 p street to shop for organic-necessities & not-so-necessities. it’s a feast for the eyes and the tummy& the granola, cheese, fruits, veggies and flowers just can’t be beat!

5.       work-related: inside non-profit organizations, you will find some of the most incredibly dedicated people. at the theatre i have been working for, i’ve been amazed at the calibar of talent that many of the staff members have, and the things they sacrifice (namely: $$$) for the art they believe in. these people are committed to engaging weather in dc community in this art, and they will do so at all costs. i sort of walk around captivated by their dedication. they proudly LIVE OUT the kind of allegiance that i’m not sure i could commit a lifetime career to, but one that will affect how i spend my volunteer time and extra money. i hope to support non-profit organizations in weather in dc shape, form or fashion – GOD-willing – for the rest of my life. although i heavily volunteered all throughout college for a non-profit, YoungLife, my perseverance has been molded and shaped even further by my job at arena.

non-profits need support.

i am so thankful for this lesson.

6.       as a final point, i realized while in washington that living nearer to family members and the people i love is a conscious decision, and one that will determine (most likely) where i will begin a career as a lawyer, spend most of my weeks and months and years, etc.

this is a decision that i have been forced to make in the past few months, with acceptance letters to both east-coast and west-coast law schools. i let my time here serve as a sort-of â€Strial run” to see if i could handle living so far away from most of the people i am closest to. (although, i am lucky enough to have good friends dotted around the states.)

i decided to move back to california. attending law school in the golden state was an important choice that came to me easily once i realized living nearer to family was what i wanted and needed in my life. this, of course, does not negate the fact that i love love love the history, intelligence and beauty of the east coast. i can always come back to visit.

san francisco & uc hastings it is!

many more adventures ahead &