Washington DC Travel Advice

Friends of ours are going to Washington DC this week for a four day holiday. I had no idea one could go to DC without having to run a marathon or at least a 10k race, but I guess it’s possible after all. As a self-appointed travel aficionado I have ten pieces of advice to offer our traveling friends.

 

1. Don’t take your drone and fly it over the White House. This is really frowned upon and will result in the drone being shot down. If you decide to go ahead and fly the drone anyhow don’t call me for bail money.

2. If you are playing President Obama one-on-one in basketball don’t let him drive to the left. Remember he is left-handed, so force the Prez to go right, similar to what some people would like him to do politically. 

3. When touring the White House, if you get hungry, don’t go off into Mrs. Obama’s garden. She did not grow all those vegetables for you to take back to the hotel.

4. The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is not for swimming. Yes, it would make a great lap pool, but don’t take your wetsuit and jump in. That would be another cause to need bail money and my credit card is already maxed out so I can’t help you. 

5. Don’t take selfies after climbing into the lap of President Lincoln’s memorial statue. 

6. If the President’s motorcade comes by on your morning jog get out of the way. Don’t grab onto his limo and pretend to be part of security. This wouldn’t end well for you.
7. Don’t jump into the Panda cage at the Smithsonian National Zoo. They may look cute and cuddly but they aren’t.
8. Yes, Washington DC is sinking, but don’t worry, it’s only going down about 6 inches per 100 years, due to geological reasons. However the sea level is rising due to global warming so you might want to take your kayak just in case that is an issue. DC does have sections right at current sea level.
9. One of NASA’s land rovers from a moon mission was recently found in an Alabama scrap yard. If you have some of NASA’s space artifacts this visit to DC might be a good time to donate them to the Smithsonian.
10. A daughter of mine, whom shall remain nameless, ran about 15 miles of the MCM before dropping out. She didn’t have any money and wanted to get back to the hotel. She went to the metrorail station hopped the gate and got on the train. I don’t recommend this as standard procedure. Getting chased by police inside the metrorail area might be amusing to spectators but not to you.

Marine Corp Marathon

Still one of my favorite marathons, even though I ran the 10k instead. No one organizes a race like the Marines. In spite of having a few more important things to do, like fight two wars, they made all of us feel special.

Joanne and I ran the 10k, arriving a bit early to the start as I was particularly worried about the metro and crowds. Fortunately it was a fairly nice morning and we stayed reasonably warm inside our fashion conscious garbage bags. After a couple of quick port-o-john trips we hid out in the metro tunnel for awhile, until security shooed us away. The announcer kept saying 7400+ runners had registered for the 10k, but I had no problem finding space to warmup or getting into a corral and about 30 yards from the start line. Joanne, a bit nervous for her first 10k, was further back in the crowd.
The Howitzer went off and we quickly left the Mall and the Washington Monument and headed towards the Jefferson Memorial. We ran across a bridge over the Potomac (the bridge had hills) and headed left towards Crystal city. When we turned back towards the finish we passed the Pentagon before finishing at the Iwo Jima monument near the Arlington National Cemetery.
The race, though a little more rolling than I expected, turned out well. Joanne ran a great time for her first 10k. I was a bit slower than expected, but somehow finished in the top 5% overall, with 5000+ finishers. I think the fast people ran in the marathon.
The gang of five, Mike May, Mike W., Eileen W. Lou K, and Jan M, ran the full marathon, starting near the cemetery, through Rosslyn, Georgetown, the endless island, the Mall, Crystal City and back to Iwo Jima monument. Everyone finished, with Eileen setting a pr by 20 minutes or so. It is not an easy course, with a few hills, especially in the opening 8 miles.
Our hotel, especially the location, was fantastic, about 3-400 yards from the finish (Virginian Suites). Every room included a full kitchen.
This was Jan's 5th MCM, I think we will be back in a couple of years so I can get my fifth finish.