Planes, Tools And Brits: That Time I Went To D.C.

In mid-June, I had to take a trip to Washington, D.C., on business. I dig visiting the nation’s capital, but since this would mark the first time I had to leave Ube and I would be traveling with a tool and some daffy English birds, I was none too excited.

Things didn’t get much better when we arrived in D.C. to find mid-90s weather and mind-numbing humidity, coupled with the tool’s desire to visit as many landmarks as possible, since he had never been to the capital. Our first stop was checking in at the convention center to make sure our booth had actually arrived.


Then we stumbled into a gay pride parade on the Mall, just in front of the Capital Building. I snapped a picture of the tool to make it look like he was marching.


By that time, having worn only Tevas off the plane, my feet were killing me. But I placated the tool by accompanying him to the White House, which was nice to see again.


We finally made it back to the hotel, where we checked in, then met down at the bar for a late lunch. I had a Chesapeake crab cake sandwich with spicy remoulade, fries and a really tall beer, a Bad Moon Porter from the local DuClaw Brewing.

That evening, we headed to the Newseum for a networking event. The Newseum was a tremendous venue for educational and coolness purposes, though its layout wasn’t as conducive for actual networking. Still, many of the exhibits were tremendous. The favorites for me were a collection of Walter Iooss’s work from Sports Illustrated, “G-Men and Journalists” and the Berlin Wall Gallery.


Later in the evening, we discovered the Hank Greenspun Terrace, dubbed the “overlook of America’s Main Street.” I even found a bar on this level, allowing me to enjoy a Sierra Nevada as we gazed out upon Pennsylvania Avenue and the Capitol Building. Ironically, we noted cleanup crews sweeping up from the gay pride parade earlier in the day, immediately destroying the stereotype that gays are neat and finicky.


I also had a business dinner at the oldest restaurant in the city, Old Ebbitt Grill, and had tremendous soft-shell crabs, crab cakes, seafood linguini, Irish Coffees and Sierras throughout my stay. I got Ube a "Future President" onesie and somehow ended up with a stuffed Cartman doll that someone figured might make a suitable gift for a 7-month-old.

Anyway, the rest of the stay was a whirlwind of 8,000 exhibitors, booth manning, session attendance and live Tweeting. Needless to say, I was happy to get back home, although two delays (one on the way out to the tarmac and the second when we were on the bus out to the plane) cost me an hour-and-a-half more time with the tool and his drunken friend who got us from the airport and proceeded to stave off puking for the rest of the way home.

Oh, Raleigh, how I take thee for granted … and how I miss you most when I am away.