Backtotheblog

I moved to DC yesterday, thus officially starting "the next chapter" -- and I think it might be time to revive the blog. Bref, DC is great. I moved in last night to my cute little row house in Mt Pleasant, a tree-lined neighborhood just a short walk from a bunch of great areas like Adams Morgan. The first thing I did upon arrival? I got a bike! Yep, it's a pretty great little road bike. It doesn't have a name yet, though the frame says "Zebra" (that's the brand). I got it from this guy in Arlington that restores old bikes as a sort of "greening" project... he was really funny, had great Einstein hair, and told just a few too many stories about his politics days in the 80s. When I got back, one of my roommates, her boyfriend, and his friend were having a beer out on the front porch and I ended up hanging out and chatting with them until 2 in the morning. Very cool people.

I got really lucky finding this place on craigslist. The roommates are all in their mid-20s, working interesting jobs, very multi-cultural, very friendly. Everyone says Mt Pleasant is the best neighborhood to live in and so far I believe it. My room is small with hardwood floors and a huge window that takes up almost a whole wall and faces east so I get the lovely morning sun right on my face when I wake up. There's a big tree right outside and if I climb out my window, theres a big ol' roof!

So todayI got up and hit the road with my new bike... and just 2 blocks into my "adventure" (in my neighborhood!) I collided with a Saturday farmer's market which is so amazing because it has (1) free bike tune-ups every Saturday, (2) lots of fresh produce (veggies, meat, cheese, etc), and (3) a guy that runs a community garden in my neighborhood that says he can hook me up with a plot!!! Woo! So that was a good first stop. From there, I wandered around, got lost a bit, and then met up with Lucy's mom and stepdad at the Library of Congress to exchange some items that I left at school for some stuff that Lucy left in my car. We went into the Lib and saw some amazing stuff... the whole building is beautiful. After Anne and Steve left, I made a personal goal to get myself access to the library and, after a labyrinth of ("secret") underground tunnels and a few forms, I was successful! Turns out pretty much anyone can get one to the main room with just a wee bit of determination. PS - the hallways down there make you feel like you're in a hospital!

From there I hit up U-Street since I was hunnngry... got some coffee and a sandwich at the Love Cafe and then met up with Landen from Wash U! She's been living in DC since she graduated (a year before me) and recommended we go on a biking adventure -- Dupont Circle, Georgetown, Capitol Hill, Obama's pad, all the good stuff. It's grand being among so many monuments. She was a glorious tour guide.

After doing a wee bit of reading in Dupont Circle, I biked back home to figure out dinner, and ended up doing a semi big grocercy shop (on foot) and getting lots of stuff. When I got back, one of my roommates had a bunch of people over (20 or so) for a cookout! I love how there are always so many people around here. Most (all?) of the people here for the cookout are Ghanaian so a little Ghanaian dance party developed in the kitchen which was so funny. Now, as I sit in my room, laughter and conversation resonate through the house in some language I have never heard of and can hardly pronounce (so I won't try to spell it). How did I end up here?

come visit, friends!