Washington DC/Vegas
So this was the best 10 days of my life, at least so far. It was full of incredible, once in a lifetime, moments and tons of fun.
So I got to DC late Thursday night and had a hard time with the transportation system. Who knew the DC busses tell you the next stop as their pulling up to the previous. After an hour of standing out in the cold, asking every bus driver where to go (none of them knowing, by the way) and wondering around (I saw the Freddie Mac building) I decided to call for a cab. Money I did not want to spend but had to. Even if I got to the station the metro was starting to close down. So I finally got to the GWU dorms and went upstairs and almost immediately fell asleep on my tiny couch. The next day I prioritized what I wanted to see. I knew that I would only have Friday and Saturday to explore a city I’ve never been to but that houses all my favorite (and least favorite) things. So I decided to head off to the Capitol building. On my way I saw a huge line up of police escorts and huge black SUV’s heading there too. I wondered who it was but didn’t think much of it. When I got to the Capitol I found that no one was to be let inside. I was pissed but got over it because I saw the police escort behind the building. My camera had just run out of batteries but I needed to see for myself who this was. I was standing as close as I could, about 10 feet away, when I saw Dick Cheney, “the root of all evil” as my Mom would say, and my jaw dropped. He was out and back in so quickly I didn’t even have time to flip him off, or throw a shoe, as Maggie would say. After I got after that shock I went to the Supreme Court building. I knew I would probably not be able to see a hearing but I wanted to see the building anyway. I got new camera batteries and was back on track. It is a beautiful building and, for a second, I hoped I could someday make it there (that feeling passed quickly). After that I went to the Library of Congress and the US Botanic Gardens, then I went to the National Museum of Art and Sculpture Garden and the National Archives. It was a full day and I had been outside walking as fast as a could, only stopping for a quick snack in the Botanic Gardens, in the freezing cold so I decided to go back to the dorms. I walked past the White House and flipped off George Bush inside, once for me, once for my Mom. When I got to the dorms the roommates and I ordered some chinese and watched shit TV. When I got up Saturday I decided to look for a bank so I would deposit my pay check. Can you believe that there were no US banks?? I mean, don’t call yourself US unless you’re everywhere in the US. Bank of America was there, but not my bank. So I freaked a little and decided to change my plan for the day. I walked down 23rd to the Lincoln Memorial. I was hoping I would be able to go inside and see it before they started setting up for the concert but that didn’t happen. Sheryl Crow was already rehearsing. After that I walked the Mall, went to the Washington Monument, the Vietnam Memorial, the WWII Memorial and then started hitting the Mall museums. I went to the Smithsonian Museum of American History and learned all about our presidents, also saw the Colbert painting, and then the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, where I saw the dinosaurs and the Hope diamond. It was pretty cool but I was getting tired so I went back to GW and hung out with Riki for the night. We went out to dinner and then went back to the dorm. I was planning to get up fairly early to get a good “seat” for the concert on Sunday so I went back to the dorm where I was staying. When I got there the roommates were already drunk and they were hilarious. We sang some Coolio and Jasmine practiced for her ANTM audition. It was a fun night, even though I didn’t go out with them again, and they were awesome. On Sunday we decided to go around 9:30am. We got there at 10 and there were already a ton of people there. We just hung out and played cards until the show was to start. It finally started at 2:30pm and boy was it starstudded. Below I found a list but it’s definitely not everyone that was there.
Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Bono, Garth Brooks, Sheryl Crow, Renee Fleming, Josh Groban, Herbie Hancock, Heather Headley, John Legend, Jennifer Nettles, John Mellencamp, Usher Raymond IV, Shakira, Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, will.i.am, and Stevie Wonder. Among those reading historical passages will be Jamie Foxx, Martin Luther King III, Queen Latifah and Denzel Washington.
So after the concert we went back and hung out. Then on Monday, really early, I made my way to Virginia to spend MLK Day with Mamalama (my Grandma). We had breakfast, then went to help out a food bank, then went back to have lunch and an impromptu birthday celebration for me, then explored Alexandria. It was really pretty and we went to this cool art museum with some awesome, unique pieces. After that we went back to DC. That whole day I didn’t have a phone so I went back to charge it and to get in touch with Whitney, who had just got in that day. We decided to meet up and go out later that night. Suzy came to meet us and took us to the best Gyro place in the city then to a Hookah Bar, then to a nightclub by the Kennedy Center. It was a fun night. Busta Rhymes was there, surrounded and we just danced and drank tequila. It was an all-nighter. We went back to the dorms to change into our warmest outfits and went straight to the Mall to start waiting for the inauguration. There was tons of confusion and tons of people and DC was not prepared for it. We had to get to a specific entrance because we had tickets and no one knew where we could go, not even the sergeant. So we ended up having to push our way through the angry crowd that was getting locked out. Then we waiting in line for a couple more hours, finally getting let in at 7:30am. We got a pretty good seat, close to the Capitol but not close enough to see, and right behind a big TV so we could definitely see. Then the Inauguration started and it was amazing. All our political leaders were there and Obama was finally, officially, sworn-in to become our 44th president. It was also cool when he escorted Bush on to the helicopter and it was uplifting when it took off and left forever. Yay!! After the Inauguration there were so many people and so many road closures that we were all stuck like cattle waiting and waiting. We finally got out and back to the dorms. We then got our stuff and took a train to Maryland, where Whitney was staying. We changed and were on our way again to the Western Inaugural Ball. That was pretty fun. We drank and were merry with all the other westerners. Marc Anthony was playing and Jlo came on for a song, that was interesting. Finally Joe Biden and his wife came and we watched them dance. We were hoping Obama wouldn’t be that far behind because, as you can imagine, we were exhausted. Of course it took about another hour or two for Obama to come but it was worth it. He had a short speech and then they danced (so cute!). After that we left ASAP back to Maryland where we immediately had to pack and leave for the airport. Another night of no-sleep. I was planning on having to change flights three times but the man at the airport gave me a non-stop. Thank God! I pretty much slept the whole time excited for my next journey... to VEGAS!!!
We got to Vegas about 6pm on Thursday and waited for my Mom’s flight. Then we checked in to our hotel, the MGM Grand, and got settled. We went downstairs to the Wolfgang Puck restaurant for some yummy food and then went back to the room to wait for Christopher to fly in. We ordered a bottle of Tequila and went after it right away. We then went out to explore the city. We went to the Bellagio but the fountains were closed already so we went to Planet Hollywood because there was a sign saying two for one drinks. Well we got there and drank a bit and then ate a midnight snack. Then we went to this crazy shirt place and we all got shirts. We got back around 5am and went to sleep. We woke up about 10am the next morning and went out to lunch. That day was another exploring the city. We went to a few hotels to look at their wonder, saw the lions, the fountains, shopped for some dresses for my birthday dinner later that night. We got back to the hotel and went to Shibuya, this amazing tappin yaki restaurant. Then we went to Studio 54 and danced the night away. On Saturday we decided to sleep in. I took Kate on the New York roller coaster, which is a LOT scarier than I thought it was, and then went to see the pirate show. But they cancelled it because of the wind. Sucks! But we just went back to the hotel and out to this awesome Mexican restaurant. After that we went to the KA Cirque du Soleil show at the MGM. It was amazing!! I can’t wait to see another one, maybe “O” the water one. After that I was pretty beat so I went to bed while Whitney went out again and Chris gambled. Sunday morning we had a nice Dim Sum lunch and then headed to the airport.
It was an amazing 10 days and I have to thank Tony for the Washington DC plane ticket, Whitneys Dad, Rob (David ;) for the inauguration ticket, the inaugural ball ticket and the ride to the airport so early in the morning. And of course I want to thank my Mom for my amazing Las Vegas trip and Peter for the Shibuya dinner and the show, and everything else. It was an amazing historical trip to DC and the best 21st birthday ever!
So I got to DC late Thursday night and had a hard time with the transportation system. Who knew the DC busses tell you the next stop as their pulling up to the previous. After an hour of standing out in the cold, asking every bus driver where to go (none of them knowing, by the way) and wondering around (I saw the Freddie Mac building) I decided to call for a cab. Money I did not want to spend but had to. Even if I got to the station the metro was starting to close down. So I finally got to the GWU dorms and went upstairs and almost immediately fell asleep on my tiny couch. The next day I prioritized what I wanted to see. I knew that I would only have Friday and Saturday to explore a city I’ve never been to but that houses all my favorite (and least favorite) things. So I decided to head off to the Capitol building. On my way I saw a huge line up of police escorts and huge black SUV’s heading there too. I wondered who it was but didn’t think much of it. When I got to the Capitol I found that no one was to be let inside. I was pissed but got over it because I saw the police escort behind the building. My camera had just run out of batteries but I needed to see for myself who this was. I was standing as close as I could, about 10 feet away, when I saw Dick Cheney, “the root of all evil” as my Mom would say, and my jaw dropped. He was out and back in so quickly I didn’t even have time to flip him off, or throw a shoe, as Maggie would say. After I got after that shock I went to the Supreme Court building. I knew I would probably not be able to see a hearing but I wanted to see the building anyway. I got new camera batteries and was back on track. It is a beautiful building and, for a second, I hoped I could someday make it there (that feeling passed quickly). After that I went to the Library of Congress and the US Botanic Gardens, then I went to the National Museum of Art and Sculpture Garden and the National Archives. It was a full day and I had been outside walking as fast as a could, only stopping for a quick snack in the Botanic Gardens, in the freezing cold so I decided to go back to the dorms. I walked past the White House and flipped off George Bush inside, once for me, once for my Mom. When I got to the dorms the roommates and I ordered some chinese and watched shit TV. When I got up Saturday I decided to look for a bank so I would deposit my pay check. Can you believe that there were no US banks?? I mean, don’t call yourself US unless you’re everywhere in the US. Bank of America was there, but not my bank. So I freaked a little and decided to change my plan for the day. I walked down 23rd to the Lincoln Memorial. I was hoping I would be able to go inside and see it before they started setting up for the concert but that didn’t happen. Sheryl Crow was already rehearsing. After that I walked the Mall, went to the Washington Monument, the Vietnam Memorial, the WWII Memorial and then started hitting the Mall museums. I went to the Smithsonian Museum of American History and learned all about our presidents, also saw the Colbert painting, and then the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, where I saw the dinosaurs and the Hope diamond. It was pretty cool but I was getting tired so I went back to GW and hung out with Riki for the night. We went out to dinner and then went back to the dorm. I was planning to get up fairly early to get a good “seat” for the concert on Sunday so I went back to the dorm where I was staying. When I got there the roommates were already drunk and they were hilarious. We sang some Coolio and Jasmine practiced for her ANTM audition. It was a fun night, even though I didn’t go out with them again, and they were awesome. On Sunday we decided to go around 9:30am. We got there at 10 and there were already a ton of people there. We just hung out and played cards until the show was to start. It finally started at 2:30pm and boy was it starstudded. Below I found a list but it’s definitely not everyone that was there.
Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Bono, Garth Brooks, Sheryl Crow, Renee Fleming, Josh Groban, Herbie Hancock, Heather Headley, John Legend, Jennifer Nettles, John Mellencamp, Usher Raymond IV, Shakira, Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, will.i.am, and Stevie Wonder. Among those reading historical passages will be Jamie Foxx, Martin Luther King III, Queen Latifah and Denzel Washington.
So after the concert we went back and hung out. Then on Monday, really early, I made my way to Virginia to spend MLK Day with Mamalama (my Grandma). We had breakfast, then went to help out a food bank, then went back to have lunch and an impromptu birthday celebration for me, then explored Alexandria. It was really pretty and we went to this cool art museum with some awesome, unique pieces. After that we went back to DC. That whole day I didn’t have a phone so I went back to charge it and to get in touch with Whitney, who had just got in that day. We decided to meet up and go out later that night. Suzy came to meet us and took us to the best Gyro place in the city then to a Hookah Bar, then to a nightclub by the Kennedy Center. It was a fun night. Busta Rhymes was there, surrounded and we just danced and drank tequila. It was an all-nighter. We went back to the dorms to change into our warmest outfits and went straight to the Mall to start waiting for the inauguration. There was tons of confusion and tons of people and DC was not prepared for it. We had to get to a specific entrance because we had tickets and no one knew where we could go, not even the sergeant. So we ended up having to push our way through the angry crowd that was getting locked out. Then we waiting in line for a couple more hours, finally getting let in at 7:30am. We got a pretty good seat, close to the Capitol but not close enough to see, and right behind a big TV so we could definitely see. Then the Inauguration started and it was amazing. All our political leaders were there and Obama was finally, officially, sworn-in to become our 44th president. It was also cool when he escorted Bush on to the helicopter and it was uplifting when it took off and left forever. Yay!! After the Inauguration there were so many people and so many road closures that we were all stuck like cattle waiting and waiting. We finally got out and back to the dorms. We then got our stuff and took a train to Maryland, where Whitney was staying. We changed and were on our way again to the Western Inaugural Ball. That was pretty fun. We drank and were merry with all the other westerners. Marc Anthony was playing and Jlo came on for a song, that was interesting. Finally Joe Biden and his wife came and we watched them dance. We were hoping Obama wouldn’t be that far behind because, as you can imagine, we were exhausted. Of course it took about another hour or two for Obama to come but it was worth it. He had a short speech and then they danced (so cute!). After that we left ASAP back to Maryland where we immediately had to pack and leave for the airport. Another night of no-sleep. I was planning on having to change flights three times but the man at the airport gave me a non-stop. Thank God! I pretty much slept the whole time excited for my next journey... to VEGAS!!!
We got to Vegas about 6pm on Thursday and waited for my Mom’s flight. Then we checked in to our hotel, the MGM Grand, and got settled. We went downstairs to the Wolfgang Puck restaurant for some yummy food and then went back to the room to wait for Christopher to fly in. We ordered a bottle of Tequila and went after it right away. We then went out to explore the city. We went to the Bellagio but the fountains were closed already so we went to Planet Hollywood because there was a sign saying two for one drinks. Well we got there and drank a bit and then ate a midnight snack. Then we went to this crazy shirt place and we all got shirts. We got back around 5am and went to sleep. We woke up about 10am the next morning and went out to lunch. That day was another exploring the city. We went to a few hotels to look at their wonder, saw the lions, the fountains, shopped for some dresses for my birthday dinner later that night. We got back to the hotel and went to Shibuya, this amazing tappin yaki restaurant. Then we went to Studio 54 and danced the night away. On Saturday we decided to sleep in. I took Kate on the New York roller coaster, which is a LOT scarier than I thought it was, and then went to see the pirate show. But they cancelled it because of the wind. Sucks! But we just went back to the hotel and out to this awesome Mexican restaurant. After that we went to the KA Cirque du Soleil show at the MGM. It was amazing!! I can’t wait to see another one, maybe “O” the water one. After that I was pretty beat so I went to bed while Whitney went out again and Chris gambled. Sunday morning we had a nice Dim Sum lunch and then headed to the airport.
It was an amazing 10 days and I have to thank Tony for the Washington DC plane ticket, Whitneys Dad, Rob (David ;) for the inauguration ticket, the inaugural ball ticket and the ride to the airport so early in the morning. And of course I want to thank my Mom for my amazing Las Vegas trip and Peter for the Shibuya dinner and the show, and everything else. It was an amazing historical trip to DC and the best 21st birthday ever!