Surprise party

One of my favorite annual events is Dining Out for Life. I didn't realize it was D.C.'s night when I decided to go out for dinner ... and found long waits everywhere I went! I wound up at a college bar with pretty decent food near GWU.

Kiss kiss, bang bang

I didn't get to visit the Spy Museum (as seen on The Colbert Report). The banner is pretty cool, though.

Final update

Lots of progress in the last month on the round theater construction project. Will anyone miss my monthly snapshots of this big concrete edifice going up?

Not fair

I escape Minnesota for the snowstorm and subzero weather of ... Washington?

Subterranean

I seem to spend a lot of time underground in the Metro tunnels. Sorry about the blur -- they actually keep the lights low there.

The starship lobby

You can't walk a block in Washington without tripping over the national headquarters of some association, law firm, or other lobbying group. I particularly like those that use the Starfleet font.

The man in the middle

Coming "home" to my hotel, I walk through George Washington Circle. The general himself is right there in the center.

Construction update

I know why you follow my blog. It's just to get the monthly update on the theater construction project in D.C. Here it is in February. Looks like another level or two has gone up. 

Bonus! Smart Car sighting!

To infinity and beyond (on foot)

I love the D.C. Metro. Love it. Except when it's time to catch a plane. Northwest leaves from Terminal A, a ridiculously long walk from the Metro stops. This endless hallway is just a small part of the trudge.

Dungeon

My little, drab interior "office" at the college I'm consulting for. I have an antique computer with 13" monitor, ancient laser printer, and some crappy furniture. I'm glad I am not making this a permanent home.

Checking in, again

It's becoming a ritual now. Every month when I visit D.C., I have to check in on the construction of the round theater building. Not as much progress as I would have expected.

Cool beans

My hotel room in D.C. has a kitchenette, complete with coffee maker, grinder, and beans. You can keep your spa services and million-thread-count sheets. This is the best hotel ever.

Donkey and elephant

Outside the Washington Post building. The donkey has pandas painted on it. The elephant (barely visible behind a shrub) has the halls of power (Congress, White House) painted on it. After the election, don't you think they should switch?

Three weeks later

My second working trip to D.C. This building (a theater, I think) has added a few stories. See my October 24 entry for comparison.

Scott was here

My buddy Scott used to visit Washington regularly. They even erected a statue to him!

Hammers and saws

Construction is omnipresent in this part of D.C. This is just one of the dozen or so buildings in various states of creation or remodeling on my three-block walk to work from the Metro.

... or are you just happy to see me?

After three days working in the Waterfront district of D.C., I finally saw some water. Here are the boat slips with a view of the Washington Monument.

Don't drive; use plasma screens instead

The National Geographic Society's M Street facade has a giant marquee blaring out a message thanking me for walking (and thus saving energy, or the planet, or something). The NGS also has floor to ceiling plasma screens showing off their latest specials and an announcer's voice broadcast onto the mostly empty street. I'll have to walk a LOT to counteract that energy waste.

Logan, start your run

I like the run-down '70s futurism of Washington's Metro system. The big concrete cylinders are where we're supposed to live when nuclear war drives us underground. Who wants to be a Morlock?

Our nation's capital

When I knew I was going to D.C. for a job interview, I figured I'd snap the Jefferson Memorial or some other iconic structure for my photoblog. However, I managed to spend two days in D.C. without seeing any of the expected marble edifices. I could have taken lots of pictures of the grim '70s sci-fi Metro subway stations. All those concrete cylinders need to be complete is Logan starting his run.

Here's a tranquil little city park, near the college where I interviewed. Although this neighborhood is called the Waterfront, all I saw was some decayed urban renewal housing stock and a whole lot of cranes ushering in the next wave of urban renewal -- upscale condos.

The park was nice, though. The perfectly circular pond even had ducks.