A Drive Along the Icy Potomac River

For the first time in about three weeks we are feeling next to normal. Both my husband and I had this horrible respiratory virus since before the holidays. The sun is out after several ugly cold, snowy, and windy days. It doesn't matter how cold it is outside - to me - as long as the sun is out. It's just so much more cheerful! On top of that, our niece in Denmark just sent word and a photo that she had her first baby boy; our friend traveling in Burma updated us with her current status; and our friend in England called. It's feeling more like being in the land of the living. We haven't ventured out past the city limits of late, so we took a ride to Great Falls for lunch. Along the GW Parkway, the icy and reflective Potomac River was in full view. There is always something magical about this path. In the distance one sees the major landmarks that remind anyone where they are. The snow almost looks like sand on the beaches in Florida. But the clothes being worn obviously aren't Floridian. The sky is blue, and all is right with the world. Sometimes it takes being sick and stuck in the house several days to appreciate who we know, what we have, and what is around us. It's a good feeling. 

National Harbor

Ever since it opened we never really liked the place. We heard that a Ferris Wheel is being constructed on the waterfront, so we decided it was time to take another ride out to National Harbor. We started out in Alexandria and took the Woodrow Wilson Bridge over to our destination. That route has to be one of the biggest spaghetti freeway configurations in the country. Once there, the place looked as it always did...neither one of us cares for the typical new city construction, the shops and restaurants, or hotels and condominiums. The "awakening" art work that used to be on Hains Point just doesn't cut it in this new location. It gets lost in the backdrop. The Ferris Wheel is not finished yet. The Gaylord Nelson Convention Center is HUGE, and the condominium units all look the same. The metal art at the entrance/exit is just too modern for our taste! The most interesting sight was a human dressed as a chicken crossing the street advertising something or other. There is also talk of MGM Grand setting up a casino near this area. The outlet mall is just down the street. At Christmas time there was snarled traffic all over because the roadways can't support all the visitors. The view from here is Alexandria, a place we really like a lot. One redeeming feature is that you can take a water taxi from here to Alexandria and Georgetown. I guess you could say Alexandria is the old world, and National Harbor is the new. I don't think we'll be coming back for quite awhile. I'm sure they won't miss us.