Even the Seagulls Left Town

It’s a Tuesday late morning on Capitol Hill. You’d never know by the looks of it - except now there isn’t as much trash on the National Mall because there aren’t any visitors, hardly any traffic, and no food trucks. The place is deserted. You can look in any direction and it feels like we are the only ones left in town. You could say it’s a nice break from all the noise and the crowds, but I won’t even go that far. Even the seagulls have left town. Where there were dozens of them flyers around the reflecting pool last week, there remain just a few. There’s no food to be had so what’s the point? If there are parking spaces in our neighborhood when we come home after lunch in Alexandria that will be the true test. If that’s the case I won’t mind it at all. 

Everything Is Closed on the National Mall

It seemed all we saw were “locals” as we took our walk this morning on the National Mall. It was a very empty space except for the random joggers here and there. Unfortunately for the few who haven’t kept up with the government shutdown news they were very disappointed when they tried to enter any of the Smithsonian buildings. Either a guard instructed them to leave, there was a visible sign to stay out, or a gate was closed. The renovations are still ongoing at the Air and Space Museum and whatever installation is happening at the Natural History Museum. You could still get in to the garden section of the US Botanic Garden. It must be a let down to travel all the way to DC and not be able to get in to all the free museums and such. If I was still working at the Library of Congress I would have to be at work because they are totally funded. I actually would have preferred the days off. At least the city has cleaned up all the garbage that was taking over the Mall space. It was really starting to look disgusting. Hopefully things will get back to normal soon - whatever that is. 

The National Mall and Garbage

It looks like everyone is trying to see whatever is open before the shutdown takes full effect this week. It’s obvious something is amiss because there is an unusual amount of garbage all over the place. And it doesn’t give a very good impression. So on our morning walk we looked to see how busy things were. The line was very long waiting to get in to the trains at the Botanic garden. Being a Sunday morning it’s usually very quiet in town - particularly in our neighborhood. But as we walked the number of people on the move increased. My understanding is that most - if not all - of the Smithsonian buildings will be closed. It would be a pity for all the visitors if that ends up happening. Having worked at the Library of Congress for ten years we had a few shutdowns. I never minded it. But for a lot of people it’s a tough situation. So I hope everyone is able to see what they came here to see before it’s too late. As for us, we visit all these places whenever we like. That’s one big advantage to living here. 

A Very Dreary Washington DC

So this is day 10 of the government shutdown, or day 8 working days off for me - a furloughed government employee. It's dreary enough with a pretty empty town, but the rain makes it even more dreary. And it is expected to last another several days. The rust is more obvious, the sandbags cover the metro access grills, construction has come to a halt. The only bright spots are the neon colored orange cones that are blocking the way to every park entrance, the neon yellow rain gear of the Capitol police - who appear to be the only ones working- and the somewhat colorful umbrellas of the few foreign visitors (who must be really disappointed!) arriving by the fewer and fewer bus loads only to view things from a distance. The neighborhood sidewalks on Capitol Hill are empty. It is very strange around here, and both my husband and I have had a flu/cold thing since it started. It kinda all goes together - don't you think?

A Weird Week in Washington DC

One thing is for sure - the leaves are beginning to turn yellow and lighter, and Fall is inevitably on the way. Other than that, not a lot is very certain around this neighborhood this week.  It's been surreal not having to go to work because of a fourth day of government shutdown. Neither my husband nor I are feeling well this week... we both caught what is more than a cold and less than the flu, but enough to make you want to sleep most of the day. And of course, on top of that, we are experiencing water leaks from the unit above us, and no one seems to want to do anything about it. It's a Friday afternoon and it is a ghost town. Everything is still closed, and the pedestrian traffic is close to nothing compared to the usual bursts of traffic and mayhem.... unfortunately we experienced a little bit of that yesterday afternoon when we were diverted away from the Capitol on our way home, only to find out the reason for it was another unfortunate circumstance. The garbage is piling up on the Mall, and the gates to the monuments, gardens, and parks are closed tight. Who would have thought last year we would have to be thinking about all this nonsense? Last night we received an email from dear friends in Milwaukee, telling us they welcomed a new grand daughter. Finally we felt a surge of normalcy after a week of strange happenings.