Tyson’s Galleria - an Option for Walking on a Rainy Day

When I retired we decided we would walk rain, shine, sleet, or snow. Well, I’ve just about had it with the rain, sleet and snow part. I don’t like the idea of falling on my face slipping on a wet or icy surface. In the heat of the summer we would walk at Union Station. Now that we moved to Virginia we have a couple of options. We can use the fitness center in the condo building - which neither one of us likes - or drive two miles from a secure parking space underground to another covered parking space at Tyson’s Galleria. I much prefer walking outside, but on a rainy day like this I’m all for taking the short ride and walking about seven times around the mall for a little over two miles. The mall is open very early and there are many visual stimuli along the way - from storefront window displays to all the variety of people who are there for the same reason we are. We used to drive from Capitol Hill to Tyson’s Galleria every once in awhile in the summer months, so it’s not an entirely new experience. I really dislike the rain even from the inside of the house. And we don’t really have a place to put all the wet clothes and gear when we come back home. So this is a great compromise if we plan to keep up with our daily walking routine. One if these days we should try the exercise room - we just need to find a good time when no one else us there. 

Asking for Directions

It can be hard to find your destination in DC. The Capitol building is dead center and everything branches out from there in to four quadrants. So it’s really important to know what quadrant the address is in - NE, SE, NW, SW - because the same named street can be found in more than one quadrant. Ironically we had two people ask us for directions this morning while we were taking our usual promenade. One person was heading south towards us on First Avenue right by Capitol South Metro. He asked if we could help him find fourth street - but it was NW - in the opposite direction he was heading. For whatever reason he didn’t have a phone with google maps so I looked it up. Rather than explain, we told him we were walking in that direction anyway. So we chatted and learned he just came in town yesterday from Miami and needed to do some business at this address. When we got to Union Station we parted ways with four blocks more for him to go heading west. On our way home we were stopped by a car asking if we could help another person find Oklahoma Avenue NE. This person had a phone but it wasn’t working. So I looked up her address and she had a ways to go but needed only to make two right turns. I hope they both made it to their final destinations. When I worked at the Library of Congress I would take walks in the hallways in the afternoon to stretch my legs. It was not uncommon for people to ask me for directions. My husband and I must look like locals, or maybe approachable. Either way, we were glad to help. 

A Drive Along the GW Parkway

After lunch in Alexandria, we headed towards Mount Vernon along the GW Parkway. It is one of my favorite rides all along the Potomac River. And being a holiday weekend with weather that is still reasonable to walk in, there was a lot of activity. The parking lot was filled at George Washington's house, and there were plenty of walkers, bikers, and runners all along the path back to Alexandria. And if you are interested in water fowl, the geese and ducks were aplenty. Oh, and did I mention all the pooches? It wasn't quite a sunny as was predicated, but it didn't seem to bother the new year revelers. You never know what you'll see along the parkway. We haven't spotted any eagles for quite some time, but there remain a lot of nest remnants from season's past. Let's hope we see a few of these magnificent birds in the spring. It's such a great place -  for them and for us. 

The First Walk in a Month

I can't believe it's been a month since I took a stroll with my husband to the Mall. Both of us had a terrible respiratory virus that kept us in the house the entire time. We didn't even see the Capitol Christmas tree lit up this year and told our relatives to stay away. I went back to work last week, but that's just two blocks of short bursts of pedestrian travel from our house to the Library. As long as the sun is out I can stand the cold, so we headed out before lunch for a walk. It's strangely quiet before noon. There were locals running, but few tourists. I suppose most things don't even open until noon. The duck pond by the American Indian Museum was frozen over. No ducks or hawks flying at them could be seen. There were several morons waking in the reflecting pond in front of the Capitol in spite of the clearly marked signs that say not to do that. There were many ice patches on the frozen sidewalks, and I lost my balance on one of them. Thank goodness I'm always holding my husband's arm. This is the kind of weather orthopedic surgeons must love. I was thinking about a wonderful green long feather coat I had in Milwaukee that I wore all the time in the frigid Midwest. I never thought I would ever need something like that here. What a mistake. In spite of it all I am happy to finally get back to somewhat of a routine. Wonder how long it will last this time?