Speaking of which ....

Speaking of Watergate and Kennedys, I used to work as a personal trainer in the rather crappy gym located within the Watergate complex back in Fall 2001. One of the famous gym patrons at the time was Sargeant Shriver. We also had several other famous Washingtonians, in the political arena and otherwise. Thus earning DC the name "Hollywood for Ugly People", in my opinion.

My fellow alumni

So, the newly revealed Deep Throat (Mark Felt) turns out to be a graduate of the George Washington University, having received his bachelor of laws in 1940. Iwonder what it has been like for him at reunions (if he went) the last 30 years, when people ask what he has been up to since they last saw him? Hmmmmm ......

Another famous GW alumna is Jackie Kennedy Onassis, whom the university named a dormitory after her after she died in 1994. He bachelor's degree can be seen at the Kennedy Library and Museum in Quincy, Massachusetts (along with her preserved wedding gown, jewelery, and much other Kennedy paraphernalia.)

When and Where? 9:30!

The 9:30 Club in DC just celebrated its 25th anniversary. The name is very clever -- all the main acts of the music shows started at 9:30 pm, and its original address was 930 F Street, NW (it since relocated to V Street.)

I saw Blues Traveler there in May 2001. That was one great show! John Popper had lost a lot of weight since playing at AU in 1993. The band also all came out wearing those ski caps with "FBI" and "CIA" on them, which street vendors sell to tourists down by the Smithsonians.

Tax Day helpers!

Happy Tax Day!

I remember in DC on Tax Day in the late 1990s, the postal workers at the Friendship Heights post office on Wisconsin Avenue, NW would stand outside and take people's stamped envelopes of tax returns for them as they drove by in their cars.

ever more esteemed journalism

Here is the link to my graduate school The George Washington University's newspaper

www.gwhatchet.com

Enjoy!

Favorite neighborhood

I Love Georgetown, the DC neighborhood surrounding the university of the same name.

Georgetown was formed in 1751 on the banks of the Potomac River. It originally existed as a separate town with whom Washignton traded, but as urban sprawl took over, the town was annexed to Washington in 1871.

Attractions in the area -- besides the shopping, bars, restaurants and nightclubs -- include the Old Stone House which is a free museum preserved just as it was in 1751; the C&O Canal, where you can take a barge ride pulled by mules (yes, people actually do this, it is such a smelly ride); the Exorcist steps -- that long stone flight of steps which the priest fell down in the 1973 movie), and the spires of Georgetown University.

Bars I went to in January:

Mie & Yu on M Street (a very beautiful Morroccan-inspired restaurant)

Modern on M Street (I recall this used to be the sports bar "Champions", where I went to a party the night before Clinton's first inauguration in 1993. It's 12 years later, right before Bush's 2nd inauguration, and I end up at the same bar.)

Blue Gin on Wisconsin Avenue (which used to be SportsFans, where we had weekly reports of Marines getting into fights.)

www.georgetowndc.com

Cherry blossom time!

The poodle trees known as the cherry trees (originally a gift from Japan) are now in bloom! These fluffy pink and white blossoms typically last only a few weeks at a time. There is an entire festival that surrounds them, attracting tourists galore to Washington's famed Smithsonian Mall, paticularly the Tidal Basin near the Jefferson Memorial. The festival includes a parade with "Cherry Blossom Princesses'" selected for each state and territory.

My freshman year (1991-1992), my floor in AU's Hughes Hall held an outing that involved renting paddle boats on the Tidal Basin during this time. It was a beautiful fun event!

In recent years (the 2000s), there was concern because a rampant beaver was chewing the trees. He was caught and released elsewhere.

A little-known fact: there is a row of gorgeous blooming cherry trees down Nebraska Avenue, NW near The American University. It is outside the Japanese Embassy.

Nice and neat

If you are ever in DC and you see a homeless person with exceptionally neat nails and/or shoes, that is a Secret Service agent under cover.

It made a whole lot of sense to me one day because I was wondering why a homeless person was sleeping right next to the entrance of the Smithsonian's Museum of American History (a government property) while it was open to the public without its security guards saying a word.

Favorite train station - Union Station

One of the first places I ever toured in DC -- and which remained a favorite through subsequent years -- is Union Station.

Union Station
50 Massachusetts Avenue, NE
Metro: Union Station

This refurbished train station is a work of art in itself. It is immortalized in the 1939 Jimmy Stewart "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington", when Stewart's character arrives by train and sees the Capitol Building outside. The recently-departed Ronald Reagan once said that was the scene that inspired him to pursue politics.

Check out the station's Great Hall (available for charity balls and the like), which boasts real gold on its ceilings. Also of note are the statues of male soldiers ---they used to stand in all their glory but the addition of shields in front of them now renders a PG-rating. And you can't see it, no matter how much you crane your neck. Many have tried and failed.

The station also has several nice shops, a movie theater (which doubles as a church on Sunday mornings) and an international food court. And access to the subway, Amtrak and MARC trains into Maryland.

Bus story 1

I rode the bus a lot in 2000, as my work at that time required me to go into a lot of neighborhoods that were not served by a subway station (Metro being the name of the subway in DC.)

I remember one time some woman stood next to the bus driver as he was driving, no less, and kept giving him hugs, and he would smack her away with one hand. The other hand was on the steering wheel.

Glad safety is such a priority!!! (sarcasm)