Washington DC Looks Regal in June

In the days before the big IPW conference here in Washington DC, I got a chance to experience the city for the first time in a few decades.  On Saturday night I went to a party at the Howard Theater, in the heart of Georgetown, and the place was jumping.

Crowds of young people could be heard from blocks away as they waited in line to get into the popular clubs.  I was given a coupon to try out a DC institution, Ben’s Chili Bowl, home of the

famous Half Smoke.

The big hot dog covered with chili wasn’t legendary, but it did satisfy at that late hour. I was impressed with how many people were out and about at 1:45 am. That’s a good sign for any city’s vitality.  I Ubered back to our apartment on P Street in Northwest, a leafy street filled with well kept narrow brownstones, which I was told had improved markedly in recent years.

On Sunday morning we got to see DC from the Potomac. First, we boarded a water taxi for a jaunt up and back in the brown water, full of pleasure boats and we learned that while you can sail, kayak and even paddleboard over the river, you don’t want to go in, or God forbid, drink it. It’s getting better but not swimmable yet. I joined a pack of kayakers and we paddled around in the bright sunshine.

The city is full of such beautiful architecture, displaying the might and wealth of our nation. The giant Federal Archives, building, the former post office that’s now a Trump Hotel, the monuments sitting regally by the Tidal Basin. It’s a truly remarkable array of treasures….and interesting contrasts like the marble Martin Luther King statue and African American Museum, which looks like a crown, stands in contrast to the classic round Jefferson Memorial and Washington obelisk.

It all looks even better from a paddle boat!