Monday, April 13 2009
Hazards of the Capital Wateland
Last Sunday, I traveled into the heart of the Capital Wasteland that is Washington D.C. The city isn't quite Fallout 3 hazardous, in part because it hasn't suffered a nuclear attack. Still, there are things that the casual tourist should be aware of when making their way through the District.
It all started about two weeks ago, when a friend suggested going in to visit some of the museums that we hadn't been to in a while. Since I had been anting to do this at some point, I said "Sure!". Big mistake.
My friend has been a DC resident for almost a decade. I've lived here for nearly 30 years. Neither of us bothered to connect our little trip and the DC Cherry Blossom Festival which happened to coincide with that weekend. What does the Cherry Blossom festival mean? Well, it's an excuse to hold a number of Japanese or Asian themed events to commemorate the gift of a bunch of trees to the city of DC. It's an excuse for tourists to come see the events and trees. Tourists. Lots and lots of tourists. Mobs of zombie-wannabe tourists, everywhere. I joked that METRO was getting in the spirit of the festival by simulating the Tokyo subway conditions. Somehow, we made it in, and even saw some of the Museum of American History, the Museum of Natural History, and the National Gallery of Art.
While I was looking at the pretty museum exhibits, I should have been paying more attention to the other threat lurking in the city that day. I should have been wishing I had a set of NBC gear from Fallout 3. Why is the Cherry Blossom Festival held at this time of year? Because that's when the cherry blossom trees bloom. Bloom pollen. All over the place. All throughout my sinuses and lungs.
I am a complete and total wreck this week. My head throbs, my sinuses congest, and my lungs cough vile substances. Be warned, tourists, that though DC may still be a thriving city, even the supposedly prepared fall victim to its many threats...
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It all started about two weeks ago, when a friend suggested going in to visit some of the museums that we hadn't been to in a while. Since I had been anting to do this at some point, I said "Sure!". Big mistake.
My friend has been a DC resident for almost a decade. I've lived here for nearly 30 years. Neither of us bothered to connect our little trip and the DC Cherry Blossom Festival which happened to coincide with that weekend. What does the Cherry Blossom festival mean? Well, it's an excuse to hold a number of Japanese or Asian themed events to commemorate the gift of a bunch of trees to the city of DC. It's an excuse for tourists to come see the events and trees. Tourists. Lots and lots of tourists. Mobs of zombie-wannabe tourists, everywhere. I joked that METRO was getting in the spirit of the festival by simulating the Tokyo subway conditions. Somehow, we made it in, and even saw some of the Museum of American History, the Museum of Natural History, and the National Gallery of Art.
While I was looking at the pretty museum exhibits, I should have been paying more attention to the other threat lurking in the city that day. I should have been wishing I had a set of NBC gear from Fallout 3. Why is the Cherry Blossom Festival held at this time of year? Because that's when the cherry blossom trees bloom. Bloom pollen. All over the place. All throughout my sinuses and lungs.
I am a complete and total wreck this week. My head throbs, my sinuses congest, and my lungs cough vile substances. Be warned, tourists, that though DC may still be a thriving city, even the supposedly prepared fall victim to its many threats...
Posted by: Civilis at
05: 27 PM
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1
Hope you're not as twitch as Steven about small corrections, because there's a typo in the post's title.
Posted by: Pete Zaitcev at May 01 12 24 (/ppBw)
2
I am human. I make mistakes. Correct me. Argue with me. Much as I admire SDB as a writer, I do not aspire to be him, only me. I like being corrected, whether or not I agree with your corrections.
My reaction to this is that despite my lack of posting due to depression, I still have an occasional reader! I haven't found anything anime to post about recently, so I'm going to have to post on politics. Thanks for the heads up
My reaction to this is that despite my lack of posting due to depression, I still have an occasional reader! I haven't found anything anime to post about recently, so I'm going to have to post on politics. Thanks for the heads up
Posted by: Civilis at May 05 18 24 (eAUSz)
3
Still reading. Just haven't had much to say, as anybody who's read my blog recently could tell you.
Posted by: Wonderduck at May 06 23 16 (/nYBT)
4
I think a lot of people are in that boat. I want to talk about games and anime and stuff, and yet all I can actually put pen to paper (err... fingers to keyboard ) is politics, and I hate it.
Posted by: Civilis at May 09 15 56 (u++DS)
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