DC: THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY

Woke up feeling pretty over the city, but I had planned to be in the capital for Independence Day (it seemed so appropriate for my American road trip), so I decided to grit it out for a couple more days. I had to move my car in the morning (DC has weird parking laws), so I found a place several blocks away that seemed good in front of a Children’s Health Center with a security guard out front. I set off trying to get in a better city mood, trying to find something that didn’t include museums or spending money.

After passing several embassies (can I technically say I was on Chilean and Peruvian soil today?), I stumbled upon the National Geographic Museum. I figured a free-admission air-conditioned museum is better than wandering aimlessly in the heat, so I explored it a bit. One room with lots of flashy pictures of lions and....that’s about it. Disappointing!

I vaguely remembered seeing posters for a folk-like festival on the Mall, so I hiked down to check it out. Lots of food vendors and music tents, looked pretty fun! I sat down and watched a Puerto Rican band for awhile, and during one of their most lively songs, the old man next to me asked me to dance! Unfortunately, he had no idea how to dance, but he had waited until the last minute of the song to ask me, so the awkward step-hopping he called salsa was very brief.

My mood was starting to lift, and I had just wandered into a tent full of Cuban music when I got a phone call.

The worst thing about a police officer calling you is that they always ask you right off the bat, “how are you today?” when they know they’re about to ruin your day. They told me my vehicle had been broken into and that I needed to come right away.

Thing was, I was all the way down at the Mall and my car was like 26 blocks away. I had no cash on me for a taxi, and no clue how to use the metro or the bus system. There are no Wells Fargo banks in DC, and I couldn’t figure out how to use my card in the other banks’ ATMs. The security guard from across the street had found my bags strewn in the middle of the street, and was holding them for me in his office, but got off work in 15 minutes and really wanted to go, so he kept on calling me and asking where I was. I held it together for about 10 minutes of this, but ended up trying to run the 26 blocks, sobbing, on my phone telling the guy I’d be right there, and stopping at every ATM I came across trying to get cash. It’s actually kind of funny in retrospect, I must have looked like a lunatic. Factoring in the city crosswalk situation didn’t help, and at one point, when an SUV decided to take aim for a large group of pedestrians of which I was a part of, I was so angry I walked right in front of the bumper, crying, with one hand holding my cell phone and one hand held up with my palm out, the universal STOP signal. The driver was so surprised, he and his passenger started mocking me, holding their palms back out to me, and I gave them attitude right back, pointing angrily to the WALK signal. It was all I could do not to try to dent their hood. In retrospect, I wish I did.

When I finally realized I could not run the entire way without getting a taxi, I actually went into a bank and asked for help getting cash. Lame, but I seriously needed help!
With my cash, I hailed a taxi and got to my car. Broken glass was everywhere, and all my bags had been opened and rifled through, but nothing had been taken!! I bet they were pretty disappointed, only finding a backpack full of books, a bag of size seven hiking boots, a bag of feminine hygiene products, and a glovebox with nothing but a can of bear spray (I really wish I could have seen their reaction to that!!) I was still really upset and SUPER over the city at this point, so I went back to Jessica’s, grabbed all the stuff the thieves WISH they’d gotten (my laptop etc), and headed to Baltimore, broken window and all, where my mom’s good friend Theresa lives. Game over, DC.