At the end of the walking tour, I ask our guide for a couple of recommendations for food and drink. He suggests The original Ben’s Chilli Bowl, a Washington landmark, and where countless people in the public eye have dined, from Presidents to movie stars to foreign dignitaries.
It’s a short bus ride up to U street, part of Washington’s uptown bar and restaurant district. The public transport decision again comes to the fore.
As promised, Ben’s is iconic – all the fixtures and furnishings are original, and there is a sea of famous faces on the photo walls. I order both of their icons – the original chilli dog and a small cup of chilli con carne. They are delicious, but are not leaps and bounds ahead of other chillis I’ve eaten elsewhere or made myself.
From here, it’s a short walk to the recommended rooftop bar, Marvin’s, named after the great Marvin Gaye. On the way I avail myself of the opportunity to take a snap of V street for obvious reasons.
Once upstairs I walk into a throng of people, dancing, talking, just having fun. The crowd is predominantly black, though I’m not the only caucasian, and I mention this not because it’s intimidating but because I realise that I am the proverbial “whitest guy in the room”. Not by colour, but by mood.
Every one here is exceedingly cool, from huge guys smoking on cigars, laughing and greeting each other in rapid language I don’t use, to girls dancing with abandonment and freedom – there is no shame or self-consciousness here. Now I’m more than happy to dance and laugh, and as many of you know there are times in my life where I have no shame, but today is not one of them.
Today I’m introspective, and this is not the place for me. Another day I suppose, but I manage one quick beer before I leave those with more exuberance to themselves. I find a nearby place that is less densely packed, stop in for a couple of quiet beers and then it’s time to jump back on the metro and head for home.
The next morning is an early rise, and another jump on the metro back into town. Today it’s the other sights for me – the White House, the Smithsonian, the Capitol building, the Library of Congress, the Supreme Court. I spend the day walking, going through security checks, seeing the many places I have read about or seen on tv and in movies.
It is an experience to savour.
Whilst I miss a sitting of the Supreme Court by a couple of hours (they sat for a short time in the morning), I do get my Library of Congress reading card (a permanent reminder) as well as sitting in the House of Representatives watching a vote (unspeakably routine and boring). Repeating the same in the Senate seems redundant, but I at least get my “seasons pass” for both Houses – individually numbered admission cards that all.
The White House is what it is, the Library of Congress is huge and ornate and the Capitol under repair outside and in. The Smithsonian has 19 different options (I choose the air and space museum).
It is a long day, and I finish up just as it hits peak hour. I don’t want to face a packed metro, so I wend myself to a DC bar and take a load off. Within a short while I’m happily chatting with 2 lawyers working at the Dept of Justice out for a post work de-stress – Tim and Jen.
Over the next few hours we range from Tim’s desire to open up a pizza and beer bar in Central America, to the military, to the Constitution, Trump and American politics. Informed, independent thought seems the norm here – and I can think of worse places to work and live.
Eventually however we all bid each other good night, they catch Ubers and I make my way to the nearest metro for the trip home.
Washington has certainly not disappointed.
