DC-4th of July

On Friday, July 4, I woke up at 3:45 am and took the 6:10 nonstop from Raleigh to DC. I landed at Reagan Airport and for a change, I was carrying luggage on, so I didn't have to worry about baggage claim.

As I recall, this was my first time back in DC in exactly one year. Last time was 4th of July, when the Mets lost to Washington 1-0. Anyway, I hopped on the Yellow line of the Metro since it heads right to the Gallery Place/Chinatown station. I was able to get past the turnstile to get on the train, but when I arrived, I couldn't exit the station. My Metrocard didn't work. What's especially strange is I had added 15 bucks the previous day via online transaction but it wasn't showing up yet. The station manager at Gallery Place told me it could take 1-24 hours to show up. But when he tried to add money to my card, that option wasn't on the machine. My Metrocard was just dead. But then he told me that I could use my debit card instead. and it worked great, but in retrospect, I think I should have used a 3 day pass instead. For 17 bucks, it would have saved me around six bucks .

So my first stop was the Hampton Inn hotel, near the Convention Center and Chinatown. Only 3 blocks from the Metro, the location was excellent. Mom's room was on the 8th floor. She was leading a student tour of DC for the weekend so I had access to the hotel room for free. That's kind of how the whole trip got planned. But since she had her tour duties, I had most of the two days to do as I pleased. 

My first spot was the Navy Yard for Nationals vs Red Sox, an early 11 am start. And since the Mets weren't in town, I felt no nervousness about who was going to win. After getting off the Green line, I walked across the street to the Bullpen, the outdoor bar I always go to before a Washington game. They always have some live music and cornhole going on. I took down two peach vodka lemonades before heading into the stadium. then it was two happy hour Bud cans. And since it was the 4th of July, just like last year, I got a free 25 ounce Bud. That line took me about 3 innings to navigate! Around the 8th inning, with the Red Sox up by 9, I decided it was a reasonable time to leave.

I went over to Swizzler, local burger and chicken sandwich joint. I saw they had a location in the stadium, but I figured I'd wait until after the game. I had the spicy chicken deluxe sandwich with lettuce, tomato, dill pickles, pepper jack cheese and their spicy chicken sauce. and it comes on a Martin's potato roll that's been griddled. 

One of the best chicken sandwiches I've had in some time. Crispy skin, juicy meat, and good level of heat, but not overwhelming. I got the fries with spud sauce. They were nice and thick but they could've been just a little more crisp. Sauce was fine, it was sort of a burger/thousand island sauce. I drank an Arnold Palmer. Sadly, we couldn't get our own refills. On that hot July day, a second one would've been nice. Still an excellent place to go.

So I took the Green line back to the hotel to clean up and charge the phone. I walked south to the west Capitol lawn for the annual 4th of July concert. I'd never been to one but I know it's broadcasted on PBS every year. And it's free. I arrived around 5 pm and sat in the shade on the sticks for 3 hours. Gosh, I wish I could've had a chair. I had no food or drink, I really didn't know what I could or could not bring into the Capitol grounds. I did have my earbuds so I had plenty of music and I followed the end of the Mets' win over the Yankees. 

The elderly guy next to me left for a minute to get. Turns out it was to get some food for him and his wife. Now I did not see any concessions, only a few water fountains. But he brought me two cans of Brisk iced tea and a plain hot dog. As in just the sausage, no bun, no toppings. As hot and tired I was feeling, I can't recall the last time a drink tasted that right in that moment. And I can't recall the last time I drank a Brisk. But I'll remember this one. I don't think he paid for them, but it was still very generous. 

And it wasn't comfortable sitting on that dirt and those sticks. It seemed I was constantly adjusting my body position for hours. But I knew I needed to be out of the sun. Finally, the concert started at 8. And it was a pretty impressive lineup. Alfonso Ribiero hosted. Performers included Lauren Daigle, Temptations, Trombone Shorty, LoCash, Josh Turner, Yolanda Adams, Abi Carter, Beach Boys, and of course a full orchestra. There was even a section where the orchestra played a medley of all 6 armed force branches, even the Space Force. 

Now as for the fireworks, I didn't get a perfect view. I was standing so far over to the side, that part of the fireworks were obscured by the trees. But it was an excellent show as they lit up all around the Washington Monument. Then I walked 30 minutes through a hot summer night back to the hotel
Dinner wasn't even a thought. I just stopped at Walgreens for a cherry freeze Prime, Dasani water, and trail mix. I wanted to make sure I wasn't dehydrated before Saturday.

Then came Saturday. I woke up at 6:15 am. I ran 4 miles in the gym, as I'm still training for that 10 mile run in 8 weeks. A sweaty mess, I headed downstairs to hotel breakfast, which was 2 cheese omelets, a few potatoes, and a banana. I wanted to eat early before the high school kids came downstairs, which I figured would be closer to 9 am. 

So I cleaned up and took the red line to Friendship Heights, right near the DC/Maryland border.  Then I had to walk east on Military for 35 minutes just to get to Rock Creek Park. I had to take a hike before the actual hike! Military Rd is mostly a hilly, tree-lined residential road, so it wasn't too busy and it was shaded. 

Now the park, I'm not sure what the big deal was. All the travel people online were bragging that it is twice the size of Central Park. But this is not like Central Park. It's not flat, or open, nothing like that. It's more like the Appalachian Trail. Hilly and woodsy. If I'm going back, I'm wearing my hiking boots!

So I walked down one trail for a half hour to a spot called Peirce Mill, and yes that's spelled accurately. 
From there, I walked back west to the red line, though this was a much shorter walk, maybe 15 minutes. And a good portion of that beginning was way uphill. 

I had built up quite the appetite but an even more powerful thirst. There was only one place to go and it was Bub and Pops, my favorite sandwich spot in DC. And it was the first day of their new location
As I found out, the landlord tried to double their rent and so after nearly a year of issues, they moved out. Their new location further east near Union Station. So I took the Red line to the Noma section of DC. 

And it's a new spot with duckpin bowling, billiard tables, arcade games. And instead of ordering at the counter, they have two kisoks instead. I went with the Hebrew hammer with corned beef, turkey, roast beef, Swiss cheese, spicy mustard, slaw, thousand island, crispy local Italian semolina roll. I added a side of hot cherry peppers for 50 cents. Just a fantastic sammich. The crispiness of the roll was insanely good. crisp veg, hearty sauces, sharp cheese, good quality meats. 

Arlene, the mom of the main cook, chatted work me for maybe 10 minutes about the business. They  even recorded a video of me with my thoughts on the sandwich! 

My issue is some of these prices. I can accept paying 16 to 18 bucks for a big sandwich like I had. But it's everything else that bugged me. $3.50 for a bag of their chips. 3 bucks for a plain cola, plus a dollar for adding a flavor, and no free refills. 5 bucks for a side of pickles. They told me it was a good size portion, but come on, to get a sandwich like that, it's incomplete with no pickle.

Then it was time for my second religious experience. It was the Red line to the Blue to Federal Center and a one block walk to get to Museum of the Bible. 

And thankfully I was able to score a 25 percent discount off my ticket price. It was my third visit to this museum but I feel like it's a way of going to church. The history, the translations, the stories, the impact, the influence. I wish every Christian could go. And every Jewish person, every Muslim, every agnostic, and every atheist too. 

After that run, that walk, and all of it, my feet were just pounding. I needed some time in the hotel to recover before dinner. After taking the Green line, I wound up getting back to the Hampton Inn around 5 pm. Then we took the D80 bus to the Georgetown section to have dinner at Filomena, a legendary Italian restaurant. It felt very much like New York or Boston. I'm talking about the grandmothers making the fresh pasta right there in the window when you walk in. Then you walk down a flight of stairs and it's a step back in time. A very old school feel with dim lights, tuxedoed waiters, all with thick various accents. Aged furniture, the kind I would have seen in my grandparents house. I was looking for the couch covered in plastic. Huge old school cash register on the bar. Enormous dessert case. Sadly 90 percent of the desserts had chocolate in them.

Ok on to the order. We got a basket of thick cut bread, a little focaccia, some Italian, and some wheat. And the Italian bread was warm, thank goodness. It came with a dish of olive oil with parsley and I think they mixed in a little black olive in there, it had that kind of flavor to it. I got a side of two meatballs for myself. Very good meatballs, not overly large, but they were fine. Mom had linguini with shrimp, scallops, and lobster meat. The Sunday sauce was a little bit heavy, but the seafood was excellent quality and cooked perfectly. I had the rigatoni and sausage with vodka sauce. Three huge links of homemade sausage on top. Seriously, I barely finished my meal. It was to the point of deep breathing. Actually, I took one piece of the bread and a meatball back to the room and it was a fine mid day snack on Sunday. Dessert was not even an option. We got back and I just collapsed on the bed.

We were up Sunday at 530, and I was super groggy. I think I was still full from the night before. But we took the Yellow to Reagan Airport and flew to Charlotte. The nonstops to Raleigh were not looking good. Getting to Charlotte was easy. But getting on the flights to Raleigh was going to be much tighter. I wasn't worried since we had 7 flight options to Raleigh over the course of the day. And despite being on the bottom of the 14 person standby list, we still got on the 11 am. 

I'm glad mom's touring season is over for a while. But I'm worried with five doctors appointments coming this week, that things could change going forward 

DMV Debacles

So it's been about one year since I moved from Newport News to Raleigh. I had heard horror stories about the DMV in North Carolina. It's not fun in any state, but in this one, it's a disaster. The state is growing and the staffing just isn't there. 

Well, the time had come to get my new license after a year of living in North Carolina. My Virginia license expires this year, at then end of July, which is my birthday. Now I had been able to set a DMV appointment for August 22. Just one problem. I have travel plans now during the second weekend in August. And as part of that travel, I have to rent a car. And if my driver's license is expired, I can't rent said car. That means I have to do a DMV walk in.

Now there are many DMVs in our fine state. On weekdays, they do appointments only from 7-12 and them walk-ins from 12-5. Then a few select DMVs have walk in hours from 8-12. So since my job let's me work half days on Friday, I thought let me just try this. Let me go over to the DMV right after work. 
5:40 am. Well I stood outside the office in line for 3 damn hours and I never got inside. Complete fail.

So then, I decided to try that coming Saturday. And I decided I would get there super early. Early before the sun even thought about coming up. I woke up at 5 am, had my yogurt and trail mix, and drove the ten minutes east to the Avent Ferry Shopping Center. 

By 5:30 am, the line was already forming. this time, I had a lawn chair, I had two books, a headset, a phone charger. I was ready. Stationary, barely moving for 2 and a half hours. That's just sitting, reading, watching videos, not really doing much of anything. Just wanting to get my damn license. But most of all, you try to not look at the clock. Because that only slows time down. 

Around 7 am, the DMV official guy started counting customers. I was #37. By the time the building opened, there were over 280 customers on line! 

So around 8:10, I got to the door. I had my documents ready in my forest green folder. Virginia driver's license, passport, voter's card, SS card, utility bill, and an insurance document. Everything I needed. Until the good ol' boy official asked for my proof of insurance. All I had was proof of liability insurance which was based in Virginia. Nowhere on the DMV website was it expressed I needed North Carolina car insurance. Not to mention it had to be printed. Couldn't go to a phone app. It had to be printed. 

And the truth is I never changed the insurance from Virginia, which I should have probably done. So what was I going to do? Argue? Yell? Cajole? Cry? Threaten? It wasn't going to make a difference, I left, and drove straight to the plasma bank to donate. Got some deliveries in, I made a little bit of money. But the task remained undone. 

Fast forward two days to Monday, June 9. I realized I had to print my insurance card since State Farm does not mail them automatically anymore. You can print them or request they be mailed. Since I had issues printing them, I called the office in Virginia to ask how I could have proof of coverage. And that's when I found out my insurance had to be based in North Carolina to get the North Carolina driver's license. 

And it was time for another phone call, this time to the State Farm office who handles my renter's insurance. The current plan is in eight days, on Tuesday, I'll speak to the office again and I'll make a payment if needed. I'm not sure if I'll need to because I just paid for my car insurance from May-November in Virginia. So I guess I'm putting their billing department to work. I hope the money I paid can just be applied to North Carolina insurance to save a few steps. And from there, they can send me the cards and statement of declarations. Then on Thursday and Friday, I have my two days off for Juneteenth and I can go to the DMV then for the license. And then from there, it's time to change the license plate, title, and registration. It's like the Holy Trinity of car torture.

So fast forward to Juneteenth. The Thursday I had off. I decided to take a chance and drive to a small town, taking the chance that I would have a shorter line to deal with. An hour north of where I live is Oxford, definitely not a major town. When I arrived at 11 am, there were only about 8 people outside. And with appointments starting at 12 pm and going until 5 pm, I felt pretty optimistic that I might get in. So there I was outside on a little dirt patch in a decent amount of heat, but thankfully, in the shade as well. It took till 1 pm to get inside the building. And we had been told from 1-3, there would be 3 people working, but other than that, it would be 2 people from 11-1 and again from 3-5. 

I remember sitting in that narrow hallway, there were a lot of bugs flying around! And it was also interesting there was a DMV TV station on the monitor, which was he most generic stuff possible. Sports standings for Carolina teams, recipes, weather reports, 30 second cartoons, etc. 

We had to check in when we entered the building. We had to explain why we were there and we were given a number, in my case, it was H264, or something like that. I do remember the H, anyway. So it took 2 hours, but shortly after 3 pm, I got in. I walked to Station #2 and it took about 30 minutes for me to get my stuff done. But I walked out with my 60 day temporary driver's certificate. It was a very relieving feeling. I mean I knew I was going to get it done that weekend, but to know I'd crossed that barrier was a major feeling of relief.

So then it was a waiting game for my license to arrive in the mail. I was told 2 weeks, but 9 days later, it was a Friday, there was the DMV envelope was there in my mailbox. And inside was my long awaited driver's license. Backside of it had my face underneath a horse. Not sure why North Carolina finds that appropriate, but ok. Not only that, but in NC, your hair color is listed on the license. I never had that in Virginia. And they decided to list my hair as black, which it never was. But hey, it's better than "None."

So then I knew I had to update the title, registration, and license plates. And those offices are a much shorter wait, but the hours are more limited. They're never open on Saturday, plus they're only open from 8:30-5. So I would have to go on my work break. So I went the next Tuesday afternoon to the Cary office with my license, title, and insurance. Maybe 7 or 8 people were ahead of me but I got to the booth in about 20 minutes. I couldn't hear everything clearly, there was a lot of noise around, plus the plexiglass shield, muffled the sound up. But apparently, I was going to be charged $4--.67. I couldn't hear the second and third numbers, but I clearly heard the first, followed by the word "hundred." Now for plates, title, and registration, I can understand it costing a little bit, but this much?! And apparently, they charge more if you use a card to pay. I was ready to pay, but they also wanted $8 in cash. Why I had to pay $8 in cash but $400 plus on the card it makes very little sense. But as it turns out, I only had $5 in cash. And I knew I didn't have the time to drive 10 minutes to BOA, get cash, drive back, and go through the process. So I simply said I would come back the next day. But later that night, I hit up my ATM for $500 in cash. I was sure I'd get security alerts that I had withdrawn too much money. 

Thankfully, I got through that without a hitch. I waited about another week since the local office was taking a 4 ay weekend for the 4th of July. I returned on Tuesday; I figured I should wait a day after they opened. Well I showed up on Tuesday afternoon, the line was about 25 people. I got everything taken care of for a mere $458! And then I went online, surrendered my Virginia plates, and that was the end of the saga.