Falling Into D.C.
by Duncan Walsh (’22)
This past Saturday in Washington, D.C. was wonderful. The five of us decided that going to brunch at The Smith would be the perfect way to celebrate the beautiful weather and the start of the weekend. The crisp fall air rejuvenated us as we walked towards our destination near Ford’s Theatre.
Upon arriving at our destination, we were lucky enough to walk in and get seats immediately. It was such a beautiful day that even if we weren’t living through a global pandemic we would have asked to sit outside.
The highlight of the meal was Sean’s order of Sicilian Baked Eggs, which he described as, “delicious and filling.” During our walk back to the apartment we were in awe with just how nice of a fall day it really was, and Sean and I decided that it was the perfect time to take a canoe out at The Wharf. Thankfully, there was still time to make last minute reservations, so we signed up to take a canoe out for two hours at 3:45PM.
The conditions were perfect. The water was still and glistened in the fall sun. As we carved our way through the water, we enjoyed a stunning view of the Washington Monument.
Sean and I then spent the next two hours recreating on the water and tooling our way along the coastlines. The most exciting part of our time out there was seeing the helicopters. Every 20 minutes or so we’d hear the thumping noise of the rotors and scan our eyes on the horizon. Before long a helicopter would appear in the distance and fly directly overhead extremely low to the ground.
Following our time on the water, Sean and I decided the best way to cap our afternoon would be to walk the distance back to our apartment. After spending 2 hours on the water it felt great to walk on land again.
On our walk back we passed through the Enid A. Haupt Garden which was absolutely breathtaking. As we walked through the garden it was supremely calming to take in the sights and smells of nature of all types. One of our highlights of the garden was the coral reef recreation which Sean thought was really cool.
The next stop was the National Mall. It was golden hour, and Sean and I were blessed to happen upon a row of food trucks.
As we waited for our food, we enjoyed the spectacular sunset behind the Washington Monument. After getting our chicken quesadillas we walked to the steps of the National Archives Museum where we plunked down to devour our food and enjoy the last rays of light before nightfall.
