Long one sorry! but great time

So unfortunately didn’t get to spend much time in ATL and left right after the game and a little dinner. And it’s a nice like 10 hour drive through the south. I couldn’t make it all the way to D.C. In one day cause I left ATL at like 5 and I’m not paying for a $100 some odd dollars for a hotel in D.C. I would use for 8 hours. So a shitty motel 6 or something near Raleigh, NC is good enough for me. Talked to lady at the front and she told me where some good BBQ was and got my rest and woke up at the crack of 10 and got on the road. Found the BBQ place a little bit away. And yea!!! This is southern BBQ. I quickly open up the menu and scan through. I find an interesting item on there. Just a little thing called “BBQ” I had to ask. And the southern boy looks me dead in the eye and says…..”Its BBQ, it’s just BBQ.” I’m sure I just looked stunned. It felt like one of the cartoon characters where my jaw drops to the ground and my tongue rolls out. Or I look into the camera and hold up a sign with a screw and a ball on it. I ask a few other times and trying to use words to ask what BBQ is but I’m so stunned my brain is no longer working. I finally get out of him that it is chopped up pork, So pretty much a pulled pork sandwich, coleslaw and all. Delicious. You get 2 sides so I get the hushpuppies and fried okra. I need to try just BBQ so I ask him for a half order of just the pulled beef, and get another side of hushpuppies. He again is looking at me like I’m crazy getting all this food. I wan to get to D.C. now so I’m eating on the way and F-ing A!!! 2 great meals in 2 days just making me happier than a pig in shit. Collard greens aren’t great cause they again need pepper, and collard greens smell like shit. The fried okra is good, kinda mushy but still good. And the beef was tender and delicious. The BBQ sauce wasn’t my fav but it was like a mustard vinegar based sauce and just not my thing but beef was goooooooodddd. The drive isn’t bad the south is beautiful. Rivers, forest, and lush greenery. I pull into D.C and its weird. You know you’re getting close cause the GPS tells me so. And I look to my right and BOOM…..Pentagon. So awesome!! That’s the way the whole city was. I pulled into Bethesda in Maryland which is like 35 min out of downtown and I’m driving around for like 15 min trying to find my hotel. I have started booking with hotwire now and only getting 3 or more start hotels. I just feel better about being in the city when I have a nice hotel, and most the time when you have a nice hotel its near things you want to be around and not when you are at a shit hole, there isn’t anything around except well….shit. So I finally find it cause I had been circling it for 15 min, but I kept looking at it and saying I can’t be staying at the Hyatt. Is this possible?? It does tell you where you are staying but I wrote it down wrong. So yea the Hyatt, its huge it has 2 restaurants in it and pool and the damn Metro is right underneath it. And it goes right into downtown. I get settled and one of the guys I was talking to in the city when I was leaving told me to go check out the monuments at night. They are apparently lit up beautifully. So I jump on the metro and head on down. First thing on my list is the Arlington National Cemetery. I’ve heard its eerie standing next to all the grave stones so we will see. I get in and make the best decision of the D.C. trip. I get the tour. Its cost like $7 and they tell you all about the cemetery. And you can get off and on as much as you want. I get to see JFK and RFK’s gravesites. And I find out this used to be Robert E. Lee’s property until he decided to be the general of the South. They still have his quarters up at the top names Arlington house. Beautiful view of the whole city. I get to see the changing of the flowers at the grave sites of the unknown soldiers. And I just stand there in the midst of hundreds of thousands of grave stones. I can’t believe how many there are. It’s so sad but I don’t feel sprits but it’s still just so sad. And thinking of how many are here and how many are not here!!! I got really morbid for a while thinking of people I would have known who are here and who aren’t here that I have known and do know now. And it really made me appreciate those people more and the people that fight for us. As if I didn’t respect them enough it makes it just over the top. Everyone should see this place and see the sacrifice of this country and the family’s of these people who have gone to war. So I finish up just as they are closing and grab the metro. I walk outside the downtown metro and I’m just trying to find the Washington Monument, I hope I pick the right way to walk and I get outside the metro which is in a courtyard, and I look up and again Boom!!!! Washington Monument is right there. Shocked the hell out of me. History in person is so fucking cool. Just thinking about the amount of great people who have stood in this town. And walked the same steps I am walking. I grab some food at a pub and have a beer or 2 and wait for the sun to go down. He was right. The Washington Monument is gorgeous at night. I’m walking around trying to find the White House and I just can’t find the damn thing, I’m all backward in this town. But again I turn to the right and BOOOMMMM!!! White House!!! I’m taking pics and a couple walks by and tells me about this great place up the street past the White House. But I still need to take some pics. I walk to the Lincoln Memorial which is kinda far. It looks close but wow I put some miles on my shoes here. So walk by and click some pics of the reflecting pool and see Lincoln in his glory. It’s hot as fuck out to. And walking in jeans and a button up shirt on with my SF Shirt on under (cause I need to have some SF gear on at all times) I’m pretty much dying. I’m sweating out, and giving me a work out on vacation I never signed up for. I’m trying to make it to this place called Founding Farmers which apparently has great cocktails. I getting turned around and walking what feels like 10 miles. I find it and immidetly ask for the bathroom. I walk into the bathroom. I wash my face and hands trying to look somewhat presentable. My face is soaking and I look around for some towels and guess what….Not a towel in sight. They have one of the new fangled hand dryers that you can only fit your hands in. So I’m royally fucked. Well shirt needs to be sacrificed and I’m at a decent place so the SF gear has to go. I’m in a nice restaurant half naked in the bathroom washing myself off like a homeless person in a public toilet. I’m drying myself off with my shirt and trying not to smell everyone out of the place. I grab a seat at the bar and drink first!!! Old fashion, nothing special. They had a decent drink list and awesome people inside. Had a nice short rib, and a ton of drinks. Best part about that is the bartender wasn’t the best in the world but the bar back was a good dude and she tells him to ring me up and there’s no drinks on the bill, he’s says well fuck it looks like you didn’t drink tonight. Free drinks. I of course give them a nice tip and have to get to the metro cause unfortunately the last train out of D.C. is like 11 so I get on get to the hotel and try and find a bar near the hotel. Of course I miss the hotel bars by like 30 min. so I travel outside and walk down the street to what is suppose to be a cool cocktail bar that the people at Founding Farmers told me to go but its closed but thank god there is a bar across the street. Just a pub. BUT!!!! Everything is $3 Not just beer, not just jager shots, everything! I’ll take a line of double Makers please. Cool people and great drinks at $3 lol. I try to make it home. And need some sleep to be able to get the rest of the sightseeing tomorrow and the Nats game.
Not a bad wake up, bringing water, beer and Makers Mark on this trip was a great idea. I’m going to check out the capital building today and walk around and go to the Nats game. I jump on the metro and went right down to the Federal triangle and just walked the city. As I started to feel like I was going to die from the hangover catching up and the heat I look up and the capitol building is there its gorgeous. Walking around it just pulling it all in. Again mind blowing thinking who stood right here and right there. I take a bunch of pics and head to the closest bar to try to feel normal again. I find a nice little place down the street and talk to the bartender. Eat a bunch of food trying to soak up the alcohol from last night and the alcohol she is giving me. Free shots of Jameson. The ball park is about a 10 min walk from here and apparently not in the greatest part of town, which is hard to believe since it’s so close to the capitol building and all the federal buildings. But like the rest of the ball parks they are in bad areas trying to get better. It dons t seem bad and I’m always the first to be scared by anyone walking by me since I do have a sign on my back saying jump me. Anyway I get to the park and grab a cheap ticket. Imidetly as I walk in with my heat on the stupid mascot points at my hat and shakes his head and I get into an argument with a mascot that cannot talk!!! Wow good start to the game. Lol Anyway beautiful stadium. But filled with businessmen in pink collared shirts and such. But the booze is helping me through this and not really paying attention to them cause it’s a decent game. They actually have a good team. They win, meaning another home team wins…..I’ve heard of home field advantage but this is getting weird. Unfortunately I don’t have much time to spend in D.C. tonight cause the game went a little long so jump on the metro and head back up to the bar from last night, but I can’t find it. So I end up walking into about 3 other bars getting a drink at each of them, just a CL Smooth. Then I turn the corner and hey!!! There it is. Finally this town has turned me around!! I grab some more and hit the hay. I need to get up tomorrow and drive up to Philly for some cheese steaks.