So, I believe that today is my last day of guest blogging. I hope that I gave you some interesting tidbits, here and there, about myself, Washington, DC, and other things. Heh… anyways, this is kind of a free-for-all post so bear with me, ‘kay?

1. POINTERS FOR DC TOURISTS

This first point is very important and it is the most unspoken rule of DC:

When you’re on an escalator, especially going down/up to the Metro, stand on the right and walk on the left. Even if you’re talking to the people in front of you, on the side of you, move so that you’re standing on the right. If you have a group of 20 people, make them all stand on the right. I’ve never been to any city where this rule is so important but it is. Many people commute via the Metro and many are in a rush, so they’ll get angry if you’re standing on the left side. So please, please, if you don’t get anything out of this post, just remember this.

Onward to other pointers…

- You might think that this is common sense but there are people out there who don’t know this and make absolute fools of themselves when pointing at the Capitol and telling her family, “That’s where the President lives!” You don’t want to end up on any of the Overhead in DC posts.

• The President and his family lives in the White House, not the Capitol.
• The Capitol is the large white building with the dome at the end of the National Mall. The White House is the not really that big white mansion across from the Washington Monument, and not really on the Mall.
• The National Mall is not a shopping mall.
• The Smithsonian isn’t just one museum; it’s a collection of 19 museums, most of which are on the Mall but some are in other places.
• DC isn’t a state, nor is it part of Maryland or Virginia. It’s a District, hence DC stands for “District of Columbia.” The city’s name, itself, is Washington.

- Whenever you’re going to any memorial, monument, museum, government building, etc., please check beforehand about restrictions on items that you’re bringing in. Uber-large backpacks are a definite no-no so yeah, common sense wins again.

- Driving in DC is somewhat terrifying if you’re not used to it. I’ve driven in NYC and to be honest, DC is kind-of worst. Unlike NYC which is mostly grids, DC has circles and squares and triangles to deal with as well as the streets and avenues of numbers, letters, states, and the occasional “American” word like Independence.

• There are some conspiracy theories out there about the layout of the streets. Eh… I don’t think much of it. The Capitol is the center of the city, although it might not seem like it. However, it’s the divider of the four quadrants: NW, SW, SE, SW. Most people stay in the west side of the city.
• If you are given the address: 314 J Street, NW, you were given a bogus address, because J Street doesn’t exist due to confusion with J and I. Although, every once in a while instead of “I Street,” you will find “Eye Street.”
• If you do decide to drive in the city, bring lots of quarters. Parking garages, like in most major cities, are extremely expensive so on-street parking is ideal. However, check the meter because most downtown locales have 15 minutes for quarters, thus lots of quarters if you plan on staying for a while.
• Along the lines of my last post: make sure to check the street signs when parking on the street. They’re very ticket and tow happy in the District, moreso downtown than elsewhere. There may be a sign that says “2 Hour Parking between 9am and 4pm” and that might suit your needs, but further along the street, there may be a sign that says “No parking or standing between 4pm and 6:30pm” and another sign that says “No parking during street cleaning from 7am to 9am on Wednesdays.” So, yeah. Check all the street signs near your car, especially on a busy street. You don’t want to get towed (it has happened to me twice thus my advice… heh…)
• Several areas in the city have narrow streets that are still two-ways along with cars parked on both sides of them. Georgetown is one of these areas. I drive a SUV and I’m used to it, but my dad hates driving on streets like that, thus the reason why I drive in the city. If there’s another car coming towards you on these streets, you might feel like you’re playing chicken. Drive slowly and make note of any gaps in the parked cars. If you feel like you’re gonna hit the car that driving down, go to the space of the gap, let them get by you, and then continue driving. Sometimes, they’ll do it if they notice that you can’t do it.
• It isn’t uncommon to see cars do U-turns in the middle of the road. So watch out for those as well.
• Some streets are one-way at certain parts of the day. Rock Creek Parkway is one of them. It goes North during the morning rush hour and South during the evening rush hour. Some streets change patterns during certain parts of the day. Connecticut Avene is one. Some times are two lanes in one direction and four in the other while all the rest of the time it’s three in both directions. Just look out for signs and what the other cars are doing. Best not to be caught when they’re switching.
• DC Police cars usually have their blue and red lights flashing. They aren’t pulling you over and will laugh if you do because you think you’re getting pulled over. They’re only pulling you over when their siren is on and maybe even their spotlight.

- The best way to get around the city is using the Metro, our subway system. I don’t take the Subway in NYC so I couldn’t tell you the difference but I’ve been told the Metro is much simpler.

• There are five lines: red, orange, yellow, green, and blue.
• Most of what you’ll be want to see is on the red line, which is, for the most part, the main line of the city.
• Some stations have different entrances, like a K Street entrance and a L Street entrance, but if you exit the wrong one, it usually isn’t too far to get to the right one.
• The orange and blue share tracks in the city center as well as the yellow and green, so either line is fine if you’re staying in that area. However, if you’re heading out of the area and need to be in a specific line for a certain stop, make sure that you do so before getting on a train. Example, if you’re in Chinatown and you need to get to the Airport (Reagan/DCA), you shouldn’t get on a green train but a yellow because that’ll take you to the airport, although the green and yellow share a track at Chinatown.
• There are signs listing the stops of the trains so check those to make sure you’re getting on the right one. The Metro conductors along with the digital signs will say the direction of the train, which as ” Red line heading to Glenmont.” So, make sure that the stop that you want is between where you are and Glenmont. If it isn’t, then you’re on the wrong train/platform.
• Most platforms are shared between the trains (train-platform-train). However, at the main stations (Metro Center, Dupont Circle… I think), the platforms are separated (platform-train-train-platform). So, at those stations, make sure to be on the right platform.
• Common sense again, but just putting it out there: Do let people out of the train before entering the train. Same thing goes with buses.

2. Basic DC Tourist Things

- Many people visit the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial (the wall), the Korea Memorial (the statues), the Jefferson Memorial, the National Air & Space Museum, the American History Museum, and the National Museum of Natural History. Here are some of my suggestions for more touristy places than I previously mentioned:

• FDR Memorial: It takes some effort to get there but it’s really nice. It’s been gaining more popularity over the years but because it’s off the beaten path from the others, it still isn’t too crowded. Except of course during the summer months when the tour buses come rolling in.
• World War II Memorial: This is the newest memorials and it’s between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument. Many people go and find their state and take pictures in front of it. Just do me a favor, please don’t walk in the fountain/pools. I’ve seen people do that and it gets on my nerves, especially the pool in front of the Freedom Wall.
• US Holocaust Museum: You might remember in June that a security guard was killed in the line of duty at the museum by a radical. It saddens me that those feeling of discrimination still run rampart in our country. However, it goes to show that people pull through together in light of such tragedy and not be scared. So, go to this museum to remember the past so that we will have a better future.

- If you want to tour the White House, contact your US representative or senator to get tickets (or embassy if you’re a foreign visitor). Requests must be made at least a month in advance and there’s not guarantee that you’ll get in.

- If you want to tour the Capitol, there are three ways to do so: book on-line,  go through your Congress member, or wait in line the day-of to see if you can get tickets.

- If you want to tour the Pentagon, there are two ways to do so: book on-line or go through your Congress member.

Please note, if you have requested tours for the White House or the Pentagon, the following security information will be required: full legal name, date of birth, social security number, and city and state of birth for each participant on your tour. For security reasons, this information must be submitted at least two weeks in advance of your requested tour dates.

Remember all of the memorials, monuments, and government buildings are free and most museums are free. If someone offering to sell you a ticket to tour the Capitol, please don’t buy it.

3. At last…

This has absolutely nothing to do with DC. Heh… Just saying it.

Wednesday is my 23rd birthday. My aunt is coming down from NYC tomorrow and my parents are flying up on Wednesday. So, yay!

This past weekend, I did my own little thing and traveled to Lancaster, PA (Amish country) and went to a screening of “Taking Woodstock” where one of the actors, Jonathan Groff, was there to meet and greet people along with having a Q & A. He’s from Lancaster, thus the reason he went home to have a “premiere” of sorts. He, himself, is more of a stage actor and was nominated for a Tony for his role as Melchior Gabor in “Spring Awakening.”

On that note, does anyone have like a list of “celebrity boyfriends” (or girlfriends)? He’s definitely on that list, along with The Office‘s John Krasinski and Ed Helms, NCIS”s Sean Murray and Michael Weatherly, Dr. Horrible‘ Neil Patrick Harris and Nathan Fillion (yeah, I know that they’re on other shows but I’m grouping people… heh..), Chuck‘s Zachary Levi and Adam Badwin, and Private Practice‘s Taye Diggs. I must say that of the three that I’ve met on that list, they were all incredibly sweet, funny, and nice. One day, I hope to meet the rest and hopefully never be disappointed. Yeah, I’m not much for movie-only peeps, apparently. Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, and Joel McHale are the alternatives of the top ten. LOL.

Anyways, that’s it for my last post. Yay! Thanks again for reading. Thanks, John, for putting up with me. I started a Tumblr if you wish to follow my antics. Heh… Take care, everyone!

~M