Holy goodness, it has been too long Friends! We have two big items to report since you last heard from us, and I will start with good news first and then end with awesome news. So firstest: since this blog is published online, I guess this post is my official announcement that I have taken a leave of absence from law school as of earlier this month. I am currently looking for work in the Philadelphia area, so, you know, it never hurts to think of me if you hear of any openings! Please and thank you. I call this "good news" because it was a decision Danielle and I made together based on my goals and interests, rather than a leave in bad standing with the school or because of personal tragedy. I am excited to begin pursuing a new dream, and even more excited to figure out what that dream will be!
Secondest and most awesome, Danielle and I recently hosted my parents and sister on the East Coast for a Spring Break trip to New York City, Washington, D.C., and Philly! This six-day crazy fest was exhausting but absolutely a blast. Sparing the excruciating details (maybe):
NYC was our first stop, beginning with mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Midtown Manhattan. As it happened, our visit was almost exclusively within Midtown, but that is where the sights are! Like Danielle told me: people actually live and work in rest of the city. Before mass began we spent some time trying to find street parking, but eventually I got frustrated and turned into a parking ramp. Amazingly, the ramp charges a flat rate on Sundays, and pretty cheap, too. SO we took them up on their offer and left the car there all day. After mass we trekked up to F.A.O. Schwarz and then through Central Park to get to the American Museum of Natural History. I don't think we actually got any pictures there, but imagine a museum a lot like the one from Night at the Museum, since they are one in the same.
After AMNH we headed back in a southerly route to pick up the car and check into our hotel, the beautiful Affinia Dumont, situated three blocks from the Empire State Building and two blocks from a 7-Eleven! And, because it's New York, right across the street from a Duane Reade. The place was great, and, after checking in and relaxing for a bit (we must've walked a thousand miles that day), we ate at the Barking Dog next door. The food was decent, but our poor waitress spoke not-so-good English, unfortunately. Anyway, we capped off the night with a trip to the 86th floor of the Empire State Building, the tallest building in the world at 103 floors until the World Trade Center topped it in 1971. Breathtaking, and better than advertised.
The next day in NY we spent another good chunk of time walking around, seeing the classic sights: Grand Central, Times Square, Rockefeller Center (including the Top of the Rock observatory), and a Circle Line Cruise around Manhattan. The cruise was (I am NOT kidding) a 3-hour tour around the entire island, and we saw such things as the Brooklyn Bridge, an up-close view of the Statue of Liberty, the financial district, the U.N., Yankee Stadium, so on and so forth. The cruise was also narrated, and a lot of fun! It really put the city in context for us. After that we headed to Top of the Rock, and then explored Times Square at night. In my opinion, there is nothing like Times Square at night. If you disagree, don't tell me. Tell Danielle and she can decide if I will be able to handle the criticism. Finally, we took the NY subway down to China Town and Little Italy, grabbing dinner at one of the many touristy restaurant's on Little Italy's Mulberry Street. The pasta was decent, the wine was awful (but I obviously drank it anyway), and the service was meh, but it's Little Italy: whaddaya gonna do?
So that was New York. The next day, after safely taking the subway back to our hotel and getting a good night's sleep, we headed down the New Jersey Turnpike, through Delaware and Maryland, to Washington, D.C. Our first stop in the nation's capitol was Arlington National Cemetery. On a beautiful, unnaturally-warm March day we hoofed it past white headstone after white headstone, up and down hills, and finally made it to the Changing of the Guard Ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns. If you want to understand the significance of this stuff better, check it out on the internet. At the cemetery, we also saw JFK's tomb and other monuments, but really the greatest impact of the experience, for me, was the beautiful day and the endless hillsides of graves, and both the human tragedy and triumph which they represent.
After Arlington, we braved D.C. rush hour on our way to our hotel in Alexandria, VA. Honestly, the traffic was not terrible, so thankfully we made it just in time for our arrival, and then got supper at the hotel's restaurant downstairs. I had nachos. That night we also used our FREE PAY-PER-VIEW MOVIE in the hotel room to watch "J. Edgar," starring Leo Dicaprio as J. Edgar Hoover. The movie certainly provided some revisionist history and did not beat around the bush, but it was a good time. I would recommend "J. Edgar." Not only was it a good movie, but on our inaugural evening in Washington it was a great movie to get us in the national bureaucratic mood!
The next day we took the metro train from Alexandria into Washington, where we spent a full day touring the Library of Congress, Supreme Court building, the National Archives, and the Washington Mall. In these places we saw some books, sculptures, paintings, other art, old maps, including the roadmaps of our government, A/K/A the Constitution and Declaration of Independence, and LOTS of people. The day again was incredibly bright and warm and wonderful, and we all had a grand time wandering the city, our feet and thighs burning from the week of non-stop walking. We managed to cram in, however, a quick visit to the Smithsonian American History Museum, which included such sights as Michelle Obama's Inauguration gown and the hat and boots of "The Wizard of Oz"'s scarecrow:)
Lastly, we spent the waning sunlight of the day in the Washington Mall, taking the National Park Service's self-guided tour as conveyed via Android App! Seriously: if you are going to do ANYTHING touristy for free, see if there is a free app to accompany the activity. For me, the app really gave some great facts and background for each monument, told you how long it took to walk between each, etc. I found the park to be incredibly beautiful and inspiring, and a great cap to our excursion. Granted, afterward we grabbed a quick supper at Union Station before taking the metro back to our hotel, but in my mind the Mall was the cap.
The next day we checked out of our hotel and headed back to Philly, taking an alternative route: the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. I should look up some history and facts about that sucker, but rest assured it is neat-o! Reallly long, really tall. What's more, the drive took us up through a new part of Maryland and Delaware that sort of reminded me of home, except closer to the ocean. It reminded me of home because it smelled like farm and there weren't many people. Anyway, once back in Philly we took a walk to show my family our neighborhood and the Drexel campus, and the next day we did Philly tourist stuff, which you can check out in our previous posts from last Fall.
So what a great Spring Break! We hope you all enjoy this year's so-far warm weather, and love each other! We will continue to keep you updated as updates occur, particularly with Danielle's law schooling and my job search, since there is little else going on these days...yeah. So, like I said: love each other!
Peace,
Rory and Danielle
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