Oh man. Talk about getting a lot accomplished in one day!
Because I was going to Virginia today, I took the orange line on the metro for the first time. The entrance is south of TMH, right by Rayburn. The walk from TMH was extremely pleasant, the sun was shining, and it was just a really pretty day to walk through DC.
I think I had to go through 11 stops to get to Virginia, but the ride was fine because there weren't many other people on the train. When I got to Arlington (which is weird to type because I immediately think of the Rangers baseball team every time), it was interesting how different it was even though it was a train ride away from DC. There were more cars, and everything just seemed older and a little bit slower. Everyone in DC walks with a purpose - everywhere. In Virginia, it was just more relaxed. I had to bust out my google maps, but I eventually found my first store - the Apple Store.
I haven't updated my iPad in I don't even know how long. I kept trying, but it wanted to back up my videos and that always took too long on my parents' desktop. I finally got them backed up over the Christmas break, but iTunes still wouldn't complete the update for some reason. When I walked into the Apple store I was overwhelmed. Not because it's the Apple store on a holiday and packed with people, but because they had the heater on, and it was packed with people. Having just walked a long distance in the sun, the store was just too hot for me so I walked outside and sat on a bench in the middle of the shopping area. I called KNicole while I cooled off and just took the shopping center in. It's really pretty, it's a U-shaped drive, and there are apartments over the stores that are only one story long.
Once my body temperature returned to normal, I decided to go into Barnes and Noble to see if I could find the Joanna Russ book I needed for Dr. Reid's class. I couldn't find it on my own so I asked an employee for help. He looked it up, told me it did in fact exist, but that he would need to order it for me, and that it would be there in 2-3 days.
I went back to the Apple store and pleaded my case to the employee that asked me what I was needing. He told me that the only option (to get it updated then and there) was to wipe out my iPad and then update it upon restoration. There wasn't really anything on there I couldn't re-download, so he signed me up for an appointment and told me it would be about 40 minutes. No problem. Then, another guy told him that it would actually be over an hour and a half. I let them know that I did not mind how long it took as long as I could get it updated TODAY. And then something strange happened...
...the guy that had been helping me from the get go took me to a table, got me a stool, told the woman working at that table what I needed, she finished with the customer she was working with - and immediately started helping me with my iPad. Everything was done in about 10 minutes. I was even able to access the Cloud and re-download all my apps from before. I lost some pictures from Egypt, but most of them were pictures of the bus floor I took to map our route from the highway by camp to our place at the Red Sea. I'm sure I'll be okay without them.
After the Apple store, I headed over to Massage Envy. As I rounded the corner BOOM! CONTAINER STORE!! I went in...walked around for 20 minutes or so...and left...without buying one dang thing. Look at me go!!
I got to Massage Envy and set up a 90 minute massage with aromatherapy (trying something new) for Thursday night. I'm really excited for it.
I swung by CVS on my way back to the metro and picked up some face cleanser and some other basic day to day supplies while I could remember what all I wanted/needed to get. :)
I got back on the metro and headed back to DC. I had decided to swing by Payless to see if I could find some boots and then to Target to buy some air freshener for my closet. While transferring from the orange line to the green line, it was a hot mess. There is a set of 4 escalators, two on each side, each going the opposite direction, to transfer you from the green line that runs north and the green line that runs south. I didn't understand how it worked, and ended up going down the escalator that was on the same side as the one I went up...and missed my train. So I got to wait for 14 minutes for the next one. That might not sound like long to you sitting there in your comfy home or at your desk, but standing in a subway, at one of the biggest transfer/hubs in the metro rail? 14 minutes is eternity. And people just kept coming. B called and we talked for the majority of it. When it was time to push my way on the train I just went for it and was able to get a seat next to a lady that looked pretty normal (bonus!).
I got to Columbia Heights and swung by Payless. All their boots were $59.99...and they weren't even that cute. I spent a lot of time there trying on everything...and ended up getting a cute pair of actual flats.
At Target I was able to get the air freshener and I also found some tights that have feet. Almost all of them were gone - it was quite the battle finding a black pair in my size - but luckily I did.
And then it was back to the metro to go down to the red line to take myself to dinner at a little place called Tono Sushi.
Tono is two levels, so I chanced it and went to the bottom level. Score 1 for me, because that is where they have their sushi bar. When I walked in, I totally felt like Reese Witherspoon in This Means War, because the hostess sees me and yells, "TABLE FOR 1?!" - I just smiled and said yes ma'am!
I ordered edamame, a rainbow roll, and a dragon roll. They were different from the rolls at Nhinja, but close enough for government work. (You like how I did that? Bc I work for the government!?!) Anyways, the dragon roll was so big I couldn't fit a whole piece in my mouth (okay, I technically could - because I did - but I almost choked on it) so I had to bite each piece in half. I couldn't even finish it - I ended up taking 3 pieces home - which is ridiculous for me. I'm never full after two rolls. The prices were pretty much equal to Nhinja, so that was a very nice surprise. :) I will definitely be going back. It was fun to sit alone and just listen to the conversations happening around me. People being political and whatnot, one lady was speaking in Spanish while the other 3 people with her spoke to her in English - it was very interesting to listen to.
I could barely keep my eyes open on the train ride home, but I guess the walk to TMH from Union Station gave me a boost because I got to my room and *surprise* couldn't sleep. The pillow they supply is crap - it's barely half of a regular sized pillow because it's so old - I keep meaning to ask for a new one, but I never think about it until it's 11p and I'm exhausted. It's on the list of to-do's...eventually. :)
*Until Next Time!*
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