For Patriot Dream

Since we had no classes on Monday (yay for going to a Jewish school that gives us Jewish holidays off!), I decided to go to Washington, D.C. for the weekend to visit Caitlin. Since she's relatively new to the city as well, we allowed ourselves to be tourists for the weekend and do all the typical D.C. things. (When I say "all," I of course realize that we didn't even get close to seeing all the city has to offer. No way.)

Getting there in the first place, however, was more eventful than I counted on. I had chosen to take a bus there. Out of my four options, it seemed the best. Riding the train would have been great, but it costs an arm and a leg. Flying, in fact, would have been cheaper than taking the train, but it's still relatively expensive and a hassle. Driving my own car would have been all right, but I wasn't sure I felt ready to take on the East Coast tollways just yet. Plus, I figured that the 4+ hours on a bus each way would give me a chance to do some studying and really take advantage of my limited time for schoolwork over the weekend. The best part? It only costs $20 to catch a bus from New York to D.C. (and vice versa), and it only makes one other stop on the way.

I had not reserved a ticket because I was unsure what time I would be able to get my things together and leave the Bronx. Good thing -- the BxM10 express bus to Manhattan got caught up in rush-hour traffic, and I would have certainly missed the 5:00 bus that I had been eying. So I stood in the standby line at the Megabus station. The 5:30 bus was completely booked, as was the 6:00, but luckily some of the ticketholders were no-shows. I boarded the bus, and we were on our way by 6:15. The rest of the ride was uneventful, but I was damn lucky I got a spot on the 6:00. All the other buses that evening were totally booked as well.

When I arrived in downtown D.C., I found my way to a Metro station. When I arrived at the Medical Center stop (at the NIH, where Caitlin works, and near where she lives), I faced the most impressive escalator I've ever seen. It was actually vertigo-inducing. Caitlin picked me up at the station, and we spent the rest of the night catching up about our adventures since graduation.

Escalators: Both awe-inspiring and terror-inducing

On Saturday, our adventure began. It happened to be the day of the National Book Fair on the Mall, which was filled with tents and lines of people hoping to hear their favorite authors speak and sign books. We did not wait in any lines for authors (they were all hours long), but we did get to meet a friend from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood: Mr. McFeely, a.k.a. the Speedy Delivery man, posed for photos and autographed pictures for all of his fans.

"Speedy Delivery!"

We walked to one end of the Mall to take a look at the Capitol. To avoid the typical "Hey-look-at-me-standing-in-front-of-the-building-and-smiling" pictures, we tried to get some unique poses. For example, Caitlin took photos of me while I did cartwheels with the building as a backdrop. Unfortunately, I do not have copies of these pictures (yet!), so for now, a stately, patriotic-looking photo will have to do.

Looming and impressive amidst the clouds

The other highlight of the day was our visit to the National Air and Space Museum. No, I lied. It was not simply a highlight of the day. It was a highlight of a lifetime. The Air and Space Museum ranks up there with Cape Canaveral in my favorite, most-inspiring places to go. I'm not kidding. If only I could find some way to work around air and spacecraft in my future career...oh wait! I'm in the Air Force. (Could we have perhaps hit on an underlying motive?) Anyway, the museum was great. There were the capsules from Friendship 7, Gemini VI, and Apollo 11; a lunar module, a full-scale Hubble replica, exhibits on the moon missions, aviation during the world wars (which I had some knowledge of because of COT), and a spectacular exhibit of Alan Bean's paintings. We also saw an IMAX film called "Fighter Pilot," which had many little details that brought back memories from COT. I could have spent several more hours there. Unfortunately, the museum closed at 5:30, so we had to brave the rain and go home.

I was excited about the Hubble model (this little one was at the foot of the larger, life-size model), as well as everything else.

On Sunday, we tackled the National Museum of American History. My favorite exhibits were about the U.S. military throughout the nation's history (complete with uniforms from every era), First Ladies' gowns, musical instruments (where Caitlin got to impress me with her incredible knowledge about the Stradivari strings), and the Star Spangled Banner -- the Star Spangled Banner, the 15-striped, 15-starred behemoth of a flag whose rising inspired Francis Scott Key to compose our national anthem.

I also enjoyed seeing C-3PO and Archie Bunker's chair.

Before heading back to Caitlin's house, we walked over to the White House. No, we didn't see anyone important, a.k.a. the President. I did discover, however, that all those years of watching West Wing have prepared me to know what the White House looks like.

Yep, just as I imagined it

Caitlin had to work on Monday, so I spent the morning exploring the monuments on my own. Some highlights:

The Washington Monument: In perfect symmetry, with the flags blowing proudly in the wind

One of the reliefs at the World War II Memorial. Someday I may get to serve as these soldiers did, carrying and caring for their wounded in war.

Lincoln, for whom I have great respect after my Ethics of War class at St. Olaf: "With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right"

The statue of the Three Servicemen at the Vietnam War Memorial

For some reason, I was captured by this statue at the Korean War Memorial: The soldier somehow looked so real to me, and it made me stop and think about the amazing sacrifices that have been made year after year for our country.

Unfortunately, I was not able to see the Iwo Jima Memorial, which I remember being a defining moment of my visit to D.C. 11 years ago. Back then, even though I was so young, I was struck by the valor of the men raising the flag. It was not just a statue to me. It represented brave people doing brave things for our country, to which I had only recently begun to feel my obligation. Even though I was so young, I was patriotic. I felt the call to my country, and I was beginning to become aware of what that might mean. Now, 11 years later, I feel that I have finally begun to act on that patriotism. I am a proud officer of the United States Air Force, and my only wish is that I could be a functional part of that organization even sooner than my medical training will allow. I feel blessed that this weekend, I was given the privilege to revel in the beauty of my country and its capital.

God bless America.