Friday June 16 Washington DC
A great start to my first day in DC. Sitting in a very cool Starbucks in the centre of Chinatown listening to two very fab young African American men have a detailed discussion about Southern food .. Yes I am definitely in the US of A.
icture – cream chinos, white shirt and very pale blue scarf draped artfully around his neck, with a denim cap, mid thirties, very suave. The other one, ditto clothes, but bright orange scarf and they keep flashing the stunning grins. Thirty years younger I would be melting on the floor – now just melting with aging hot flushes !
Fantastic weather outside. Woke up this morning at Raymond and Laura’s wonderful Embassy Circle Guest House.
Embassy Guest House DC
Slept for twelve hours in a great king sized four poster bed. Strolled down to breakfast of smoked salmon and fruit. Hadn’t eaten for about 20 hours so felt much better after numerous cups of tea.
Surrounded by all of the Washington embassies so strolling down Conneticut Avenue past the embassies was a truly cultural experience. It was car washing morning. The various cars being washed by various embassy staff. It was quite funny walking past figuring out which embassy it was by the car washer. “Charles” outside the British embassy was easy to pick with his white shirt and apron. Much preferred the seven foot giant in a purple satin track suit number outside the Mali embassy washing cars with his sparking gold jewels.
The food discussion is still going on. They are debating the best grits in the area.
Out the window, a mixture of great looking Chinese food stores and very cool clothing stores … Albert would be in his element eating dead things that smell and Alex would be walking out of neighboring stores with armfuls of t-shirts.
I am on my way to the Newseum which I have read great things about.
Laura sent me off armed with a map and discount voucher and told me I could spend hours there. Caught the metro to here. Would have liked to walk but I have been so damned sick I thought maybe I better take it easy today.
Will definitely walk tomorrow. Metro easy though. You just go down an escalator into a massive black hole like you are travelling to the centre of the earth – DuPont circle – about four stops to Chinatown. A five dollar ticket enables me to ride around all day. Have just got the map out and I am only a couple of minutes from the Newseum. There are definitely some advantages in naming streets by letters and numbers. I am on the corner of 7th and H and I need to go to 7th and C so almost impossible to get lost she says. Well Laura did send me off with the card with the house address just in case. If all else fails Laura tells me DC cabs are cheap. Well let’s see …
Sleeping under the stars 
I thought Obama was the only black in Washington DC?
TV led me to believe the only non-presidential blacks nearby were relegated to selling heroin in the Baltimore projects. Not sipping lattes in a Starbucks!
Tom lovely to see you commenting on social issues in the US – they didn’t all send them to Baltimore though – apparently just off the main drag in DC is just like Baltimore – although I must admit felt must safer in DC .. definitely no Baltimore quilts here