There. I said it. Out loud. Well, in writing on the Internet. That's pretty much out loud.
I get asked that question all the time, even 8 years after moving to Chicago. No, I haven't been back. Truthfully, I'm afraid if I go back, I'll never leave.
My heart is so full of wonderful memories of my years in DC and nights like tonight make me realize how blessed I was to live in such an amazing place.
Tonight is the State of the Union address by President Bush (almost 8 years later, I still find it difficult to put those 2 words together). I never miss the State of the Union. Never. I'll be curled up on the couch in less than 30 minutes, glued to the TV.
When I first moved to DC in 1993, my mom helped me find the perfect apartment. I lived in The Massachusetts House at 1234 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Apt. 917 (follow the link and look at the pic of the building - 2 floors from the top, 2nd apartment from the right - that was mine). My studio apartment had what I still believe to be one of the greatest views in all of DC - an unobstructed view of the Capitol Building.
I would lay in bed at night, staring out my picture window and imagine everything that had happened on The Hill that day. The awe of where I was never escaped me. One of the things I learned early on was that if the light at the top of the Capitol Dome was still lit, then Congress was still working. But only when the light was turned off, had Congress called it a day.
Laying in bed that cold night in January 1994, I watched President Clinton deliver the State of the Union. After the Republican response, I remember hearing Tom Brokaw or Peter Jennings (I didn't have cable, so it was one of them) giving post SOTU wrap-up and saying that Congress had called it a night. As I looked out my window to find the light was still on, America may have thought Congress had adjourned, but I knew better.
First, I found you through GourmetGoddess, just have to give credit where credit is due.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I lived in DC for a summer in college and loved it. If the city and area was not so damn expensive I would definitely move back there. It is, IMHO, one of the best cities in the country.
I liked DC a lot, too, when I visited there. Except for the summer weather. But then, I am the type of person when it hits above 80, I start whining about how hot it is, especially if it is also humid.
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