I was posting my last entry when Leigh called and invited me to have dinner with some of the friends that she'd run into in the lobby. We went to the National Pastime Sports Bar and Grill where the six of us had a great time and I ended up sitting one table away from one of my favorite authors - Lisa Scottoline! She was in my direct line-of-sight and, when I first saw her, I thought, "she looks fami -- holy crap!" I didn't approach her because I am a huge chicken (what if it's not her afterall - how embarassing!) and way too polite (the thought of interrupting someone's meal is slightly horrifying). Fortunately, I already have her autograph.

The day started out well. I took a Metro bus to the Metro train to the Metro DC area - you can see it from my hotel room, but the Potomac River gets in the way of actually getting there. I went to the Eastern Market then wondered around Capitol Hill for a while. After attempting to go to the Library of Congress (closed on Sunday), I headed over to the Capitol Grounds for some spectacular photo opportunities. I headed down The Hill, stopping at the US Botanical Gardens then the National Museum of the American Indian - though, I confess, I only went there for lunch at Mitsitam Cafe - it was yummy! After that I headed to the Jim Henson's Fantastic World exhibit at the Smithsonian's International Gallery. Then, I hiked up to the Washington Monument, took a peek at the WW II memorial followed the Reflecting Pool (which is green and disgusting) to the base of the Lincoln Memorial, turned north to the Vietnam Memorial, crossed Constitution to the Albert Einstein Monument, continued along Constitution past the Federal Reserve, turned north up 17th Street past the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, Blair House and, finally, the White House. I've seen the White House several times, but always from the South Lawn, so, this time, I headed to the North side - it was awesome! By then, I was pretty exhausted, so I headed to the nearest Metro station to begin the train and bus trek back to the hotel. All told, I walked a bit over 9 miles, rode 2 busses and 4 trains, saw some of the most incredible things in DC and didn't buy anything that I didn't eat or drink throughout the course of the day.

I'm headed for the shower and then bed - tomorrow, I meet Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, and their cub, Tai Shan at the National Zoo! I can't wait!!

This was last night's sunset:


One more pic before I go, though - this one is for Mom: