After coming home from work today I decided to give my running shoes a second try. Last time, I made it about seven blocks before getting distracted by a farmers market and heading home. Today I actually made it the 16 blocks to the Capitol building, and seeing the Washington Monument lurking in the distance I knew I couldn’t turn back.
The National Mall was full of young professionals playing softball, something I really need to get involved with when a) I have a job, b) I have the money to sign up for a league. The sun was low in the sky when I got to the monument, threatening to set behind the Lincoln Memorial. Well tired, I started walking forwards but when I got to the reflecting pool I realized that I would be running home in the dark if I went all the way to the Memorial.
Heading back around the Monument, The President’s Marine Corps Band had just started a free concert. Sitting at the bottom of the hill the is the base of the monument, I listed to a few tunes as the sun set behind me.
Running back towards the Capitol the building was beautifully lit, preparing for dusk. The steps of the Supreme court building, directly behind the capitol, offered magnificent views of the final stretches of pink sky reaching over the mall and around the Capitol, cementing the idea that I need to work in Congress.
With dusk on full patrol, I started running back home the delicately overgrown Historic Capitol District, with its quant row houses and spotting fireflies.
Truly a wonderful way to spend an evening.
