dispence

I went to a mall on Black Friday for this first time yesterday. The amount of people in Tyson’s Corner mall reminded me of a Beijing Subway transfer station. It was harder to maneuver because I was just wandering around. Without a specific destination or aim it was easy to get lost in the crowd. I don’t like malls much.

What was most interesting is what I found in the parking garage: Hybrid only parking spots. Just like their handicap counterparts, these spots are closest to the stairs and elevators. I noticed them because I saw three Toyota Prius’s parked next to each other.

Apparently, big stores like Ikea and The Home Depot offer Hybrid only spots, libraries too.  City goverments are getting the idea too.  In Massachusetts, lawmakers are considering creating parking restrictions in downtown Boston.

Says Ikea:

IKEA is committed to long term sustainability, particularly in terms of transportation. All stores are located close to public transit for both co-workers and customers. However, as a destination shopping location that is typically reached by car, IKEA is rewarding customers who are doing their part for the environment and recognizing the growing trend towards hybrid vehicle purchases in Canada.

Actually, Portland’s Ikea store is close to public transit at Cascade Station near the airport.

The sign says “Hybrid Vehicles Towing Enforced” but I bet your electric car wouldn’t be towed if you parked there.

So far DC has been great. The weather has made for a really nice fall. I’ve spent the last few weekends exploring the city and region. Above is a photo from the Potomac River. We went kayaking and explored Theodore Roosevelt Island and the banks of Georgetown. Georgetown is about as far opposite than China as I think anything can get.  Everyone is preppy and things are really extravagant and expensive.

I’ve also checked out an area just east of Capital Hill called Eastern Market.There is a little farmers market place there and some stores and stuff. Nothing that exciting but still worth a look around. It’s a short walk to the backside of the Library of Congress.

Clear days make for great sunsets.

Last month we went for a hike:

Shenandoah National Park is about an hour and a half away. We hiked up to the top of a mountain and looked around.

I got to drive around Virginia and got to see true election battleground country, like this nice church here.

I say Potomac Fever because I’m living inside the “beltway,” the Washington Beltway. The best satire of this place is that everything is different inside the beltway. We are the center of the world, smarter than everyone else and are elite. That’s the basic mentality. I’m trying not to get sucked up in this. People in Washington, it’s said, don’t understand the rest of the country.

Today at lunch I looked out the window and saw something I haven’t seen for months: crisp, clear air.

For the past week the air has, of course, been better than Beijing but it wasn’t until today that it really hit me.  It wasn’t that big of a deal to look off into the distance and see hills, trees, homes or whatever in relatively clear sky, as I have for the past few days while eating lunch atop NPR’s building. What I saw today, though, was an intersection. I know it sounds lame, but I looked out the window and saw a completely crisp view of an intersection seven floors below and one block over.

This clear view was refreshing and I liked it a lot. It reminded me of crisp days on top of Palmer on Mt. Hood after a day of rain when Mt. Jefferson and beyond were crystal clear in the distance.

I’m settled into DC now. I’m living in an apartment with one roommate just off Connecticut Ave. right near the Adams Morgan Metro stop.

Initial reactions to living in the States again include:

• I can’t just walk across the street willy-nilly. I have to stop and wait for the crosswalk.
• People complain here.
• The subway is 10 times more expensive. No, literally 10 times.
• I spent $15 on lunch the other day. That would be about 100 kuai. Uh… yeah.
• White people are everywhere, specifically, white girls. And there’s diversity! Not just one race.
• Everyone isn’t friendly.
• There’s a lot of unnecessary waste and consumption. For example, we ate lunch at the Department of Agriculture and the cafeteria was using styrofoam cups. I mean, come on.
• I can drink the tap water after brushing my teeth and in the shower!

It was entertaining to be in Beijing one week, and the State Department in Washington DC the next. I think it’s cool I can travel like that.

I’m interning now at NPR. I’m working at the National Desk so that means I’m helping 100 or so reporters, producers and editors. I’ll be doing the internship and taking night classes as part of Syracuse’s Maxwell in Washington program. sd

Maybe I’ll post some photos or something soon.