Darcy Hughes

One thing my grandma, Mima, and I love to do together is travel. We began planning a trip to D.C. last summer – inspired by a desire to see the Folger Shakespeare Library. Several months of planning, however, did not prepare us for a trip to our Nation’s capital during both a government shut-down and a blizzard. We had to be creative with our itinerary because all the publicly-funded museums were closed, plus a few others due to snow. Luckily Mima has a “make the best of it ” kind of life philosophy so our limitations became opportunities for adventure.

We stayed in the Hotel Hive which is called a “micro-hotel” because of its efficient use of energy and space. When Mima read about the Hive on its website she found that they listed toilet paper as an amenity. Although we had expected the worst, the room was clean, cozy, and chic.

We spent our first afternoon on a walking tour of Capitol Hill.

The air was biting cold, and we couldn’t get back to our warm beds fast enough. A storm was coming, and the city’s response was lots and lots of salt. We New Englanders couldn’t help but chuckle.

On Saturday we went to the Folger Library which, as dorky as it sounds, was like a Disney Land for me.  Seeing some of the earliest editions of Shakespeare’s plays, as well as the First Folio, was exciting and the library was beautiful! On one wall of the main room was a stained-glass window inspired by Jaques’s summation of the seven stages of life in As You Like it.  The panes depicted: the infant, schoolboy, lover, soldier, judge, pantaloon, and the old man. We, Mima and I, are traveling together at two different stages in our lives so we thought it was fitting to take a photo in front of the window.

My favorite museum was the Newseum which, unfortunately, is closing soon due to a lack of funds. There was an intriguing contrast between light-hearted exhibits, like the presidents and their dogs (Wahington had a foxhound named Drunkard), and intense subject matter. There was a wall dedicated to journalists who lost their lives in the field and a graphic Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph exhibit. I encourage anyone planning a trip to D.C. to visit this museum before it’s gone.

The atmosphere was peaceful and solemn during the bus tour we took Saturday night. The scarcity of tourists allowed space for the monuments to resonate without distraction.

After the tour, we went to the hotel bar for a late-night meal. I noticed an older gentleman sitting alone so I, being the excellent wing-woman that I am, maneuvered Mima into the seat next to him. His name was Bob and he was a character. He told us that he was a model for the “Three Servicemen,” statue that we had just seen. Mima thought that he was a drunk, or senile, or both -but his story checked out. He had been a popular architect during an era when many monuments were built in D.C., so he modeled for the projects of a few colleagues. Mima later mentioned our plan to visit the National Cathedral the following morning and he exclaimed: “I modeled there too!” He posed for the Adam at the front of the church. Sure enough, the next day we saw a young Bob in all his glory.

The service that morning was lovely and wee witnessed three baptisms!

Afterward, I called an Uber and was surprised to find that a red Tesla answered. Our driver was a government consultant trying to stay busy during the shut-down. The car’s glass ceiling exhibited a fantastic view of the sprawling winter wonderland before us.

On Monday morning I was disappointed to find that the National Geographic Museum was closed. We drove around in search of a viable plan b for a while, but everything was closed. Our luck had run outl. I asked our driver to pull over and let us out by the metro. We found ourselves in Chinatown, so we grabbed a delicious bite to eat before heading to the airport.