Four Score and Seven Years Ago...

With a hectic history and a reserved and collected present, Washington DC is much like a powerful woman with cherry blossoms in her hair. With her official reputation and outstanding strength, she is protected from all directions, the White House in its administrative location, Abraham Lincoln solemnly looking upon her from afar, her shield the Capitol and her sword the Washington Monument. While first impressions are lasting impressions, don’t let the political and authoritative character fool you. Pierre L’Enfant, a French born architect, built the streets of Washington DC much like the streets in France. With busy sidewalks and mad traffic the streets are humbled by beautiful circles, decorated with historic churches and statues. The city has developed a perfect balance between serene and active. These exclusive and alluring features are some of the many reasons why I fell in love with this city. While living in Los Angeles is a dream, traveling to DC is a treat I like to savor every time. My time is mainly spent in Georgetown, a small fairy tale town taken right out of a story book. There, time slows down and I am able to take in the breeze when I feel the temperature change on my face as I step out of my cousin’s warm apartment. I have taken the same stroll along the Potomac River countless times and each time I am still excited by its remarkable beauty. Tempted to eat a crab cake sandwich I remember to continue my walk onto M Street and up Wisconsin away from the busy shops and diners to my favorite street, O St. NW. Everyone has an “escape” and this is mine. As soon as I step foot onto O Street I am no longer in reality. Birds chirp a harmonious melody I sing along to, flowers seem to newly bloom with loud and rich colors. Homes are lined up next to each other like the colors of the rainbow, each expressing their own personalities. One home with a red door and cream exterior, another with blue awnings and pistachio rims and another, next door with a simple, white finish and a sparkling chandelier peaking out of its third story window. The trees stand like a crystal, see- through ornaments, illuminating the greens and browns through one another and just as I have fully lost myself on this magical street I turn the corner and hardly save myself from a rushing taxi yelling profanity from his car window. The mixture of gray and black business suites and colorful gardens with mighty monuments peaking through is my home away from home and while I fog up my airplane window capturing every last glance, I will patiently wait to revisit the district of dreams for there really is no other place in this country that feels more like home.