DC: the other Washington -- it DOES exist!

Here's my first post after leaving Bellingham/Mount Vernon, WA...

These are the events of the last two days, since I left WA: Dad and I flew out of Seattle at 10:30 p.m. Wednesday night and left the airport in DC on about 4 hours of sleep at noon on Thursday (that's 9 a.m. Washington state time).

The neighborhood I'm living in has been dubbed "Little Rome," my landlord, Joe, tells me. I'm living in an 8-by-10 foot room at 4009 13th Street NE, and the Poor Claires of Perpetual Adoration are one block from my house. Their chapel is open to the public from 7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. The most beautiful Franciscan monastery I've ever seen is two blocks from my house. It has outdoor stations with mosaics for each of the mysteries of the rosary, a beautiful church, Mass en Espanol at 5 p.m. every Sunday, a gift shop and photos from the Holy Land. I still have to return because our visit was rushed and we didn't see everything. I might just visit that monastery every day. The photos I took don't do it justice. You guys should come and see.

The Archdiocese for Military Services has offices three blocks from my house, and there are a few other religious houses in the neighborhood. Catholic University of America and the Basilica and Shrine are about 10 blocks away. I would say it's beautiful, but beautiful isn't a glorious enough word. They have adoration in the crypt, larger-than-life statues of just about every saint I can think of and some I can't, mosaics, too much to say, and my descriptions can't make you see it, which is what you need to do. I'll post more pictures as I get them.

Yesterday, Dad and I went to the Museum of Air and Space and saw all the shuttles and planes; today we visited the Natural History Museum (rocks and fossils and Indian art and dinosaurs). Figuring out the Metro train system wasn't as bad as I expected (somebody asked US for directions on our first day). Downtown, near the Mall, it seems there are at least two huge historic buildings on every block. We saw the National Archives, the Navy Memorial fountain, some other gardens and a huge fountain, all the Smithsonian buildings, the Washington Monument, the Capitol building, the FBI building. Everything is all around.

Tomorrow I think a folk festival starts at the Mall. In the morning, Dad and I are going to the Holocaust Museum, and then we'll return to the Franciscan monastery for an actual guided tour and see their gardens, which I've heard are glorious.

OK, I think that should do it for now. God bless you, friends. You're all in my thoughts and prayers. I continue to thank God for the blessings He has given me in each of you and for the lessons He continues to teach me through those whom He allows to enter my life.

Be good and take care. Jacob.

P.S. John, there's an all-organic store 1.5 blocks from the house. That's where I'm going to have to shop all summer. What a shame, eh?