Travel Log: Day 1 of East Coast Trip

     I finally took my first trip to the East Coast back in October, and it wasn’t just any East Coast trip, it was an Autumn East Coast trip.  Originally, I wanted to traverse Charlottesville, Virginia and Morgantown, West Virginia too, but cuts had to be made for practical considerations.  Even with the cuts I still missed out on much of my itinerary.  Nonetheless, I had a great experience in Maryland, District of Columbia, Pennsylvania, and New York.  Even though I am writing this a handful of months after the trip, I still remember plenty of details.  Read on and find out all about it.

DEPARTURE

     Before you can board a plane you have to get to the airport.  I chose to save money by riding the slow bus all the way from Disneyland to the LA Metro Norwalk Green Line (light rail) Station.  There I could ride the Green Line to the LAX/Aviation station.  The final stretch was the shuttle from the station to LAX itself.  All of this costs about five dollars.

     I remember wanting to fly some classier, higher ranking airlines since I had been flying only bargain airlines in the past.  I decided to fly Alaska to Baltimore and Jet Blue back home from New York.  I also did my first overnight flight in which I got to Baltimore just before dawn, that way I could have all day to explore before the first night so that it didn’t feel like I was losing a day.  I barely made it to the gate on time.  They called my name as I rushed across the whole building to the farthest possible gate.   I was bummed that the WI-FI cost extra, which means I didn’t use it.  Fortunately, I had preloaded music on my phone to enjoy.

BALTIMORE

     The Baltimore airport was pretty bare bones and boring.  I did buy a coffee from Starbucks and continued with my folding bike, slightly damaged in transit, to the light rail.  Praise be to Baltimore for providing ultra-cheap local transit relative to other East Coast cities. 

     After a ride, admiring the Baltimore horizons and the relatively densely wooded surroundings for a big city railway, I got off with my bike and tripod case only to discover that my bike was wobbly.  Before the trip I removed the fenders from the front and rear wheels to make it lighter and less likely to incur an over-sized baggage fee due to its dimensions.  I succeeded in avoiding the fees, but failed to anticipate the effects this would have on the functionality of the bike.  As a result, the first thing I did was ride toward my destination while keeping a lookout for a hardware store. 

     Fortunately, there was such a store about halfway between the stop and John Hopkins University (my first destination).  I bought a pack of washers in an attempt to simulate the presence of the fenders (since they hook around the axle).  It was only a partial fix but it basically worked.  Upon leaving the store a friendly yet sadly ghetto looking black man complimented my bike from his bike.  

     John Hopkins University was nice space.  I solicited help from a nicely dressed, well-mannered individual about where to find the library, which actually wasn’t the library I wanted.  I was able to use their library, however, to learn that the library I wanted was actually in the Mount Vernon district, which was my second and final destination in Baltimore. 

     Fall color wasn’t as robust as I hoped, but it was still fulfilling to take in the great John Hopkins.  I was most impressed by the arboretum that wraps around the campus. 

     Mount Vernon (not Washington's estate) was more than I expected.  The Peabody Library was the natural highlight, but the whole district was quite peaceful.  I enjoyed the fact that there was a nearby photographer with a longer lens, which took away my usual self-consciousness. 

     After photographing the area thoroughly I rode the light rail back to the airport, where another black passenger sang praises about my folding bike, assuring me that it’s “Worth It!”  This would prove to be a theme throughout the trip.  From the airport I rode the free shuttle to the nearby train station to wait for the train to Washington D.C.  There was a cute girl with glasses and medium length light brown hair (total “librarian” cutie) who smiled at me and later thanked the shuttle driver, and that’s all there was to that.
     The wait at the BWI Amtrak for the MARC train was the dullest part of the trip.  However, a nice heavyset older man complimented my folding bike.  He said that I must be zipping around town on it.

     The trip to D.C. was a mostly picturesque ride through the woods at various stages of Fall color.  The woods occasionally gave way to a town or a body of water or a grassy clearing and then the train would be immersed yet again in the woods.  Train rides are very different in Southern California. 

WASHINGTON D.C.

      Oh boy, Union Station in D.C. is humongous.  There are lower levels for the trains, which is where we arrived.  Then the lower level leads up to a huge terminal room where I noticed an upper level with bus connections, an extremely high ceiling, and, way out to the sides, a food court and other commercial spots.  Then there is a walkway leading to yet another huge space, the lobby, which has at least two levels with even more food and shopping and offices.  I recently read that the station is larger the U.S. Capitol building.

     The street layout in D.C. was chaotic and confusing.  I spent much time trying to figure out which street was the street I needed to take since I didn’t see any street signs.  Fortunately, I intuitively chose the right street. 

     One of the first things that struck me after getting started was how intense the D.C. traffic circles are compared to our simple hometown circle (where two streets intersect).  D.C. has five streets intersecting, which results in ten points of entry and exit, and traffic signs are not especially clear.  D.C. also seemed to have more horns honking than anywhere else. 

     During my visit I also encountered more fellow cyclists than I have in the past, much of them in professional attire.  Speaking of attire, D.C. seemed to be the best dressed city in America, it seemed like there were suits and professional skirt suits in every part of the city.

     Georgetown University was my first stop after the train station, which once again had disappointingly pale Fall color and was undergoing many construction projects.  Nonetheless, it was still neat experiencing The Exorcist campus.  When I visited the campus library, the front desk security guard observed that he’d been to Orange County himself, and proudly named our airport, “John Wayne Airport,” which he seemed to approve of.  I informed him that I came via LAX (but John Wayne Airport is on my to-do list). 

     After the university I made my way to Georgetown Waterfront Park, where a bossy, outspoken older woman quickly informed me that there is no bike riding allowed on the park walkway.  The view of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts was striking and I regret not taking the time to photograph it when I had the chance.  I was trying to reach the Potomac Heritage Trail across the river but I could not figure out how based on the directions I had. 

     I decided it was time to check in to the hostel after my failed attempt to cross the river, and the fact that it was getting dark.  At the hostel, one of the people in charge praised my LA Kings cap.  The D.C. hostel was pretty nice.  There were balconies/patios, a lower floor lounge, an upper lounge, a kitchen, and open computers.  They allowed me to store my folding bike in the basement.  I decided to freshen up, make coffee and do some last minute route research before heading back out.  While I made coffee a long-haired Asian made noodles; I don’t know why it made such an impression on me, but I still remember it, and I love that. 

     During my second ride through D.C. I focused on the monuments, especially Lincoln Memorial, which was like D.C. Disneyland in its late night family friendly atmosphere and relative magnificence.  Many airplanes flew overhead on their way to nearby Ronald Reagan Airport, which was a little pricey for me, unfortunately. 

     Rewinding a bit, my first stop that night was actually The White House, which was surprisingly chill, and a nearby office building.  Seeing The White House and the neighboring structures, fenced off, just didn’t seem real.  It seemed more like an epic D.C. monuments edition of a wax museum than actual functioning centers of government. 

     After The White House and before The Lincoln Memorial, I saw The World War II Memorial, which was intriguing.  Like Baltimore, I felt at ease since there was another photographer, also with a tripod, near me also taking picture.  He was talking intently with his friend (or whatever the relationship was) in Spanish.  In fact, one thing I loved about D.C. and Baltimore is that I was never hassled about my camera.  Pictures seemed fully encouraged.  Near The White House I saw two officers approaching and I thought I was surely gonna be busted and banished, but one of them wished me good luck with my pictures. 

     The Lincoln Memorial was the highlight of D.C. and my last stop before heading back to the hostel for a few hours of sleep before catching my pre-dawn bus to Philadelphia.  

     The morning of my departure I actually managed to make it the U-Street station used in The Pelican Brief and other movies, but I could not photograph it since I needed to have a ticket to enter the part of interest.  I made it back to Union Station and boarded my first ever Megabus with hopes that things would only get better starting in Philadelphia.  Megabus is an affordable intercity double-decker bus line in which you can reserve special seating for cheap.  I reserved a table seat, which had some other women who were cramping me, but I lucked out and got the other table all to myself for the journey.  I failed to do any writing as I imagined, but it was a pretty drive for the most part.