jonnygoldstein.com

Anyone who hangs out with me for any sustained period of time will hear me bitch about Washington DC. I am admitted victim of FNYS (Former New Yorker Syndrome). That said, DC does have a flavor all its own, and sometimes that flavor is delectable.

A couple of days ago, I experienced 5 cool things in 90 minutes. All this happened during 90 minutes when I strolled from Adam’s Morgan to Dupont Circle and back to lunch with a friend.

1. Two high school kids approached me to ask me for my definition of racism. They were interviewing people for a school paper. I had to really think about it. We had a good talk.

2. Picnic in Dupont Circle. Met with my friend Julie who works at the Peace Corps. Stretched out on the grass and listened to the chirping birds in the middle of the city.

3. Walking back through the Circle passed a busker strumming an electric guitar singing Elvis Costello’s “Watching the Detectives.” Sounded great.

4. Passed by a flatbed truck with a giant inflatable rat on the back. Some kind of Union protest. Can you say, random?

5. Watched a crowd chanting front of the Zimbabwean embassy protesting that government’s unwillingness to recognize the victory of the opposition in their recent election. Q:Where else in the U.S. would this happen? A: In front of the UN in NYC, but it’s still pretty cool.

All this on a warm, lazy, Spring day. So, for all my griping, DC sometimes surprises me with little moments like these. And I appreciate that this former swamp has turned into a city that every once in a while even a jaded dude like me can appreciate.