November - Washington, DC, and back to Philly

I hit the road from West Reading on Saturday morning, the 8th, for the drive down to Washington, D.C. (I'd like to acknowledge what a great tool AAA's Triptik website is -- it projected the door-to-door route within 1 mile and travel time within 5 minutes.) Around 1 PM, I arrived at the home of my generous hosts Beth, Phil, and their (then) 19-month old twins Philip and Caroline. It was another beautiful weekend, with weather seasonally chilling a bit on Sunday. After settling in, all five of us headed over to Arlington National Cemetery, where we visited the JFK family grave site and headed up to the Tomb of the Unknowns, observing the grave sites of former Supreme Court justices along the way. This National Cemetery is a beautiful, striking memorial to those who made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of our nation.
That evening, Beth & Phil hosted a fun and lively dinner party. Great company, great food & drink, fun conversation, and a couple spirited games of "Celebrity".
On Sunday morning, Phil and I took the children for a walk down to the local park, to give them a chance to run around, explore, and enjoy the sunny, crisp weather. After lunch, while the children napped, Phil generously took me downtown for some tourism, visiting all the sites that were on my list (Jefferson Memorial;

Lincoln Memorial;



WWII Memorial;



White House)



and a few others that he recommended (FDR Memorial; site of the Beatles first U.S. concert [February 11, 1964]). Less than a week after the historic national election, I felt a strong vibe of positivity, as though a gloom had lifted, in the mood of the area, especially as I approached the Lincoln Memorial. It was great to hear Phil's anecdote of his unforgettable first visit to the White House for a job interview, and I'm grateful for his hospitality in showing me around the area.

That evening, we watched a video of the Beatles first visit to the U.S.A. Good band.

On Monday, I drove back to Philadelphia. I met Carson at the National Constitution Center in Independence Mall that afternoon. This was my first visit to the Constitution Center, which opened in 2003, and I highly recommend it as a "must-see" stop during one's Liberty Tour of the City of Brotherly Love. Even better about the experience was that this was the first extended visit with Carson in years, and it was great to re-connect with her.
On Tuesday, before flying back to San Francisco, I drove over to Narberth to spend some more time visiting with Carson, strolling around the beautiful town of Narberth, and enjoying a nice lunch at McShea's.

In every respect, this was a great trip back East: I was able to spend both quality and quantity time visiting with dear friends and family with whom I haven't shared enough time over the past several years; the timing was such that I was able to enjoy the colorful change of season, as well as the post-World Series buzz in Philly and post-election buzz in our Nation's Capitol; I had a cheesesteak; and it felt like home. That last point made, it certainly was nice to return to Indian Summer weather when I got back to the Bay Area for the last couple weeks of the Stanford football season.