My Kind of Town...And A Public Service Announcment if You Plan to Visit DC This Summer

For memorial day weekend I went to Chicago. I had been there once before but only for a short business trip so I had never really had the chance to look around the city. Of course since I had the opportunity I took the red line train to Wrigleyville and checked out the park. Even though the Cubs were in Pittsburgh and I didn't actually get to see a game I have to say that I was more than impressed with the iconic building. Cubs fans are going to scoff at me but I always knew that you could watch games from the buildings across the street from the park, but what I didn't know was that those buildings actually have stadium style seating built onto their roofs. Definitely a must see for anyone who even casually follows baseball. Pictures to follow tomorrow (hopefully).

In case you didn't have a chance to watch any baseball over the long weekend you missed the Yankees thoroughly embarrassing the Mariners. Certainly a much needed display of power for the bombers. I don't want to jinx anything but I think that the season may be turning a corner for the better. Whats more, Posada is starting to throw in extended spring training games and could return soon. But what really surprises me is that once again the Rays sit alone on top of the AL East with the best record in all the majors. The question will be how much endurance do they have. I doubt they can play at this level all the way through the season, but if as predicted they finish with around 85 wins they could be seeing their first postseason appearance in franchise history. Is it too much to pray that it is at the expense of the red sox instead of the Yankees?

Public Service Announcement

On a completely unrelated topic, a little public service announcement if I may. The memorial day weekend marks the beginning of the onslaught of tourists in our nations capital. I have always felt that as a resident of the District I am somewhat of an ambassador to tourist whether they be domestic or foreign. So often, and in some cases for good reason, we DCists get frustrated with slow moving, METRO-illiterate tourists. However as residents of Washington we should be willing to help them. Not only are helpful locals good for the impression of our city, but also our country. You wouldn't invite a guest over for dinner and yell at them for walking up the steps too slowly while they admire your front lawn would you? That being said, if you are planning a trip to DC this summer there are a few things to keep in mind to make our job of host easier and to lessen the possibility of an angry exchange from a local:

• I can not stress this enough, while in DC please stand to the right and walk to the left on our escalators. It doesn't matter if you are on the Metro or the Mall, if you are on an escalator and are standing on the left eventually SOMEONE WILL YELL AT YOU. And I mean it when I say yell. So do yourselves a favor and just stand to the right.
• Plan your trips into the city so that you don't hit rush hours. Trust me, when the humidity sets in you do not want to be packed onto a full train with a backpack and a stroller. And don't think you will just blend in, we can spot a wounded tourist in a heartbeat.
• Get an all day pass. Don't even bother trying to figure out how much it is going to cost to go from point A to point B just to save a buck or two. Get an all day pass which is valid AFTER 9:00 in the morning (see the avoid rush hour rule). It saves time at the kiosk too.
• Go see a Nationals Game. Take the Metro to the Green line Navy Yard stop. It isn't marked on most maps yet but trust me it is worth checking out while you are here.
• Don't take any cabs that don't have metered fares. According to DC law any cab that doesn't have a meter as of June 1, 2008 is subject to a $1,000 fine. There has been huge backlash about switching from the zone system to the meter system. Don't be the victim of an angry cabbie who refuses to follow the law and who wants to charge you whatever he wants.
• DC was built on swamp land and has ridiculous humidity in the summer. Dress appropriately and bring water, nothing annoys locals more than a tourist passed out blocking the sidewalk at rush hour.