Day 21: Footwork

I am still paying for my poor footwear decision during my time in D.C. I have worn the same Doc Martens since eighth grade and they have always been kind to me, but I had no idea how horribly they could treat me.

I walked miles upon miles, trying to see and do as much as possible in that city. There’s so much to do, and so much of it is free, that I feel like I could spend months there without ever really getting bored. In the span of a single day, I saw the Lincoln Monument, WWII Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, Natural History Museum, National Gallery of Art, and Newseum. Needless to say I am going to have to revisit all of those places at a later date when I have some time to devote to them.

There’s so much more to say about D.C. but I am still so exhausted that it’s hard to sit and get my thoughts together about anything. Luckily, I’ve got photographs to tell the story for me.

I am always fascinated by high-density urban spaces and ways in which people live that differ so vastly from the ways I have lived. I like to think I could hack it but sometimes I honestly wonder if the pace and the lack of space wouldn’t wear me down to a nub real quicklike. Then again, some major changes in my lifestyle inspired by particular urban norms could make me a better person all around. You just never know.

I do want to say thank you to my hosts and all the people who lent me luggage and pieces of winter clothing to help make my journey more comfortable. You guys are amazing and I am lucky to have you in my life.

(Detail of Cézanne’s “Portrait of the Artist’s Father,” found in the National Gallery of Art.)

[Project 365]