Thursday 10/28
The first leg of my trip was a late night red eye flight out of Ontario Airport over to Chicago O'Hare International Airport. This was only my second flight since the pandemic shutdown back in early 2020. During the flight, I finally got to watch the movie, Nobody. If you like a John Wick type movie, you would love this one as well! It had lots of action, dark humor, and was incredibly entertaining.
Friday 10/29
The plane landed in Chicago just ahead of 6 am local time at gate K20. Once I got off of the plane, I walked to concourse H to wait for my next flight at gate H8. The second leg was from Chicago to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. During the boarding process, they gave us a packet of hand sanitizer.
Connection in O'Hare
Hand sanitizer
Nice mobile device/tablet holder
The plane landed at Reagan National Airport at about 10 am local time. After getting off of the plane and using the restroom, I made my way over to the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Metro Station to catch the light rail. It was raining off and on, so the platform was a bit wet.
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
Taking the Metro
I took the rail over to the Pentagon City Metro Station. When I tapped to exit, I noticed that the card had not loaded the 3 day unlimited pass and the $8 stored value that I had pre-purchased prior to the trip. I used one of the ticket kiosks to add $10 to my Metro card.
Pentagon City Metro Station
Once I exited the Metro station, I walked to the nearby Chick-fil-A to grab lunch. Per the usual, I skipped the order line and placed my order on the mobile app. For this meal, I ordered a Cobb salad with grilled nuggets, Greek yogurt parfait with granola, and chicken tortilla soup. That soup really hit the spot on a rainy day! The restaurant was full of construction workers as there was quite a bit of construction just outside. It looks like they're building a new entrance to the Metro station.
After I was done with my meal, I walked to the CVS next door to buy some water. I purchased two 1 liter bottles of water for $2.19 a bottle. I then walked back into the Metro station to head over to my hotel for the evening.
1 liter bottle of water x2
I got off at the Huntington Metro Station which was the end of the line for the yellow line. It looked like it was pretty bad timing as the rain was coming down pretty hard with some wind. Prior to my trip, I didn't map out the shortest route, so I ended up taking Huntington Ave down to Richmond Highway. It felt like such a long hike as I was carrying my bags. I arrived at the Days Inn Alexandria South right at about 1 pm. Thankfully, my room was ready and available for me to check-in. I was assigned room #317. Even with an umbrella, the outside of my bags got pretty wet.
Days Inn
Channel guide
It's becoming rare to find a bible in a hotel nightstand
I took a nap for a few hours before heading back out to go get dinner. I headed back to the same Chick-fil-A that was near the Pentagon City Metro Station. On Google Maps, I found a more direct walking route from my hotel to the Huntington Metro Station which took me through the side of the Mt Eagle Park over to Huntington Park Dr. This would pretty much become my daily routine to get my meals as I was making my final push for Signature status on the Chick-fil-A mobile app.
When I arrived at the Pentagon City Metro Station, I was trying to see if I could exit the station on the other side of 12th St so that I wouldn't have to cross the street. However, I ended up exiting over at the Fashion Centre shopping mall. I walked through the food court area and kept walking until I was past the parking garage to see what was over on that side. I saw that there were some restaurants and a Walgreens before turning around and exiting the mall onto Hayes St. So I ended up still having to cross the street. After that slight detour and arriving at Chick-fil-A, I got on the mobile app and ordered my meal. I got their mac & cheese, chicken noodle soup, and a deluxe grilled chicken sandwich with American cheese. With the rainy weather, I'm really starting to enjoy their soups.
After I was done with my meal, I headed back into the Metro station for my trip back to my room. I got on the first train that arrived at the station which happened to be a blue line train. Since I was on the blue line, I got off at Crystal City Metro Station to wait for a yellow line train. I could've done that at another station, but this one was underground so I didn't have to deal with the weather.
It was quite dark on the walk back from the Huntington Metro Station. There were a few cars parked in that gravel parking lot next to the park which had me feeling a bit wary. I made a mental note to get dinner earlier in the next couple of days.
Back at my room, I took a shower before turning on the TV to watch the third game of the World Series. I also took the time to lay out my flat runner for tomorrow's half marathon. Thank goodness, the Braves were able to win. They shut out those Trashstros, winning 2-0 to lead the series 2-1.
After I was done with my meal, I headed back into the Metro station for my trip back to my room. I got on the first train that arrived at the station which happened to be a blue line train. Since I was on the blue line, I got off at Crystal City Metro Station to wait for a yellow line train. I could've done that at another station, but this one was underground so I didn't have to deal with the weather.
Changing lines at Crystal City
It was quite dark on the walk back from the Huntington Metro Station. There were a few cars parked in that gravel parking lot next to the park which had me feeling a bit wary. I made a mental note to get dinner earlier in the next couple of days.
Back at my room, I took a shower before turning on the TV to watch the third game of the World Series. I also took the time to lay out my flat runner for tomorrow's half marathon. Thank goodness, the Braves were able to win. They shut out those Trashstros, winning 2-0 to lead the series 2-1.
My neighbors in the room next to mine were pretty loud. They were also outside in the walkway talking loudly. This would be a regular occurrence each night. I always have a hard time understanding why some people are just so selfish and inconsiderate of others.
Saturday 10/30
World Series game #3
Flat runner
Saturday 10/30
The start of the half marathon was at 8 am. The Metro rail wasn't running early enough, so I had to hail a Lyft ride over to the race at about 6:30 am. The cost of the ride was $21.99 not including tip for the driver. The ride was just under 30 minutes. Once I was dropped off, I got in line to pick up my race packet. I received my bib and race shirt. It was cool that Ronald McDonald House Charities was on the bib as a sponsor.
While I was waiting around the portapotties, my friend from the Vegas area showed up. He also took a rideshare to get to the race. When the start of our race approached, we went up the flight of stairs that was just to the right of the portapotties.
I was assigned to wave 1 with each wave being 3 minutes apart. This was a pretty small race and it would seem that everyone in wave 1 was pretty dang fast! I was near the back of that wave. The entire out and back course was run along the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal path. Thank goodness it was not raining today. The dirt path was for the most part runnable, but there was the occasional huge puddle. Some were so big that you just had to run through it instead of trying to go around it. I started the race at about a 8:30 min per mile pace, but after about the second mile, I knew that I couldn't hold that pace for the entire race. I slowed it down a bit. I guess that I was still fatigued from last weekend's marathon. The pace that I was trying to hold was now a few seconds over 9 mins per mile. At about mile 4.5, I noticed just up ahead, a buck with a nice rack climb out of the canal. I slowed to a walk. It shook off some water, noticed me, and moseyed along off the path. That was a first for me! I continued on with my race. I got to the turnaround in about 59 minutes. I was hoping to have enough in the tank to finish just under 2 hours, but that was not to be. My pace began to slow by mile 9. The path also got quite congested with little kids as there was another race taking place concurrently on that same path. In the end, I came up short by about a minute and a half.
Packet pick up
Bib
Race shirt
Back of race shirt
While I was waiting around the portapotties, my friend from the Vegas area showed up. He also took a rideshare to get to the race. When the start of our race approached, we went up the flight of stairs that was just to the right of the portapotties.
Portapotties
Starting area
Mike
Ready to run
I was assigned to wave 1 with each wave being 3 minutes apart. This was a pretty small race and it would seem that everyone in wave 1 was pretty dang fast! I was near the back of that wave. The entire out and back course was run along the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal path. Thank goodness it was not raining today. The dirt path was for the most part runnable, but there was the occasional huge puddle. Some were so big that you just had to run through it instead of trying to go around it. I started the race at about a 8:30 min per mile pace, but after about the second mile, I knew that I couldn't hold that pace for the entire race. I slowed it down a bit. I guess that I was still fatigued from last weekend's marathon. The pace that I was trying to hold was now a few seconds over 9 mins per mile. At about mile 4.5, I noticed just up ahead, a buck with a nice rack climb out of the canal. I slowed to a walk. It shook off some water, noticed me, and moseyed along off the path. That was a first for me! I continued on with my race. I got to the turnaround in about 59 minutes. I was hoping to have enough in the tank to finish just under 2 hours, but that was not to be. My pace began to slow by mile 9. The path also got quite congested with little kids as there was another race taking place concurrently on that same path. In the end, I came up short by about a minute and a half.
Free race photo
Click here for my Garmin data.
After crossing the finish line and collecting my finisher medal, I wandered over to the Potomac River. Just beyond the graffiti, it was such a beautiful sight to see the Francis Scott Key Memorial Bridge and the river itself.
Finisher medal
Back of medal
Francis Scott Key Memorial Bridge
Potomac River
While waiting for my friend to finish, I ended up chatting a bit with a fellow runner named, Brad. He was also waiting for his friend who just happened to be finishing around the same time as mine. Brad finished a few minutes ahead of me. During the race when the course was congested he took a tumble off of the course as he was avoiding collision with a kid. I was only a few yards behind him at that point. It always interesting to share post race stories with your fellow runners.
After my friend came through the finish line, we ate some chips from the post race table and drank some water before heading out. We climbed up the stairs, crossed the Francis Scott Key Memorial Bridge, and walked over to the Rosslyn Metro Station to catch the light rail back to our respective hotels. It was nice that we were both headed in the same direction.
I got off of the train at the Pentagon City Metro Station to once again eat lunch at Chick-fil-A. For this meal, I got the Cobb salad with grilled nuggets, Greek yogurt parfait, and a Sunjoy. This was my first time getting the yogurt parfait with cookie crumbs. The cookie crumbs were chocolate, so it looked really dark and weird. It tasted okay, but I think I'll stick to granola.
I got back to my room in time to watch the Spurs get beaten pretty handily by Manchester United, 0-3. The Spurs had more possession, but had absolutely no offense with zero shots on target. Nuno's job is definitely in jeopardy and the team looks worse with each match.
For dinner, it was another trip back out to Chick-fil-A. In continuation of my soup kick, I ordered a bowl of chicken noodle soup. With it, I got a grilled chicken sandwich with pepper jack cheese, waffle fries, and Sunjoy.
After getting back to my room, it was time to watch game 4 of the World Series. The Braves would end up beating the Trashstros in a tight game, 3-2. They now lead the series 3-1, needing just 1 more win to win the World Series.
Sunday 10/31
I got ready and left my room just a little bit before 8 am. I figured that I'd use the day to tour DC. The weather couldn't have been any better! Before heading to the Huntington Metro Station, I stopped at the hotel lobby to pick up a little something for breakfast.
I got off at the Pentagon City Metro Station to go buy some water at CVS. After getting my water, I got on the first train that showed up which was the blue line and rode it over to the Smithsonian Metro Station. That dropped me off right in the middle of the National Mall.
I started my tour by heading west towards the Washington Monument. When I got there to take a picture, there was actually a guy dressed up as Spider-man getting pictures taken right in front of the monument. I thought about getting a picture of or with Spider-man, but I decided to leave them alone.
From there, I headed towards the Lincoln Memorial. I stopped at the Reflecting Pool to take a picture before continuing my walk. When I got to the other end of the pool, I turned around to get a picture of the pool with the Washington Monument. I then headed up the stairs to visit President Lincoln.
Then I started heading east to go visit the National Gallery of Art. Along the way, I swung by The Three Soldiers and The White House. It would appear that it's getting much harder to get anywhere close to the South Lawn.
The National Gallery of Art was open at 10 am. I only planned on visiting the West Building. There was no fee for entry. Wearing a face covering was the only requirement. If you brought a backpack, you are instructed to only wear one shoulder strap during your visit. If you want to come here, plan to stay for at least a couple of hours. I was moving briskly through each room and I was there for almost 3 hours! They have a pretty nice collection in there!
After I was done visiting that art museum, I needed to go get a late lunch. When my friend heard that I was going to be in the DC area, she recommended that I eat at a church cafeteria called, Saint's Paradise Cafeteria. It was several blocks north of the National Mall. Normally, I would just hoof it. However, I was pretty tuckered out from all of the walking. Instead I opted to catch a train at the Archives-Navy Memorial-Penn Quarter Metro Station. I rode it for 2 stops and got off at the Mt Vernon Sq 7St-Convention Center Metro Station. It was less than a block heading east from that station.
Well it looked like I made the mistake of coming here on a Sunday for lunch. The line was out the door! I wanted to try their meatloaf. However, by the time I got up to the counter to order, they were all out. My backup choice was their chicken wings. They were out of those as well, but they allowed me to get legs instead. I got my fried chicken with collard greens and mac & cheese. The meal came with corn bread. I added a peach cobbler for dessert. After I paid for my food, I found a vacant table to eat my food. That was some mighty good soul food! If you decide to come here, be sure to remember to bring cash. If you forget to, they have an ATM on site for you to use.
After I was done with my food, I headed back to the Metro station and took the light rail back to my hotel. The meal was late and big enough that I did not go back out for more food. Later that night, I watched game 5 of the World Series. The Trashstros stayed alive, winning 5-9 despite the Braves scoring 4 runs at the bottom of the 1st inning. The series now goes back to Minute Maid Park with the Braves up 3-2.
Monday 11/1
After getting ready and packed. I checked-out of my room and dropped off my keys at the front desk. I grabbed one of those chocolate pastries for my last walk over to the Huntington Metro Station. Once again, I took the yellow line over to Pentagon City to eat breakfast at Chick-fil-A. I ordered the usual hash brown scramble bowl meal with a Greek yogurt parfait with granola and a cup of coffee.
After I was done with breakfast, I hopped on the Metro this time on the blue line. I took it over to the Rosslyn Metro Station to catch the 5A Metrobus. That express bus would take me over to Dulles International Airport. Apparently, I looked like I knew what I was doing as I got asked for help on getting to Dulles. I've been around the block a time or two.
The first leg was a short one out to Charlotte Douglas International Airport. My flight wasn't until later in the afternoon, so I decided to get lunch at the Five Guys that was pretty close to my gate. Honestly, Five Guys is not my favorite among the fast food burger restaurants. Their burgers are always super messy and their fries are super greasy. I only ate here because I was lazy and it was right across from my gate. I got a double cheeseburger with onions, pickle, ketchup, and mustard. I guess I was trying to duplicate a Quarter Pounder with cheese. I got little fries to go with it. The food was decent, but there was nothing special about it. I felt like my pores were oozing out grease after my meal, so I walked a few laps around the concourse. Most likely I'll look for a healthier option next time.
I landed in Charlotte a few minutes after 3 pm local time. I walked over to gate A4 in Concourse A to wait for my next flight. Originally, it was going to be a lengthy 3.5 hour layover. Unfortunately, that got pushed back further by an hour. Around 4 pm, I started walking through the airport to check out my food options. I thought about getting food at Chick-fil-A, but I wasn't too keen on that choice as the line was very long and airport locations do not earn any reward points on their mobile app. Later I would find out that for whatever reason, they closed at 4 pm. I ended up just getting a 1L bottle of water for $5.35 with tax at Queen City Gifts and News.
Unfortunately, my flight kept getting further delayed. We were informed that they were waiting for another crew member to arrive from another flight before we could start boarding and take off. I was starting to feel hungry, but didn't feel like getting a full on meal. I ended up getting a bag of dry roasted edamame at Charlotte's Landing which also was also $5.35 with tax. I guess I could've gotten a regular meal somewhere for the price that I had paid for the water and soy beans.
Capital Traction Company Union Station
I got off of the train at the Pentagon City Metro Station to once again eat lunch at Chick-fil-A. For this meal, I got the Cobb salad with grilled nuggets, Greek yogurt parfait, and a Sunjoy. This was my first time getting the yogurt parfait with cookie crumbs. The cookie crumbs were chocolate, so it looked really dark and weird. It tasted okay, but I think I'll stick to granola.
I got back to my room in time to watch the Spurs get beaten pretty handily by Manchester United, 0-3. The Spurs had more possession, but had absolutely no offense with zero shots on target. Nuno's job is definitely in jeopardy and the team looks worse with each match.
Spurs v. Manchester United
World Series game #4
Sunday 10/31
I got ready and left my room just a little bit before 8 am. I figured that I'd use the day to tour DC. The weather couldn't have been any better! Before heading to the Huntington Metro Station, I stopped at the hotel lobby to pick up a little something for breakfast.
Breakfast
I got off at the Pentagon City Metro Station to go buy some water at CVS. After getting my water, I got on the first train that showed up which was the blue line and rode it over to the Smithsonian Metro Station. That dropped me off right in the middle of the National Mall.
I started my tour by heading west towards the Washington Monument. When I got there to take a picture, there was actually a guy dressed up as Spider-man getting pictures taken right in front of the monument. I thought about getting a picture of or with Spider-man, but I decided to leave them alone.
Washington Monument
From there, I headed towards the Lincoln Memorial. I stopped at the Reflecting Pool to take a picture before continuing my walk. When I got to the other end of the pool, I turned around to get a picture of the pool with the Washington Monument. I then headed up the stairs to visit President Lincoln.
Reflecting Pool facing Lincoln Memorial
Reflecting Pool facing Washington Monument
Lincoln Memorial
View from Lincoln Memorial
Back of Lincoln Memorial
Then I started heading east to go visit the National Gallery of Art. Along the way, I swung by The Three Soldiers and The White House. It would appear that it's getting much harder to get anywhere close to the South Lawn.
The Three Soldiers
The White House
National Gallery of Art
Leonardo da Vinci: Ginevra de' Benci (obverse)
Leonardo da Vinci: Ginevra de' Benci (reverse)
Bergognone: Christ Risen from the Tomb
Raphael: The Alba Madonna
Procris and the Unicorn
El Greco: Saint Martin and The Beggar
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo: Queen Zenobia Addressing Her Soldiers
Hans Memling: Saint Veronica
Gerard David: The Saint Anne Altarpiece
Sir Peter Paul Rubens: Marchesa Brigida Spinola Doria
Sir Peter Paul Rubens: The Fall of Phaeton
Rembrandt van Rijn: Self-portrait
Francisco de Goya: The Marquesa de Pontejos
Jacques-Louis David: The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at the Tuileries
Gilbert Stuart: George Washington
Samuel Finley Breese Morse: The House of Representatives
The Shaw 54th Regiment Memorial
54th Regiment Roster
The Shaw 54th Regiment Memorial
John Singer Sargent: Setting Out to Fish
Claude Monet: The Houses of Parliament, Sunset
Claude Monet: Rouen Cathedral, West Façade, Sunlight (left)
Claude Monet: Palazzo da Mula, Venice
Vincent van Gogh: Self-portrait
Auguste Renoir: Young Spanish Woman with a Guitar
Auguste Renoir: Oarsmen at Chatou
Camille Pissarro: The Artist's Garden at Eragny
Georg Emil Libert: View of Sommerspiret, the Cliffs of Møn
Grand Army of the Republic Memorial
Well it looked like I made the mistake of coming here on a Sunday for lunch. The line was out the door! I wanted to try their meatloaf. However, by the time I got up to the counter to order, they were all out. My backup choice was their chicken wings. They were out of those as well, but they allowed me to get legs instead. I got my fried chicken with collard greens and mac & cheese. The meal came with corn bread. I added a peach cobbler for dessert. After I paid for my food, I found a vacant table to eat my food. That was some mighty good soul food! If you decide to come here, be sure to remember to bring cash. If you forget to, they have an ATM on site for you to use.
Entrance
Long line out the door
Menu
Specials
Peach cobbler
After I was done with my food, I headed back to the Metro station and took the light rail back to my hotel. The meal was late and big enough that I did not go back out for more food. Later that night, I watched game 5 of the World Series. The Trashstros stayed alive, winning 5-9 despite the Braves scoring 4 runs at the bottom of the 1st inning. The series now goes back to Minute Maid Park with the Braves up 3-2.
World Series game #5
Monday 11/1
After getting ready and packed. I checked-out of my room and dropped off my keys at the front desk. I grabbed one of those chocolate pastries for my last walk over to the Huntington Metro Station. Once again, I took the yellow line over to Pentagon City to eat breakfast at Chick-fil-A. I ordered the usual hash brown scramble bowl meal with a Greek yogurt parfait with granola and a cup of coffee.
After I was done with breakfast, I hopped on the Metro this time on the blue line. I took it over to the Rosslyn Metro Station to catch the 5A Metrobus. That express bus would take me over to Dulles International Airport. Apparently, I looked like I knew what I was doing as I got asked for help on getting to Dulles. I've been around the block a time or two.
The first leg was a short one out to Charlotte Douglas International Airport. My flight wasn't until later in the afternoon, so I decided to get lunch at the Five Guys that was pretty close to my gate. Honestly, Five Guys is not my favorite among the fast food burger restaurants. Their burgers are always super messy and their fries are super greasy. I only ate here because I was lazy and it was right across from my gate. I got a double cheeseburger with onions, pickle, ketchup, and mustard. I guess I was trying to duplicate a Quarter Pounder with cheese. I got little fries to go with it. The food was decent, but there was nothing special about it. I felt like my pores were oozing out grease after my meal, so I walked a few laps around the concourse. Most likely I'll look for a healthier option next time.
Dulles to Charlotte Douglas
Double cheese burger with onions, pickle, ketchup, mustard, and tiny fries
Taking a lap around the concourse
Enroute
I landed in Charlotte a few minutes after 3 pm local time. I walked over to gate A4 in Concourse A to wait for my next flight. Originally, it was going to be a lengthy 3.5 hour layover. Unfortunately, that got pushed back further by an hour. Around 4 pm, I started walking through the airport to check out my food options. I thought about getting food at Chick-fil-A, but I wasn't too keen on that choice as the line was very long and airport locations do not earn any reward points on their mobile app. Later I would find out that for whatever reason, they closed at 4 pm. I ended up just getting a 1L bottle of water for $5.35 with tax at Queen City Gifts and News.
I finally have a phone that does wireless charging
Unfortunately, my flight kept getting further delayed. We were informed that they were waiting for another crew member to arrive from another flight before we could start boarding and take off. I was starting to feel hungry, but didn't feel like getting a full on meal. I ended up getting a bag of dry roasted edamame at Charlotte's Landing which also was also $5.35 with tax. I guess I could've gotten a regular meal somewhere for the price that I had paid for the water and soy beans.
As the last crew member finally arrived at the gate, he was greeted with clapping and cheering from those waiting to board the plane. At about 7:30 pm, we finally started boarding the plane. As Jar Jar once exclaimed, "wesa going home!"
"Don't be upset by the results you didn't get with the work you didn't do."
The second leg was a long 5.5 hours from Charlotte to Ontario International Airport. There weren't too many movies left that I wanted to see, so I ended up watching Minari. Honestly, I don't see what the hype was about. Sure the story was different compared to what we're used to from American film writers, but I think the US is just finally catching up. The writing has always been much more diverse outside of the US. Also the ending was too abrupt for my liking. It was as if they ran out of time or budget to make a more proper ending. I think a movie is pretty similar to a joke... if you have to explain it, it wasn't very good, was it? I did relate to the culture shock and what it was like to immigrate to the US/California as an Asian and seeing a lot of people that don't look like people from your birth country. However the similarities to the movie ended there. Even though my dad does have a pretty green thumb, my family did not move to Arkansas for some high risk shot-in-the-dark agricultural opportunity.
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