It was a wild and historic trip to DC, and it’s good to be back home…though I was surprised to find snow still lingering on the ground here!
My job for 5 days was to sell the official merchandise of the Inauguration Committee. My station was the Marriott Washington on 22nd St. between M and N St. I feel like I got very lucky, because the people there were simply amazing. The event managers, front desk folks, hotel managers, staff, concierge, loading dock guys, and tech support were all incredibly friendly and accommodating. Also, the guests were in a great mood and snapped up tons of memorabilia from my staff and I, including t-shirts, glassware, dinnerware, cuff links, buttons, wristbands, stickers, posters, and more! You can see some of the items we sold at the inaugural collectibles site. I was quite pleased to bring home some of these items myself!
I stayed at an apartment in Alexandria with my good friend Heidi and the owner’s gorgeous cat, Izzy. I got a unique DC experience riding the Metro to Foggy Bottom/George Washington University each day and braving the record cold temperatures in the streets. I had two of the most wonderful helpers, the soon-to-be-wed Julie and Mitch, who proved invaluable throughout the weekend and inauguration. Julie turned out to be quite the salesperson, making our customers feel happy and helped each day.
I also had a few fantastic meals – two at Meiwah, a relaxed but impressive Chinese restaurant in the same block as the hotel, and one at Jandara, a funky Thai place by the zoo. Both were excellent. The General Tso’s chicken at Meiwah and Chicken Satay at Jandara were my favorites. However the Marriott makes a very fine grilled chicken sandwich, if I do say so myself!
During the inauguration ceremony, Julie, Mitch and I gathered at the bar with some of the hotel staff to witness history. I must say that I have never experienced anything like those 5 days in the greater DC area. So many people from so many countries all coming together to celebrate a truly momentous ceremony. Sure, there were insane crowds too large for any city to handle, and yeah, I’ll try really hard to forget my experience on the Metro on Tuesday morning (sardines, anyone?), but I don’t think I’ll ever have an experience like that again, and I doubt anyone who was in Washington will either.
I’ll be back to the music soon – after all, I promised quite a bit of words that I haven’t gotten around to writing yet, and there’s a new album from one of may favorite bands – Umphrey’s McGee – to be digested, so look for many posts this week!
The Wounded Messenger 