Day 19: Finale

Just to ensure I've consumed enough calories this trip, I decide we need to have crab omelets with a tasso ham hollandaise sauce for breakfast. It is the second breakfast I've cooked this trip; after learning what goes into a hollandaise sauce I'm not sure if cooking ourselves is any better for us than eating out. I also might never want hollandaise ever again, though to it's credit, it is a good use for an entire stick of butter. 

We have a pretty eventful last day planned in Washington, D.C. In continuing our markets of America tour, we first hit the Eastern Market, which is some combination of a farmer's market/art fair/flea market/garage sale. At risk of sounding repetitive, the sun is angry and it is blistering hot. The market is full of interesting vendors and people and on a cooler day I'm sure it would be quite enjoyable to the three (Scott, Colleen, myself) of us. 

Not wanting to end the trip without eating at least three pieces, we make one final pie stop. Deliciously Dangerous Pies - an alt-gourmet pie shop if there ever was one - has been featured on Best Thing I Ever Ate so I had high hopes. We ordered three pieces: one coconut chess, one orange creamsicle (bizarre, right?), one old fashioned apple. The coconut, probably the best of the three, was good but not great. I've had at least three versions of this pie flavor that are better, including one objectively perfected by my great-grand mother and recently revived by my mom. Undoubtedly, the prices of these slices are affecting my perception of their taste, but at $7 a slice, I don't think I can be faulted. On the plus side, they did have Diet Coke in a glass bottle, something I don't ever recall seeing before. On this hot and sticky day, it is close to the best soda I've ever consumed. 

The final food stop of our journey is an institution worthy of concluding this trip. Ben's Chili Bowl is one of the most famous restaurants in D.C., it's popularity recently bolstered by King Midas Obama himself. A favorite of Bill Cosby, there is a sign on the wall that reads, "These people eat free at Ben's: Bill Cosby, The Obama Family, no one else". The line to get into the door, which is monitored by an attendant no less, extends into the adjacent alleyway. It moves briskly however and we are inside ordering large quantities of chili-laden meat and potatoes within 20 minutes. Taking the recommendation of Scott, I order a chili half-smoke, a smoked sausage topped with chili. Because I hate myself and don't want any of my clothes to fit anymore, I add a side of fries and large soda to the order. Good thing we just had pie. 

I'm not sure if it is the heat or the crowd - in addition to the masses we are joined at our seats-four-squishes-five booth by Scott's sister and her male-yet-undetermined-relationship-status companion - or the compounding of food these past 18 days, but I am not able to complete more than 55 percent of my meal despite the food being pretty much everything I love. But this is it, I can eat no more. The food portion of this adventure ends here.

Needing to walk off about 15 pounds, we take in a few more sights our nation's capitol has to offer. Having been here before it opened, the one stop high on my list of to see is the WWII Memorial. It is a beautiful and deserving memorial and I am slightly swelled with American pride as I take it all in - that is until we reach the fountain. Apparently, once the temperature reaches a certain degree, any large pool of water at a public place becomes a wading pool for child and adult alike. It doesn't matter if the intended purpose of the water, in this case the fountain, is to honor the brave men and women who defended the world from fascist superpowers; if it cools you down, America's feet are all in, signage be damned. 

Back at Scott's, I shower once more and attempt to pack my carry-on one last time. It was very full when we began this trip, but now I am fairly certain it is not possible to actually fit more inside. It is definitely more than the allotted weight permitted by airlines. If this bag survives this trip back to Seattle, I will whole-heartedly endorse it to all who will listen, as it will have survived a rough trip to France, holiday travel to Arizona and now a voyage across the United States. Though saddened to conclude this trip - and to trade this lifestyle in for a cubicle and corporate job - I am ready to be back in Seattle. 

As I often do to not forget, I write this down while on the airplane and writing previous days blogs:  

I'm pretty sure it's not okay to lift the arm rests of the seats in the planes, even if in the middle seat and have rights to the arm rests, if you don't know the person(s) sitting next to you

I also think it's wrong to read other people's laptop screens if you don't know them, but in this case, I am happy you did and allowed the armrest to return to it's intended place and function. Thanks. 

So that's it. Scott Lee is home safely and I am better for accompanying him on this journey. A special thank you to all of you who helped us with recommendations, put us up in their homes, broke bread with us, watched a cat, and read along. I don't have any inspiring concluding words and we've already covered lessons learned in the debrief, so cue the Explosions in the Sky and roll credits.

Clear eyes, full hearts…

Meghann Glavin Highlight of the Day:

Mike: Going home

Scott: Sending Mike home

Tomorrow's Agenda

Route: Seattle > Seattle

Estimated Distance: 0 miles

Estimated Time: 0 hours