Washington DC---I will never be the same again

Washington was interesting. However, I will never forgive Liz Davies for suggesting that we see the Spy Museum! After spending two and a half hours there, everywhere I look I see a clandestine figure. Where it used to be just someone standing and reading a newspaper, now it’s a spy waiting for his drop to happen. The girl on the Metro is a spy. The man on the bench is an assassin. The boy carrying the box is really carrying a bomb. No wonder we have homeland security! Arrrggghhh!

A counterpoint to the sinister spy museum was the Postal Museum. Quite fascinating to read about everything from the Pony Express—PonyEx? (about ten times as many men/boys claimed to be Pony Express riders as actually WERE Pony Express riders) to FedEx (still don’t know the truth about whether Smith [FedEx founder] got a “C” in business school for his idea about centralized mail delivery by air). Aside from not having any benches to sit, the Postal Museum was great!

Then there is the Metro. We love public transportation (except in Tucson, but that’s a story for another time), but the Metro strained our love. Not the trains themselves, they are pretty good, but the ticketing. We got a senior discount—there has to be something good about getting old!—but the tickets don’t show how much money is left! We had visions of the old Limelighter’s song about Charlie on the MTA:

Let me tell ya of a story 'bout a man named Charlie, on a tragic and faithful day.

He put ten cents in his pocket, kissed his wife and family, went to ride on the M.T.A.

Charlie handed in his dime at the Kendall Square Station and he changed for Jamaica Plain.

When he got there the conductor told him, "one more nickel," Charlie couldn't get off that train.

Well all night long Charlie rides through the stations, saying, "What will become of me?

How can I afford to see my sister in Chelsea, or my cousin or Roxbury?"  

Charlie's wife goes down to the Scollay Square station, every day at a quarter past two.

And through the open window, she hands Charlie a sandwich, as the train goes a rumbling through.

Now you citizens of Boston, don't you think it's a scandal that the people have to pay and pay?

Fight the fare increase, vote for George O'Brien - And get Charlie off the MTA.

I had visions of being riding forever ‘neath the streets of DC and never being able to get off because we didn’t have enough money on our Metro Card.