I spy

I spy all kinds of new things these days, but this time I mean it in a quite literal sense - Spy at Night at the International Spy Museum, one unique D.C. experience of many to come. I spent an hour as a member of a special ops team! I mean, how many people really get to do that in their lives? Ok, pretty much anyone who can handle low light levels, sound effects, motion simulators, elevators and other confining spaces, a set of stairs, and physical and mental challenges after ponying up their $22 (hey, it buys you a drink, too). In this particular instance, I became a covert op with my new buddy Dana (we started our work rotation at the same time - she's from New York and is pretty much awesome and up for all kinds of fun adventures) and a couple of her friends, along with ten other random people. What exactly did this adventure consist of? Well, I'm not going to give too much away in the event that anyone actually wants to do it in the future, but basically you have a team leader who helps you navigate through the depths of a suspicious, slightly-Middle-Eastern-slanted scandal involving a missing nuclear trigger. There's scanning of documents, deciphering of messages, tracking of agents, disabling of security cameras, and enduring of a seriously cramped, seriously dark elevator. Ooh, and a helipad! Complete with..."wind!" It was a touch cheesy, but really a pretty entertaining way to spend the evening.

You know what else I spy? My neighborhood! I spent some time on Sunday morning walking around, coffee in hand, taking in the sights within a pretty short walking distance from my apartment. I ate my Bruegger's bagel sandwich at the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden across from the National Archives. How awesome is that? Check out the art...and the benches and the trees.

There's also an ice skating rink there in the winter - I'll go attempt it, but I need to do my ankle-strengthening exercises beforehand. Me + blades and/or wheels attached to my feet typically = disaster. Probably no photos from that particular excursion to come.

Oh, and I was hoping I would find these somewhere close! Anyone who heard my Paris stories probably remembers my fascination with the bikes for rent all over the city that I ended up riding vicariously. I'm going to ride these for reals, even if it does make me look all touristy!

Here, check out my street - my apartment's in there somewhere on the left!

You can see actual apartment pictures, too, just not now - it's still quite a disaster area, but I'm working on it! Anyway, time to go spy my way through D.C., putting those newly acquired clandestine skills to work. Maybe the CIA will take me.