Yesterday George and I ventured off by ourselves around noon to go to the Pentagon City Shopping Mall, where we had visited on a previous trip. I guess that was a mistake. About a block from Mike's house we made a wrong turn and went heading off down the highway. We had to pull off, turn around, come back and start over. Laughing at ourselves, we ventured off again. Mike had given us instructions to stay on Route 1 and we would see the sign for the mall. We got all the way to that general area, turned too soon, and the road circled back. Before we could get off we had passed National airport and found ourselvs back in Alexandria not far from Mikes house. Try again. This time, we got down route 1, stayed on a little longer, and boom, just like George thought, we crossed the bridge and ended up in Washington DC, circling around the Smithsonian, and the monuments, in the same place we had been the day before.
We had two more false turns around the monument area to try to get back, and two more phone calls to Mike. In the end, we found the way back to Alexandria, skipped the mall visit entirely, and limped for home. I was in a state of dismay that we got so lost so many times. We saw the front AND the back of the Kennedy Center twice as we were trying to find out way back over the bridge. There was a parade forming, and the police and barriers were out, so we wanted to get out of Dodge fast. It was fun to see the monuments again, and the trip got us out and about...a lot more times that we thought.
Back at home, Mike laughed and commiserated and said he would take us to the mall today and out for lunch at the Fish Market in Old Town Alexandria. I was amazed that Washington streets and highways are as complicated as Boston ones. George was rather appalled that we couldn't find our way or didn't see the sign for the mall--twice. Visitors with rental cars and bad rental car company maps beware.
Last night we went to dinner with Michelle and Mike at a Brazilian barbecue place called Green Fields near Baltimore. We had a lovely time, the salad bar is fabulous, the food is so delicous and the grilled meats just keep coming to the table. I tried not to eat too much and didn't succeed. We came home and watched a TV show about the old Saturday Night Live and giggled ourselves to sleep.
Today, we get the guided tour of the mall we went to see yesterday, and then off to the airport in Baltimore for a 7:30 p.m. flight home to snowy Boston.
Maybe we should start our own reality show called "Lost! Again!"
Have a great President's Day Holiday.
