But it's times like these that make me feel weary. I"m enjoying it, yes, but I shouldn't be enjoying it this much should I? It's almost like things are too good. It's the uncanny valley of emotion.
Now I know I shouldn't be doubting my experiences, but my guttural feeling is that something in the background is going on, and I'm not quite privy to it. But I feel as though that's a healthy attitude to have wherever you go, and with whatever you do. To be self critical and reflective is to ensure you stay on track.
Being in such a large metro (with basic high-rises, and no skyscrapers) may be giving me this feeling. I mean, the tallest building in town is the Washington Monument after all. DC doesn't necessarily "feel" like a large metro. All buildings are capped, and you can see much of the sky. It's not like you are holed in by the megalithic glass structures of New York City or Chicago. Yet the population of the metro area is over 6 million people. Where do they fit all of the workers who come into the city? I know D.C.'s footprint is larger than other urban centers, but when you have skyscrapers in New York that hold thousands of people, how can 12 story buildings compare? Especially when lots of DC itself is single family homes and neighborhoods.
Then I have to remember, the statistical area (and service via regional transit) stretches all the way 70 miles into Martinsburg West Virginia. I can literally take an outbound transit train into the same state that touches my homestate of Ohio. That's how large this area is. (And it extends far into Northern Virginia as well.)
This metro region is strange, and it's amazing how far it stretches. But for now, I'm staying in the District, eager to discover all the places there are to see around the city.
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| An evening on 17th |
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| Metro Center Station, with it's iconic architecture of overlapping tunnels. |
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