Thoughts Too Large to Post Elsewhere

Something funny is going on with LiveJournal’s posting ability, so I am forced to post the real Part 7, here.

Philadelphia to DC

Today’s story starts with waking up, as it always does. Olivia woke me up on her way in to work. I asked her to wake me when she got up, but was entirely confused by the fact that she was already up and dressed when she woke me. I didn’t get a chance to cook grits for her.

After she left, I pulled out my schedule and realized that my Megabus left at 2:20 pm, which was much later than I originally thought. With that in mind, I started to plan and then abandon the plan and then re-plan doing one of the left over things in Philadelphia before I left. My plans solidified when Sergio texted me and asked me if I wanted to go do something. Indeed, I did. I wanted to go to the Federal Reserve Bank for Money in Motion. It was only open on weekdays and I doubted the exhibit would be here next year. But, I am getting ahead of myself with my story.

After waking up, I tried to determine who, if anyone, was still awake in Olivia’s apartment. Sensing no one, and needing bread for my luxe PB&J sandwich, I didn’t want to leave the apartment, without a key, and not be able to get back in. So I pulled out my phone and checked my email.

Good thing I did. My DC host had written me an email, telling me that she had mixed up her calendar and was away at a conference and so was unable to host me tonight. She offered to try to find a friend who could fill in for her for hosting duty, but I immediately dialed Melissa {We need to stop meeting this way …} who didn’t answer. So, I called Seth, her boyfriend, and woke him up to ask if I could spend the night. Seth said, “Yes,” and so I called my original host and told her that I was able to find alternate arrangements. She didn’t answer so I left that as a rather lengthy voicemail. She responded with a relieved text message.

As of now, I’m 0 for 2 original hosts in DC for this trip. Looks like the universe truly wanted me to stay with Melissa after all. As all that drama was wrapping up, Jen walked in the door and I asked her if she would be home while I went to Crabs and Beer to buy bread. She pointed out that she’d just purchased a loaf and we both set off to the kitchen to make luxe PB&J sandwiches. While in there, she told me about a concern she was having with regards to graduate school, and I knew just who to call.

Even though it was ungodly in the morning for a graduate student (8 am), I put in a phone call to Katie and asked her to call back and offer her advice about the situation. She did and I put her on speaker with Jen and the two of them talked, until Jen’s shuttle arrived and she had to run downstairs to work.

Sandwiches in hand, Sergio and I had a phone conversation about the possibility of attending the Money in Motion exhibit. Sergio had already been before, but as you know, I can be incredibly persuasive. I wanted the answer to my nickel question:

Has the design of the nickel been recently changed?

I packed quickly, wrote a thank you note, fixed Olivia’s couch’s leg, and forgot my mouth rinsing cup (yogurt cup) in the bathroom, and then headed out the door to meet Sergio and Paul (a CouchSurfer from Germany) at the Federal Reserve Bank.

I arrived well ahead of the boys and was able to take a few moments to sit on the steps and read.

Once the boys arrived, we headed inside. The security inside was intense. They xrayed our bags (and we had many), and sent us into this completely bulletproof and enclosed chamber where we were metal detected and snooped for who knows what else. The chamber was like an airlock, and I was soon popped out the other side. I was then allowed to recollect my bags and head over into the exhibit.

The exhibit was everything I’d dreamed it would be and so much more. There was one section of the exhibit where visitors were asked to determine if a bill was counterfeit or real. All possible denominations of bill were present, and with the exception of the $2 bill (lack of exposure), I correctly identified each bill. I credit my fontiphilia for this ability, but won’t explain on the internet, for fear that counterfeiters are reading and will realize the secret. Other fontiphiles should be similarly endowed to distinguish counterfeit bills. :)

I’m so glad I was actually able to get a chance to see it while it was still there. I received a bag of shredded money (about $100 worth), as well as a chance to exchange my normal eagle quarter for a Gettysburg quarter. I am giving that quarter to Em, as she went to Gettysburg for college and I thought it would be an appropriate souvenir.

After that, we took the Blue Line to 30th and Market where Sergio’s Megabus was waiting. After packing him off on his Megabus, Paul and I headed in to the Amtrak station so he could hit an ATM and I could buy an Annie’s Pretzel. Well, the pretzel part wasn’t planned. It just happened. And who could blame it.

Paul and I sat, ate, and discussed the state of education in the United States and Germany, respectively. After that, Paul headed out to do some more Philadelphia sightseeing. I pointed him in the direction of Reading Terminal Market.

I went and sat on one of the wooden benches in the Amtrak station while I waited for my Megabus, and crocheted more of the last bits of Robin’s sweater. While sitting and concentrating on crocheting, I started to hear fantastic music pumping out of loud speakers. I turned to look, and saw one lone gal, dressed entirely in red, dancing. People were already on cell phones and had cameras out to take pictures of her.

However, as I watched, more and more monochromatic people ran in from all over the station and joined the dance. It seemed well choreographed.

“Is this a flash mob?” I wondered to myself. Then, realizing that photos do not do the dancers justice, I switched my phone over to video mode to capture their brilliance. Behold …

From Couch-a-Delphia

After the dance was over, two of the dancers returned to their things, which were next to me. I verbally offered my praise and asked how long it took to choreograph the dancing. “Not long,” one of the reds told me as she nodded to the original red dancer. The original red dancer was the choreographer, and she confirmed the answer of, “Not long.”

I still thought it was a flash mob, until a gentleman came over to me and handed me a program for the Philadelpha Arts Festival and explained that this sort of viral dancing was to raise awareness of the upcoming Philadelphia Arts Festival. Ahhhhh.

After that, it was time to board Megabus for DC. This time, we got a double decker bus!

Knowing that I was going to be not looking out the window, I opted to sit on the lower level. I crocheted the entire ride back to DC, which seemed oddly shorter than the ride up to Philadelphia.

I arrived in DC and Prinny came to pick me up from the Megabus stop and drove me over to Melissa’s. All four of us - Prin, myself, Melissa, and Seth - went over to 2 Amys for dinner. It was just as delicious as I’d always remembered it being.

After that, I grabbed my “luggage” from Prinny’s car and headed over to Melissa’s apartment where I tucked in for the night. I watched most of an episode of Parks and Recreation and am now posting this update.

Tomorrow, I’m going to do some local sightseeing and then hop in my car to go and get my passenger for the ride back to NC. I managed to use Zimride to find someone who needed a ride for at least part of the way home. Yay passenger: for both companionship and to split gas money.

When next I write, I should be entirely back in NC, doing a post-trip wrap-up.