Walking Distance Only

I like travel. I like exploring new places, trying new foods, sleeping in hotels with tightly tucked sheets...I even like flying and being in airports. But I can't imagine travelling all the time for work. A few times is fun and always interesting, but even one trip makes me kind of tired. So now that I'm on trip 2 in a short period of time, and with my trip to India and Nepal rapidly approaching, I'm looking forward to some good time at home in the next week or so.

Flying Virgin always makes me happy (who couldn't love an airline that uses a safety video like this?!). But flying Virgin AND having a practically empty plane? Double score. I love this view next to me, particularly for a cross-country flight:

So when I landed in DC, it was snowing. Just lightly, barely...but just enough. So instead of finding a cool spot for dinner, I stayed in the building and ate at the restaurant on site. Brr. The next morning, I ventured out for breakfast, since I was up early enough to explore a little. I even took myself on a little walking tour before starting work - there was a magazine in my hotel room all about exploring Alexandria, Virginia, so I ripped out the walking tour guide and set off. If I'm honest, I almost went straight back to my warm hotel room after grabbing breakfast, but I knew I'd regret not seeing a place while there. So I trudged on, and made it all the way! Here's a pic at the waterfront with the dirty Potomac behind me:

And Carlyle house. I can't even remember why this was a historic monument.

A little about Alexandria:

And an old brick ice well (ignore the huge reflection of me...oops):

The sign on George Washington's townhouse replica:

And the house itself. Not what I expected! Yes, that is an Olympic flag in the window too. Cheesy.

 And a sign by a tavern. Haha, I kind of like these kinds of places. It reminds me of the historical spots in the UK!

Part of the churchyard at Christchurch.

 

Christchurch.

After I got back, I headed to the kickoff of my conference. First session was awesome! All about scenario planning, which is something I need to work on. Second session: eh. It was interesting, but not really applicable, as it seemed to be less of a discussion on "strategic" workforce planning as it promised, and more of a lecture on the soft-skills and norms of today's workforce. 

After the sessions ended for the day, I walked over to King Street, hopped on the metro and met up with Sarah and Nico (and their adorable son) for dinner! It's so refreshing to spend an evening with great friends shooting the breeze after sitting in a stale chair for hours on end. Thanks, guys!