I couldn’t sleep. Jetlag was my new best friend and no matter how many sheep I managed to count, he wouldn’t let me go. So I indulged him. I asked him what he wanted to do and he told me he wanted to see the city. He wanted to see Washington D.C. at three in the morning on a cold April day. I told him he was crazy. He asked if I had a better idea. I got up and put on my boots.
It’s surreal walking around D.C. when the streets are empty. It’s got that romantic feel to it because of those warm, orange lights that make the early hours less frightening than they’re supposed to be. At this hour, the pedestrian signs seem obsolete and I cross the streets at my own pleasure. I take a few minutes to gain my bearings but when I do, I find myself walking towards the towering figure of the Washington Monument over the horizon. It takes me a while to get there but once I’m standing right before it – this tall, white obelisk with a blinking red light perched on top of it – I know for a fact that it was worth the effort of getting there.
Now I’m restless and inspired. I want to see more. I look around me and spy what looks like the Lincoln Memorial. I make my way towards it and am greeted by the World War II Memorial. It’s such a pleasant surprise to stumble upon this historical place that I take my time to admire it. When I am satisfied, I make my way to meet Abraham Lincoln sitting on his marble throne.
Lincoln is bigger than I expected and the grandeur of my current whereabouts is reinforced by the fact that I’m the only one there. It’s like I had an audience with the Pope or a private tour of the Louvre that for once I truly felt like the stars had aligned in my favor.
As I head down the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, I see the path from where I came. It’s the path home but I am not yet ready to head back and so I take another path in search of adventure. The path I take seems barren at first. I come across nothing that would catch my eye. Just when I was wondering whether I made the right decision, I see what seems like a body of water and immediately head towards it. It is the Tidal Basin and as I stand by its banks, I take in the beauty of the many Cherry Blossoms blooming with the first light of dawn. I sit on one of the benches and contently watch the day as it begins.
Across the Tidal Basin, I spy the Jefferson Memorial. Without any hesitation, I am up from the bench and making my way towards it. It’s a long walk but given all the walking I’ve done, it no longer seems that far to me. When I enter Jefferson Memorial, I see him standing in the middle, an imposing but welcoming figure. I stare up at him and then read the inscriptions on the wall, savoring each sentence like a bar of the finest Swiss chocolate.
When I get back to my hotel, the sun is up and the day is in full swing. The city is no longer mine and the roads are filled with regular traffic. I crash on my bed and my jetlag asks me how I feel. I tell him that after seeing D.C. in the early hours of the morning, I feel like I’ve just won a million dollars, and no matter what happens later on, no one could ever take that away from me.
About the Author: David Rosario loves to write and wants to travel more. He spends most of his time walking around Metro Manila looking for good places to eat.
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