Down in the District

And by "down," I most certainly mean temperature. Here's a short rundown of the events thus far. We landed in Dulles around 3:15 EST to clouds and mid-50s temps and a sputtering, blustery wind.

After a lengthy taxi ride into Arlington and a quick hotel check-in area festooned by Sauconys and Asics and swag bags, we took the metro to find Sara and Dan, who had secured reservations at a swank spot called 1905.

We enjoyed socializing over a mostly decent meal (a fatty brisket special, an organic beef burger made with mushrooms, medium-rare [?] duck, and an order of folded spanakopita), but felt quite let down when our server's actions revealed that she didn't know how to logically divide a check between three parties. (We asked for the tab to be paid with some cash, then split the rest between two cards. On the first try, we received receipts for two cards that had been charged to split the entire bill, thus leaving the waitress with a cash tip at something like 55-60%. Once we prompted the host to correct this, we received two receipts split at an even amount, but much higher than the leftover price should have been. It appears as though she split the cash, then the check, and did so in a way that still left herself with a 25% cash gratuity.) Or maybe she knew too well? Time to write "cash" on the credit card receipts and go.

We emerged from the restaurant around 8:30 EST and found a chilly evening, light rain, and a game 7 underway. (Sidebar: I honestly don't know how folks on the east coast watch evening sports. I tried to watch the final innings before going to sleep, and had to turn the TV off in the 8th because it was almost 11 PM.)

Halloween started early here. The metro stations and trains offered an odd mix of commuters, tourists, kids, and characters. A man previewing one element of his costume, a replica jacket inspired by MJ's "Bad," garnered the most attention. The ride home nearly morphed into a on-train dance off, but a jeering adolescent's pride got the best of her.

It's morning here now, the Cards have won the World Series, and I've finished my last training jog before the marathon. It saddened me a bit that I had to resort to using a basement treadmill to run 4 easy miles. While I have the right clothing for a street run in D.C., and I would have preferred to acclimate myself to the temperature, Stephanie wisely pointed out the fact that one does not want wet shoes before a 26.2-mile run. Running with a television in your face is also, apparently, educational. I now know what a Nor'easter is.

Today we'll take the metro to the Armory building and quickly wander the Marine Corps Marathon Expo. We'll pick up our bibs, our swag, and maybe some used gloves for Stephanie to wear and then ditch along the course. Then we'll meet up with Dan and Sara for some quality friend time, then put the finishing touches on an epic week of carb loading at a place called Founding Farmers.

I'll work on a quick update later that provides bib numbers, links for spectators, and instructions on how to maintain pre-race rituals when you're living out of a suitcase.