Washington, DC (USA)

I had a problem with one of my Metro Cards (newly registered on the WMATA website) and figured out that I needed to go to the station to correct it. Unfortunately, it appeared that I couldn't get the problem resolved with the gate agent without using the card to go through the turnstyle - when I did that, it effectively discharged the entire remaining amount... [Note - on July 1, when I went to Metro Center (and made several calls to WMATA), I learned something new about the Metro: in order to charge a card with money that has been electronically added, you need to check your balance at two different places on the line (you don't actually have to use the fare gate). That would have been nice to know...]. At that point, I figured I might as well take the opportunity to ride into the city. My fare was enough to get to King Street, where I got off the train and considered stopping at Theisman's for a drink. But the weather was too nice, so I got back on the train (with my other card) and rode the Blue Line up to Arlington. The sun had just set by the time I got to the surface - lights were already visible on the Lincoln Memorial, so I walked across the bridge and spent some time on that end of the mall - it was a pleasant evening to walk near the Vietnam Memorial (I found the National Academy of Sciences, something I hadn't noticed - big statue of Einstein there...). I made it without much difficulty over to the World War II Memorial, which was nicely lit, and spent some time enjoying the cool breeze and good views of Washington at night. One frustration, though, was the amazing number of fences that blocked access to different areas of the Mall... Walked towards the Washington Monument, now completely covered with scaffolding (still impressive) and took several pictures. Made my way back to L'Enfant Plaza - tired but feeling some endorphins... Had to wait a while for a train and they were single-tracking, meaning I had to change sides of the platform at the last minute. Made my way back to my car and headed home. What a nice evening!