travesty

Union Station has always been one of my favorite places in DC. When I used to come visit Will here, I would always come in a little before he could leave work so that I could wait at Union Station. It's an amazing place to people watch because of all the traffic going in and out. You can't go a day in the summer without getting swarmed by some school group there, or getting pushed by some high-and-mighty who's late for the train. [The other day I had a 101 Dalmations moment with a bomb-sniffing dog and his handler...leash getting wrapped around my body, the three of us getting tangled up, the whole bit. So funny. So typical.] The bustle makes you remember, oh right...this is the capital city of the strongest country in the world. It makes you feel alive...like you need to grab a huge coffee from the always-chaotic Starbucks behind the Amtrak counter and rush off to do something very important.

But it's also very still, at times. For certain pockets of the morning, it's almost deserted. Then the sun streams in the east-facing windows and fills the building with golden light. The light changes the very look of the architecture, and makes it seem like you're viewing the building as it was 70 years ago. People speak in hushed tones. The clicking and tapping of shoes on the marble floors slows down. You breathe deeper, and sip your coffee [instead of gulping it for dear life]. It's a place of reflection, and rejuvenation.



Which is why, when they decided to add a HUGE electronic train schedule right at the entrance, on that quaint, quirky Center Cafe, I was livid. I'm still livid. I curse like a sailor under my breath every time I walk in now. They've desecrated it.

[And I'm clearly having trouble coping.]