The 2003 To Do List


It's nearly New Year's, and this year, I won't be celebrating in D.C. After three years in a row of celebrating with two of my best friends by throwing an epicurean feast, it's time to hit the road. I've never been much of a football fan, but I'm going to the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida. It's a year for something different. And, that, perhaps may be the way to kick off 2003.

It's going to be a year for something different in my D.C. experience. There are some critical holes in my to-do list, so instead of making resolutions, I'm going to make a list and check it...twelve times. I'll report back to you as I go, maybe not every month, but at least once every couple of months. Not only will I provide a progress report on whether I've been getting all this done, but I'll also tell you all about my adventures.

So here it is. My 2003 Washington D.C. To Do List. Let's get to it:

  1. Climb Sugarloaf Mountain. I've heard great things about hiking up this mountain, which is between Washington D.C. and Frederick, Maryland. It's time to pick a clear day, pack a water bottle and a lunch, and make a day hike of it.
  2. Eat at Ben's Chili Bowl. This is a Washington D.C. institution. The half-smokes are legendary, and I'm a huge half-smoke fan. It's insane that I've never been there. I've walked by it twice, but never stopped to check the menu. Enough already. I will arm myself with Mylanta and make that trip.
  3. Visit the National Building Museum. I've seen this museum on the occasional television special—its lovely atrium is a favorite for television producers. But I've never been in it, and I've heard good things about the exhibits therein. Even more shameful, it's just a few blocks from my office, so it's a reasonable lunchtime outing.
  4. Visit the Spy Museum. I don't feel guilty for not having gotten to this one yet; after all, it just opened this fall and the lines for timed-entry tickets have been hideous. But I don't want to wait several years to visit, like I did with the Newseum, which I never made it to before it closed for a three-year move to its new, downtown location.
  5. Stop by Freedom Park. This Rosslyn, Virginia landmark arcs above the sky on a strip that was originally meant to be part of the road network. Now it stands as a memorial to journalists who have died in the line of duty and to moments of historical freedom, including the fall of the Berlin Wall and the fall of Lenin. I have on good authority from those who have been there that it's fascinating, and yet I've never made it. It was once considered part of the Newseum, so I guess it's all I can visit until that museum opens back up.
    6. The copyright of the article The 2003 To Do List in Washington, D.C. is owned by Eugenia E. Gratto. Permission to republish The 2003 To Do List in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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