It WAS The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

The nation's capital is often described as a "suitcase town." I had heard of this phrase a number of times, but never had I really developed an appreciation for it. That is, until this holiday season of 2007.

I am not from here, but I have lived here for a few years now. I usually take the holidays off and head out West to defrost and take in my double dose of family. This year was the first time I didn't pack a bag and leave town. Instead, I had people come visit me. I had friends from Europe come to visit. They said it was to spend time with me, but I sensed it had more to do with the phenomenal exchange rate of the Euro to the dollar. I had a growing suspicion when all they wanted to do was go to the mall, and not the one with the grass and museums, but the ones in Tysons and Pentagon City.

On their way to D.C. my friends stopped in NYC. They loved the city and the concrete skyscapes. I was hoping they would enjoy the nation's capital just as much. When they arrived I took them on a night drive through Georgetown and we had dinner there. Check out my review of the great Vietnamese place we went to on M Street.

At some point during their tourism research project on Washington, they read that over 900,000 people leave the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area during the week of Christmas. Although this number seemed a little high at first, I stopped to think about it while I drove them back to their hotel. Sure enough, at times, I was the only car on the road and there seemed to be a ghost town feel to the city. I looked to my right and left and saw parking spaces that even a Californian could parallel park in.

I dropped them off at their hotel and on the way home I hit all green lights. It was starting to feel a lot like Christmas and maybe my gift from the city would be no traffic, plenty of parking, and a sense of peace around town. I must have been in an extremely festive mood, because I tuned my radio to 97.1 WASH FM - you know the one that plays holiday tunes 24 hours a day from Thanksgiving to Christmas.

The next day was Christmas Eve. As I turned in that evening, I thought to myself, it is nice not to be racing through an airport or carrying a car seat or waiting in line at a rental car agency. The next day I got up and took a walk to Friendship Heights - to do my last minute Christmas shopping - yes, I am guilty as charged. I wait to the last minute to get those few items for family. As I approached the intersection of Western and Wisconsin Avenues at around 8:30, I felt like I could have reenacted a scene from I Am Legend or 28 Days Later.

Not a soul around. It was incredible. Had their been snow on the ground, I think I would have been tempted to run down the middle of Wisconsin Avenue yelling, "Merry Christmas Mr. Potter, Merry Christmas Maggianos, Merry Christmas Borders, Merry Christmas Clydes!" It seemed like for those few minutes it was a Wonderful Life here in D.C. It probably helped that I had my iPod playing Christmas tunes in my ears. It made for a wonderful soundtrack while I took my walk/run around Chevy Chase and Friendship Heights that morning.

While all this empty city glee lasted through the 26th of December, once I came back to work after the New Year, it all came to a crashing halt. Once again, horns were blaring, people were pushing and metro cars were busting and I guess all those 900,000 suitcases were unpacking. Now, I am facing the first full work week in a long time and I am dreading it. I look back fondly on that week in D.C. when it truly was the most wonderful time of the year.