Alex had slept less
than 4 hours when Stacey arrived at his place late, like usual, to wake him for
what had originally been planned as a camping trip to Point Lookout State Park
in Scotland, Maryland. However, after a quick look at the weather forecast for
the day that proved to be less than desirable, Alex decided to change the plans
from camping to a brief and spontaneous adventure to our nation’s capital.
After a detour for a wardrobe change and management of canine responsibilities,
Stalex made their way to Penn station to board a train for Washington D.C. This
was actually Stacey’s first train ride ever and Alex was sure to pick forward
facing seats in order to get a decent view of the scenery as the train traveled
through and out of Baltimore.
An
hour later, Stalex arrived to D.C. and after a quick break to the restrooms,
where Alex managed to capture an amazing moment of a man serenading himself
while relieving himself, the couple wandered toward the metro to begin their
adventure. Alex mentioned a museum of crime and punishment, but together, he
& Stacey decided they should eat first. The pair agreed on a food they both
love, cheeseburgers, at Shake Shack, which was not far away. While eating their
slightly over priced cheeseburger, cheese fries and chocolate milkshake, Stacey
saw on the news that Ray Rice, a Baltimore Ravens running back, had his
contract terminated. She mentioned this to Alex, who was not at all pleased to
hear this news since he had drafted him for his fantasy football team this
season. Nevertheless, Alex did not allow the news to alter his mood for the
D.C. adventure with the love of his life that lay ahead of him. After their
quick snack, Stalex made their way back towards the museum of crime and
punishment, but while there, the two decided it was not worth the money or time
when there were so many amazing Smithsonian museums nearby for no cost. They
returned to the metro, rode past their stop, swapped trains, then exited at the
correct stop to emerge a few blocks away from the National Mall.
After
a short walk to the National Mall, Stacey decided they should visit the Museum
of Natural History first because she thought the exhibits with the animals
would be exciting. Unfortunately, her childhood memories of the museum proved
to be wrong and, in reality, it was quite boring. From there, Stalex decided to
head to the place Alex was most excited about, the Museum of American History.
This museum proved to be equally exciting for the pair, they even made a game
of picking photos of historic people they thought looked the strangest or the
most fun to hang out with. Stacey truly enjoyed the war exhibits because while
growing up, she tried to understand & join in on her Papa Duke’s interest
in America’s wars/involvement in wars. A decent amount of time was spent
covering the exhibits at the Museum of American History, but with time
limitations, Stalex decided to move on to the last museum on their short
iteinerary; the Museum of Air and Space.
Stacey
used to have a childhood dream of becoming an astronaut, so visiting the Air
and Space museum was what she was looking forward to the most. Luckily, Alex
was happy visiting any of the museums (except art museums), as long as he went
to the Museum of American History and Stacey was enjoying herself throughout
the day. At this point in the adventure, Alex’s lack of sleep was beginning to
catch up to him, but because he is a champ, he powered through being tired in
order to continue enjoying the Stalex D.C. adventure. The pair spent the most
amount of time in this museum since Stacey was so excited to see it. They
walked through every exhibit and would each pick out their favorite aircraft in
every one. Sometimes, they would pick the same one, because great minds think
alike. Due to her childhood dreams, Stacey was in awe while wandering through
the exhibits that displayed the technological advancements of aeronautical
engineering. At one point, she thought to herself, “if only I would have stayed
on track throughout high school,” but then remembered everything happens for a
reason (even mistakes) and without them, she would not be where she is today.
Not being exactly where she is could potentially mean life without Alex, and he
is not someone she is willing to live without.
After
finishing their tour of the Air and Space Museum, Stalex headed towards a BBQ
restaurant called Hill Country, which was tasty but also slightly over priced,
to join Alex’s older brother, Christian, for dinner. Following dinner, the two
decided to roam a bit while deciding what to do next and stopped at CVS for
redbulls and a brush for Stacey. Sitting on a stoop drinking their redbulls and
people watching, Stalex thought they should look for a nearby bar that a friend
of Alex’s recommended in order to watch Stacey’s favorite baseball team (the
Orioles, duh) play while having an alcoholic beverage or two. Once they found
the bar, the two agreed it was pricey and not worth staying in D.C. for, so
instead, they made their way back to the metro and eventually the train station.
Once
comfortably aboard their train home, Stalex acknowledged they had a great time
adventuring in the nation’s capital together. During that blissful moment, the
couple decided to take a step in the process of rekindling their relationship
by re-friending each other on one social network. After much scrutinizing of
their profiles, the two made the plunge and are now officially instagram
friends once again. To some, this may seem insignificant, but in the life of
Stalex, this was a big step. Many emotions emerged during this process, but
once it was over with, the two dozed off into a slightly uncomfortable train
nap until they arrived back in Baltimore. Upon the return in the city they
reside, Stalex made their way to a sports bar with awkwardly dressed employees
to catch the end of the Orioles baseball game. From there, they attended to
more canine responsibilities before returning “home” for sundaes and a
ridiculous horror movie about an antique mirror. All in all, Stalex enjoyed a
delightfully successful D.C. adventure.
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