A Trip to Washington DC

March 10, 2025

A Trip to Washington DC

A week ago, I was in Washington DC visiting my friend Nick. My stay was four nights and I had a great time hanging out with Nick, meeting his wife, and going to museums.

The highlight was going up the Washington Monument after waiting in line on a cold morning to get tickets. It was worth it since it’s something that I’ve always wanted to do, and I was glad that Nick was interested in going up the monument as well.

A couple of days before, Nick and I also visited the Hirshhorn Museum and saw the OSGEMEOS exhibition. They are street artists who happens to be twins. Their body of work is extensive and spans decades. I was impressed by their long careers and wondered how they were able to make art for such a long time and not get bored.

Nick and I also went to the Renwick Gallery, the Old Postal Museum, and the National Portrait Gallery. I spent a day visiting the National Museum of Natural History and the National Gallery of Art. On my last day, I went to the National Museum of Asian Art and accidentally went to the National Museum of African Art too since they are connected. I’ve now been to most of the museums on the Capital Mall, including some of the ones I’ve been to years ago.

I confessed to Nick that my future is still unknown. I don’t know what I want to do. He thinks I should create art or do more photography since I don’t work anymore. I thought about that for awhile and came to the conclusion that anything I create should not take up physical space since I’m a minimalist. Even with photography, I don’t want print any photographs anymore. I’m also hesitant about buying a camera. It’ll be another thing to own, and quite heavy to carry if I go on a bicycle tour or a backpacking trip. This led me to the decision that if I don’t stay put this year then I should travel.

I thought about going on a bicycle tour in Central and South Americas several months ago, but decided against it because I was afraid. However, I definitely want to get out of the country this year. A bicycle tour in Europe starting from Lisbon in the summer sounds like a good idea. The flight is over $600 if I fly out of Philadelphia, which is quite expensive because it’ll be the height of tourist season. Another option is to bicycle to Canada to Halifax and take a flight to Paris. The ticket is currently around $250. If I do bicycle to Halifax I’m not sure if I want to take a flight to Europe after all. I might just head west and go across Canada.

There is even a third option, which is backpacking. I would like to get a job somewhere in Asia, maybe Taiwan. If I can work in Asia long term that’ll great. I actually applied to some jobs in Taiwan these past few days.

I’m actually afraid of a bicycle tour. I’ve done two long distance tours in the past already, but it’s always the fear in the beginning. I feel a backpacking trip is safer, but more hassle and less exciting. A bicycle tour has more unknowns and I dislike packing my bicycle for a flight. Each has its pros and cons.

I guess my plan right now is to do a bicycle tour north to Canada at the end of May or beginning of June, unless something more exciting comes up, such as a job in Asia. When I get to Canada I’ll decide if I take a flight to Europe or continue to cycle in Canada. I guess I still have some time to figure this out and I hope I’ll be in better spirits when the weather gets warmer.