Following our screening at George Mason University, we drove into our Nation’s Capitol, where we had scheduled a dinner with Rae’s college friend Alisa and my high school friend and newly-elected Congressman, Jared Polis. Traffic in the area wasn’t as bad as I had feared, though the wet weather made for some extra careful driving. In total for the day, we drove less than 100 miles; that’s less than a typical trip to San Francisco and back for us in the Bay Area! Still, I think I’d prefer to take public transportation as much as possible; the city and outlying suburbs reminded me a lot of Paris, France.

Parking near the restaurant spot, we took the metro to South Capitol, where Jared’s office is located. My what a difference a year makes! A few days shy of exactly one year ago, I was documenting the final week of Jared Polis’ campaign. We had just finished our first cut of Autumn Gem when Rae and I decided to fly to Colorado for the election week. Now, a year later, we’re on tour with the film, and Jared is finishing up his first year as a freshman congressman. We got a tour of the underground passageways from Danielle. I actually never knew that there were underground tunnels under our Nation’s Capitol, but it makes perfect sense. I only wish that I could have seen the special subways for the politicians! Perhaps next time!

For dinner, we met up at Saigon Bistro in Dupont Circle. Everyone had busy schedules well into the evening: Alisa with her dance practice, Jared with more meetings, and us with our car ride into Baltimore. Still, what little time we were able to share was well worth it. Touring, while tiring, is great because you really are in a different place every night. Friends and family have scattered over the years to many of these places, so this tour gives us the great opportunity to see everyone on a single trip. Try that with a typical vacation to one location!

And now, photos from our little jaunt to our Nation’s Capitol!