Day 164 - 08/03/2007

The plan was to get up and head down to Chestertown first thing in the morning, except the plan changed when I checked in with the office. I was having issues configuring my box at work yesterday, but was able to work through them, so I buckled down and got a couple of hours of work done before hitting the road.

Before heading towards the Eastern Shore, I had to stop by the uniform store for some additional clothes for the kids before school starts later this month. (Better yet, since today was a tax-free shopping day, we saved money to boot!) It's been a while since I've been over to Fair City Mall, but one thing hasn't changed: the parking. It's terrible. Fortunately, I was able to find a spot pretty quickly (close in to boot!) and in I went. It's a good thing I had a list of what I needed to get, because I was lost. (It was also a good thing there were plenty of sales staff to help lost souls like myself!) I finally got my order filled and was finally on my way...but first, I had to stop for lunch.

Since Fair City Mall is on 236, I decided to take that to 395 and stop at the Arby's that's right there at 236 and 395. As I drove through Annandale, I was quite surprised as to how much has changed over the years. Most (if not all) of the signs were predominantly in Korean (with English subtitles). I had heard that Annandale had become a big Korean community, but didn't realize the extent. I guess this will be what Centreville looks like in a few years (Centreville is the new Annandale for the Koreans coming into the area -- it's more affordable.)

So after my stroll down memory lane, I finally got to Arby's where they proudly server America's Roast Beef, Yes Sir! Of course, once I got there and saw the Classic Italian sub, I changed my mind and got that (along with the required curley fries, natch). I was not disappointed. It was the bomb.

I continued my drive through Northern Virginia by taking Beauregard down to Seminary (as the light to get back to 236 was waaaaaay long. It's been ages since I was down that street as well and sort of forgot where it went. I almost missed the turn to Seminary, but was able to get over in time (vs. having to continue on to 7 to get to 395). I left Arby's at 203p and was out of DC by 230p. Traffic was slow at its normal points, but I took a few liberties here and there and was able to skirt most of it. (I finally found out where the road went to with the "Authorized Vehicles Only" sign on it by RFK.)

Once I was on 50, traffic moved quickly. There was a brief backup that slowed us down near the Severn River, but, other than that, it was light. When I got to the toll booth I decided to pay for the car behind me as well after seeing it was an elderly couple. I can't help but wonder how it made them feel, but I know that little act, which only cost me $2.50, made me feel good. It put me in a good mood as I continued my drive up and over the bridge.

I finally arrived at 4p and immediately went into vacation mode. The compound is nice and I can see why Betsy spends so much time there. It sits right on the Chester River and has not only river access (for swimming, fishing or boating), but also a pool and a hot tub. If I had that at my disposal, I'd spend a lot of time there as well.