All started and wrapped up in the same day...below was his answer.

"With all do respect I will have to end the correspondence for now as I am not ready to reveal my identity. I
know this feels like a game but it honestly is not. I know the days and months just go by as we grow older. I
know it's unfair to you. I hope you understand where I am coming from . I wouldnt waste your time but when
i'm ready, i'll be ready. Take care."

Who says I'll be around when you're ready?  WTF is he?  The man in the iron mask?  Maybe horribly disfigured?

My response:

"This is incredibly weird.  Well, have a nice life.  I'll just pretend today never happened."

If this idiot writes me again, I'm not responding.  I don't have infinite patience for idiocy.  This shit is crazy...

"I know I opened a can of worms now. Mmm I don't want to reveal my identity just yet. I'd like for you to know who I am without prejudice.
I wasn't exactly the nicest guy in jr. High in fact you probably use to despise of my presence. I've since matured and evolved into an
educated and productive member of society. I definitely would like to have the chance to know you as a friend and when I break out of
my shell of shyness I'll reveal who I am. I wasn't shy in Jr. High. I'm Chinese and we were in the same year class of 93'. If I remember
correctly we might have had a science class together with Mr. Lungu and a PE class. You use to have this dreamy look in your eyes that
I found amazingly coOmforting and sweet. I hope we can work towards a friendship. Hope to hear from you soon =)"

My trip to DC was a much-deserved vacation after the family turmoil last year...and the drama with the boss in March, considering that Seattle was my last getaway (back in 2012)! 

My vacation started off rough with the terrifying plane ride from hell!  Luckily, that ordeal did not foreshadow things to come.

DAY 1

Arriving to the warm weather was a welcoming escape from the cold of California (believe it or not).  My cousin showed me Embassy Row, Georgetown, the various memorials.  I was experiencing whiplash from looking left and right...not to mention my horrible jet lag.  After a driving tour of downtown DC, we winged it over to the waterfront for some fresh seafood -- a favorites among the locals because despite the heat, it was packed to the gills.

Finally after all the heat and indulgence in fried scallops and oysters, I had to head to the hotel for a nap.  That red eye flight was really wearing on me.  Rosslyn was a good choice for a hotel location.  The Holiday Inn @ Key Bridge was within walking distance to the Metro station.  Beware that you'll be hearing jet engines flying over frequently (except from 11 PM to 6 AM...thank goodness for that!).

Then, we had went to Ray's Hell Burger for dinner. 

It was a little rare, but nothing beats a patty encrusted in peppercorn with all the fixings (ie guac and bacon!).  It made me yearn for the West Coast version when I got home.

DAY 2

Even though I'm not the outdoorsy adventure girl, I had been anticipating trying Go Ape -- a truly unique "tree adventure" in Rockville, Maryland -- involving climbing up a tree (via rope ladders), going from tree to tree (via balancing on stepping blocks, tight ropes, etc), and then ziplining at the end of each of the 5 courses.  Rockville should be a 20-minute drive from DC.   

Yup, that's me up there!

The ziplines did frighten me a lot!

After completing (nay...surviving) the obstacle course, we headed off to Baltimore's inner harbor.  The waterfront was very nice and pretty, with Camden Yards, National Aquarium, and Little Italy.  It was a popular spot for joggers and people-watchers alike.  I really liked the relaxed vibe.

DAY 3

I was eager to set off on my own.  Rosslyn station was really deep underground.  It took 2 minutes to ride the escalator.  (My arms were so sore from the Go Ape the day before.)  Which sight was I going to see first?  International Spy Museum!  LOTS of cool stuff there.  I'm not going to spoil it for you...

Then, I wandered over to the Crime & Punishment museum.  Not really worth the admission of $20+!  Definitely not as fun nor cool as the International Spy Museum.  The one thing I was amused by was the exhibit below.

Pac & Biggie's deaths

After the brief walk-through of the museum, I met up with my cuz to grab a quick bite to eat.

That heaping crepe...YUM

from Crepes on the Walk (in Chinatown)

After the brief catching up, he was off to his night class.  I wandered over to Union Station just to see the madness that goes on there.  Not only is it a Metro station, it's also an Amtrak station as well.  Back to the hotel I went to rest and ready to turn in for the night when a couple of hours later he invited me to dinner.

Sliders and shoestring onions

from Matchbox Chinatown

Gawd, it was some yumminess.  The pizza was crispy perfection.  Ahh...fond memories I'll never forget...

DAY 4

It was a day of rain...a good day to duck into museums, my cousin advised me.  Okay, I'll go check out the Capitol and see what it's about...after lunch at Tune Inn restaurant.  OMG, you HAVE to have the fried pickles and fries here.  The fries were battered for unthinkable crispiness.

The Capitol under construction

One thing I appreciate most of DC is the ornate

details of all the buildings.

The rotunda was made of cast iron!

Look at the beautiful mural on the ceiling!

National Statuary Hall

(2 statues submitted from each state)

Also went to the Library of Congress.  It's literally a fancy library with an underground tunnel connecting it to the Capitol.  Then on my way to the National Mall, I swung by the US Botanic Garden.

I also made a stop at the American Indian museum to kill time and also to take a break from all the walking.

Unique architecture

Color me surprised to see an exhibit referencing "Twilight" and Jacob's tribe.  My final destination of the day before my legs give out was the Hirschhorn Museum.

This is what it looks like at night with the 360 exhibit

"Song 1" by Doug Aitken

There was also a collection of by Ai Wei Wei called "Zodiac Heads" that was pretty cool.  It included the 12 Chinese zodiac animals.  I took a photo of each, but I won't bore you with a dozen photos of animal heads.  After that, I went back the hotel exhausted.

DAY 5

I insisted that my cuz go to work so he won't waste too many vacation days on me.  But luck has it that I ran into him at the L'Enfant Plaza station.  I saw him from behind and thought twice before calling out his name.  He decided to ditch work and go give me a tour of the National Mall area.  I saw the Smithsonian castle

There's a pretty garden in the back

This has to be my favorite photo from the entire trip.

The Washington Memorial up close and personal.

The White House from the front

Doesn't seem that big, does it?

I prefer the back side of the White House

with the beautiful grand portico

We had lunch at Old Ebbitt Grill nearby.  It's a busy place with important people lunching here.  Haha..why were we there?  To rub elbows with everybody!  The seafood jambalaya was absolutely divine.   

Back on the road, we walked to the White House visitor center a few blocks away to watch a video tour of the mansion and check out memorabilia/photos of rooms.  Next we went to the Old Post Office and went to the very top to get the best view of DC since the Washington Memorial was closed due to concerns for safety after last year's earthquake.

We also saw Ford's Theater, where Lincoln was assassinated and across the street where Lincoln later died.

Final destination of the day was The Air & Space Museum.  Lots of cool stuff like planes and shuttles (etc) suspended from the ceiling, with the museum divided into separate air and space sections. 

Lunar Orbiter

Apollo Lunar Module

DAY 6

It was my final full day at DC, so we decided to set out early to Tidal Basin (where all the memorials are) to beat the crowds to the monuments.  (Unfortunately, I missed out on the cherry blossoms...it was the centennial anniversary for the festival.  It would've been a gorgeous sight.)  We just barely arrived at the Jefferson Memorial before the hoards of school kids arrived by the busloads (at least 5-6 full-sized buses).

Nary a kid in sight!

Brand new controversial Martin Luther King memorial

"Mountain of Despair"

"A Stone of Hope"

The Roosevelt memorial is unique in which there are 4 "rooms" to represent each term, filled with quotes and statues (and even waterfalls) that represent the happenings that took place at the time (ie New Deal, Depression, Fireside chats).  It's a expansive monument, so why not honor our 12-year president with a grand memorial?

FDR in his wheelchair

In the public eye, Roosevelt was never seen in one.

I couldn't get a photo of FDR with his beloved dog (below)

because of kids clamoring for photos of either one at any given time.

He's a crowd favorite with kids jumping on him and posing

for photos.

"The Breadline"

to represent The Depression

Vietnam War statue

Korean War Memorial

It was very haunting.

My cuz pointed out the ghastly look on the soldiers'

faces from the fear of stepping in landmines.

Lincoln Memorial

It reminds me of the tail side of the penny.

On the 2 side walls are the Gettysburg Address

and his 2nd inaugural address carved into it.

Honest Abe watches over the Capitol,

which is straight ahead in his sight, across the mall.

It brought an anticlimactic end to my trip to see all the many monuments to honor the historical figures and events that had molded our country into what it is today.  I was eager to go home and rest my footsies from all the walking and getting away from all the tourists and the airplane noises.