It’s been some years since my last visit to Georgetown.
Who could forget the last scene in Exorcist (which set standard for a whole new genre).
But first, a stop at my parent’s graves in nearby George Mason U.
Cold and crisp. Students were out for a jog, some even shopped for shoes. It’s President Day. President Obama however chose to spend time in Old Town Alexandria.
We were lucked out! Imagine what the parking would have been had he picked GT !
We found a spot on 27th St way pass the Mongolian Embassy (GT could be one of the most international cities besides NYC).
After deciding to pass on Miss Saigon (the restaurant, not the show), my brother and I settled for Johnny Rockets. Shakes and fries, peppered with music both of us can relate to.
It says on the mini juke box (next to the ketchup) that it costs only 5 cents per song.
Give Me Some Lovin., Lean on Me.
What a time! (50’s Innocence).
I even got extra milk shake (total one and a half glass). That explains why I feel so full now.
Georgetown might be an open-air mall, but to me, it represents something else. It’s neither old nor new. Just classy. World-classy (well, with Pretty Woman, walking down the road… and gay guys too) elegant, exotic and exclusive.
On days like today, President Day, one cannot help reflect on the making of the Republic.
How our taxes are collected to the dime, our parking meters to the minute and our library books to the day. Then how our leaders let it go to the cliff, fiscal cliff.
I know the Mongolians are watching. They have their embassy here. To see, to learn, and to relay “take aways”. One of the many things they probably won’t take home and take heart is that American spent first, save later.
Saw a shopper carry a pair of Nike out of the box. He probably just took them off display.
Now, that’s some “take away”. Just Do It. Run, baby run. Just watch out for the fiscal cliff. It’s tax time. Have we a lot to declare? to write off? to hide?
On the cover of The Economist, I noticed something about trillions of dollars of uncollected off-shored corporate taxes.
I am glad to see across the river that Rosslyn is building out aggressively. I root for many more Rosslyns and Georgetowns across the nation. Let’s build and they will come.
Why should world tourists flock to Paris and London? And Mongolian only put a diplomatic presence here, instead of urging their people to come, to spend, and even to stay. We need foreign currencies, in any shape or form. Let them pick the song on the juke box. Good for the house, good for the country. Happy President Day. Start thinking like one. After all, we all live here, and very likely, die here. Georgetown on my mind (courtesy of Ray Charles‘ Georgia on my mind).
Thang Nguyen 555 