Getting started

For someone who has lived in the same house and worked at the same job for 25 years, packing your bags and heading to Alexandria,VA is a daunting proposition. But it is also an exciting chance to broaden horizons and develop new skills--not to mention sampling what the greater DC area has to offer.



The first challenge was getting here. Mike and I left on Wednesday evening with a plan to travel about 3 hours and spend the night in W Va. This would get us to the DC area before rush hour on Thursday. What we didn't anticipate is the "No Vacancy" situation we encountered starting just west of Charleston. We ended up driving to Morgantown where we got the last room at a Hampton Inn at 3AM. On a positive note, the remaining trip on Thursday got us to Alexandria about 2PM.



The AACP condo is comfortable and having living quarters so close to the office that are provided at no expense to the scholar-in-residence is quite a benefit. We have solved the most pressing problems of getting the right set of keys, access to the mailbox and locating local grocery stores and restaurants. I am, however, in withdrawal from TV because the cable will not be connected until September 3rd. This presents an opportunity for extra reading in the evening (or exploring the Alexandria nightlife). I'm sure you can guess which option I have chosen.

In the next post, I will describe how I spent the first weekend and what I have been doing during my first days in the office.