Adventure 2: Chamber of Secrets

Today we found the Chamber of Secrets. For a lot of the DC muggles, it could be mistaken for the entrance to a metro stop, but us Harry Potter enthusiasts know better. Oddly enough, the Chamber had a really long escalator that led underground. The entrance was very steep and my hands got a little clammy as I looked down into the dark abyss. I did learn from the DC locals, however, that when taking the escalators, people are expected to stand on the right and walk on the left. I guess all of these important people have places to go in quite a hurry. Unfortunately, I did not take a photo of the Chamber, but I intend to do so before I leave DC. Thankfully, we didn’t see any basilisks, but we were able to take the metro to a nearby shopping area/train station/metro stop. I really like the DC metro, it’s pretty efficient and clean, but a little pricey. I don’t really like that the metro charges per distance traveled and there aren’t discounted passes available, but oh well. Still though, without a car or bike, it’s the fastest way to get around the city. Anyway, once we arrived at Union Station, Agent 024 and I were instantly amazed by the historical look and feel of the station. We passed by some fruit stands and a sunglass stand that sold Hello Kitty glasses! Kinda hipster, but still pretty fun.

Once inside, we were greeted with wonderful air conditioning and tons of restaurants and shops. We headed straight for Express, which advertised an excellent sale, though we later left the store empty-handed. I think the highlight of that store was listening to the workers singing and dancing behind the register: “Hey, I just met you and this is crazy, but here’s my number. So call me, maybe.”  Thank you, Carly Rae Jepson.

After some more rounds of window shopping and browsing, as you probably read, Agent 024 made a big girl purchase at Swatch! I must say, her watch looks quite swanky and professional—very appropriate for DC. In spite of all the fanciness around us, we continued that trend by eating a delicious lunch at McDonald’s, if you could even call it lunch. We just ordered fries and ice cream ahaha. We passed on Godiva and chose McDonald’s, go figure. It turned out to be strangely filling and very satisfying, but I think we were pretty famished after wandering around with just a bagel in our stomachs.

Someone left this toy on the table

Lol shroom cloud. Too soon?

Feeling replenished, we decided to take a gander outside the station and lo and behold! Just beyond the trees was Capitol Hill! We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to visit, even if it seemed deceivingly close.

We wandered past the Dirkson and Russell Senate buildings, the Federal Judiciary Building, finally stopping at the Library of Congress. Agent024 and I were so star-struck! The Library of Congress really is beautiful on the inside and perhaps best of all, it’s free to the public! The college student in me still appreciates that. So of course, we had to go inside. I will save a description of the place for day 3, since we visited the LOC twice ahaha. One time just wasn’t enough. So yes, until next time: “Y’er a wizard, Harry!”

P.S. I apologize for the HP overload.