Washington, D.C. vital statistics:

• Population (2017 estimates): 693,972 (D.C. proper); 6,131,977 (metro)
• Latitude & longitude: 38˚ 54′ 17″ N, 77˚ 00′ 59″ W
• January average temperature: High 6˚C (43˚F), low -2˚C (29˚F)
• July average temperature: High 31˚C (88˚F), low 22˚C (71˚F)
• Time zone: GMT-4 (Eastern Daylight Time; EDT)
• Language: English
• Currency: U.S. Dollar ($)
• Average rent of 1-bedroom apartment in city center: $2,122.03

28 March 2018: As planned, I left D.C. on this date, about a week and a half after my last day of work (16 March 2018), with just a carry-on (a secondhand Rick Steves Europe by the Back Door bag that I bought on eBay) and a personal item (my worn brown camel hide man-purse).

I had meant to take a little more time to say goodbye to the city. After all, I lived here on and off, but mostly on, for the last 14 years, including 6 years (on and off, but mostly on) in the District. And every now and then I did take a bit of time to reflect, such as on my last bus ride back from work, my last trip to Dupont Circle farmers’ market, and so on.

But mostly my last few weeks were a blur of activity. Selling stuff, boxing other stuff up and shipping it, making a few last-minute travel arrangements. It really wasn’t until I left my apartment (where I’d lived since November 2014) and set out on the 50-minute walk to Union Station that I had time to soak it all in. And as much fun as I had living here in this city, I had absolutely no regrets about leaving. Melville said it best:

“Whenever…it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people’s hats off–then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can.”

Or, in my case, whenever I feel the urge to methodically knock people’s cell phones out of their hands, it’s high time to board a plane. Or a train, followed by a plane. Being constantly sleep-deprived and irritated sucked a lot of the joy out of life for me when I was running the rat race.

I took Amtrak to BWI (Baltimore Airport) this time since it’s a little more straightforward than taking two Metro lines and a bus, and, more importantly, I was able to pay for the train fare with my Amtrak frequent flyer (er, rider) points.

Very excitingly, BWI was my first time entering an airport lounge. I got a new credit card in October 2017 in preparation for my journey, one that doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees. It has a bunch of other travel-related perks, including a complimentary Priority Pass that gets me into many (but not all — Denver and San Francisco were disappointments) airport lounges worldwide. I couldn’t believe it when the bartender in the lounge told me cocktails were complimentary. I kept checking my credit card for a week afterward expecting to get charged. But no, it’s for real — these lounges have free unlimited booze, free snacks, and free Wi-Fi that actually works! Man, this rich people credit card that I have, it is pretty sweet! And no, I didn’t go crazy; I had just one cocktail (but only because I couldn’t believe they were free). This is a very promising start to my voyage.