DC's Pennsylvania Ave, Holiday Style
I love to walk around the city almost any time but it feels very special to take a walk when the city is predictably, but eerily, quiet.
This photo was taken on Pennsylvania Avenue, a major roadway for locals and tourists plus a site for organized protest rallies. You can imagine how busy that road is on a normal day. But just a week ago on Christmas Eve Day, what a difference. I could see the naked expanse of the otherwise traffic-congested road, stop at leisure and take it all in. It gave me pause.
It's moments like these that make me feel especially at home.
I see the good, bad, and the ugly of city life every day and so much is fast-paced and focused, if not exciting and also scary at times. So to have these days of quiet, of a city taking a vacation of its own in some odd way, I always feel content, and I get a strong sense of belongingness.
Urban life is not for everyone; neither is suburban life nor rural life. As with all lifestyle choices, there are pros and cons, but we know when we are living in our right place.
I am lucky. (Happy New Year!)