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It's been a quick trip to Washington, and as I'm heading back, a few things occur to me.
It's been an awesome experience, and it was great to be here. I'll treasure the time I've spent.
But honestly, there are some things I really really won't miss.
First: what I liked
1. The people were awesome. There were so many people from all over, and the vast majority were really cool, knowing they were at the Capitol to be a part of history. It was almost like they were here on a pilgrimage, especially African-Americans. 2.Washington itself is always great. It's always great to be here, because the history is so rich everywhere you go. Every statue, monument, plaque and building has a story in certain parts of town. 3.The time in history: Life is fleeting as we all know. And I really concentrated on living in the moment while I was there. Barack Obama is really creating something different than we've seen recently. I can say I was there when it became official. 4.Working with the people from other NBC affiliates like those in Boston, Chicago, Denver, Houston, from ITN in the UK, Telemundo in NYC, etc. And the people at NBC Newschannel are always great; true professionals. 5.The crowds were a mixed blessing, because they deserved to be there, but it really wears me down after a endless waiting in lines, pushing, shoving, etc.
The downside:
1.I'm not going to miss freezing before my live shots in that great humid biting cold! 2.The constant sirens and noise, in particular the Capitol police speeding by at full siren when no one else is there! Or my photographer's favorite: the 'yip, yip, yip' siren sequence they all use to say 'Get the *& out of the way, I'm comin' through!' (see the 'everyone's aVIP blog) 3.The food: Choices are limited, and I'm picky! 4.The lack of sleep: We got 4 hours one night, and 2 the other. But I'm not complaining: there were lots of people who had it worse!
Over all, it was awesome and I'm really grateful I got to be there! Thanks for reading. Rich
