This past Memorial Day weekend, I found myself at the eleventh hour with a whole lotta time and nowhere to go. For the long weekend, I wanted to feel like I was really DOING something or GOING somewhere. Specifically, I craved the feeling of a writing retreat – getting away from it all, with just a laptop, notebook and my terribly plotted Work in Progress. But I didn’t really want to spring for a bus ticket or a night at some faintly haunted cottage in Leesburg. My solution was simple and ultimately pretty fun: I’d get away from it all in my own backyard. A cheap retreat in Washington, D.C.

It’s a well-known fact that 97% of one’s exploration of one’s own town or city occurs when one’s great aunt Matilda is visiting from Albuquerque. I mean, you can look that up. I’ve lived in or around D.C. for about eight years now and there’s still nooks and crannies – or entire glaring blocks – of it that I haven’t yet explored.

So after a bit of preliminary research on the best places to cry — I mean WRITE — in Washington, I charted my course for 3 days of exploratory writing bliss. Here’s a recap:

Day 1 – Library of Congress, Capitol Hill

Saturday was off to a late start because it was imperative that I never stop sleeping, and never put on pants. Eventually I did both of these things, however, and we were off!

The first stop of the day was the Library of Congress. I visited this GEM of a building for the first time ever last summer during a science writing residency. While it’s not true that the library has a copy of every book ever written, it IS the largest library in the world, with millions of books, recordings, photographs, maps and manuscripts in its collections. As a visitor, you can access the great hall, galleries and exhibits, and can overlook the beautiful main reading room from a viewing area.

But for access to the reading rooms – and the insane selection of books, of course – you need to register as a researcher and get what I consider “the mother of all library cards.”

This process doesn’t take long, though you have to walk to another building (optionally through a weird underground tunnel system). Guys, it’s never not scary to walk through a weird underground tunnel system by yourself, even in our nation’s capital.

Library card in hand, I checked my bag at the cloak room of the Library of Congress and wandered around in confusion until I found the main reading room. So beautiful! Photos aren’t allowed in the room itself, so please accept this internet image in lieu of a terrible facsimile shot on an iPhone 4s. I AM NICOLAS CAGE.

Due to my aforementioned difficulties waking up and leaving my house, it was 3 pm by the time I reached the Library of Congress and 3:30 by the time I was registered and settled into a desk in the main reading room. The library closed at 5 p.m., which was just enough time to figure out how to request books from the catalog system and do a little reading. I requested two books online, and within five minutes or so, they were hand-delivered to my desk in the reading room. I imagine some variation of the Underpants Gnomes wandering around the stacks, awaiting the researchers’ requests. Phase 1: Request collection of Italian short stories from the early 19^th century. Phase 2: ? Phase 3: Profit. I will definitely be back next Saturday for more reading and writing.

After the library closed, I spent the rest of the afternoon drinking iced tea and writing in the basement of Ebenezer’s Coffee Shop by Union Station. Ah, the life.

Day 2: Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Catholic University

I was considering going down to the National Portrait Gallery and writing in the Robert and Arlene Kogod Courtyard, one of my favorite places, but that didn’t really qualify as “exploration” per se. I boarded the metro and decided to wing it. As we pulled up to the Brookland station,  a woman mentioned to her friend that the basilica at Catholic University is the largest Roman Catholic church in the United States and North America. As it happens, my WIP is set in Italy and involves some Catholic stuff. Synergy! I darted out of the train doors before they closed in my face or crushed my spine.

I’ve only been to the basilica once before, briefly. It’s breathtaking. Given that it was Sunday mass and I was dressed like a mallrat, I picnicked and wrote under a tree NEAR the basilica rather than going inside, and later wrote in a beautiful, shaded courtyard on the church grounds. There, adorable old ladies were praying by the statues of lady saints and giving them kisses. (Sorry, I’m not saying faith in God is “adorable,” per se, but old ladies ARE).

I closed out the afternoon with more writing at the Catholic University library and the new Busboys and Poets café (writing spot ADD is real).

Day 3: Uh… Silver Spring, Md.

I had high hopes for Day 3. I wanted to ride my bike down to the National Arboretum and write under the shade of some Important Trees. But it was really hot 🙁 Instead I spent the day in my ‘hood, reading at my favorite new local coffee shop, Bump ‘n Grind, and then reading and writing at home.

I hope to get to the arboretum sometime… maybe next weekend! Happy writing!