The Deserted Harbor

A few months ago (as in the early summertime), I discovered a new place in the DMV area called the National Harbor, which is in Oxon Hill, MD. I had imagined walking down by the docks of the marina in a pretty dress with the sun rays caressing my skin, but no, I never had the chance to visit it during the warmer months. In fact, I probably had that daydream while I was furiously (or not furiously) cramming for a very important pre-professional standardized exam. My Friend, who was also studying for an important licensing exam, promised that when we passed our exams that we would both go as a celebration of our freedom. Needless to say, that didn't happen for a while, seeing as how it is now October.

Well, I finally made my maiden voyage to the National Harbor last weekend for a MLG (Major League Gaming) convention there. -_______- *insert facepalm* This was at the insistence of My Friend who exclaimed that this is a once in a lifetime experience and opportunity - a cannot miss!

So the foodie, gluttonous person that I am, I researched all the restaurants in the area and we set out to meet for a late lunch. After a series of unfortunate events, I finally made it to the harbor by 3PM and when I arrived, I was a little taken aback. Even with the large convention, the streets of even the main road were almost completely deserted. Granted, temperatures were in the 60s - not exactly marina weather - I expected a good number of people to still be walking around, like at the Baltimore Inner Harbor. Maybe it's the lack of a really good restaurant or popular store, maybe it's the high price for parking, maybe it's the lack of advertisement for the area (I mean, come on, I grew up in this area and I had no idea this place even existed), maybe it's the weather. Whatever the reason, this place was Deadtown.

They did have this stand that was selling freshly popped gourmet kettle corn, which I bought two bags of, one was a sweet and spicy taste and the other was sweet berry flavored. I'd recommend that place hands down. We also devoured some burgers at Elevation Burger, an establishment proud of its grass-fed beef and fresh ingredients. They also use olive oil for their made-to-order fries, a deviation from the standard canola and peanut oil. But I'd say that 50% of why we thought it was tasty was the fact that it was 3PM and none of us had eaten all day til then. We were in agreement that Five Guys still owns this place. I had also wanted to try some gelato at this cafe by the water, but we were so stuffed that it wasn't looking promising.

So, we made our way to the convention center, where the major NerdFest was being held. Again, I was surprised. I guess I envisioned a sea of pale nerds with glasses, maybe bad hygiene and frumpy clothes, and awkwardness reeking from their very existence. I was only 25% correct in that, yeah they were all pale, but they were all dressed like skater boys?! Yes. Like Avril Lavigne's song Sk8er Boi. And I stress the "dressed like" not the actual "they are" because let's be honest, if they actually skateboarded, you'd think they'd be a little tanner from seeing the sun.

All in all, I had an eventful and enlightening trip to the National Harbor. I wish I had brought a camera to document everything, but of course my replacement camera battery is dead (I have terrible luck with technology). And no, I have not forgotten about my Mexico post; that's just going to take longer to finish. And also look forward to my upcoming posts about school Open House and the DC Challenge!