For those of you who read my thoughts on Midnight in Paris, you may remember that I wanted to explore new neighborhoods here in Washington. I was inspired by that movie to revisit the walks that I took on Thursdays while I was living in Paris. Well, last Thursday, I took such a walk in a neighborhood that I had net yet visited.
Last Thursday I took the L2 bus north towards Chevy Chase Circle to see the new and final edition of the Harry Potter at the Avalon Theater. The Avalon is certainly one of my favorite movie theaters here in the Washington area. I would put it up there with E Street, The West End Cinema, and the AMC at Cleveland Park. The movie was very enjoyable, but my true adventure started as I walked south on Connecticut back towards the city. This is where my true adventure began.
Now this small strip South of McKinley and North of Nebraska may not be comparable to the neighborhoods of Mt. Pleasant, Logan Circle, and Boulogne-Bilancourt, but the boutique shops, smalls cafés, an apartments certainly created that type of an atmosphere. I was listening to the wonderful soundtrack from (500) Days of Summer when I stumbled upon a small covered passageway.
I was instantly transported back to the covered passage ways located near the Madelene at the center of Paris. What was wonderful about this situation, was that I was the only person there. To be fair, this was a day where the temperature was at or near 100 degrees and I was probably foolish for even going outside to begin with, but the genuine surprise that this walk down Connecticut provided was well worth my suffering in the heat.
Now this passage did not compare in size or grandeur to the passages in Paris. This was also not a labyrynth that could disorient you or throw you out on to a strange new alley. The passage had simple, alternating black and white tiles and painted ceiling. There were only a few shops and businesses: two tiny art galleries, a hair salon, a barber shop, and the offices of an architecture firm.
The true joy and contentedness that I felt from discovering this small transplant of Paris made my past Thursday in DC that much more enjoyable.
I can’t wait to see what my next Thursday adventures bring me.
