Parking on Mass Ave well after nine, I emerge from my car to find a movable party happening in Dupont Circle. Two jazz musicians, a saxophonist and what sounds like a trumpet, play in the park exchanging solos and occasional duets. The display at the Sun Trust say 9:52 and 88 degrees, and it’s every bit a hot and sticky night in DC. The kind of night where you feel like you’re wearing the blanket you’ve hidden away for winter around your shoulders in the dampness.
Walking down to Big Hunt, I pass the ever-present rose guy, hassling a man to buy his woman a cheap plastic rose. The man’s not having it and his woman looks both smug and perturbed at once. The bar is mostly full, the dark booths hiding their occupants well, and I missed my friends sitting down four booths back. I order a Guinness and watch the TV.
The jukebox at the Big Hunt is something of a technological wonder. Much like one of Charlie Stross’ cornucopiae machines, it seems to produce whatever you can tell it to find by searching through its catalog and selecting what you want. Tonight’s selections run from good 80s alt-rock to current nouveau britpop and back again, and the bar seems to approve, as I saw a few older guys nodding their heads in sync with the beat. They almost looked like a grunge revival version of the guys from Night at the Roxbury. Almost.
A few beers later, having found my friends in plain sight, we leave the bar. They for their downtown hotel and some crash time, me for heat of the summer night and a brief walk before sleeping. As I turn the corner at Connecticut, the Sun Trust oracle says 85, no, wait, strike that, 86 degrees, switching back to the higher value after some considered thought like a politician rethinking his vote. 11:12 it says as I turn the corner to find my car.
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
I live and work in the District of Columbia. I write at We Love DC, a blog I helped start, I work at Technolutionary, a company I helped start, and I’m happy doing both. I enjoy watching baseball, cooking, and gardening. I grow a mean pepper, keep a clean scorebook, and wash the dishes when I’m done. Read Why I Love DC.
