2014 in Review

Another year has come and gone, which means it’s time for another review. I still can’t believe this is the fourth year I’m doing this. You can find my previous year reviews here: 2013, 2012 and 2011.

What went well?

Traveling

I thought last year was an amazing year of travel, but 2014 was just as amazing! You can find details on my travels this past year here: 2014 Travel Highlights. I went to so many places this year. I’m thankful I had the opportunity to continue to travel, and I hope I have the opportunity to continue to do so in the upcoming year.

Career

When I first quit my job to go traveling in late 2011, I was so excited for what lay ahead of me in terms of all the places I’d get to visit throughout Taiwan! Despite my exuberance, I have to admit that throughout it all, a part of me worried about how taking time off from the workforce would affect my career.

Looking back at it all, I can honestly say that there really wasn’t anything to worry about. 2014 was a fantastic year for my career! Whereas 2012 and 2013 may have been years of career experimentation, I definitely took some strides into finding a career in digital marketing that’s stimulating, challenging, but most importantly: rewarding. Looking forward to another exciting 2015!

Health & Fitness

I had much higher expectations for this past year: being able to complete the minimum requirements for the marine corps physical fitness exam and running a half-marathon in under 2 hours. Although I didn’t meet both of those goals, the decision to work towards those goals helped instill in me the importance of regular physical activity, which I’ve been able to maintain fairly consistently over the past year.

What didn’t go well?

Sticking to my goals

Although I began the year with a enthusiasm to achieve my goals, by the end of it, I had failed to accomplish any of them. I think for this upcoming year, I’ll continue to set goals, but rather than focusing my efforts on the goals themselves, my focus will be on the systems that’ll help me achieve them.

Personal Finances

I’ve definitely made progress on this front, but I’m still disappointed at finding that balance between saving and investing versus spending and enjoying life.

2015 Goals

Pretty simple on this one: more traveling, more running, more writing, improving my Chinese and learning to code. I plan to write about this in more detail in an upcoming post.

Destination: Virginia Square Metro

As someone who’s lived in the North Arlington area for the past four years, I’ve put together a list of five reasons why you should head out to Virginia Square:

For those looking for coffee…

Northside Social

This local neighborhood coffee shop, located roughly halfway between the Clarendon and Virginia Square Metro stations, is great. For one, it’s more than just a coffee shop! In addition to great coffee, the place also doubles as a wine bar upstairs, and offers a variety of pastries, teas and hot chocolatey goodness to choose from. During peak hours, this place can get packed, so I’d recommend coming earlier in the day if you plan on lingering around to get some work done.

Take a look at their menu

Hours of Operation:

Monday – Wednesday: 6am – 10pm
Thursday: 6am – 11pm
Friday: 6am – 12am
Saturday: 7am – 12am
Sunday: 7am – 10pm

Northside Social

For those looking to eat…

Rocklands BBQ

The Arlington branch of this DC area barbeque joint is located just a 5 minute walk from the Virginia Square metro. Rocklands is a fast casual type of restaurant, making it the perfect place to head to if you didn’t have time to cook lunch or dinner. Every time I come here, I pretty much get the same thing: a pulled pork BBQ sandwich, with a side of fried okra and mac and cheese.

Check out their menu

Hours of Operation:

Monday – Thursday: 11am – 930pm
Friday – Saturday: 11am – 10pm
Sunday: 11am – 9pm

Rocklands Arlington

For those looking for a quiet place…

Central Arlington Library – If I’m in work-mode where I need a place to focus that’s not as crowded as Northside, I head on over to the Central Arlington Library. Located about a 10 minute walk from the Virginia Square metro, the library is the largest and main branch of the Arlington County system. Free wifi is excellent throughout the building, and it’s generally pretty easy to find an open desk on the library’s second floor.

Need a book? Search their catalog here.

Hours of Operation:

Sunday: 1 – 9pm
Monday – Thursday: 10 – 9pm
Friday – Saturday: 10 – 5pm

Arlington Central Library

For those looking to be active…

Arlington Quincy Park – This regional park, located a short five minute walk from Virginia Square, is one of the largest in North Arlington. The park is located right next to Central Library, and has six tennis courts, a basketball court, a sand volleyball court, baseball / softball fields and a bunch of open space to just relax around. One thing that I want to emphasize about this place is safety. The place is incredibly safe. I’ve come here

Make a reservation

Should I make a reservation?

That depends. If you have a big event, I’d highly recommend doing so. I’ve only played tennis here before and have never bothered with reserving the space, but in case you wanted to be sure you have a court, you can reserve a tennis court. For tennis, prices are $10/hour for Arlington County residents, $20/hour for non-county residents.

Quincy Park

For those who like the arts…

Arlington Arts Center – I’ll be honest: I’ve only been inside here because it’s my polling location for elections. That being said, I’ve been meaning to explore more of this place. During the summer, there tends to be an outdoor exhibit or sculpture that they place out on the front lawn.

Gallery Hours:

Wednesday – Sunday: 12pm – 5pm
Or, by appointment

Arlington Arts Center

Getting to Virginia Square Metro

Virginia Square Metro Station

Virginia Square Metro is located in the heart of the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor and is served by the Orange and Silver Lines.

Street Parking: None
Bikes: 12 bike racks and 32 bike lockers are available
Carsharing: several zipcars are available
Buses: The following bus routes serve this station:
- Virginia Square Bus Map
- ART 41 to Courthouse
- ART 41 to Ballston/Pentagon
- ART 75 to Shirlington

2014 – Travel Highlights

**This is going to be a long post.**

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always made traveling a top priority. Traveling is the main reason why, despite my ability to afford more, I prefer to live in a living room where I only pay $350 a month for rent and utilities, which I’ve been doing since August 2012. Below is a simple reminder to myself on why I travel.

Travel Highlights

JANUARY: Nashville / Chattanooga / Huntsville

Eating a “Hot Chicken” Sandwich in Nashville.

Hot Chicken from Hattie B’s near Vanderbilt University.

Visiting the Jack Daniel’s Distillery in Lynchburg, TN.

Jack Daniels’ Distillery in Lynchburg, TN.

Walking along the Tennessee River in Chattanooga, TN.

Bridge over the Tennessee River in Chattanooga.

Visiting the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL.

U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL.

FEBRUARY: Zurich / Delhi / Jaipur / Agra / Mumbai

Exploring Zurich on a day-long layover en route to India.

Lake Zurich

Having High Tea in the Imperial Hotel in Delhi.

High Tea at the Imperial in Delhi.

Overlooking Rajasthan atop Nahargarh Fort in Jaipur.

View of Jaipur from Nahargarh Fort.

Gazing at the Taj Mahal in Agra.

Visiting the Taj Mahal.

Walking along the “Pearl’s Necklace” in Mumbai.

Pearl’s Necklace at Chowpatty Beach in Mumbai.

April: New York City / Shenandoah

Chilling with friends during a weekend in NYC.

Hanging out on the steps of the library at Columbia University.

Hiking in Shenandoah, VA.

Hiking in Shenandoah Valley.

May: Annapolis

Feasting on Maryland Crab in Annapolis

Feasting on Maryland Crab in Annapolis.

June: New York / Philadelphia

Celebrating my first NYC Pride Week.

NYC Pride Week 2014

Participating in my first Triathlon Relay (swimming).

Team photo after the 2014 Philadelphia Triathlon.

July: Portland / Seattle / New York

Getting inspired at my very first World Domination Summit in Portland.

WDS 2014 Party along the Willamette River.

Taking in the Seattle city skyline during my off hours.

Seattle City Skyline

Discovering a new side of Manhattan. Walking the HighLine

View from the High Line.

August: Richmond / New York / Orlando

Exploring the James River on a day trip to Richmond, VA.

James River in Richmond, VA.

Catching up with a great high school friend during her visit to NYC. Took her to watch a show!

Watching Phantom of the Opera with Angelica.

Discovering the magical world of Disney during my first visit to Disney World!

Fireworks at Disney World!

September: Hawaii / Southern California

Hanging out at Airport Beach on Maui.

View of Lanai Island from Airport Beach.

Walking the pier in Seal Beach, CA.

Walking the pier in Seal Beach.

November: Cross Country Train Trip / Southern California

Taking in the Chicago Skyline during our stop over in Chicago aboard the California Zephyr.

Chicago Skyline

View of the Colorado River aboard the California Zephyr en route to Emeryville, California.

View of the Colorado River aboard the California Zephyr.

Taking in the view of the Downtown LA Skyline from Griffith Observatory.

Downtown LA Skyline from Griffith Observatory.

December: Boston / San Francisco

Eating this delicious lobster roll in Boston.

Lobster roll in Boston.

Roadtripping up to NorCal and looking out onto San Francisco from Treasure Island.

San Francisco Skyline

2014 TRAVEL EXPENSES

If you’ve made it this far, thank you! Earlier this year, I began tracking how much I’m spending on traveling. The table below includes information for flights, accommodations and transportation. It doesn’t include the cost of activities. Surprisingly, it’s a lot less than I had initially thought. A big part of that is due to the glitch fare I picked up for my trip to Delhi (only $330 for a round trip flight!) and redeeming my frequent flyer points for several trips.

Month	Destination	Description	Expense
January	Nashville	US Airways DCA – BNA	$5.00
February	India	Intrepid Tour	$612.00
		India Visa	$200.00
		Vaccines	$200.00
		United Airlines IAD – BOM	$321.62
		UA Economy Plus Upgrade	$153.00
		Jet Airways BOM – DEL	$292.64
		ITC Sheraton	$210.00
		Residency Hotel Fort	$123.98
		Anjali Inn	$21.70
April	New York	Megabus	$52.00
June	New York	Greyhound	$54.00
June	New York	AirBnb	$66.00
July	Portland / Seattle	Delta DCA – PDX	$5.00
		WDS Summit	$506.95
		Greyhound	$43.00
		AirBnb	$291.00
	New York	Megabus	$60.00
	New York	AirBnb	$105.00
August	New York	Amtrak	$164.00
	New York	Megabus	$40.00
	Orlando	Disney Tickets / Hotel	$400.00
	Orlando	JetBlue DCA – MCO	$283.00
September	Hawaii	US Airways DCA – OGG	$887.90
		Hawaiian Airlines	$150.00
		Sheraton Keauhou	$78.25
	Los Angeles	US Airways DCA – LAX	$372.70
November	Cross Country Train Trip	US Airways OAK – BWI	$167.00
	Los Angeles	US Airways DCA – LAX	$189.00
		Delta LAX – IAD	$157.50
		Amtrak LAX – SBA	$60.00
December	Boston	US Airways DCA – BOS	$180.20
	Los Angeles	United Airlines LAX – IAD	$392.00
		Change Fee	$294.20
		Rental Car	$127.50
Total			$7,266.14

2014 was an incredibly amazing and memorable year of travel for me. Looking forward to more discoveries and experiences in the upcoming year!

A New Adventure!

Hi all! Thanks for visiting my blog. I’m Jason, a twenty-something DC transplant that’s been in the area for nearly five years. Like many of us, I arrived here car-less, and rely pretty much on the metro, uber/lyft or a friend to get around.

For much of my time here, as someone with a passion for adventure and travel, I’ve felt like my lack of a car limited my ability to truly experience what the DC area has to offer. Not to mention the more practical aspects of having a car, like being able to go to the grocery store and buying things in bulk as opposed to carrying them back to my apartment in the dead of winter (or worse, the heat of the summer!)

The truth is though, it’s totally possible to not only work around these “problems,” but also thrive and live a life of adventure and exploration in the DC area — without a car.

Discovering DC via Metro

All told, there are 91 metro stations and over 300 bus routes spread across DC, Maryland and Virginia. I’m betting that most of you already living in the area only get off at a handful of these stops, and haven’t bothered venturing out beyond your most familiar stops.

DC Metro Map. Source: wamu.org

I’m writing this blog for three reasons:

to help newcomers to DC discover their new city
to help people discover a different part of the city they’re not familiar with
to document my travels around the region

Through this blog, I hope to post about what there is to see and do around the city via public transportation. Where I go though, is entirely up to you. Let me know in the comments below on where you’d like me to go!

Over time, I hope this blog will become a resource for you all. Come join me in my journey to explore DC, one metro stop and bus route at a time!

One Foot on Sand

Thinker, Dreamer, Explorer

Month: December 2014

2014 in Review

Destination: Virginia Square Metro

2014 – Travel Highlights

A New Adventure!