It was spring of 1986, and Pres. Reagan had just given Gaddafi a little spankin…
I'm going to a trade show in Baltimore, and my travel agent books me on a flight into DC National, as it was almost a hundred dollars cheaper than flying into Baltimore.
My erstwhile travel agent friend tells me, "They have a great subway system back there, you can just get on the subway downtown, and ride all the way to Baltimore."
I kid you not. I know, I'm gullible... Anyway, I'm a small town kid, 28 years old, and a Rube, if there ever was one, so I believed him. Thanks a lot, Bruce!
So, I get into National (Reagan) and we are "heightened security", because of Libya, and yet the terminal was full of Hari Krishna’s dancin around, and Lyndon Larouchies handing out brochures. (anybody remember them?)
One of them asked me if I believed in "Star Wars." I said, “Yeah, it’s a great movie!”
Anyway, I digress. I bought some flowers from a nice young gal with a dazed look on her face, and headed out to ride the subway to Baltimore.
Now, I'm absolutely amazed at this automated ticket system, and I don't have a clue as to where I'm going. So I plunk some money into the machine, thinking I'd figure out which train to transfer to, when I get downtown.
I think I ended up in the Main station, and it's evening now, no one around. It's at this time that I look at the map, and figure out that the friggin' subway doesn't go anywhere near Baltimore, 35 miles away!
Now, it finally occurs to me that I'm looking like a good target for some punks...here I am; obviously a small town dope, wearing a plaid shirt, holding a green Samsonite suitcase. And I'm standing in a very empty subway terminal at 8:00 on a Friday night in downtown DC.
Well, I lucked out. I walked out on the street, and there was a Marriott, a block or two away. It turns out that a couple people who were staying there needed to get to Baltimore Marriott, which was where I was staying also. Talk about luck.
We wound up sharing a shuttle to drive the three of us to Baltimore. The driver got a good laugh when I told him I thought the subway went to Baltimore.
I did not know (at the time)that besides being our nation's capitol, it is (or was) also the murder capitol.
Anyway, I haven't been back to D.C. since, and we haven‘t heard anything from Gaddafi since either!
Fregards,
FBD