DH is on a business trip, and had to lay over in Washington DC. [That was the only routing available to get the free ticket he wanted using his mileage.]
I had to practically NAG him to get him to go downtown and take in some of the sights. (I suggested he spend one extra day in DC, since he had to fly through there anyway, but he wouldn't hear of it.) He has never been there, and he is not a US citizen, so he didn't get what the big deal was, even after I showed him my pictures and brochures and tourist book souvenier and raved about it. I told him it's like The Louvre, Champs Elysee, Eiffel Tower, and Versailles all rolled in to one, only better! Since he only has this evening, I strongly encouraged him to take the Grayline nighttime bus tour so he could see as many sights as possible in a short time, even tho' it would mean buying a ticket and he would have had to take a cab back to his hotel from a Metro station. I told him "I know that will cost money, but I promise you that it is money you will never regret spending for as long as you live."
I'm happy to report that after much encouragement he finally decided he was willing to spend the money.
Unfortunately, the bus tour was sold out. But he did head downtown as soon as he checked in his bags. He rushed around seeing as much as he could (White House, Smithsonian Air & Space Museum, etc --- unfortunately I don't think he saw any of the monuments) and ended up with blisters on his feet! He called me from the Air & Space Museum quite exhilarated, saying "I could stay just here for hours!" And he has decided that if his flight tomorrow is overbooked, he will volunteer to get bumped!
Hopefully if something like this ever comes up again, he'll listen to me a little sooner! I'm all for saving money (and I certainly would have asked for the AAA discount from Grayline), but goodness, when you have the opportunity to have such an enriching experience, if it causes no strain on the budget, just go ahead and spend the money already!
Are you surprised to hear me say that? Some people think I'm a total tightwad, but I disagree. I will squeeze a penny till it screams, but I also am willing to spend when I truly think it's worthwhile.
Oh, Just Go Spend Some Money Already!
March 9th, 2008 at 01:22 am
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I would really reccommend the Vietnam Memorial and th Korean Memorial. The Vietnam memorial was so moving and you just can't imaging how long the wall is.
You're right, there are certain things that are just worth more than money.