Bye, beautiful.

This is part two of my trip. It includes a sunset, a really cool city, a flag and some spies.

I got there on a Thursday afternoon. After recovering for a bit in my AirBnB, I went to my favorite neighborhood to hang out. I ended up watching the sunset on the water and thinking about life. 

I've come a long way in the past two years.

Life is pretty bitchin'. 

On Friday, I had a 9 a.m. appointment at the International Spy Museum. I was pretty exited about it, and it ended up being one of my favorite parts of the trip. 

A bunch of people gathered at the entrance right as the museum opened that morning. A big, burly security guard stepped out of the doors and gathered us all in a circle.

He told us about the museum and laid out the ground rules, which included no food and only water to drink. He then asked the kids if they were excited to learn about spies.

He got the kids pumped up. Kids, he said. Who's ready to be a spy today?!? The kids were raising their hands in the air and hopping up and down. They were pumped to become spies.

Kids, he said. If you're a spy, then you don't admit to being a spy.

The big burly man then broke the kids' hearts and told them they were terrible spies. It was hilarious. The adults broke out in laughter. The kids did not. 

After we got into the museum, I finished looking at the wall to my left. I looked down at my phone to look at the time, and an hour had already passed.

I spent an hour on one wall. 

It's hard to explain if you've never seen the museums in D.C., but they're so insanely massive that there's no possible way to see everything in the museum if you visit it once.

I spent three hours at the spy museum, and I only cut it short because I was getting hungry and crabby. 

The museum gift shop is incredible as well. I give this place a 10/10. I'd come here again in a heartbeat.

The spy museum is the perfect place if you like history, U.S. and world government and international politics. It's perfect and I loved every single minute of it.

I wrote down what museum staff kept telling us, and what was written down in several spots throughout the museum:

Deny everything.

All is not what it seems.

Assume nothing.

My disguise.

After lunch at a food truck, I made my way to the National Museum of American History. I got there at 1 p.m., so I only had a few hours to check it out.

I can't emphasize enough how massive these museums are. A few hours is not enough time to see everything, so I went to a map and made a game plan of things I wanted to see.

I made a beeline to the Star-Spangled Banner, the original flag that was flying that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the song.

The flag is by itself in the museum, and there's an attendant nearby who forbids you to take a photo of it. I read about this exhibit ahead of time, so I was expecting this part of it. I also knew it was in a dimly lit room to preserve the fabric.

What I wasn't expecting was the flood of emotions that hit me as I turned the corner. 

I cried like a baby. I didn't even try to hide it. I sobbed.

I'm not sure how long I stood there, but several groups of people passed by me. I finally walked to the side, and then realized that I was having a hard time leaving it. 

I prepped myself mentally. Self, I said in my head — you cannot spend the rest of your life looking at this beautiful flag. You have to move on because there are other things to see in this museum and in life.

I turned the corner, then regretted my decision immediately. I turned back around to look at the flag again one last time. 

And then I cried some more. 

I remember thinking, 'Bye, beautiful,' as I left it.

From the Smithsonian: 

• Made in Baltimore, Maryland, in July-August 1813 by flagmaker Mary Pickersgill
• Commissioned by Major George Armistead, commander of Fort McHenry
• Original size: 30 feet by 42 feet
• Current size: 30 feet by 34 feet
• Fifteen stars and fifteen stripes (one star has been cut out)
• Raised over Fort McHenry on the morning of September 14, 1814, to signal American victory over the British in the Battle of Baltimore; the sight inspired Francis Scott Key to write “The Star-Spangled Banner”
• Preserved by the Armistead family as a memento of the battle
• First loaned to the Smithsonian Institution in 1907; converted to permanent gift in 1912
• On exhibit at the National Museum of American History since 1964

Lincoln's hat.

I didn't have much going on that night, and I couldn't justify staying in when I was in a wonderful city on a Friday night. I bought I ticket to The Anthem to see The Shins and their opening act Joseph. 

And this is where I realized that all music fans are the same, regardless of the artist or band they follow. The people beside me, who I'm assuming were a married couple, were having a little argument. The guy wanted to go get beer and the wife wanted to get the limited edition, venue specific poster.

Beer, the man said.

But the poster, the woman said. What if it sells out? What if this is the only poster that we end up without in our collection? How will be live with ourselves if it sells out?

I turned around to laugh, because I didn't want them to know I was eavesdropping. 

Who obsesses about buying a poster at a concert? 

Oh, wait. 

I went and looked at the poster and the merch. It was a really cute poster. 

The same couple came back about 15 minutes later. The man had a beer and the woman was holding a cardboard tube. 

Marriage is compromise, I thought to myself. 

It's a beautiful place and one of my favorite concert venues of all time. 

Music is universal and magical.