A couple of weekends ago, I stayed in Arlington, VA with a friend. That Sunday, I decided to go for a run. My friend suggested I run at the National Mall. I knew this to be a trendy DC/Northern Virginia thing to do and an excellent opportunity for both my Instagram and Snapchat story, so I took her advice.

Finding the metro stop turned out to be my first ordeal. My friend said it was on the other side of the Ballston Common Mall, but then I passed through the mall, and where was it? I'm not one to ask strangers for directions, but I found myself approaching a man on a bench.