I stopped by the National Postal Museum yesterday. You didn’t know there was such a thing? It’s one of the Smithsonian  Museums, located in the Ben Franklin Post Office, right next to Union Station. It houses permanent and temporary exhibits of (mainly) U.S. postal history and features many postal rarities. What Trump will do to it in his realigning of Smithsonian priorities, who knows. I did take photos of a few special items on exhibit. You will find them interesting, I think.

I also visited Union Station. It’s been a long time since I have taken a train. I used to use it to go to New York or Philadelphia when I was gainfully employed, but am not sure that I have at all since I retired.

I haven’t followed it closely, but there has been a change of management at Union Station, and there is a plan for a major redo, but I must say it looks pretty good as is. It was very busy and you could feel a lot of positive energy. It is true that a number of shops are empty, as are some of the food court stalls. I had spicy chicken at a badly named Wok-aholic restaurant. It wasn’t bad, and at today’s prices, $12 seemed okay. They also don’t give you a tip option on your bill.

Digression: Speaking of tip option, Breads Unlimited in Bethesda, where the sales clerks do nothing but reach to a shelf behind them or in the counter in front of them to get your order and put it in a bag, they now give you the option of giving a 30% (!) tip. Say, what?? End of digression.

Back to Union Station. The DC non-profit,  Turning the Page, which sells used books, records, etc., for the benefit of DC schools, has opened a store in Union Station. The price of hard backs at their other locations has always been $6, but at Union Station, they are marked $12.

I decided to buy one book (it is a charity, after all), but no more. I asked thevyoung clerk why they were charging a higher price here, but he was new and didn’t know. He said he would check into it.

I gave him my book and he rang it up at $5.30, and said, “How is this?” I was appreciative and asked him how he did it. He told me that it was a trick he knew. I think he wrote it up as a children’s book.

What was the book?

Henry Winkler’s new memoir. I read about 100 pages last night and recommend it. It is well written, obviously an easy read, and interesting. And, yes, it has a signature.

And, oh yes, my Friday wandering did get me over 10,000 steps. That was the goal on a beautiful day.