So, I dragged my ass out of bed to see the old convention center get detonated at 7:30 this morning. It was a pretty cool experience. The building took up about 10 blocks, and all the streets for a block or two around it were cordoned off too, so downtown was pretty mad-looking. There were squad cars and yellow tape and people waving flashers and people in cars throwing their hands up in frustration as they got detoured. Also the usual construction crews were out, and it was still sort of dark and murky out, but thankfully not very cold, so it was just general chaos everywhere.

I am very glad I went though. I was standing on the corner at 11th and G, and the edge of the convention center was only a block away. There were about twenty of us all packed onto this sidewalk.

If only I were not so short! All these guys were like redwoods!

Anyway, that beige building, the one between all the guys’ heads, that is the one we are focusing on. A bunch of air horns went off at 7:28, and then right at 7:30. And then…

This is where I got really excited and jiggled the camera, because A HUGE SONIC BOOM WENT OFF. It was the loudest thing I have ever heard. Louder than the Grand Finale of fireworks when you watch them on the Mall downtown. It was a bunch of booms in rapid succession, and my first throught was fear for anybody who was on the metro underneath us at that moment, because I was sure that something was wrong and the entire block was going to collapse.

See? Explosions. This guy was PUMPED. Everyone oohed and aahed.

Then the smoke started to billow up. ("Billow up?” Is that an actual phrase or did I invent that?)

The smoke was a-blowin’ down the street towards us. One guy said, “Here comes the convention center!” and everybody laughed.

Okay, but the convention center REALLY WAS COMING. In about ten seconds I started to feel thankful that I was wearing my glasses instead of my contacts, because look…

This is that exact same street, half a minute later.

We all started to clear out. I have no idea where the cop who was keeping watch on that corner went; I guess he had to stick around. Here is a view from that same corner, but in the direction away from the convention center.

Here it is again, in a slightly cloudier format.

(I started to get a weird feeling right about then, like an uneasy, is-this-okay-what-about-9/11-feeling. I just kept reminding myself, it’s okay, buildings still need to come down sometimes, dust is okay, crowds are okay, there’s nothing dangerous about this. I felt like maybe I was wrong or selfish for watching this and getting some entertainment out of it, and for thinking funny thoughts, like it was insulting somehow. I was thinking that over for a bit, but then I decided that maybe it is a good thing to be able to watch such a thing with group of people who were all obviously enjoying it, espeicially in DC. Like a reclaiming of certain images that were never meant to have such painful associations attached to them. Anyway, that is what I decided for myself, so I went back to thinking funny things in my head. I hope I was not wrong to do that.)

I was heading back home with convention center in my eyes. Do they make a Visine for that, do you think?

Okay, this is kind of crazy. This is the view a little bit north, on 13th and New York, of the demolition site…

…and this is how lovely and clear the sky was when I faced the opposite direction!

Anyway, the actual demolition and falling down part only lasted a minute, but it was fascinating. I have never seen anything like it. Even the walk home had its moments. I had put chapstick on that morning, and by the time I got home, I had, like, grit stuck to my lips. I know, right? Gross. But sort of funny too. I mean, you can pay cash money for fancy “lip exfoliators,” or you can just walk around downtown DC for a few minutes and take advantage of the pulverized convention center swirling around. This city is crazy.