589 - Gallery Place Metro
Today I got jumped in DC. But I got a nice set of photos in the Metro, so that’s a plus.
We’ll start with the positive, good ole’ fashioned photography:
“2050 Entrance"
Taken with Sony a7rIV + Sony 12-24mm f/4 G
[ISO 2000 ~ 12mm ~ f/9 ~ 1/125s]
(Want a Print? Get one here.)
“Textured Surveillance"
Taken with Sony a7rIV + Sony 12-24mm f/4 G
[ISO 2500 ~ 12mm ~ f/8 ~ 1/80s]
(Want a Print? Get one here.)
“Metro Boomin'"
Taken with Sony a7rIV + Sony 12-24mm f/4 G
[ISO 4000 ~ 12mm ~ f/5.6 ~ 1/100s]
(Want a Print? Get one here.)
….
“Infinity Rail"
Taken with Sony a7rIV + Sony 12-24mm f/4 G
[ISO 2500 ~ 12mm ~ f/8 ~ 1/100s]
(Want a Print? Get one here.)
…
And yes, you read that correctly. All of those photos were taken in the Washington DC Metro, a brutalist masterpiece consisting of 128 miles of track across 98 stations. Specifically, they were shot at the Gallery Pl-Chinatown stop, which is dead-set in the middle of DC.
Who knew DC had a killer Metro?
Now if I had to guess, your assumption is probably that I got jumped while roaming the Metro. Because at this point, it's a canon event for anyone living in a major city- especially if you’re roaming around at night with a big fancy camera.
But… you’d be wrong.
See, after I spent the evening indulging in architecture photography, I decided to transition to the stressful art of delivery driving.
I call it an artform because city driving is a delicate dance. It distills the idea of risk vs. reward to its more pure form- you’re driving a 3,000 lb vehicle around cars and pedestrians for 8 hours straight, in exchange for cold hard cash.
Now, I’d usually argue that the primary risk of delivery driving is the potential for accidents. But today I was pleasantly reassured that that’s not always the case.
It all started when I rolled up to drop off an order in Tacoma Park. At first glance, the neighborhood is about as dull and uneventful as any other in the DMV area. Besides a squad of four high schoolers walking down the street, it was completely empty.
I parked my car right in front of the house I had to drop the order off at, and got out. As I walked up to the doorstep I passed directly by the kids, who gave me a somewhat curious look.
I rang the doorbell, took a photo of the food, then turned around. Suddenly one of the kids started sprinting towards my car, which was unlocked and running.
I know. Dumb idea. Leaving your car unlocked and running in a dark, unfamiliar neighborhood. But the doorstep was a mere 50 feet away, and I had no reason to assume someone was going to steal my car from right under my eyes.
Yet here I was. Right in the middle of that situation.
The moment I saw him running, I hollered “Hey, what the fuck….!” and started hurdling towards the car. At this point, my adrenaline just mainlined because everything I owned was on the line. My house, camera gear, belongings…
Not a feeling you ever want to get.
But the moment he saw me coming, he ran off.
…and then turned around as his friends joined him.
Well, fuck.
They slowly started approaching me, and one yelled “Whachu gonna do about it?” Then he tossed his hoodie over his head and pulled a bandana across his face.
At this point, I was put right into a fun philosophical dilemma. Let’s put this into slow motion for a second. Here were my options as I saw them:
Assume he wasn’t going to attack, and turn to get into my car
Assume he was going to attack, and square up
Attack this kid and all his friends, Bruce Lee style
Now right out of the gate, I didn’t like Plan B. Because even though I had absolutely zero fighting experience, I knew that your odds of winning a street fight go up significantly if you threw the first punch. I didn’t want to dilly dally around if it was going to come to that.
But I also didn’t like Plan C, because the idea of decking a minor in the face (with the potential of seriously injuring or killing him if he hit his head on the asphalt) didn’t quite sit well with me. I’d also have to worry about his three friends, which would surely come for me immediately after.
Which led me to the logical conclusion of opting for Plan A- get in my car and leave.
So I replied, “Nothing. What am I going to do? Fight you?” And then I turned around to open up my car.
The next thing I knew, I was on the ground. My cheekbone started throbbing immediately and another kid kicked me in the chest. I’d gotten hit from behind.
They ran off as quickly as it started, and luckily they didn’t attempt to take the car or grab my wallet. I stumbled up and yelled “Come on! Is that the hardest you could have hit me?”
They looked back but kept running. Pussy ass kids.
Once I got back into my car and drove off it took me a second to actually process what’d just happened. The whole thing felt like a dream, and I could feel a headache coming on strong.
I’m 99% sure I got a concussion out of it, because for the next week and a half, I had a roaring headache from morning to night. A real bang for my buck.
I think the hardest part about this entire situation was deciding if I’d made the right decision in the moment. Trickles of doubt still plague my mind. Should I have made the first move and attacked this kid the moment he threatened me? Or should I have tried to reason with him instead? (A thought that didn’t come to my mind until long after.)
It’s hard to say. But I think at the end of the day, I think I have to respect my instinct. All I had in that moment to decide was the data from my combined life experiences, and that was the decision I made. Therefore, I stand by it.
The good thing is I can check “get jumped” off my bucket list! Not that it was ever on it.
I’m on a mission to explore as much as humanely possible.
Want to see my progress? Check out the Adventure Map.
*Please note this page contains affiliate links.
