John's Town

John's mom and dad just spent a month living in a furnished apartment in the District. For John's dad it was a vacation from commuting. For John's mom it was an opportunity to visit museums and entertain friends "in town." For both, it was an opportunity to see a lot of movies and eat out at some great restaurants.

Living in a furnished apartment in the District for the summer was an adventure that was originally planned for the Summer of '07. That year, which was to be John's dad's last working in Washington since he was to retire later that year, found both John and Mike living in DC. That summer was to be an opportunity for all the family to hang out together in "the city," especially in view of the fact that Jes was heading off to grad school that year. Of course, that was a summer that wasn't to be.

Of all the Leonard children, John is most closely identified with the District. He lived at 10th and L, NW for a while before finally buying his own place, a condo in Adams Morgan, a truly unique and special part of the city. He was so proud of his condo and had such great plans for it, even though as it turns out, he bought it at the height of the real estate bubble. Personal finances was never John's strong point.

Because DC was "John's Town," it was impossible to spend the month there without being encountered with a John memory almost at every turn. Whether it was eating in a restaurant in which good food and great conversation was shared, or going to a movie theater where extraordinary films were experienced together, or walking on the Mall where many an eventful kickball game was played (after which plenty of beer and wings was consumed), or even going to a mindless movie and listening to the laugh of a young man sitting behind who had the identical laugh and sense of humor as John, the District is a fount of found memories of John.

An example of one such memory was when John's mom and dad were walking down the street past a panhandler, with Ariana in the stroller. John's dad almost invariably never gives money under such circumstances; John invariably always did - in fact, he always made sure he had singles in his pocket for such occasions. As such, as John's mom and dad walked past the panhandler, together they could almost hear John saying not to be such a cheapskate. So his dad took out some money and gave it to the man, "for John."