A FamousDC reporter spotted a lone suitcase on the street, and feeling an instant connection to it, took it upon himself to document its journey

This is their story.

Friday, January 7, 2011

After years of service to a loving family, the suitcase was not left for dead – but instead left on a busy Capitol Hill corner with hopes of finding a new home.

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Many weekend warriors visiting from Virginia parked their cars and walked right by the suitcase on their way to Eastern Market shopping and to watch NFL games on Barracks Row. But none took our friend, the suitcase, home. He spent another night battling the elements. Alone.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

It was another day of out of town visitors, but no takers. Local Capitol Hill residents walked right by the suitcase on their way to visit Frager’s Hardware Store or to take their dogs to the dog park – but the suitcase’s days of service were close to being over.

Late Sunday afternoon, as homeowners were dragging out their trash to the street corner for a Monday pick-up, someone sat the suitcase next to their trash can.

It seemed the suitcase was finally destined to his final resting place: the DC Department of Sanitation.

But then something miraculous happened, Michael Vick’s super powers had worn off and the Green Bay Packers defeated them in the Wild Card Playoff game. Little did Aaron Rodgers know, but his on the field heroics in Philadelphia would lead to change on the streets of Washington, DC.

As soon as the game was over and the Eagles were out of the NFL playoffs, two Eagles fans – still wearing their Michael Vick jerseys – left a bar on 8th Street and started making their way home. Their anger eventually boiled over and they had to attack something. That something ended up being our friend, the old suitcase.

One of the Eagles fans started kicking the suitcase until it ended up in the middle of the road. The kicking was so loud and violent that neighbors turned on porch lights to check on the ruckus.

A few minutes later another pedestrian stopped in the middle of the road and picked up the suitcase and took it to the other side of the street – away from the trash cans.

Monday, January 10, 2011

On the fourth day of the suitcase’s journey, the action really began. Following the discovery of a suspicious package at the Capitol South Metro station, the local authorities went on high alert. Suddenly they sprang into action to see if there were other packages located on Capitol Hill and someone spotted this suitcase sitting alone on street corner only blocks from the Eastern Metro Station.

Something had to be done.

Immediately the police blocked off the entire block with Yellow: DO NOT CROSS tape. Cars couldn’t be moved. People weren’t allowed to pass through.

Someone who lived on the street informed the police about the suitcase’s sad tale of sitting on the corner for three days alone, but it was too late. The bomb squad was already on the way.

The authorities quarantined the area and the bomb squad arrived.

The suitcase was examined and then shredded open.

Nothing was in there. It was empty. A false alarm that had to be examined in today’s heightened security environment.

The yellow tape was taken down, the police slowly started leaving the area, and the streets were again opened.

But the suitcase remained.

And today, Tuesday, January 11, 2011, five days after its journey began … the suitcase stands alone, shredded, on that same Capitol Hill street corner.

R.I.P. Old Suitcase