Coast to coast trip part 2: DC!

After my phenomenal Mexico trip, I had a day at home to sleep for a few hours (ha), do some laundry, share experiences with friends and family, eat American food (a huge pizza craving arose), and pack for my east coast adventure! I’m starting to love the days where all of my friends just stop by my house and hang out, laugh, and share funny stories with my family as if it was their family. Cool development to watch over the years.

Off to Midway I went, and slept the entire flight (front row again!) and woke up at Washington Dulles airport! Public transportation and I have become good friends thanks to my Chicagoland travels earlier in the summer, so I took a bus and shuttle to arrive at GEORGETOWN where I stayed with Kara!! I went from overcast but somewhat warm west coast weather, to hot, sticky, humid, and occasionally rainy east coast weather, what a contrast. Our itinerary was chill, but we did all of the following things!:

• Kayaked the Potomac river
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• Visited the mall and the Lincoln Memorial, World War II Memorial, Washington Monument, White House, Smithsonians and Capitol Building
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• Toured Georgetown
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• Did a LOT of walking, practically 12,000 steps (large strides) a day or more according to my pedometer! I’ve never realized how much heat can hold people back from their proposed plans. And how much business vendors can make selling cold flavored drinks or bottled water.
• Took the circulator, Metro bus, Metro train, Georgetown transportation, and went all across the city!
• Visited the Newseum: a journalism museum with excellent photojournalism displays, journalism history and more! It was really interesting to see the exhibits, including…an ethics interactive questionnaire, Pulitzer prize winning photos, Internet, TV & Radio history, Journalists memorial, 9/11 exhibit, First Amendment exhibit, and front pages of newspapers from all across the world clipped in front and on the 6th floor! Very cool to see this type of history, we were captivated the entire time.
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• Went to lunch with Torch alum Scott Breen at Chop’t!
• Saw Toy Story 3, great movie.
• Met Georgetown students and their friends at Kara’s boyfriend Eric’s apartment for the evening
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• Slept on the couches as a fellow subletter in Kara’s home brought bed bugs into the area…so we were very careful and the exterminator came on Monday. No one got bitten, thankfully!

So it’s been a fun-filled weekend and I am currently on an Amtrak train ride to New Jersey. Quick thought: I have been to DC, 7 states, and two countries in the past five days. RECORD! Mexico, California, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, New York, New Jersey and DC! Traveling is fun! And monetarily-consuming!

Overall, it was cool to get a view of DC on my own (with Kara, obviously) rather than with a tour group. Especially the Georgetown scene, not only the campus, but the area of DC is very cutesy, with uniform buildings in various colors, expensive shops that tempt me (White House Black Market, Cusp, etc.), and good food. Walking town and each major area of the city respectively (Dupont, Rosslyn, the Northwest, Georgetown Burleith community, campus, Foggy Bottom, the mall/Capitol area, etc) showed me what it's like to live in DC without the touristy-ness. It's a very cute area with well-dressed people walking around, with an urban yet suburban feeling kind of like Boston. Now off to explore New Jersey/New York!