Friday, April 10, 2009

Holy Sightseeing!

I know I’ve been in DC now for a while, but I still have yet to see everything. I have definitely been trying though, and these past few weeks I’ve got in a lot of the major sites.

I felt like I was neglecting my hood of Bethesda because I tended to spend every weekend going into DC….sooo I’ve done a lot of wandering and realized that Bethesda is awesome! I know I’ve said it before, but this time I’m 100% sure. The downtown area is great, and this past weekend my dad was in town so (like all unpaid interns) I took advantage of the parent visiting and ate at a ton of the amazing restaurants in Bethesda.

I also stumbled on an outdoor market, and have been spending a lot of time at Bethesda Lane, which reminds me of Europe and is just a few blocks from where I'm living.


Europe? NOPE It’s Bethesda Lane, folks.

As for DC, I’ve also been trying my best to take advantage of all the sites. One of my favorites in the National Portrait Gallery…I’ve been there a few times and still want to return. I really love the President’s Hall where they have portraits of all the presidents and explanations about what each of them is remembered for. My American history isn’t all that great so this has really helped me with that!

I also have visited Eastern Market several times, which is an outdoor market near the Capitol. Its one of the more expensive outdoor markets I’ve been to (considering most of the rest have been in Mexico), but there is some really cool stuff and a TON of free samples. Who doesn’t love that?

The Newseum has been my favorite museum so far. Its all about the news and has front pages of newspapers for every year so you can read the original stories of huge events like JFK’s assassination and the Watergate scandal. They also have a 4-D movie which was very cool. Unfortunately, its one of the only museums in DC that isn’t free, but I assure you its worth it…which I honestly would not say if it wasn’t super stellar.

Cation: Canada is taking over! The view from the top of the Newseum (the Canadian Embassy is just next door)

This past weekend that my dad was here was the National Cherry Blossom Festival. INSANE! There were so many people and the tourists were not following the escalator rules of stand right, walk left, which drove me crazy. I think that might mean I’m almost a real DC’er. Anyways, the streets were packed, restaurants were crowded, and I honestly could not believe all the people. My dad was pretty stunned as well considering we come from a town of just 100 people, it was a little bit of a shock. We avoided the parade and went early to visit all the memorials, which was one of the best ideas we’ve ever had. We also did a boat cruise one night on the Potomac, which left from Washington Harbour. It was very cool and we happened to be the only ones on the boat….besides the bartender. How convenient! We also spent a night in the Navy Yard having dinner at my friends’ parents. I’ve been there a few times since getting here, but this time they gave us an awesome tour because my dad is super into all the navy history. It was really cool and I hope to go there again during the day to visit the ship they have docked there.


Just a small part of the Cherry Blossoms around the Tidal Basin

My dad and I also visited Arlington National Cemetery, which was amazing. The amount of grave sites is incredible and definitely very humbling. We saw the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, as well as JFK’s gravesite. The views from the cemetery of DC were amazing and I think it was the perfect last stop on the crazy weekend of touring with my dad.

Just a small part of the beautiful view from Arlington Cemetery

I’ve just got a few more weekends here in DC and still have several sites to check off my to do list…hopefully I can fit them all in before the end of my internship!

Paz amigos

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