Many of you likely went home to visit your families over the Easter weekend. I, however, hopped on a plane and flew to Washington, D.C., with my fiancé and best friend.
Our Friday itinerary included tours of the White House and Capitol building. Public service announcement about the White House: it’s not that exciting. It was super cool to see some of the rooms and to be in the same place so many leaders have been—President Trump was even in the White House while we were there. However, we did not see him or anyone of high importance from our knowledge. The tour was very short, but if you ever get the chance to do it, you certainly should.
Although I’m not a huge history buff, I did enjoy finally having a Capitol tour. There’s such beautiful architecture and great stories told about the building. Shout out to the staff of U.S. Representative Bob Latta for helping set up our tours for the trip!
Lastly, our most exciting experience was a Pentagon tour. Before being accepted for the tour, I didn’t even know it was open to the public. While in the Pentagon, our group was led by a military tour guide. He gave a lot of history and stories while we were busy looking every direction, trying to soak it all in.
In addition to the fascinating layout and design of the building, another really special part of the Pentagon is the 9/11 Memorial outside. The memorial is open to the public, and it’s really moving. The different “benches” in the memorial are supposed to look like the wings of a plane, and they face different directions based on the lives lost either while working in the Pentagon or while riding the plane facing the Pentagon. Again, if you ever have an opportunity to tour the Pentagon, you should.
Along with the specific tours, we did some of our own exploring. We walked nearly 50 miles over the course of our four-and-a-half-day trip. Though some days I barely want to walk a few blocks in Bluffton, it’s often easier to walk a mile somewhere than to pay for a bus or Uber in D.C.
Some tips before traveling to DC:
- Make a tentative plan or itinerary: This will be your friend. There a lot to do and see in our nation’s capital, so it’s best to utilize your time. There’s so many things just a few blocks away from each other. For example, it’s easy to see the Capitol, the White House, the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial all in the same day—if you have your walking shoes on.
- Google Maps is your friend: Until you get used to navigating the city, it may be worth using whatever map system you have on your phone. Google Maps in particular allows you to turn on the D.C. Metro map, and it provides time estimates for the best way to get somewhere. The busses are pretty cheap, but it’s best to plan your route in advance since it can add up. Washington is broken up into four quadrants—NW, SW, SE and NE. Most of the touristy places are in the NW quadrant.
- If you tell yourself you’re going to be overwhelmed, you probably will be: Going to a large city can be overwhelming, but just know you’re not the only one who feels that way. Like I mentioned, planning and using resources will be beneficial. If you’re really concerned, maybe consider “studying” the D.C. map or the Metro map. Regardless if you’re using the Metro bus, Metro train or Circulator bus, you typically use a Metro card which you purchase and load at a Metro train stop. This is something to keep handy the whole trip, since it will be used nearly every time you’re trying to get somewhere.
- Follow the crosswalk signals: This is something I personally struggle with because I’m impatient, but the signals are much more important than following the ones we have in Bluffton. In D.C., if you walk while the signal says not to, you could very easily get hit. I do not say that lightly. Pay attention to your surroundings.
- Pack comfy clothes: Since so much of your trip will include walking, it’s important to pack your best socks and walking shoes. Much like Ohio, the weather can be unpredictable, but it’s often very humid. My go-to for our April trip included wearing jeans, tennis shoes and a short sleeve t-shirt.
As with any weekend trip, I’ve arrived back on campus feeling both exhausted and refreshed. It was great to return to D.C., after spending a semester there for my cross-cultural exactly two years ago. I hope you enjoyed learning a bit about my trip, and I hope you can get some use out of my tips.
We’re all back from Easter break, and now it’s time to crank out our final assignments and projects. Hooray!
