National Zoo

As you can probably tell from the pictures and the title I went to the zoo yesterday, which was free. It was a pretty decent zoo, not quite as good as OKC or Fort Worth, but still nice. 

The biggest attraction is the Giant Panda, which we almost didn't see. As we were walking out of the Panda House we stopped at the end were they have a research center of sorts. There are a lot of cameras set up throughout the panda habitats to watch them, and we saw one coming out of the back area so we went to find it. 

It sat down right in front of the glass and licked its paw for about five minutes. It wasn't terribly exciting, but they're beautiful even still.

The zoo also has a lot of different monkeys and what is called an "O-line." We didn't get to see it in use, but the Orangutans can use it to move around in the zoo. The lines run all over the zoo over visitors' heads. 

All in all a pretty decent zoo, but going to zoos always makes me a little sad. 

After the zoo we decided to go to the Holocaust Museum (probably not a good way to boast my morale). When we got there we discovered that you had to have timed tickets to see most of the exhibits. They're free, but you have to get them in advance. 

We did walk through the Hall of Remembrance. It has an eternal flame in the middle marking a marble block that holds soil from 38 concentration camps as well as ashes of some of the victims of the Holocaust. The soil and ashes were placed there by survivors. The walls of the hall are marble in places with the names of camps.

We finished off the day with a visit to Honest Abe and dinner at The Tombs. It's the first sit-down restaurant I've really been to since I've been here. It was a lot like a Keller, in that it is in a basement. The food was good, a little pricey, but we probably made up for it with all the water we drank.

I probably got a little over excited about this when I saw it. I thought it was a buddy bear. It's not. I had forgotten what they looked like exactly. It's actually something for the zoo's Giant Panda exhibit. Still it seems like a bit of a stolen idea. That's Matt, by the way.

Michael Bloomberg

Here's the article from the meeting I was in with Michael Bloomberg. 

Ouch!

I'm glad all it costs me to get to work is $1.35 and some calories. Sorry guys.

Rosslyn Area

Here's a picture I forgot to post the other day. It's of the Rosslyn area at night. Rosslyn is in Virginia, just over the Potomac River from Georgetown. I take a bus over the Keye Bridge everyday to get on the metro there.

Botanical Gardens, etc.

My roommate Matt, his girlfriend Catie and I went out into the city today. We started out at the National Botanical Gardens. They were pretty impressive, though having never been to any other botanical gardens it is hard to compare. They were beautiful none the less.

After spending a little bit of time in the gardens we wandered down the mall to the Air and Space Museum. It's massive and they have exhibits on everything from the Wright brothers (including Wilbur's report card) to an exhibit exploring all the technology we gained from space exploration.

The best artifacts in the museum, in my opinion, are when you walk into the museum — space capsules from NASA space program.

After that we decided we still weren't done. So we decided to go to the National Aquarium. On the way we passed the National Archives. We decided to take a detour there, but since the line was out the door, reconsidered. I'll probably go one day after work. It doesn't take that long. 

We then proceeded to the Aquarium to again be disappointed. They stop selling tickets at 4:30, but they feed their carnivorous sea-life (sharks, pirañas and the like) at 2 p.m. on different alternating days. So that might be something worth going for even if the tickets are $5. 

After that Catie and Matt decided to head back but I have been here for two weeks and still hadn't seen the White House and we were only two blocks away. So I took off on my own for a little bit to join the pack of tourists crowded in front (well, as in front as you can get with security the way it is) of Presidential Palace. There seemed to some kind of a party going on. I couldn't tell who was there, but a crowd of people were gathered on the White House steps.

That pretty much did it for the day so I walked to the Metro station. When I got there I realized I was only about two blocks from Ford's Theatre so I figured, "While I'm here..." The museum is closed for renovations, but I saw the house Lincoln died in and the theatre from the outside.

What is lost shall be found

I found my phone. Actually the bus driver did, but I have it again. Okay. That's all.

Around Campus

I needed a break from studying and a little time to chill so I thought I'd walk around a little bit with my camera, and figured I'd show you around a bit too.

This is a block of townhouses right outside the front gate. Just to give you a taste of what Georgetown looks like, most of the community consists of similar townhouse in a wide array of colors, always with a different colored, but matching, door. It seems to be something in which the owners take a lot of pride. This block has nine houses with nine different colors.

This is the building my apartment is in.

This is the main building on campus. You see it right as you come in the front gates.