Fourth of July in the Nation’s Capital
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend celebrating the Fourth of July and our nation’s independence. This was my first Fourth of July in DC. The nation’s capital is such a great place to spend Independence Day. There is so much going on. Let me share the activities of my holiday weekend with you. It all started Friday when I got off work for the Office of Admissions on campus. I decided that I would like to take in a Washington Nationals baseball game. So I grabbed a friend and we headed to the Nats game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Nats won! On Saturday, I thought I would go to another Nats game since they were playing a double header and I could catch both games for the price of one! I was planning to text another friend to see if he would like to join me at the games but before I could send the text I recieved a text from the same friend asking me what I was doing in the afternoon. I replied “Nats game?” He was actually planning on going to the game with several friends so I just met him and his friends at the ballpark. We watched the Nats lose the 3:30 game to the Pirates. The second game was scheduled to begin a half hour after the first so I just stayed for the game even though my friend and his friends had to leave. The Nats won the second game and there were fireworks afterwords. Here are some pictures:
Fireworks over National's Park - 7/2
Fireworks over Nationals Park - 7/2
On Sunday, I decided to head over to Arlington National Cemetery to remember that we have the opportunity to celebrate our Independence because of the hard work and fighting of our brave soldiers. Arlington is a beautiful place and it is always tough to see just a fraction of those who had died while fighting for our country. While at Arlington, I saw the Eternal Flame at John F. Kennedy’s grave site and watched the Changing of the Guard ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Here are a couple of photos from Arlington:
Eternal Flame at the JFK grave site
Changing of the Guard ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Arlington National Cemetery - 7/3
Arlington National Cemetery - 7/3
I then went by the National Mall and took in some of the Smithsonian’s Folklife Festival. It was a blast but it was so hot I didn’t stay long. I then headed home and called it a day. On Monday the Fourth, I went to another Nats game, this one against the Chicago Cubs. The Nats won in the bottom of the 10th inning. Jayson Werth scored the winning run on a wild pitch. Of the four Nats games I attended over the weekend, the Nats won three and lost one. After the game, I went home and ate delicious burgers. (We had to cook them on the stove because we don’t have a grill.) I headed with my roommates and a friend to the Tidal Basin by the Thomas Jefferson Memorial to catch the fireworks as they were shot from the National Mall. Here are some more pictures:
Washington Monument in the fading light before the fireworks - 7/4
The fireworks from the National Mall, as seen from the Tidal Basin. Sorry the plant photobombed my shot. - 7/4
After the fireworks, I headed home and went straight to bed. It was a wonderful weekend! I enjoyed celebrating Independence Day in our nation’s capital.
Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend!
Nathan
More Cherry Blossoms!
As an update to my previous post regarding the National Cherry Blossom Festival, I thought I’d post some of the great pictures that I took when I visited the festival’s closing ceremonies this past weekend.
Saturday morning’s festivities began with a parade on the National Mall. Sadly, I slept in and missed the parade portion. But, I was able to take part in some other great events throughout the day.
The blossoms were somewhat diminished by this past weekend (they usually stay in bloom for about a week) but I was able to get some great shots nonetheless.
Below: Candid of myself and a cherry tree
Below: A sign of spring, the paddle boats are out on the Potomac
Below: part of the day’s festivities included a presentation of the Honor Guards of the United States Military’s various branches in front of the Jefferson Memorial. This is the Air Force’s squad.
Below: more artsy pictures of DC’s famous cherry blossoms!
I hope you enjoyed the pictures! We hope to see you on campus soon!
Looking forward to the National Cherry Blossom Festival!
Perhaps no tradition throughout the United States trumpeting in the beginning of spring is as notable as Washington, DC’s National Cherry Blossom Festival. All along the tidal basin, cherry trees gifted to the United States by Tokyo’s Mayor in 1912 blossom into a sea of pink. This year’s festival is slated to take place from March 26 – April 10.
However, during my recent trip to the National Mall this past weekend to visit the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the National Museum of the American Indian, a friend and I caught a sneak peak of what’s to come! Check it out below!
If you have yet to visit American University, definitely consider the National Cherry Blossom Festival for your trip to the nation’s capitol. Or, if you are planning to come down for the festivities, stop by American! We’d love to see you on campus! American University’s School of International Service has its own cherry trees given by Japan!
And, as always, good luck to you all as admission decisions continue being mailed! We hope to see you for Freshman Day or in the Fall!
Confessions of a College Senior
As the Spring Semester of 2011 starts up I await on the precipice of my next, and last, great expedition here at American University: my senior thesis. While the calm before the storm begins to dissipate I cannot help but find myself reminiscing on my four years of College Life. Where else but at American University would I find professors who send their students off on homework assignments such as “Go to the Monuments,” “Go to the Smithsonian,” or “Go to this independent theatre and watch this German film. Oh, by the way, the director will be there.”?
My Language and the Human Experience Professor had us make a photo montage of any part of the city so that the pictures would tell the story of the area.
Where else would I find the greatest friends in the world who would want to document their first year at AU with an impromptu photo shoot?
The first and best friends I made at AU (and me)
And, as someone who was never really big into participating in clubs after school, where would I find a group of people who shared with me a passion for the university they attended? Not only that, but they accepted me and I have succeeded in that environment far more than I ever thought possible.
Alisa, Sharie, myself, Blair and Lawren. All members of the Leader Board for the AU Ambassadors at an AU Preview Day.
To be honest I have had my ups and I have had my downs, but that’s life. AU has been such an amazing journey for me that has taught me so much not just within academia but also things that will help me through life no matter where I end up going or what I end up pursuing. I’m even approaching the next couple of weeks with an uplifted attitude, excited about my thesis. That’s right. I said it. I am excited about writing my Senior Thesis for American University and I doubt that any other place could have made me feel the same way.
The Rally to Restore Sanity!
Yesterday a group of my friends and I headed down to the National Mall for Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert’s Rally to Restore Fear and/or Sanity. One of the things I love most about living in DC is that we’re right here for all of the awesome events that happen on the Mall. My freshman year, I got to go to Obama’s Inauguration; last year, I participated in the National Equality March; and this year, I got to chill with my favorite fake newscasters. Because a ton more people showed up than the rally’s organizers expected, we couldn’t really get close enough to hear or see very much, but the crowd itself was thoroughly entertaining. A lot of people (including several of my friends!) came in costume in honor of Halloween.
My friend Phil trying to keep fear alive. So many strangers took photos of him!
The coolest part of the rally was when a reporter wanted to talk to us! He interviewed a couple of my friends and Phil (the Tetris block) was even quoted in the story. Read it at http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/10/30/102916/comics-gather-horde-on-the-mall.html.
Reporter interviewing my friend Brian.
The other awesome thing about crowd-watching were the hilarious signs that people were carrying, such as “Why wasn’t this rally catered?!” and “Some words here.” This is one of my favorites:
Dinosaurs are people too.
Overall, it was a great day. It definitely reminded me why I love living in Washington, DC. Happy Halloween!
-Meredith
AU Ambassadors 