Food Truck Frenzy

Washington, DC is home to a terrific culinary culture. From gourmet cuisine to hole-in-the-wall places, our nation's capital has it all. Not to mention food trucks. Driving around the District from location to location, food trucks serve up a wide variety of lunchtime cuisine to hungry workers.

Over the course of my semester in DC, I took full advantage of the food truck scene. I made it a weekly ritual to dine at the food trucks once a week, and was exposed to the wide variety of food that they can offer. From Ethiopian to Japanese to American barbecue to Mexican, there's a food truck out there serving up whatever you're craving. 

I decided to document my food truck lunches (in anticipation of this blog post), and have compiled a list of my lunches to give you a taste of the DC food truck experience.

Pork, beef, and chicken tacos from Far East Taco Grille

 Bento box with miso soup from Tokyo in the City

Lobster roll from Red Hook Lobster Pound

Fried catfish with red beans and rice from the Cajunator








Those are just a sampling of some of my many food truck lunches! Food truck dining was fun, eventful, and made the lunch hour enjoyable. I would highly recommend trying a food truck this week and seeing all they have to offer!

It's been real, DC!

-TB

Some of the Highlights from Spring 2013

Our trip to the Library of Congress

Tour of the National Building Museum

Michelangelo's David-Apollo Came to town so we paid him a visit!

Carlyle House, Alexandria, Virginia

Carlyle House 2.0

Outside the Supreme Court preparing for our courtroom lecture.

End of the semester lunch at The famed Monocle.

Shout Out

Just a shout out to anyone who was affected by the Boston Marathon explosions!  My thoughts are with you!

 

Gabrielle

Spring Has Sprung

As my time here in D.C comes to a close I am overwhelmed with the thought of all my experiences over this semester.  There are many things I have learned and many people I have met along the way that I will keep in touch with.  This internship has been an extremely rewarding work experience and I intend to apply what I have learned from it in my future career.

 

Gabirlelle

DC Sports Weekend

Some Buckeyes taking in a Nationals game

While Washington, DC is often thought of for its politics, food, and performing arts cultures, a little less known major culture in the nation's capital is its sports culture. Home to professional sports teams in all the major sports leagues, Washington, DC is a great place to catch a game and cheer on the home teams! A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to check out the DC sports culture by attending a Washington Nationals baseball game and a DC United soccer game in the same weekend.

Friday night was spent cheering on the Nationals in Southeast DC. Nationals Park is a great venue to watch a game, especially because the ballpark only opened 5 years ago. One of the best parts of the stadium is the number of unique food concessions available at the ballgame, including DC's famous Ben's Chili Bowl. Famous for their chili specialties, enjoying a world famous half-smoke "all the way" at the Nationals definitely completed the game experience. Passionate fans, a great ballpark, and terrific food made attending a Nationals game one to remember. Plus, what could be more American than taking in a baseball game in our nation's capital?

The next evening, I headed to RFK Stadium to continue my DC sports weekend. Having grown up playing soccer, the idea of attending a DC United game was on my to-do list while spending the semester here in Washington, DC. Playing their rival the New York Red Bulls, the DC United match was the best game I could have possibly seen. Sitting at midfield in the supporters fan section, I had never experienced a soccer game like this before. Standing, shouting, and cheering on the home team, the supporters section was home to raucous fans who absolutely live for DC United. I quickly learned many of the cheers and joined in the cacophony hoping to will the home team to victory. Although, DC United lost the match, I thoroughly enjoyed the entire game experience.

View from the supports section at the DC United game

Having experienced only a small part of the DC sports culture, I can attest to passion and fervor of sports fans in the District. If you have the opportunity to attend a DC sporting event in the future, I would highly recommend it. Although, their teams have not always been the most successful, the tide seems to be turning, making it an exciting time to be a sports fan living in Washington, DC.

-TB

Mount Vernon

In front of George Washington's mansion

A beautiful view of the Potomac River

This past weekend, two other students and I visited Mount Vernon, George Washington’s estate. We were able to tour the mansion, see the tomb of George Washington, enjoy the beautiful view of the Potomac River, and walk around the gardens. We also went on a “National Treasure” tour, which highlighted the locations of Mount Vernon that were filmed in the movie National Treasure 2. The weather could not have been any more perfect since there was not a cloud in the sky! If you are ever near DC, I highly recommend visiting Mount Vernon!

-Samanta

Immigration Rally

Showing our support for immigration reform

On April 10^th, I had the opportunity to volunteer at the immigration rally on the Hill. My internship here in DC deals with immigration policy research, so this was the perfect chance for me to meet and interact with others who care deeply about this issue. Tens of thousands of immigrants and pro-immigrant activists came to the U.S. Capitol to show their support in passing comprehensive immigration reform. There were speakers of all backgrounds represented, from the Asian-American community to the Hispanic community. I originally signed up to be a marshal, guiding people to the location of the rally. Upon arriving, however, I was assigned the task of keeping people from entering backstage unless they had press credentials. As a result, I got to meet several reporters and was even interviewed by one of them while at the rally! This was my first rally, and it was a great experience!

Yoga by the Washington Monument!

On Saturday morning, Samanta and Tim and I participated in a yoga class that took place on the National Mall right next to the Washington Monument. We heard about this event from the emails that WISH Housing sends us, and decided that it sounded like a fun way to start our Saturday. I got out my yoga mat that I brought here to DC that I hadn’t had opportunity to use yet, and the three of us headed out bright and early to metro over to the class. When we got there, we followed the crowds and set up in an open spot. It took awhile for the class to start, but there was music playing and everyone was having fun. The class itself was very refreshing, although it was very challenging as well. I definitely got my workout in! There was also a parade going on nearby, so it was the first time that I did yoga with the sounds of a marching band in the background! After the class, we got lunch and then worked on our policy papers with a better outlook thanks to the yoga! I had recently been missing the yoga classes I take at the RPAC while on campus, but yoga outside on a Saturday morning in DC was even better!

-Erika

Exciting Weekend!

  It was a busy, yet fun filled weekend! My family came to visit, so we had a full agenda! I spent all weekend with them (and my sister who lives in Arlington, VA). We visited a lot of places and dined at a lot of great restaurants (DC has so many unique restaurants to choose from). On Saturday, we went to Arlington National Cemetery where we witnessed the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider and viewed the Kennedy grave sites. Later in the evening we ventured over to the Jefferson Memorial, FDR Memorial, and MLK Memorial. On Sunday, my sister and I ran the Cherry Blossom 10-miler! It's such a neat race and I'm glad I was able to participate! We rewarded ourselves with a delicious brunch afterwards (brunch is very popular here). Then, we spent the rest of the day exploring the city with our guests. We visited Ford's Theatre, the Petersen House, and the Old Post Office Pavilion. On Monday, everyone came over to visit me at work at the Capitol. I was able to give them a special tour that even included a Dome Tour (which are rare to get). It is such a neat experience and absolutely amazing view of the city! Our final event of their trip was a nighttime trolley tour. We saw a number of memorials, monuments, and historic places on the tour. The cherry blossoms were also in full bloom! It was a lot of fun and a beautiful evening! It was fun to be a "tourist" for the weekend.

-Alissa

OHIO on the Balcony

View from the Capitol Dome 

Cherry Blossom Race

This Sunday, April 7th, was the day of the annual Cherry Blossom 10 mile race. Months ago I entered the lottery to participate and was so excited when I found out I had received a spot! Unfortunately, due to a persistent knee injury that has been keeping me from training, I ended up having to withdraw from the 10 mile race, but luckily there was a 5K fun race that I was able to participate in. I woke up early this morning, made my way over to the metro, and got off at the Smithsonian stop. Although on the trip to the starting line I had been feeling sad I wouldn’t be participating in the 10 mile course, the atmosphere of a road race cheered me up as soon as I got to the National Mall, and excitement took over. Because I got to the starting line early, I was able to watch and cheer on some of the 10 mile runners that were still waiting to cross the starting line. I even got to watch the elite women runners finish the course soon after others were just starting! The 5K course was very pretty, and I enjoyed jogging and walking it and taking in the sights of the cherry blossoms that haven’t quite bloomed yet... I’m hoping they’re here by next weekend! It was a great way to start my Sunday morning, and I went home happy to have spent a few hours in the DC sunshine with some fellow runners in the city. 

-Erika