Getting the Most out of a Single Weekend in D.C. - Evan Pfeifer

As I reflect on my experiences in Washington D.C., I am astonished by the fact that only 7 weeks remain. When I read the activities checklist this past week, I was surprised by the number of items I completed in a single weekend when my girlfriend, Kaitlynn came to visit. Given that it was her first time in D.C., I wanted to be sure to give her a combination of both typical and unique experiences. On her first night in D.C., I immediately took her to visit the Lincoln Memorial and the World War II memorial. Afterwards I took her to a historic D.C., restaurant called Martin’s Tavern. This restaurant, located over in the Georgetown area, was frequented by many high profile Americans including Presidents Truman, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon. President Kennedy even proposed to First Lady Jackie Kennedy there! On our second day, we visited the Postal Museum (way cooler than it sounds!) and the Holocaust Museum. I was also able to give her a personalized tour of the Capitol building, something I had looked forward to since I began my internship with the Office of Congressman Lowenthal. That evening, we had dinner at a nice steak restaurant called Charlie Palmer Steak, recommended to me by a family friend and New Jersey 2^nd District Congressional Candidate, Will Cunningham. On her third day, we went to Arlington National Cemetery to witness the changing of the guard. We then rented out bikes from the bike share (something I had never done) and rode to the White House and to the Jefferson Memorial. On her last day, we made our way to the Smithsonian American History Museum, tried out one of the flight simulators in the basement, and concluded the weekend by visiting somewhere relating to her own academic interests by taking the metro to Maryland to visit the National Museum of Health and Medicine. It surprised me how much more sightseeing and unique dining experiences I engaged in during that single weekend compared to the others I have spent here so far. I have since discovered that it is much easier to set aside time to get the most out of your D.C. experience when you have guests and loved ones to share the experiences with. I hope to finish out the remaining weeks of the semester completing as many of the remaining checklist items as possible. :) 

-Evan Pfeifer