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In her third blog, Evie reflects on some of her favourite places she鈥檚 visited in DC and looks ahead to the last few months of her placement.
Having been in DC for around six months now, I鈥檝e been able to explore many different corners of the city, in all sorts of weathers and temperatures. For me, exploring the city fully has been so important for both building friendships and culturally immersing myself in America. While I don鈥檛 believe I鈥檒l ever be able to fully 鈥渃omplete鈥� everything that鈥檚 worth seeing in the city, so far, I鈥檝e been making a strong start.
I鈥檝e discovered that it鈥檚 impossible to be a George Washington student and not have a lot of love in your heart for the monuments and the National Mall. The Lincoln Memorial is only a few blocks south of campus, and from there you can walk all the way along to the Capitol Building, passing monuments (including the Washington Monument) and Smithsonian museums along your way. In warmer weather, the Mall is flooded with walkers, pickleball tournaments, and those simply basking in the sun. It鈥檚 also a perfect spot for running, if you鈥檙e so inclined 鈥� is there anything more fitting for the USA than jogging the same route as Captain America in the opening scenes of Winter Soldier?
DC is also home to several major league sports teams and being able to visit these has been a real highlight of the city for me. The fan atmosphere at American sports games is unparalleled 鈥� going to game is as much about taking in the atmosphere and joining in games and songs as it is watching the sport that鈥檚 taking place, which means even if you aren鈥檛 a lifelong supporter of a team, it鈥檚 still a fantastic place to go. In particular, I have loved watching the Capitals (hockey) and the Nationals (baseball). But, if American Football or Basketball are more your fancy, there are teams here for you too 鈥� the Commanders and the Wizards. There鈥檚 even a soccer team called DC United, if you can get past it not being called 鈥榝ootball鈥�.
The final of my unmissable locations is Old Town Alexandria, which is actually in Virginia 鈥� but is easily reached on the metro, using the travel card given out by the university. Alexandria is a quaint city steeped in history, with a strong Old American feel and even a charming trolley to take you from the metro stop down King Street to the City Hall and the Waterfront. At the weekends, the plaza outside City Hall hosts a farmers market with fresh produce, and there are countless vintage shops lining the streets to suit all needs. The waterfront is beautiful and provides a view all the way to the Washington Monument and Capitol. From the harbour, you can travel to the Wharf back in DC 鈥� also the location of Nationals Park 颅鈥� or to National Harbor in Maryland. Alexandria鈥檚 history also makes it an ideal Halloween trip, where you can join one of the city鈥檚 many ghost tours.
These are just a handful of the places I鈥檝e been lucky enough to visit while in DC 鈥� I鈥檇 also highly recommend visiting Georgetown, Adams Morgan and the Smithsonian museums, for a start. But there are plenty more places that I鈥檝e yet to explore and am planning to in my rapidly arriving last few months in the city. It鈥檚 all too easy when living in a city to get caught up in the everyday, so I鈥檝e made it a mission in my second semester to visit at least one new place every week. First up on my list? The National Zoo, Chinatown and, for the best panoramic views of the city, the Old Post Office Pavilion.