Nearly Done

The past 10 weeks passed at such breakneck speed, all of this still feels like new. Yet at the same time, I feel like I’ve become seasoned D.C. worker bee—waking early every morning, taking the VRE and Metro to work every day, getting something from John at Pedro and Vinny’s Fresh Burrito’s (Gimme the Goose!) every now and then for lunch, catching the train back and doing it all again the next day.

John, THE burrito guy. It’s always a treat at 15th and K at lunchtime.

Now, things are winding down. Yesterday was commencement, where we recognized how far we’ve come on this brief but dense journey. When I put together my portfolio, I realized how much I’ve done at work, with so many nice clips at my disposal when looking for that next internship or possibly a job. I actually accomplished most of my individual development plan goals. I have a lot to show for my time spent here.

I went to my final class last night at the AP building, another place I’m going to miss seeing every week. We had fantastic discussions about journalism and ethics, and we got to watch some classic movies (Ace in the Hole, All the President’s Men, Absences of Malice,) and examine the ethical issues raised in each one, whether they represent the best or worst of journalism. We got to see some more recent films (State of Play, Shattered Glass) that show there still plenty of ethical dilemmas facing today’s reporters and editors. My classmates brought interesting insight to the table every week, something I appreciate a lot. I’m going to miss the my pleasant Monday evening movie and conversation.

So the finish line is in sight, but I’m still a few days away. This isn’t goodbye yet.

Rock ‘n’ Roll

Washington, D.C., gets a lot of good shows.

If you’re a music fan and plan on spending 2-4 months in the District, you’re going to have plenty of local and national acts play every week. It’s been hard for me to make it out to any shows this summer, given issues of time, energy and budget. But there was one I wasn’t going to miss, hell or high water.

The Black Keys played DAR Constitution Hall last Monday night, and I got to go with a good friend of mine from high school that’s interning with NPR this summer. We had a grand ol’ time, playing catch up and seeing the Keys, who were very, very loud. It was my first Black Keys show, and I was please like I thought I’d be. Their songs “Chop and Change” sounded the best, with the organ ringing out perfectly to mesh with the bass, Patrick Carney’s perfectly paced drums, and minimal guitar from Dan Auerbach.

Great shows. Just another reason a couple months in D.C. is a must.

Museum Hoppin’ 2

The Smithsonian exploration just keeps rolling. There are so many museums and exhibits to see, that it’s hard to fit it all in……and there isn’t much time left. But Amanda and I were determined to do what we could.

Before we checked out the American History Museum, we walked by the White House.

I’ve heard people say when they first see the White House, they feel a little underwhelmed. They say the expected it to be bigger. The first time I saw it (which wasn’t in this instance, but when I was out gathering quotes for a story on my second day at work), I pretty much got what I expected. It’s still pretty cool.

We did a brief visit to the American History Museum, stopping Julia Child’s kitchen, very old violins and some Apollo Theater relics.

  

Julia Child’s Kitchen

An outfit Celia Cruz once wore

Lucille, B.B. King’s legendary guitar

Museum Hoppin' 1

So what’s the obvious thing to do during a hot summer in Washington, D.C.?

The Smithsonian museums are air conditioned, free and huge. The weekend of the 10^th and 11^th, we went to see a few, and we realized just how much time you can spend in just one. 

Take for instance the National Portrait Gallery. With as much as any of us have seen these images in our history textbooks or on the Internet, it’s still nothing like standing in front of the real thing.

Andrew Jackson

Abraham Lincoln

Richard Milhous Nixon

Ronald Reagan

Portraiture is something of lost art, I feel. So much can be done with a painted portrait or even a photograph. The portrait gallery takes you back to when paint and canvas was all people had to preserve their appearance. Some other notable portraits included: Walt Whitman, Mark Twain, Benjamin Franklin and Frederick Douglass, among many others.

The building also house part of the American Art Museum. I was particularly struck by these two paintings that depicted a wild North American landscape.

  

They just seemed wondrous, almost otherworldly. That’s at least for me, who has yet to see much of the natural beauty this continent has to offer.

More museum adventure soon.

Reflections

Everything is going really fast. As fast as the Metro I ride every day, as fast as the hurried suits that rush by on the escalators (and I’m really becoming one of them). I like to slow down and take things in slowly, you know, like Ferris Bueller says we should do from time to time. So to heed his wise advice, I’m going to dial it down a bit and reflect.

The thrill of being a reporter comes from the uncertainty, the lack of a plan.  Every day, it’s something new. I’ve written about the World Cup, the Silver Docs Festival, D.C.‘s extreme heat and several local personalities. I’ve written briefs, question-and-answer segments, a cover story and several daily stories. And let me tell you, it’s a joy to go to work in the morning and be treated like anyone else who works there. Grunt work doesn’t really exist in the newsroom….it’s all hands on deck. It makes nine-to-five an adventure every day.

My days in D.C. haven’t come without its kinks, though. The commute has begun to wear me down. It’s more of a source of stress since late June because of the increased pace of everything—more work, more TWC assignments, more attempts at squeezing fun in between it all. At first, the commute was easy to get used to…….then I started getting home more exhausted by the end of the days, and sometimes quite late. But I think I’m learning to handle it well, as I did with other challenges in the beginning of the summer. 

Being a commuter student is much more difficult lifestyle for a TWC summer, but it was worth it for me. I wanted to be here, despite financial difficulties I’ve encountered over the past 7 months. I must say, the generosity of my host family, who’s putting us up in Manassas, is HUGE. I couldn’t have been here without them. So for anyone really wanting to experience this who but is worried about really making it happen, where there’s a will there’s a way. Believe it. And the commuting isn’t that bad. It’s just an adjustment.

I saw some museums last weekend, so another update will come soon. After a picture-less post, I will make it up to you. Stay tuned.

Fourth

I had never been in D.C. before this summer, so when Independence Day rolled around, there was no question about where I would be for the festivities.

The National Mall was quite hot, as it has been lately, but there were plenty of organizations camped around who were nice enough to offer free water. The Hare Krishnas even offer a free meal, which I couldn’t pass up. They make some yummy vegan food; back home, they offer very cheap and delicious lunches on campus every weekday.

The Krishna followers were joyous on the Fourth, singing and dancing and welcoming all. It was a familiar sound, the chant. On a day focused on our nation’s freedom, I loved seeing such a pleasant display of diversity.

Most exciting of all, of course, was the beautiful fireworks display. I tried to capture it without the benefit of a tripod, which made things a little difficult, but I got at least a few shots.

Adventure B

On Friday the 18th, I witnessed the man-beast that is Stephen Strasburg, live in Nationals Park.

Night at the Ballpark from Joey Flechas on Vimeo.

The guy is unbelievable. He made batters look like children. The Nats just need to learn how to just hit the baseball, because Strasburg has already single-handedly lifted their pitching to whole other level. It was marvelous, even if the Nats lost. It was cheap, too, thanks to The Washington Center’s nice discount.

Hanging with George.   

Definitely a good time had by all.

I realize I haven’t talked too much about what I’ve been eating, which has been marvelous considering the wealth of good eatin’ there is around here. Let’s fix that.

Although my lunches are always ham/turkey sandwiches and honey-wheat pretzel twists, Amanda and I have dined quite nicely in the District, without even spending too much. On Mondays, we usually have Washington Center programming, panels, speeches and such, which mean I don’t go in for work since they need interns for full days. Amanda works till about noon, so I go into the city with her and find a nice spot to sit and catch up on homework until we meet again for lunch.

Now, I hadn’t realized the scope of this cupcake-craze that’s gripped America until I saw that there is some serious competition between D.C. cupcakeries. I haven’t tried any other than Hello Cupcake, just off Dupont Circle,  but many have told me they are the best. I sure enjoyed it. A little organic milk to wash it down, and we were in sweets heaven.

Unfortunately, we think we found the worst Chinese place we’ve ever experienced, but I won’t get into names. To be fair, we decided we might have ordered the worst item on the menu, so we should try it again……….later. Nearby, though, was a  fabulous basement pizza parlor, where you get these big, quarter-pie slices for a pretty decent price. Tasted good, too.

Breakfast has been a real treat at Au Bon Pain, which serves these delicious breakfast sandwiches (my favorite: broccoli, egg and swiss), along with great bagels and cinnamon buns. Their peach iced tea is very tasty and refreshing, too.

Down off Dupont Circle, D.C. Café serves fantastic Greek food. I had a delicious chicken gyro with some of their homemade lemonade, which was some of the best I’ve had in a long time. Perfect for a hot day, of which there have been several so far this summer.

There are plenty of other places to try before our time here is up, so I’ll report back with more later.