Roller skating
Last Friday the weather channel reported a high possibility of rain, but Saturday stayed clear the whole time. Thus, four of us interns decided to check out an event we heard about online: free roller skating rink.
Over in Anacostia (only 10 metro stops from where we're living) is a roller skating pavilion in the local park. Starting on Memorial Day weekend, the National Park Service started making skate rentals free seven days a week, an opportunity that lasts until Labor Day in September.
We spent like an hour skating before venturing one metro stop over to the Eastern Market for lunch.
Since I've been inducted into the honor society Phi Beta Kappa, I receive regular email updates from the society. This past week I found out about a Senate Judicial Committee meeting about First Amendment rights on college campuses since the CEO of Phi Beta Kappa was a witness. The meeting was about two hours, since I watched it over Friday and Saturday during my free time.
For those interested, here's a link to the video. I found the whole thing fascinating to watch, especially considering I just graduated from a college and have seen some of the behaviors that were discussed during the meeting in real life. At Coe, liberals are the overwhelming majority, and I heard some of my conservative friends express annoyance how they never felt comfortable voicing their beliefs in public campus areas. However, when attempting to get quotes for the college newspaper following the election, liberals refused to talk to me since they felt they would be physically harmed if their names were associated with statements against the new administration (even though the ratio of liberals to conservatives at Coe is like 20:1).
The line that hate speech walks is very thin; depending on the audience, it can easily turn into a way to incite violence. Where do colleges draw the line between bringing an incendiary speaker to campus who could provoke insightful discourse among the students, and an incendiary speaker who could provoke riots instead? If a college does not have the monetary ability to hire the necessary police to ensure orderly conduct, should it be the federal government's responsibility to supply that resource? Watch the video to see what some of the witnesses had to say!
On Sunday I was invited to visit a garden by someone I met the previous week during a congressional meeting. But this wasn't just any garden: this was a GORGEOUS garden!
Dumbarton Oaks is administered by the Trustees for Harvard University, and includes not only a garden but museum and library as well. The place supports research in Byzantine, Garden and Landscape, and Pre-Columbian studies through fellowships and internships, meetings, and exhibitions. The museum is open daily from 11:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. and the garden from 2:00 – 6:00 p.m. except on Mondays and national holidays. However, starting July 10, the garden will be closed for renovations until March 15, 2018. Thank goodness I visited before then!!
I spent about three hours enjoying the view and sun, and definitely recommend this place to anyone who travels to D.C.
Every Friday there's a Jazz in the Garden at the National Gallery of Art's Sculpture Garden. I stopped by after work, but unfortunately it starts at 5:00 p.m. so by the time I arrived it was already packed and there weren't any seats close enough to hear the music well. |
One of the other interns decided to make piña coladas from scratch. I'd never had one before, and made sure mine was made WITHOUT the rum. I admit, it was pretty good! |