29 January 2010

"If You're Not Feelin' This Train..."


I made it through my third week of class, and it seems like an appropriate time to discuss my adventures on the DC Metro System. Take today, for example, I was on the red line towards Chinatown and it was crazy crowded. Like hold on to the person next to you for dear life crowded. In fact, it was so crowded that the conductor (or driver or whatever they're called for subways) announced to the people on the platfom, "If you're not feelin' this train, there are two more directly behind us." So great. And then, I was just minding my own business when this homeless lady starting talking to me about Tai Shan the panda being sent back to China. Did you know that pandas aren't friendly? My reliable Metro source tells me that pandas will give you 250 stitches. Great.

Today we visited THEARC. It's an awesome community center across the river in Anacostia. They have partnerships with the Washington Ballet and the Corcoran Art Gallery to bring in programs for the kids -- so amazing! The center has really helped to revitalize the area. Up until a couple of years ago, they didn't even have a grocery store in their entire ward! I guess we all take for granted that we don't have to ride two different buses just to get food. They didn't have any sit down restaurants either. Now they have an IHOP, which is where my class ate lunch before heading to the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Main Street Center.

The weekend brings the writing of the first papers of the semester and hopefully a trip to the zoo to see the panda before he goes back to China. P.S. He's flying first class in his own charter plane with his picture on the side.

3 comments:

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  3. Nope, the comment is totally staying! =)

    Those are some of my classmates -- Kathryn, Nicole, Nicole, and Holly. We are at IHOP which is next to the new grocery store.

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