Back in early December, I went to Washington, D.C. in support of my dad, who was being recognized at an American Institute of Architects (AIA) College of Fellows event. It was a busy time of year for me (right before finals!), and there wasn’t much time to explore D.C. because of the AIA events, but I did get the chance to do a bit of sightseeing. Here’s a quick recap of the trip.
Days 1 & 2: Travel and long run on the National Mall
I arrived late on a Wednesday night, and got to the hotel around midnight. After a good sleep in, I spent the morning grading students’ project reports. I set out for a long run on the National Mall around 1, and ended up going just over 10 miles (I’ve been training!).
If you’re willing to run (or walk/bike/scooter) that far in Washington, D.C., you can see a ton of famous landmarks/memorials/buildings. Some of the highlights for me were the Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial, FDR memorial, and Jefferson memorial, since it was my first time stopping (albeit briefly) at each. I also ran past classics like the Lincoln memorial, Washington monument, the U.S. Supreme Court, the Library of Congress, and, of course, the U.S. Capitol.
I’ve included some photos from my run below.
White House.
Washington monument.
Lincoln memorial.
Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial.
Part of the FDR memorial.
Jefferson memorial.
The United States Capitol.
The U.S. Supreme Court.
Thursday evening was the first and most important event for my dad. In the summer, he was elected to the executive committee of the AIA College of Fellows. This dinner, at the Kennedy Caucus Room in the Russell Senate Office Building, was his first official event as one of the four members of the executive committee. He will now serve four years, and during the last will be the chancellor.
At the AIA College of Fellows dinner with my dad.
Kennedy Caucus Room at the Russell Senate Office Building.
At the dinner, I also saw my godparents for the first time since my last trip to Washington, D.C. It’s always wonderful to see them.
Though the dinner went late, I made sure to head out and see one of my Oxford friends, Ugwechi, before I went home. I was really glad to catch her because she had a flight to Europe the next morning.
Day 3: National Zoo and US Institute of Peace
Friday started the same as Thursday – with a few hours of project grading. At noon, though, I took the metro to Smithsonian’s National Zoo, which I try to visit each time I visit D.C. This time, I met another Oxford friend, Caroline, at the zoo. We had a great time watching the critters and catching up, even though it was pretty cold outside.
After the zoo, I managed to wrap up the grading (yay!) before my dad and I headed out to the second AIA event – the AIA Presidential Inaugural. This event marked the official beginning of the new AIA president’s one-year term. It was a reception at the U.S. Institute of Peace building, which I had not been to before.
AIA reception at the US Institute of Peace with my dad.
The event was nice, but there were a lot more people than the previous night and it was a reception rather than a sit-down dinner. I enjoyed it, but left a bit early to see yet another Oxford friend, Tyler, who had just wrapped up a one-year fellowship in D.C. I was really lucky to catch so many friends in my quick trip!
Day 4: Rest and final dinner
By Saturday, I was exhausted! I was already tired before the trip, just because it was so late in the semester. The 10-mile run Thursday and three late nights in a row left me absolutely knackered. I had breakfast with one final Oxford friend, Meg, then took a really long nap.
I woke up in time for the third and final evening event of my visit, a dinner with the AIA College of Fellows Executive Committee members and their spouses (or in my dad’s case, daughter). It was the best event for conversation, since there were so few people there. But the conversation also meant it went long – I was definitely happy to go when we finally wrapped up.
My flight home was early the next morning, and it was pretty uneventful. I enjoyed the trip, but was also very happy to be home!
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