Happy Birthday America!! :) :)
July 11, 2010
Fourth of July weekend was definitely one of the greatest experiences that I have had in DC so far. The previous week of preparation and enthusiasm still did not have me ready for the excitement of America’s birthday in the capital!
My friends from home arrived late Friday night, but Saturday morning we were up early to try to beat the crowds touring the city. The first thing we did (and only because we were in the area…literally, walking right by it) was go to the Botanic Garden near the Capital building. Now to be honest, I am not sure how I convinced my friends (or myself!) that going to a garden, in what looked like a giant greenhouse, on a nearly-100 degree morning would be a good idea. But somehow, largely out of curiosity and convenience, we made our way into the garden only to be amazed by the jungle-like atmosphere we had entered. I really do not know a thing about trees, plants, flowers, or anything of the like – but I would recommend the Botanic Garden to anyone who has ever wondered where those picture-perfect flower backgrounds for your computer desktop come from. While those pictures may not be from this particular greenhouse, there is no shortage of images to capture. AND – there is even a constant mist being sprayed on all the plants! While that might sound completely irrelevant, my worries about melting while inside the greenhouse quickly vanished as the mist was well received by all visitors.
Next stop was Bullfeathers for lunch. The name might not strike you as being particularly appetizing, but this is easily one of my favorite lunch/dinner spots in DC. I have now been there about a handful of times, and have enjoyed happy hour specials, as well as both the lunch and dinner rush on more than one occasion. Small and casual, and conveniently located just across from the Capital South Metro station, we stopped here for a bite to eat and continued our tour of the city.
On our way to show my friends from home the DC monuments, we walked through the folk festival and watched a few Asian cultural performances, learned how to make tequila at a Mexican demonstration, and bought smoothies from a veryyyyy busy street vendor. Our walk to the World War II Memorial, the Washington Monument, and the Lincoln Memorial was full of tourists enjoying the city, and also bustling with police and workers getting ready for the Capital Fourth celebration to take place the following day.
Sunday morning felt like Christmas to me, which may or may not seem like an unnecessary amount of excitement for a 21 year old to have on the fourth of July. But, in my defense, July 4th has always been my favorite day of the year, and the chance to enjoy it in DC definitely had me itching to get going with the celebration. Myself, my friends from home, and my friends from the WII program spent most of the day on the roof of the Hampton with food, drinks, and games. The sun was HOT, but I think we all hung in there in spirit of the holiday. After a free pizza dinner from the apartment building’s company owners, we all trekked to the Potomac River to sit outside to watch the fireworks. I have to say, DC sure does know how to do fireworks, and the patriotic atmosphere had all of us raving about the day/night long after we left.
There is nothing like celebrating America in the nation’s capital – this past weekend was one of the best I have had here. I am already planning a weekend visit for this time next summer! 
