After the internship orientation, I went with two of my flat mates over to the Hard Rock Café. It was so cool seeing the Beatles and Madonna memorabilia right here in London. We were able to go to the vault in the basement (which was supposedly where the Queen used to keep some of her money). We were able to hold guitars from different bands and other really cool pieces of music history. My sister would love have loved it J
So I had my internship interview and I love where I will be working! I am so excited that I get to go to the party’s conference in Brighton, and that I get to have a private tour of Parliament (which I am saving to do with my mom and aunt when they come). My internship is literally across the street from the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. When I get off the tube I am no joke 5 feet from Big Ben. After my interview I just walked around the general Westminster area then walked over to Trafalgar Square. This was such a cool area to see, everyone was just there on their lunch breaks and relaxing and having a nice time. When I got home I walked across the street to check out Regent’s park with one of my flat mates. We were just walking around and happened to stumble upon the World Cup of gay soccer. It was so random and so fabulous. I forgot how huge soccer/ “football” is here, and how fun it is to watch!
Friday we went over to Abbey Road. It was awesome to see the infamous Abbey Road crossing. While we were there though, there was a photographer from The Guardian taking pictures of people crossing for the anniversary of Abbey Road. Again, my sister would have loved it J
For dinner, we were going to go to the pub but we found a restaurant that we thought was a pub but was actually a Thai restaurant. It was good, and now I can finally say I tried Thai food! On our walk back we stopped in the place to get cheesecake for dessert, and it turned out to be a Jewish New York deli! They had matzah ball soup and everything from back home that I definitely missed.
Yesterday I went shopping on Kensington High Street. They had some adorable things in the stores, but I much preferred our next stop. We took the bus over to Knightsbridge and went to Harrods. The store is more like a museum than a place to shop. Just like last time, all I bought was an ice cream sundae in the basement, and once again, it was fabulous.
Today I went to the Tate Modern art museum. I forgot that I actually do not like modern art, but I guess that’s a good place to find that out. Everything was really interesting to see, just not really my thing.
Tomorrow I have my first day of work and class at night. I am much more excited about my internship than I am for class, but tomorrow should still be great anyway!
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
London!!
So we finally arrived in London yesterday!! Everyone was so exhausted but thrilled to finally be here. We started by taking a walking tour of the neighborhood to affiliate ourselves with the area. My flat is in a very affluent area and is overlooking Regent’s Park. In the distance we can see the London Eye. For an apartment in London it is actually very big. And we have a cleaning lady that comes once a week! It is still unbelievable to me that I am actually here.
Today we had orientation then went on a tour of the city. We started over by Kensington Gardens, then headed over to Westminster Abbey. It was of course beautiful. While we were there we had the best view of Big Ben. I think it was then that I realized I am actually here and will be for the next 3 months. From Big Ben we went to Buckingham Palace. They are still offering tours so I think I am going to do that this weekend. When we left there and started driving I saw the hotel that I stayed at last time! I was hoping to see my favorite doorman in the world, Nathan, but no such luck. Anyway, we continued driving and had the best view of the London Eye. I cant wait to go on it, especially with my mom and aunt when they come! Our next stop was to the Tower of London Bridge. We were able to take some great photos there. The last stop of the day was to a local pub, which of course was delicious.
Tomorrow we will be having our internship orientation. I am so excited for my internship, I can not wait to finally start!
Today we had orientation then went on a tour of the city. We started over by Kensington Gardens, then headed over to Westminster Abbey. It was of course beautiful. While we were there we had the best view of Big Ben. I think it was then that I realized I am actually here and will be for the next 3 months. From Big Ben we went to Buckingham Palace. They are still offering tours so I think I am going to do that this weekend. When we left there and started driving I saw the hotel that I stayed at last time! I was hoping to see my favorite doorman in the world, Nathan, but no such luck. Anyway, we continued driving and had the best view of the London Eye. I cant wait to go on it, especially with my mom and aunt when they come! Our next stop was to the Tower of London Bridge. We were able to take some great photos there. The last stop of the day was to a local pub, which of course was delicious.
Tomorrow we will be having our internship orientation. I am so excited for my internship, I can not wait to finally start!
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
More DC
Yesterday we went to the Newseum. It was an incredible place! The Newseum was basically a museum that housed all different pieces of media throughout history. We saw Pulitzer Prize photographs that were breathtaking. We saw today’s headlines from around the world. It was so interesting to see what was considered pertinent in one part of the world compared to another part. It was also fascinating to see how historical events were recorded. I definitely enjoyed seeing how the types of media have changed throughout the years, as well as the way it was reported.
Today's adventure was taking a tour of the National Mall. The first stop on the tour was The White House. Sorry, but it appears much larger on television than in person. However, it was still very exciting to see. The president was in house because the flag was flying at the top of the pole. I just enjoyed seeing where the most powerful man in the world lives.
After The White House we ventured over to the World War II Memorial. It was gorgeous. There were pillars from every state and country that were part of the Allies that had lost citizens. From there we went to the Korean War Memorial. The statues of soldiers that were there were so unbelievably lifelike. You can just see how the soldiers were feeling at this time. Later we went to the Lincoln Memorial. It is said that his hands are in sign language position to spell out his initials. After hearing that it was completely fascinating to me to actually see. Once we left there we traveled to the Vietnam Memorial. It was interesting to see that they had every name etched into the marble, and in chronological order.
Although it was an exhausting day, it was enjoyable as well!
Today's adventure was taking a tour of the National Mall. The first stop on the tour was The White House. Sorry, but it appears much larger on television than in person. However, it was still very exciting to see. The president was in house because the flag was flying at the top of the pole. I just enjoyed seeing where the most powerful man in the world lives.
After The White House we ventured over to the World War II Memorial. It was gorgeous. There were pillars from every state and country that were part of the Allies that had lost citizens. From there we went to the Korean War Memorial. The statues of soldiers that were there were so unbelievably lifelike. You can just see how the soldiers were feeling at this time. Later we went to the Lincoln Memorial. It is said that his hands are in sign language position to spell out his initials. After hearing that it was completely fascinating to me to actually see. Once we left there we traveled to the Vietnam Memorial. It was interesting to see that they had every name etched into the marble, and in chronological order.
Although it was an exhausting day, it was enjoyable as well!
Sunday, August 17, 2008
DC days 2 & 3
This weekend, our assignment was to complete a scavenger hunt throughout Washington, D.C. to familiarize ourselves with both the culture and history of the area. It was so exciting to explore various parts of D.C. with the other TWC interns. We completed this all yesterday so that today we could go to the national Holocaust museum
Our first stop yesterday on our scavenger hunt was downtown Columbia Heights. While there, our assignment was to take a picture in front of the Columbia Heights metro station, located in downtown Columbia Heights. After completing our first assignment, we ventured around the Columbia Heights area. This area had a great amount of commercialized developments. One street corner alone housed a Target, Best Buy, Bed Bath & Beyond and CVS Pharmacy. The buildings were all in the process of newly being renovated as well. In this neighborhood it appeared to be more like a suburb than a large city.
Our next stop was the U Street Corridor, where the African American Civil War Memorial is located. The U St. Corridor area once rivaled Harlem as a mecca for African Americans. This is shown through the great amount of influence that the African American culture has had on the area. One of the famous landmarks is Ben's Chili Bowl, which obviously captured the African American culture. We are planning on returning there on Friday for there 50th anniversary, which Bill Cosby plans on attending as well!
After that, we headed over to Chinatown. Our assignment was to take a picture with Chinatown's 90-foot high Friendship Arch. Once we accomplished that task we had a wonderful time exploring the culture of the area. The signs of the stores were displayed in both English and Chinese.
Our next stop was to Capitol Hill. After going to the required location of the Folger Shakespeare Library, we walked to the National Mall. There was a huge pro-life protest of about 30,000 people going on at the steps of the Capitol Building. It was incredible to actually see a protest of that size, even if it was something I do not believe it.
We then stopped at Dupont Circle, where we took a picture in front of the Dupont Memorial Fountain. This area felt like Central Park in Manhattan. It was very relaxing and filled with picnickers and joggers and people just wanting to escape the city for a short while.
The final stop on our scavenger hunt yesterday was Georgetown. We needed to stop at the home JFK occupied. It was completely gorgeous, as were all of the other homes we saw. They were all brick and old and classic looking and just lovely.
Today, we went to the National Holocaust Museum. No matter how many times you can see pictures and hear stories, it never makes it easier. This four level museum was completely unbelievable. From the shoes of the prisoners to the beds in the concentration camps to the children's section, it was just unimaginable. My heart hurt being there. After leaving I was just completely speechless. As terrible to see such things as it was, I am very glad that I went. For me it was important to see what other Jews had to go through and the faith that they had to keep. This place was just incredible.
This weekend I got to see all different places in DC, some which I knew of and others that I did not, and it was great to see them all.
Our first stop yesterday on our scavenger hunt was downtown Columbia Heights. While there, our assignment was to take a picture in front of the Columbia Heights metro station, located in downtown Columbia Heights. After completing our first assignment, we ventured around the Columbia Heights area. This area had a great amount of commercialized developments. One street corner alone housed a Target, Best Buy, Bed Bath & Beyond and CVS Pharmacy. The buildings were all in the process of newly being renovated as well. In this neighborhood it appeared to be more like a suburb than a large city.
Our next stop was the U Street Corridor, where the African American Civil War Memorial is located. The U St. Corridor area once rivaled Harlem as a mecca for African Americans. This is shown through the great amount of influence that the African American culture has had on the area. One of the famous landmarks is Ben's Chili Bowl, which obviously captured the African American culture. We are planning on returning there on Friday for there 50th anniversary, which Bill Cosby plans on attending as well!
After that, we headed over to Chinatown. Our assignment was to take a picture with Chinatown's 90-foot high Friendship Arch. Once we accomplished that task we had a wonderful time exploring the culture of the area. The signs of the stores were displayed in both English and Chinese.
Our next stop was to Capitol Hill. After going to the required location of the Folger Shakespeare Library, we walked to the National Mall. There was a huge pro-life protest of about 30,000 people going on at the steps of the Capitol Building. It was incredible to actually see a protest of that size, even if it was something I do not believe it.
We then stopped at Dupont Circle, where we took a picture in front of the Dupont Memorial Fountain. This area felt like Central Park in Manhattan. It was very relaxing and filled with picnickers and joggers and people just wanting to escape the city for a short while.
The final stop on our scavenger hunt yesterday was Georgetown. We needed to stop at the home JFK occupied. It was completely gorgeous, as were all of the other homes we saw. They were all brick and old and classic looking and just lovely.
Today, we went to the National Holocaust Museum. No matter how many times you can see pictures and hear stories, it never makes it easier. This four level museum was completely unbelievable. From the shoes of the prisoners to the beds in the concentration camps to the children's section, it was just unimaginable. My heart hurt being there. After leaving I was just completely speechless. As terrible to see such things as it was, I am very glad that I went. For me it was important to see what other Jews had to go through and the faith that they had to keep. This place was just incredible.
This weekend I got to see all different places in DC, some which I knew of and others that I did not, and it was great to see them all.
Friday, August 15, 2008
DC Orientation
So Today was day 2 here in DC. Yesterday was all orientation and getting to know each other. Today was really awesome though. After meeting at The Washington Center (TWC) to discuss all about American and British politics and government, we headed over to George Washington University to listen to a lecture by Professor Feigenbaum. He went even more into details of the American and British governments. It was one of the best lectures I have ever heard. I learned more from this lecture than any other one that I have been to. After leaving GWU, we headed over to Union Station for lunch and a little bit of shopping.
Later in the day, we headed off over to the Senate office building. We actually went into Senator Barack Obama's office! Unfortunately, he wasnt there :( . After our trip there we went to the Capital building. I loved going there and seeing all of the historical sites and seeing where other important instances occurred. However, my favorite spot we visited was the Supreme Court building. As we were walking up the steps, you can feel the sence of importance and history of the building. The actual court room was closed as a result of the renovations taking place, but once it is reopened anyone can go and sit it on a case. After London I am definitely going to have to check that out!
The final stop of the day was at the Library of Congress. I wanted to get a library card for there, but I didnt have enough time. Next time I go there I am definitely going to have to go with my mom since no one loves books more than she does!
Tomorrow we are going on a scavenger hunt of the city. This is to help us better familiarize ourselves with the incredible city. I cant wait to see all of the places I will end up at!
Later in the day, we headed off over to the Senate office building. We actually went into Senator Barack Obama's office! Unfortunately, he wasnt there :( . After our trip there we went to the Capital building. I loved going there and seeing all of the historical sites and seeing where other important instances occurred. However, my favorite spot we visited was the Supreme Court building. As we were walking up the steps, you can feel the sence of importance and history of the building. The actual court room was closed as a result of the renovations taking place, but once it is reopened anyone can go and sit it on a case. After London I am definitely going to have to check that out!
The final stop of the day was at the Library of Congress. I wanted to get a library card for there, but I didnt have enough time. Next time I go there I am definitely going to have to go with my mom since no one loves books more than she does!
Tomorrow we are going on a scavenger hunt of the city. This is to help us better familiarize ourselves with the incredible city. I cant wait to see all of the places I will end up at!
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