what up, congress!

I've barely talked about spring semester at Columbia since its started again but I don't even know where to begin with EVERYTHING, so instead I'm going to update my trip to Washington DC!

I was only there for 3 days, but I LOVED IT!  I DEFINITELY will go back and see all the museums!!!  I also love the atmosphere, the fact that everything is walkable, the metro system is CLEAN and FAST, all the amazing coffee shops, and basically I wouldn't kill myself if I had to live here :] Mike and I met up here and stayed with a friend who lives in Dupont Circle NW, basically the trendiest neighborhood in DC!  We got lucky :] Here's the view from his apartment at 3am

I went for a jog early morning around the National Mall, which is essentially a buffet of monuments and federal buildings, like the Department of Printing and Engraving, and the US Treasury Building, Jefferson Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, etc etc you get the idea.  Gorgeous!

Even the houses are adorable! I would love to live in any one of these!!!

I got to visit the IMF and World Bank, and talk to SIPA Alumni about their jobs there!  Pretty freaking awesome :D  The World Bank building is IMPRESSIVE and shiny and big, but for some reason I was much more taken by the IMF and the types of projects they were working on... won't bore ya with the details!

We went to U-Street for dinner and restaurant hopped!  Cutest neighborhood filled with bars and clubs!

We only had time for one museum and I had to choose wisely, so I chose the National Gallery. But I would KILL to go back to the Natural History Museum and the Modern Art museum!  

We went to a Clippers/Wizards game which was not even close... Clippers DOMINATED!  Also, Staples Center is 3x the size of the Wizards stadium.  But their nachos aren't as good!

And the Eastern Market, which is supposedly one of the best flea markets/ farmers markets in DC, but I was unimpressed. It's got nothing on the Santa Monica farmers market!!! Or even the Union Square one!  Then we caroused some more around the National Mall and took funky pictures by the monuments and sang Mallow songs

This actually looks way more romantic than it was intended to be!  Mike was supposed to be a dork like me and stick his foot up like a ballerina, and we were so cold that our noses were runny and our faces were mushed together cuz the camera person took forever to take the picture.  But when we saw this picture we were like... WOAH, NICE JOB CAMERADUDE! 

Love the east coast :D

We also met up with a friend from UCLA who lives there now, and he took us out to a couple clubs in the neighborhood for free since he got the hookups :] We also watched the Superbowl together with AYCE sushi!  Don't ask me why two giant dudes automatically look like 5th graders when they hug like that... 

DC is gorgeous and I would totally not be opposed to living there... actually it oddly makes me want to live in Boston because I imagine Boston = better version of DC without all the negative lobbyists and politics.  Even though politics are also part of the appeal of living in DC... Gonna head to BAH-ston sometime VEEEERY SOOON and see for myself! Woah just had a thought... It;d be my dream to qualify for the  Boston Marathon!!! Sub 3:40... better get on it :]

I'll be back, DC!