Hey guys,
Ben H. here. Last week 3 of us attended an awesome 3-day conference for student activists for Israel. While the sessions and speeches were thought-provoking, the real draw of the conference was the opportunity to newtork with over 400 students from around the country. Yes, there were a lot of Jews (Israel is, after all, a Jewish state). But I met a significant number of non-Jewish attendees who were just as passionate and dedicated to the US-Israel relationship. It was incredible to talk to students from historically-black colleges and Christian universities; democrats and republicans; Ultra-orthodox and Reformniks like myself. I listened to debates about Health Care Reform (the hot topic inside the beltway these days), cap-and-trade, and other matters of foreign policy. I had conversations about everything from political corruption in Illinois and Louisiana, to domestic Israeli policy. The heated political conversations reminded me why Washington, DC is an invigorating place to live.
When it came to the relationship between the US and Israel, however, support was unilateral. We capped off the experience by travelling to Capitol Hill to lobby congressmen about supporting Israel, and taking action on Iran. Seeing the daily grind of the interns there made me glad I chose to avoid the Hill this summer. Despite the enticing menu of the Longworth Cafeteria, the prospect of labeling envelopes, taking calls from angry constituents, and performing other menial tasks was definitely not appealing.
Ultimately, the chance to spend 3 days networking and engaging with accomplished and fascinating students was well worth the time spent out of the office!
MadHatter Happy Hour Part 2
Last night's 2nd happy hour at MadHatter went swimmingly. I think that establishment has become a true DC favorite of mine. We had a great turnout of about 80-100 people, and the conversation flowed through the night. We were pleased that old faces from last time came out again, and brought along some new faces for us to meet. Bartending favorite Soup was replaced by Ben, who was just as nice. We had a great time, and a big thank you to all who came by.
We're looking forward to planning some other events, but this time on a smaller scale. Think: Holocaust Memorial or other museum outing, Shabbat wine and cheese in an apartment, a weekend trip to Eastern Market, or anything else you might have in mind. So let us know! Email, facebook message, tweet @ us...whatever. Just tell us what kinds of things you're interested in, or if you want us to let you know when we're doing this stuff. We'll blog, facebook post, and tweet about it too. Let's live up the last few weeks of the DC summer! (aw, tear).
Signing out for now. Have a great weekend!
We're looking forward to planning some other events, but this time on a smaller scale. Think: Holocaust Memorial or other museum outing, Shabbat wine and cheese in an apartment, a weekend trip to Eastern Market, or anything else you might have in mind. So let us know! Email, facebook message, tweet @ us...whatever. Just tell us what kinds of things you're interested in, or if you want us to let you know when we're doing this stuff. We'll blog, facebook post, and tweet about it too. Let's live up the last few weeks of the DC summer! (aw, tear).
Signing out for now. Have a great weekend!
Happy Hour Pt. 2
Check out our second Happy Hour of the summer this Thursday back at MadHatterDC. Come meet even more Jewish interns!
Check us out on facebook
Check us out on facebook
Friday Night Recap: Barbecue, Blessings, and Bongos at 6th and I
Happy Monday, everyone! That early morning alarm was certainly a brutal reality check after a fun-filled DC weekend.
Friday night, we co-hosted the Summer Intern Shabbat at 6th and I Synagogue. The night began with drinks and appetizers downstairs as interns and young professionals trickled in and mingled before services. The services, led by Rabbi Lauren Holtzblatt from Yale Hillel, were different from any that I had experienced before. By that I mean the rabbi was accompanied by her colleague on the bongos. The atmosphere was inviting and not intimidating, perfect for a crowd filled with many people who do not normally attend Shabbat services, myself included.
After services, we went back downstairs where we were greeted by a barbecue dinner—hamburgers, hot dogs, cole slaw, etc. My burger was delicious despite its lack of cheese (I could never keep Kosher…), and the brownies that came out with dessert were spectacular! We went to work “engaging” the attendees: approaching unfamiliar faces and chatting with friends over beer and wine from the bar. I met a British Jew who taught me all sorts of entertaining British phrases and expressed complete bewilderment at Americans’ usage of “legit” in all manner of situations. By the time 10 pm rolled around, I found myself heading back to Foggy Bottom with three new friends.
The remainder of Friday night was spent at Ultra Bar with my roommate and friends, and Saturday night I had a long-overdue sushi date in Dupont at Uni on P Street. The rest of my weekend was filled with tourist-y activities: American History Museum, Air and Space Museum, National Archives, and Eastern Market to name a few. Oh, and a lot of sleeping in, which explains why 7:15 was really not a fun time to wake up this morning. Fortunately it looks like we have some fun things to look forward to this week! I’ll keep you posted.
-Marisa
Friday night, we co-hosted the Summer Intern Shabbat at 6th and I Synagogue. The night began with drinks and appetizers downstairs as interns and young professionals trickled in and mingled before services. The services, led by Rabbi Lauren Holtzblatt from Yale Hillel, were different from any that I had experienced before. By that I mean the rabbi was accompanied by her colleague on the bongos. The atmosphere was inviting and not intimidating, perfect for a crowd filled with many people who do not normally attend Shabbat services, myself included.
After services, we went back downstairs where we were greeted by a barbecue dinner—hamburgers, hot dogs, cole slaw, etc. My burger was delicious despite its lack of cheese (I could never keep Kosher…), and the brownies that came out with dessert were spectacular! We went to work “engaging” the attendees: approaching unfamiliar faces and chatting with friends over beer and wine from the bar. I met a British Jew who taught me all sorts of entertaining British phrases and expressed complete bewilderment at Americans’ usage of “legit” in all manner of situations. By the time 10 pm rolled around, I found myself heading back to Foggy Bottom with three new friends.
The remainder of Friday night was spent at Ultra Bar with my roommate and friends, and Saturday night I had a long-overdue sushi date in Dupont at Uni on P Street. The rest of my weekend was filled with tourist-y activities: American History Museum, Air and Space Museum, National Archives, and Eastern Market to name a few. Oh, and a lot of sleeping in, which explains why 7:15 was really not a fun time to wake up this morning. Fortunately it looks like we have some fun things to look forward to this week! I’ll keep you posted.
-Marisa
Thursday Night in DC: 500 Days of the Real World
Hey guys. Ben here. Last night was one of the more interesting nights of my summer so far. Even though the cherry blossoms happen in April, July is when DC is in full bloom. I started off the night in Friendship Heights for a sneak preview of "500 Days of Summer" with a friend. Some obnoxious radio personality was hosting, so we had to sit through 20 minutes of really, really awful jokes. Thankfully, the movie was pretty good. The director poked fun at and embraced the romantic comedy stereotypes, but ultimately the message was pretty mature without being overly dark or depressing. Added bonus: the soundtrack was chocked full of Belle & Sebastian, Regina Spektor, and the Smiths.
After, I ventured to a childhood favorite, Zorba's, in Dupont. This is possibly the best place to get spanakopita outside of Greece. They have a great outside terrace that was, of course, packed at 10PM on a Thursday night.
Following that, I met some friends for some low-key drinks. The bar we picked was chill and had a great atmosphere...until "The Real World: DC" cast showed up with camera men in tow. The bar then became the spot, as people texted their friends and all of DC showed up to watch the "fights" unfold. Still, it was pretty exciting.
Tonight we are checking out Shabbat at 6th and I. Check back next week for the story!
After, I ventured to a childhood favorite, Zorba's, in Dupont. This is possibly the best place to get spanakopita outside of Greece. They have a great outside terrace that was, of course, packed at 10PM on a Thursday night.
Following that, I met some friends for some low-key drinks. The bar we picked was chill and had a great atmosphere...until "The Real World: DC" cast showed up with camera men in tow. The bar then became the spot, as people texted their friends and all of DC showed up to watch the "fights" unfold. Still, it was pretty exciting.
Tonight we are checking out Shabbat at 6th and I. Check back next week for the story!
Shabbat!
The 5 of us are going to be spending Shabbat together for the first time tomorrow at the 6th and I synagogue near Chinatown. Come to celebrate Shabbat and meet other college-age students working in DC for the summer.
There's going to be cocktails, followed by services, then a barbeque dinner (‽) so we're pretty pumped. Dinner and drinks (alcoholic) is $9 per person, and only $6 if you plan on just eating dinner. You can register online here, or just pay at the door.
There's going to be cocktails, followed by services, then a barbeque dinner (‽) so we're pretty pumped. Dinner and drinks (alcoholic) is $9 per person, and only $6 if you plan on just eating dinner. You can register online here, or just pay at the door.
Cocktails start at 6:45, with services at 7:15 and dinner at 8:15.
In other news, we have been perfecting the art of interrobang (‽) usage. It's the punctuation mark that is for people who are too cool for an exclamation point and question mark. Unfortunately, it is also too cool for most standard keyboards. If you want to use it, play it old school with copy/paste.
Hope to see you tomorrow!
-The Interns
Happy Hour Success!
After a week of planning, we are happy to report that the Happy Hour was a great success. Due to delays on the red line, we decided to walk from Chinatown to the bar in the Golden Triangle (just south of Dupont Circle). When we arrived at MadHatter, we discovered that Mickey, the bar owner, was not there. He had left us in the hands of “Soup”, possibly the best bartender in the District. The bar, as we had discovered on our first trip there, was quiet in comparison to other Happy Hour places in DC. We thought that our anticipated number of 50 interns would fit comfortably in the empty chairs and barstools.
Then people started to arrive. And then more people showed up. And their friends came too. By 5:45, the bar was starting to get a little cramped. By 6, it was impossible to move. We were happy to see our friend groups interact with one another, but we were ecstatic when we realized how many people none of us had ever met before! There were interns from dozens of places around the city, including the Hill, AIPAC, the Religious Action Center, Interpol, and even the White House. We even met a group of British interns who are living in DC as a part of a political summer program. While the size of the crowd limited our ability to sign people in, it looked like everybody was having a good time. Even Soup seemed to be enjoying himself in a crowd of college-age Jews.
After planning for 50, the crowd exceeded 100 when all was said and done. When people left they asked us,
“So, when’s the next one?”
Don’t worry. We’ll keep you posted.
Happy 4th of July
-The Interns
Then people started to arrive. And then more people showed up. And their friends came too. By 5:45, the bar was starting to get a little cramped. By 6, it was impossible to move. We were happy to see our friend groups interact with one another, but we were ecstatic when we realized how many people none of us had ever met before! There were interns from dozens of places around the city, including the Hill, AIPAC, the Religious Action Center, Interpol, and even the White House. We even met a group of British interns who are living in DC as a part of a political summer program. While the size of the crowd limited our ability to sign people in, it looked like everybody was having a good time. Even Soup seemed to be enjoying himself in a crowd of college-age Jews.
After planning for 50, the crowd exceeded 100 when all was said and done. When people left they asked us,
“So, when’s the next one?”
Don’t worry. We’ll keep you posted.
Happy 4th of July
-The Interns
Our First Happy Hour
Although some of us are not 21 yet (although one of us is almost there) we are throwing our first happy hour for Jewish interns tonight. For the past couple of weeks, we have been busy putting this together--from securing the location, to spreading the word.
Here's to happy hours and long weekends.
-The Interns
Here's to happy hours and long weekends.
-The Interns
Busy-ness Cards
We got sweet business cards today, courtesy of the efforts of Ben Ross. Check back for pictures later this week.
- The Interns
- The Interns
Best of the DC Weekend
Hi all! StacJac here, one of the summer interns. I am one of the two in our cohort who hails from Northwestern. Yes, Chicago is cold (I get that question a lot), but yes, I do love school. Nevertheless, DC is an exhilirating and refreshing change of scenery for the summer. I love the environment - think overly excited political wannabees meets do-good non-profits and national museums, meets every-restaurant-has-a-happy-hour-ad-on-their-front-window.
This past weekend, I decided to take advantage of a wide breadth of DC's offerings. Thursday night, we attended the first of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Summer Series seminars, geared toward interns in the District. The speaker was Howard Kohr, executive director of AIPAC. He spoke for about 15 minutes and then opened the rest of the hour-long seminar up for questions. His short speech highlighted the most important topics of late: Iran and its weapons threat, Obama's dealings with Israel, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I decided to bite the bullet and was the first to ask a question - Does giving the Palestinians a state pose a security risk to Israel and the U.S. in the near future? Might we look back on a move like that, just as we did after giving Iran the access to nuclear weapons, and say 'what were we thinking?' Kohr offered a succint response - it is key for a Palestinian state to be demilitarized.
Following the seminar we went with some AIPAC interns to a couple hotspots on the Hill before heading home. Work M-F 9-5 is tiring!! Yes mom, I know that's what all grown-ups do and I hope you feel vindicated!
Saturday I set out to experience DC culture and tourism to the fullest. First stop: the grand re-opening of Eastern Market. The newly renovated building, which suffered from a fire in 2007, was packed with eager shoppers and hungry patrons all fighting their way through the seafood, meat, poultry, dairy, and produce counters. Too hungry to wait in line for a crabcake from the cafe, my DC partner-in-crime and I waited in a shorter line for made-to-order sandwiches. To accompany our main courses- a pulled turkey sandwich and a turkey wrap - we each got a barrel pickle and picked up some fresh hummus and carrots.
Onto the National Mall! It's a much shorter walk than I expected from the map; in 10 minutes we were at Hawk and Dove (popular restaurant/bar at the edge of the Hill). We were heading toward the Museum of American History which is at the far opposite corner of the Mall, so we picked a spot about halfway there underneath a shady tree. The lunch was superb and filling. After some digestion/people watching, we headed to the Museum. Our first exhibit we visited was billed "Thanks for the Memories: Music, Sports and Entertainment History," and had a lot of mediocre memorabilia, such as "the puffy shirt" from Seinfeld, and a Muhammed Ali boxing glove. From there we hit up the Amerian presidents and Lincoln exhibits which I would highly recommend to anyone interested in U.S. history. Both have some really cool artifacts, like the top hat Lincoln was wearing when he was assassinated, and lots of interesting information about each administration. There is also an exhibit with photos from President Obama's inauguration that will be available until July 12. Last, we went to the Star Spangled Banner exhibit, which is really breathtaking. You enter the exhibit and immediately turn into a dark room where the mammoth flag is dazzlingly illuminated for viewing behind a glass wall. The wear and tear on the flag is visible but it still inspires the pride for the U.S.A. that Francis Scott Key felt when he wrote the National Anthem at Ft. McHenry during the War of 1812.
We left the Museum of American History around 7:15 and were sufficiently exhausted. Electing to walk home to Foggy Bottom while hoping our legs didn't give out on the way, we walked the length of the reflecting pool past the Washington Monument, WWII Memorial, and the Lincoln Memorial before heading north. My newfound appreciation for Lincoln thanks to the Museum's exhibits was overwhelming as I looked up at him in his throne-like chair, with the words "saved the union" etched above his head. Washington...what a place.
Yesterday we embarked on yet another day of tourism, though we committed to less walking and I committed to New Balances over Reefs. After a quick Potbelly's lunch, we headed to the National Archives. We waited in the ominous "45 minute" line that actually took 15 minutes, and went straight to the Rotunda to see the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. The line situation is a little weird - there isn't one officially but then you don't know if you want to be the one person who cuts everyone else in the "informal line." All the documents were fascinating; from the signatures of important founders to how worn the Declaration is, the Rotunda's contents are a true treat and an affective peak into poignant American history. The three features are supplemented by other important documents that represent significant events. And by the way, if you watched the John Adams HBO series like I did, you'll have even more to reference and get excited about in terms of important American history in front of your eyes.
Our last tourist stop was the Museum of Natural History. Anyone who has been here knows it could take days to do this museum justice, so we just focused on three exhibits: a forensics exhibit on the history of the people of the Chesapeake region, the gems section, and the Wild Ocean exhibit. The forensics exhibit was surprisingly engaging with a lot of interesting facts and demonstrations on determining human traits from bone structure. The gems area's traditional highlight - the Hope Diamond - was really beautiful, but even more impressive was the jewelry collection which included some of the biggest, most gorgeous rocks I have ever seen. The pieces hail from royalty and wealth all over the world. I'm a sucker for anything with European royalty so this was right up my alley. The last exhibit, Wild Ocean, was a bit disappointing. It was like a dumbed down version of an aquarium. The giant female squid on display, however, is definitely worth checking out.
From here we declared our day done and hopped on a Metro to Farragut West to grab a bite to eat. After dinner I came home and plopped myself on the couch - not to move again until I got in bed around midnight. It was back to the office in the morning and my DC weekend vacation (even my GW summer dorm is a converted hotel) had officially come to an end. Here's to next weekend for the 4th of July!
This past weekend, I decided to take advantage of a wide breadth of DC's offerings. Thursday night, we attended the first of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Summer Series seminars, geared toward interns in the District. The speaker was Howard Kohr, executive director of AIPAC. He spoke for about 15 minutes and then opened the rest of the hour-long seminar up for questions. His short speech highlighted the most important topics of late: Iran and its weapons threat, Obama's dealings with Israel, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I decided to bite the bullet and was the first to ask a question - Does giving the Palestinians a state pose a security risk to Israel and the U.S. in the near future? Might we look back on a move like that, just as we did after giving Iran the access to nuclear weapons, and say 'what were we thinking?' Kohr offered a succint response - it is key for a Palestinian state to be demilitarized.
Following the seminar we went with some AIPAC interns to a couple hotspots on the Hill before heading home. Work M-F 9-5 is tiring!! Yes mom, I know that's what all grown-ups do and I hope you feel vindicated!
Saturday I set out to experience DC culture and tourism to the fullest. First stop: the grand re-opening of Eastern Market. The newly renovated building, which suffered from a fire in 2007, was packed with eager shoppers and hungry patrons all fighting their way through the seafood, meat, poultry, dairy, and produce counters. Too hungry to wait in line for a crabcake from the cafe, my DC partner-in-crime and I waited in a shorter line for made-to-order sandwiches. To accompany our main courses- a pulled turkey sandwich and a turkey wrap - we each got a barrel pickle and picked up some fresh hummus and carrots.
Onto the National Mall! It's a much shorter walk than I expected from the map; in 10 minutes we were at Hawk and Dove (popular restaurant/bar at the edge of the Hill). We were heading toward the Museum of American History which is at the far opposite corner of the Mall, so we picked a spot about halfway there underneath a shady tree. The lunch was superb and filling. After some digestion/people watching, we headed to the Museum. Our first exhibit we visited was billed "Thanks for the Memories: Music, Sports and Entertainment History," and had a lot of mediocre memorabilia, such as "the puffy shirt" from Seinfeld, and a Muhammed Ali boxing glove. From there we hit up the Amerian presidents and Lincoln exhibits which I would highly recommend to anyone interested in U.S. history. Both have some really cool artifacts, like the top hat Lincoln was wearing when he was assassinated, and lots of interesting information about each administration. There is also an exhibit with photos from President Obama's inauguration that will be available until July 12. Last, we went to the Star Spangled Banner exhibit, which is really breathtaking. You enter the exhibit and immediately turn into a dark room where the mammoth flag is dazzlingly illuminated for viewing behind a glass wall. The wear and tear on the flag is visible but it still inspires the pride for the U.S.A. that Francis Scott Key felt when he wrote the National Anthem at Ft. McHenry during the War of 1812.
We left the Museum of American History around 7:15 and were sufficiently exhausted. Electing to walk home to Foggy Bottom while hoping our legs didn't give out on the way, we walked the length of the reflecting pool past the Washington Monument, WWII Memorial, and the Lincoln Memorial before heading north. My newfound appreciation for Lincoln thanks to the Museum's exhibits was overwhelming as I looked up at him in his throne-like chair, with the words "saved the union" etched above his head. Washington...what a place.
Yesterday we embarked on yet another day of tourism, though we committed to less walking and I committed to New Balances over Reefs. After a quick Potbelly's lunch, we headed to the National Archives. We waited in the ominous "45 minute" line that actually took 15 minutes, and went straight to the Rotunda to see the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. The line situation is a little weird - there isn't one officially but then you don't know if you want to be the one person who cuts everyone else in the "informal line." All the documents were fascinating; from the signatures of important founders to how worn the Declaration is, the Rotunda's contents are a true treat and an affective peak into poignant American history. The three features are supplemented by other important documents that represent significant events. And by the way, if you watched the John Adams HBO series like I did, you'll have even more to reference and get excited about in terms of important American history in front of your eyes.
Our last tourist stop was the Museum of Natural History. Anyone who has been here knows it could take days to do this museum justice, so we just focused on three exhibits: a forensics exhibit on the history of the people of the Chesapeake region, the gems section, and the Wild Ocean exhibit. The forensics exhibit was surprisingly engaging with a lot of interesting facts and demonstrations on determining human traits from bone structure. The gems area's traditional highlight - the Hope Diamond - was really beautiful, but even more impressive was the jewelry collection which included some of the biggest, most gorgeous rocks I have ever seen. The pieces hail from royalty and wealth all over the world. I'm a sucker for anything with European royalty so this was right up my alley. The last exhibit, Wild Ocean, was a bit disappointing. It was like a dumbed down version of an aquarium. The giant female squid on display, however, is definitely worth checking out.
From here we declared our day done and hopped on a Metro to Farragut West to grab a bite to eat. After dinner I came home and plopped myself on the couch - not to move again until I got in bed around midnight. It was back to the office in the morning and my DC weekend vacation (even my GW summer dorm is a converted hotel) had officially come to an end. Here's to next weekend for the 4th of July!
Exploring DC- Adams Morgan, Dupont Circle, Golden Triangle
Hey y’all. I’m Ben H. Next fall I will be a senior at the University of Chicago (where the fun comes to die) where I major in Political Science and Arabic. This week, the interns took to the streets to find out where the DC hotspots are for college-age students. Hannah and I combined our forces and did some exploring around Dupont Circle, Adams Morgan and the Golden Triangle.
Here’s what happened.
Despite the near lethal combination of DC humidity and stuffy business casual attire, our day of exploring DC was both productive and a lot of fun. Leaving work at a quarter to twelve, we hopped on the Red Line (which was still crowded and chaotic from the previous day’s tragic events) to Farragut North stop. We were pleasantly surprised to find ourselves in the heart of the Golden Triangle’s lunchtime rush. While most of the crowd was definitely older and more professional, the neighbourhood is littered with nice restaurants (The Palm), Cheap Eats (Chipotle, Starbucks) and bars (including one ‘gentleman’s club’—sadly we ran out of time to visit).
We started our quest to find a location for the July 1st event at Vapiano, a restaurant and bar, which seemed to have a pretty good happy hour special. At first, we were a little shy and the waitress was confused what we were asking for, but eventually we met with the manager who was gracious enough to show us the space. It was a nice, but the crowd seemed to be a little “yuppier” and more up-scale than we were originally looking for. Plus, they have this weird card system, where everything you buy gets put onto a card, and you ‘close out your balance’ when you leave. It felt like the DC Professional Equivalent of Dave & Busters or Chuck E. Cheese. Even though we decided not to go with Vapiano, it was still a great place to start because the manager was enthusiastic and honest about what they could provide us with.
Next, we hit up MadHatter, the DC location of a chain that also has a location in Montreal. The contrast to Vapiano was pretty jarring. This was definitely an older crowd’s dive bar. We found no fancy napkins or matchboxes; just an elderly bartender who directed us to ‘Mickey’ upstairs. While we waited for the aforementioned Mickey, we took sometime to survey the surroundings. Beer-stained floor? Check. Dim lighting? Check. Huge burger platters? Check. The rapport between the servers and the few lunchtime customers suggested that this was the type of place where everybody knows your name. When Mickey showed up after a couple of minutes, he turned out to be gruff, no-nonsense, and delightfully blue-collar; exactly the type of person one might expect to own such a bar. Within 90 seconds, we had our Happy Hour location planned.
After leaving MadHatter, we perused some of the other bars and restaurants in the Golden Triangle, including Rumors and Porters, though neither lived up to the atmosphere and prices at Mickey’s establishment. Taking a moment to catch our breath, we stepped into Chipotle. If we wanted to meet as many interns in the District as possible, we would do well to open a burrito bar since the restaurant was packed with college students and young professionals. We also discovered that you can fax in your order to Chipotle. Perhaps in a couple months, they will add a BBM booth as well.
Leaving the Golden Triangle/ Farragut area, we ventured to Dupont circle where we did some productive people-watching, lunch-buying, and smoothie-drinking. One of the men at the park appeared to believe that the fountain was his personal shower. We spotted a couple groups that looked like interns, but mostly the area seemed to be dominated by the neighbourhood’s fabulously hip locals. Still, it was a great place for an impromptu picnic.
After lunch, we walked over to the DC Jewish Community Center at Q & 16th. While our contact (Jenna Ebhert) was out for the day, we managed to get a tour of the facilities. While the state of the art gym and sports facilities would appeal to the younger crowd, the membership price tag was a little unrealistic for your average summer intern. Still, their cultural events throughout the summer seem to appeal to a wide audience of non-members and members alike.
Leaving the JCC, we decided that we would check out Adams-Morgan, one of DC’s nightlife hotspots. On the way, we passed the Freemason Headquarters on 16th Street. When we noticed the “Free Tours” sign sitting casually outside the impressive neo-classical structure, we couldn’t resist. Once inside, we were treated to a fantastic 15-minute tour by a rising junior at GW and a prospective Freemason. We got a chance to marvel at the Italian marble in the upstairs ritual hall, and giggle as our guide got a little carried away educating us about the brotherhood’s secret symbols and meetings. By the end, our tour had devolved into a typical DC intern networking moment as we exchanged information and promised to find each other on Facebook.
Our afternoon ended with a lovely walk through Adams Morgan. We found the neighbourhood barren relative to the usual night time chaos. The hookah bars, Ethiopian restaurants, and ice cream parlours seemed like great spots to bring underage college students on a Friday or Saturday night. Sweating from the afternoon humidity, we decided that it was time to return to Dupont and meet up with the other interns.
Tonight we’re checking out the AIPAC Summer Seminar with Howard Kohr. Check back next week for the report
Here’s what happened.
Despite the near lethal combination of DC humidity and stuffy business casual attire, our day of exploring DC was both productive and a lot of fun. Leaving work at a quarter to twelve, we hopped on the Red Line (which was still crowded and chaotic from the previous day’s tragic events) to Farragut North stop. We were pleasantly surprised to find ourselves in the heart of the Golden Triangle’s lunchtime rush. While most of the crowd was definitely older and more professional, the neighbourhood is littered with nice restaurants (The Palm), Cheap Eats (Chipotle, Starbucks) and bars (including one ‘gentleman’s club’—sadly we ran out of time to visit).
We started our quest to find a location for the July 1st event at Vapiano, a restaurant and bar, which seemed to have a pretty good happy hour special. At first, we were a little shy and the waitress was confused what we were asking for, but eventually we met with the manager who was gracious enough to show us the space. It was a nice, but the crowd seemed to be a little “yuppier” and more up-scale than we were originally looking for. Plus, they have this weird card system, where everything you buy gets put onto a card, and you ‘close out your balance’ when you leave. It felt like the DC Professional Equivalent of Dave & Busters or Chuck E. Cheese. Even though we decided not to go with Vapiano, it was still a great place to start because the manager was enthusiastic and honest about what they could provide us with.
Next, we hit up MadHatter, the DC location of a chain that also has a location in Montreal. The contrast to Vapiano was pretty jarring. This was definitely an older crowd’s dive bar. We found no fancy napkins or matchboxes; just an elderly bartender who directed us to ‘Mickey’ upstairs. While we waited for the aforementioned Mickey, we took sometime to survey the surroundings. Beer-stained floor? Check. Dim lighting? Check. Huge burger platters? Check. The rapport between the servers and the few lunchtime customers suggested that this was the type of place where everybody knows your name. When Mickey showed up after a couple of minutes, he turned out to be gruff, no-nonsense, and delightfully blue-collar; exactly the type of person one might expect to own such a bar. Within 90 seconds, we had our Happy Hour location planned.
After leaving MadHatter, we perused some of the other bars and restaurants in the Golden Triangle, including Rumors and Porters, though neither lived up to the atmosphere and prices at Mickey’s establishment. Taking a moment to catch our breath, we stepped into Chipotle. If we wanted to meet as many interns in the District as possible, we would do well to open a burrito bar since the restaurant was packed with college students and young professionals. We also discovered that you can fax in your order to Chipotle. Perhaps in a couple months, they will add a BBM booth as well.
Leaving the Golden Triangle/ Farragut area, we ventured to Dupont circle where we did some productive people-watching, lunch-buying, and smoothie-drinking. One of the men at the park appeared to believe that the fountain was his personal shower. We spotted a couple groups that looked like interns, but mostly the area seemed to be dominated by the neighbourhood’s fabulously hip locals. Still, it was a great place for an impromptu picnic.
After lunch, we walked over to the DC Jewish Community Center at Q & 16th. While our contact (Jenna Ebhert) was out for the day, we managed to get a tour of the facilities. While the state of the art gym and sports facilities would appeal to the younger crowd, the membership price tag was a little unrealistic for your average summer intern. Still, their cultural events throughout the summer seem to appeal to a wide audience of non-members and members alike.
Leaving the JCC, we decided that we would check out Adams-Morgan, one of DC’s nightlife hotspots. On the way, we passed the Freemason Headquarters on 16th Street. When we noticed the “Free Tours” sign sitting casually outside the impressive neo-classical structure, we couldn’t resist. Once inside, we were treated to a fantastic 15-minute tour by a rising junior at GW and a prospective Freemason. We got a chance to marvel at the Italian marble in the upstairs ritual hall, and giggle as our guide got a little carried away educating us about the brotherhood’s secret symbols and meetings. By the end, our tour had devolved into a typical DC intern networking moment as we exchanged information and promised to find each other on Facebook.
Our afternoon ended with a lovely walk through Adams Morgan. We found the neighbourhood barren relative to the usual night time chaos. The hookah bars, Ethiopian restaurants, and ice cream parlours seemed like great spots to bring underage college students on a Friday or Saturday night. Sweating from the afternoon humidity, we decided that it was time to return to Dupont and meet up with the other interns.
Tonight we’re checking out the AIPAC Summer Seminar with Howard Kohr. Check back next week for the report
Who we are!
This is the true story…of five strangers…picked to work in Washington, DC for the summer…to work together and network with other DC interns…to find out what happens when people stop being polite and start getting REAL.
Well, maybe not. But we couldn’t resist a shout-out to the Real World Season 23 filming in DC this summer. Who are we really? We are five summer interns in Washington, DC: Stacy, Marisa, Hannah, and the Bens (R and H). It’s true that we’ll be spending our time reaching out to Jewish interns in DC for the summer, planning events and letting other interns know about Jewish opportunities of all sorts going on while they’re here. We’re already planning a networking happy hour for Jewish interns next Wednesday at MadHatter, and our partner organizations—AIPAC and 6th and I Synagogue—have programs and offerings of their own to which we’ll be connecting the people we meet around DC this summer.
While we all hail from nerdy schools—Northwestern, Tufts, University of Chicago, and Cornell—each of us has something unique to bring to the table. Ben Halbig is, in his words, “viciously obsessed” with Israeli pop star Rita and classical music, especially opera. Hannah lived in Israel for a year after graduating high school, where she finally got to use all of the Hebrew curse words she learned at Jewish camp. Ben Ross spent two weeks in Kazakhstan working with the fledgling Jewish community there and bonding with young Jews in the former Soviet republic over $1.50 bottles of vodka. Marisa has been figure skating since she was five, and yes she can do “that twirly thing.” Stacy is obsessed with European royalty and especially the British Tudor period.
Want to know more? Check us out on Facebook (group: DC Summer ’09- Jewish Interns) and Twitter (JSummerDC09)!
Well, maybe not. But we couldn’t resist a shout-out to the Real World Season 23 filming in DC this summer. Who are we really? We are five summer interns in Washington, DC: Stacy, Marisa, Hannah, and the Bens (R and H). It’s true that we’ll be spending our time reaching out to Jewish interns in DC for the summer, planning events and letting other interns know about Jewish opportunities of all sorts going on while they’re here. We’re already planning a networking happy hour for Jewish interns next Wednesday at MadHatter, and our partner organizations—AIPAC and 6th and I Synagogue—have programs and offerings of their own to which we’ll be connecting the people we meet around DC this summer.
While we all hail from nerdy schools—Northwestern, Tufts, University of Chicago, and Cornell—each of us has something unique to bring to the table. Ben Halbig is, in his words, “viciously obsessed” with Israeli pop star Rita and classical music, especially opera. Hannah lived in Israel for a year after graduating high school, where she finally got to use all of the Hebrew curse words she learned at Jewish camp. Ben Ross spent two weeks in Kazakhstan working with the fledgling Jewish community there and bonding with young Jews in the former Soviet republic over $1.50 bottles of vodka. Marisa has been figure skating since she was five, and yes she can do “that twirly thing.” Stacy is obsessed with European royalty and especially the British Tudor period.
Want to know more? Check us out on Facebook (group: DC Summer ’09- Jewish Interns) and Twitter (JSummerDC09)!
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