University of Wisconsin–Madison

Washington, DC: Global Gateway Summer 2024 (First Impressions)

Alex: “We’re not in Madison Anymore” moment

I suppose the first thing that really shocked me about D.C. was the weave of federal buildings/landmarks and businesses. In my mind (probably due to media, it doesn’t make sense otherwise), D.C. was two separate things: A city, and a congregation of a ton of federal buildings. Yet in reality, there are probably dozens of commuters that walk by the F.B.I. building as part of their daily commute.

The exterior of a dark, marble building with glass doors and a sign that says "J. Edgar Hoover F.B.I. Building".

Speaking of commuting, having access to the Metro was a nice change of pace. Coming from a city like Madison, which had buses as the only form of public transportation, the utility of the Metro will be sorely missed. Surprisingly, the Metro is well integrated with the city’s bus routes, which made navigation quite easy, even for a newcomer.

Another unfortunate realization I had is that D.C. is quite expensive even compared to what I would expect from a large city. Even when getting away from the tourist traps, such as going to Trader Joe’s, I found the prices to be significantly higher than what they would be in Madison. Small meals would amount to at least $15, and I have yet to experience a large/fancy meal.

Finally, I was surprised to find that D.C. has a decent nightlife culture. I suppose it makes sense from the perspective of a city filled with driven people to have an inversion to relaxed fun at night, but it betrays the façade of D.C. as being a purely laborious city.

Akrama: The Five Senses in DC

I had the opportunity and pleasure to study away in Washington D.C. through the University of Wisconsin-Madison study abroad program. This is a blog on the first impression of Washington D.C. with a key focus and usage of common senses such as taste, sound, and smell.

A torn picture of a train passing through a domed concrete station, surrounded by two train-themed stickers.
A torn picture is held up by a sticker of a bouquet of orange flowers, showing a pond surrounded by rocks and tall trees with the caption "Favorite Section of the garden".

May 23rd dates my first ever experience and hearing the sound of the metro along with the visibility of Washington D.C. rush hours.

On May 24th I visited United States Botanic Garden, which had all kinds of plants! Different sections all smelled differently and wonderful.

A torn photo of a coffee in a plastic cup and a chocolate croissant on a wooden table with food-related stickers.

On May 25th I went to a near by cafe shop called Maman which had French beverages and pastries. The chocolate croissant and Chai Latte tasted amazing. I recommend highly!