Chinatown – One of DC’s Best Neighborhoods

In an effort to become more familiar with some of the neighborhoods in DC that are outside the DuPont Circle neighborhood, a small group of fellow International Student House residents, including myself, decided to check out Chinatown.  

On this visit we decided to visit Tony Cheng’s which serves both Mongolian and Chinese food, and our dining experience was incredible! I would definitely recommend checking this place out if you are ever in the Chinatown neighborhood!

Following dinner, we went to Chinatown’s friendship archway, which are traditionally referred to as paifangs. The friendship archway in Chinatown in Washington, DC is the largest ceremonial archway that is outside of China. While our visit may have been limited due to restrictions in place as a result of the pandemic, I am very excited to go back to once the pandemic is over so that I can truly take part in all this area has to offer!

A Trip to the International Spy Museum!

A few days later, we decided to take a trip to one of the most talked about museums in DC, the International Spy Museum! Not long before the pandemic, a group of resident scholars got to join a special behind-the-scenes tour, and while I couldn’t join then, I was excited to visit recently.

This place houses an impressive collection of cool gadgets and gear used by spies throughout the world. One of the most unique weapons in this museum had to be a tube of lipstick that was disguised as a handgun. Known as the “kiss of death” this weapon was used by KGB operatives during the Cold War and is a 4.5 mm single-shot firearm.

Another interesting item was the pigeon camera. Prior to the invention of hot air balloons, satellites and drones, spies would attach cameras to pigeons and then have these pigeons fly over military sites taking photographs of enemy equipment.  While the unique gadgets that are in this museum are definitely cool, my favorite exhibit had to be James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5. The car was absolutely stunning and looked as if it rolled right off the movie set!

A final artifact in this museum that you should definitely check out is George Washington’s letter to Nathaniel Sackett where he asks Sackett to create a spy network that would spy on the British. 

Overall, this museum was one of the best that I have visited, and I would highly recommend checking it out if you are ever in the DC area! I can’t wait to share more of what I am up to in the coming months; until then, be well!

Chinatown – One of DC’s Best Neighborhoods

In an effort to become more familiar with some of the neighborhoods in DC that are outside the DuPont Circle neighborhood, a small group of fellow International Student House residents, including myself, decided to check out Chinatown.  

On this visit we decided to visit Tony Cheng’s which serves both Mongolian and Chinese food, and our dining experience was incredible! I would definitely recommend checking this place out if you are ever in the Chinatown neighborhood!

Following dinner, we went to Chinatown’s friendship archway, which are traditionally referred to as paifangs. The friendship archway in Chinatown in Washington, DC is the largest ceremonial archway that is outside of China. While our visit may have been limited due to restrictions in place as a result of the pandemic, I am very excited to go back to once the pandemic is over so that I can truly take part in all this area has to offer!

What an incredible couple months it has been! In October, some fellow ISH residents and I had the opportunity to explore the White House and the gorgeous architecture of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building (commonly referred to as the EOB). When many people think of the White House, they do not think about the beauty of the EOB that is adjacent to the property the White House is on. However, it is within the halls of the EOB that one can feel the amount of history that has gone throughout the building as time has gone on.

The EOB houses the Secretary of War suite that was used by Henry Stimson during World War II. As I stood in this suite and observed the beautiful architecture held within the walls of the room, I wondered what it must have been like to have stood in this room during days such as the day Pearl Harbor was bombed or the invasion of Normandy. Following my time in the Secretary of War suite, I was able to visit the Indian Treaty Room which housed the first presidential press conference in 1955 when President Eisenhower was in office.

It is still a mystery as to why the room was named the “Indian Treaty Room” as no major treaties were signed in this space. One theory is that the room received this name because the war department used to house many documents in this room including treaties, however, that has yet to be confirmed. The final stop on our tour of the EOB was the Vice President’s Ceremonial Office which houses the desk used by President Theodore Roosevelt during his time as president. This desk houses one of the most exciting and well-kept secrets in the EOB. It is tradition on the vice president’s last day in office for them to sign their name into the desk. When opening the drawer to the desk you will see signatures of various vice presidents and presidents. Some of the individuals who have signed their name into the drawer include Vice Presidents Cheney, Gore, Quayle, Mondale, and Rockefeller; and Presidents Truman and Eisenhower.

 

I very much enjoyed my time touring the White House and I hope that I am able to return in the future to explore other areas of the property that I was unable to see this time around!

In the middle of November some fellow residents at ISH and I decided that we wanted to make another trip up to New York City to continue our search for excellent pizza while exploring the amazing art housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Exploring this incredible art museum was by far one of my most memorable New York City experiences! Inside there is a gallery which houses a reconstructed Egyptian temple where you can find ancient hieroglyphics dating back to 3000 B.C.

In front of the Met

Other famous works housed in this museum include the famous painting of George Washington crossing the Delaware River (the painting is ginormous) and beautiful works by two of my favorite artists, those being Claude Monet and Winslow Homer. Following our time exploring the beautiful works of art housed in The Met we decided to head over to Joe’s Pizza located in Greenwich Village for a slice of their world-famous pizza. Joe’s was established in 1975 and has been serving up incredible slices of pizza to crowds of people which stand outside for sometimes up to an hour to get a slice. Beware there are several shops that have opened which have tried to brand themselves as the original Joe’s Pizza (the owners of the original Joe’s will tell you all the time they’re suing them). So long story short – if you want to try the original, authentic, Joe’s Pizza you must go to the one in Greenwich village. Needless to say, it was incredible and some of the best I have had to date.  

Pizza at the original Joe’s Pizza in Greenwich Village

Hummus Cauliflower Salad at Kubeh’s in Greenwich Village

Following the completion of our pizza eating conquest, we decided to go shopping near Columbus Circle where there are several boutiques that would take days to go through if visiting them all. Following this shopping trip, we decided to dine at a lovely middle eastern restaurant called Kubeh in Greenwich Village. I ordered the cauliflower and hummus salad and it was absolutely incredible!

I look forward to keeping you updated on my travels with residents in the future and I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

In early August, some fellow residents and I decided to take a day trip to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to explore the city and all that is has to offer! Philadelphia is about 2 ½ hours from International Student House if you are commuting by car, making it the perfect destination for a day trip.

It was lunch time when we arrived, so we decided to stop at the Reading Terminal Market for lunch. As you may know already, Philadelphia is very well known for Philly Cheesesteaks, however, I chose to break the tradition of getting a Philly Cheesesteak and instead opted to dine at another famous location within the market. Dinic’s Roast Pork has been serving up delicious sandwiches at the market since the early 1970’s and was recently awarded for having the “Best Sandwich in America”. This award was given to them by the Travel Channel. The sandwich they are well known for is the roasted pork sandwich with broccoli rabe and provolone cheese. Given the amount of excitement surrounding Dinic’s, I chose to give their sandwich a try. After my first bite, I was quite surprised at how good a roasted pork sandwich could taste. The cheese and the pork tasted outstanding together and the broccoli rabe just added a whole other element to the sandwich that I really enjoyed. Following our meal at Dinic’s, we went and had cookies at The Famous 4^th Street Cookie Company. The cookies were incredible, and I recommend their chocolate chip or oatmeal raisin cookies!

After our time at the Reading Terminal Market, we chose to explore city hall which is nearby and an excellent place to take pictures! Additionally, we saw the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall which were incredible sights to see. Take note however, that if you are traveling to Philadelphia you may want to make reservations in advance to see these sights. Getting reservations the day of your arrival can be rather tricky at times!

Finally, we completed our tour of Philadelphia by checking out Penn’s Landing which is a beautiful waterfront area on the east side of Philadelphia that contains multiple waterfront restaurants and bars, small boutiques and beautiful parks for relaxation. I hope that I am able to return to this city in the near future as there was so much I was unable to see while I was there!

A note to future ISH residents hoping to make the trip: If you are traveling to Philadelphia by car, make sure you have enough cash put aside for tolls (around $35 total) and parking for the day (another $35-$40 total). Additionally, be sure that you are going on a day/time that the Reading Terminal Market will be open. Sometimes they have rather odd hours and it would be a shame to travel to Philadelphia on a day that the market is closed! Finally, bring a great camera. There are so many places in Philadelphia to take beautiful pictures!

Not long after the weekend in Philadelphia, some friends from ISH and I chose to travel to New York City for a weekend trip. On the Friday of our arrival we had the opportunity to go on a boat cruise in the Hudson River and see incredible views on Manhattan. As I stood out on the boat I was completely mesmerized by the size of the city and the number of skyscrapers that reached beyond the eye could see. Additionally, while on the boat I was able to see the Statue of Liberty which was a gift to the United States from the people of France in 1886. Never before had I been so awestruck by such a gorgeous monument which represents freedom and has seen so much happen in the United States. 

Following our time on the boat cruise, we decided to spend our Saturday exploring Central Park and seeing the various sights of the city. In movies Central Park appears to be quite small in comparison to other parks throughout the country but the park is quite large and takes up quite a bit of land on Manhattan. The park contains multiple bike and walking trails and even has a zoo which was really fun to explore. While at the zoo I was able to see snow leopards, grizzly bears, as well as penguins, puffins and sea lions. On our last day in New York City (Sunday) we went to see the 9/11 memorial and the New York Botanical Garden which had a variety of lovely exhibits. My favorite exhibit in the botanical garden by far was the rock garden because of the many different alpine flowers fixated between the rocks in the garden and a lovely waterfall that is the centerpiece of the garden. The rock garden is one of the most peaceful and tranquil placed I have ever been, I highly recommend visiting here if you ever visit New York City.

Following our time on the boat cruise, we decided to spend our Saturday exploring Central Park and seeing the various sights of the city. In movies Central Park appears to be quite small in comparison to other parks throughout the country but the park is quite large and takes up quite a bit of land on Manhattan. The park contains multiple bike and walking trails and even has a zoo which was really fun to explore. While at the zoo I was able to see snow leopards, grizzly bears, as well as penguins, puffins and sea lions. On our last day in New York City (Sunday) we went to see the 9/11 memorial and the New York Botanical Garden which had a variety of lovely exhibits. My favorite exhibit in the botanical garden by far was the rock garden because of the many different alpine flowers fixated between the rocks in the garden and a lovely waterfall that is the centerpiece of the garden. The rock garden is one of the most peaceful and tranquil placed I have ever been, I highly recommend visiting here if you ever visit New York City.