Weekend #3!

I hope I'm not boring anyone, what with basically no HBS-related blogging as of late, but truth be told, I'm doing all I can to forget that I have 500 cases ahead of me this fall -- I want to truly enjoy my DC summer. I can assure you that come August there will be plenty of school blogs as EC year rolls out.

This Saturday I began the weekend by meeting up with an old friend from high school (Hi Tara!) with a visit to the Hillwood Museum Estate and Gardens. The estate belonged to Marjorie Merriweather Post (of the Post cereal fortune) in the early 1900s, and when she died, she left her home and antique collection as a museum for the public to enjoy. Although she lived in the 20s and 30s, she was fascinated with old French art and thus decorated her home in the gilded, gold, pastel, ornate style typical of 15-18th century France. Her antiques collection spans multiple regions, though, and features gold and diamond chalices, a wealth of ornate, hand-painted china and some beautiful, richly fabricked costumes. After exploring the 2 story mansion, there are 13 (I think, or was it 17...?) acres of gardens out back exploring different styles -- my favorite was the Japanese garden, although the rose garden was beautiful (but filled with bees and since I am terrified of bees, I couldn't enjoy the experience as much). And then there is a cute little cafe where Tara and I enjoyed lunch and a cappuccino before heading out.

Second in the lineup, I met Amy at the Capitol for a tour, but have to say I was a bit disappointed. Although I knew beforehand that we wouldn't have access to the chambers where the House and Senate meet, I did think we'd get a more substantial tour of the massive building. Instead, we watched a 13-minute video that essentially made the US Congress look perfect (and as much as I love the inspirational music and gorgeous views of the Capitol at sunset, truth be told, our government is far from perfect) and were then shown just 3 rooms -- the rotunda directly under the large dome at the top of the building, the statuary room and the crypt.

The main rotunda truly is spectacular, with a gorgeous painting called "The Glorification of George Washington" at the very top. The surrounding walls feature huge paintings representing different important events in the history of the US (everything from Columbus' voyage to the signing of the Declaration of Independence) flanked by statues of famous historical figures. The statuary room appears to have some French influence -- it was painted a pastel pink with gold adornments -- and it was here that I took a photo with a statue of a man representing the state of Florida. It's terrible that I've already forgotten his name (I was already made fun of once during the tour for having never heard of the guy) as he was the inventor of air conditioning and therefore I owe him lifelong thanks! The final room was called the Crypt, despite the fact that no one is actually buried there, and the only item of real interest in the room was a star shape painted on the floor that represented the exact center of the city.

After our tour, Amy and I met one of the other interns, Megan, for sushi in Rosslyn before heading out to West Falls Church, VA for a showing of Riverdance at the Wolf Trap theater. Although it was a bit far out, it was definitely worth the travel time, as the show was lovely and the theater, just as nice (it's a covered, open-air amphitheater in a wooden area). Unfortunately, photos weren't allowed, so it will be one of the few memories I will have to keep sharp on brain power alone.

The final part of my weekend involved meeting several other HBSers for brunch in Georgetown. We went to a cute little restaurant called the Peacock Cafe...and unfortunately, I don't have anything else exciting to report about the outing.

Next weekend, I depart for Boston to celebrate Lauren's wedding and I couldn't be more excited. More updates and photos will arrive after I'm back in DC on Monday evening! Ciao!