Internship Part I ends

Pete ... my internship adviser

Today I got up at 4:00 to take the 5:25 Amtrak back to Kingston, RI. The first part of my internship has officialy ended. I should say that I only planned to spend 3 weeks in DC, but given how enjoyable and useful these past weeks have been, I decided to come back in late July-August and am jockeying for an internship in Leader Cantor's office this Winter. The last day at work was relatively uneventful. Chip came to the AAN, where we interviewed Peggy Ellis for ChrossTalk (in Pete's office). We've decided that we're going to make our first serious investment and purchase a microphone to improve the sound quality of our podcast. Doug let everyone out of the office at 2, so I decided to walk around DC. I went to the Capitol but was denied entrance because of the size of my squash bag. Then I went to the Library of Congress and went on tour, which included viewings of the Rotunda and the Waldseemüller map. I briefly stopped by the Folgers Shakespeare library, and then ...

Chris and I went to Ray's Hell Burger that night. Let me begin by saying Ray's deserves a paragraph of its own because it was indisputably the best burger I have ever had -- it's no wonder that Obama took Russian President Dmitry Medvedev there for lunch. For me, Ray's is unique and superior because of it's topping: the adventurous can opt for bone marrow or foie gras; I was tame and chose roasted garlic in addition to usual fixings. Whereas Ben's Chili Bowl seemed to have "sold-out," Ray's Hell Burger appeared much more authentic, populated primarily by its pre-fame clientele. I plan on stopping by Ray's again for internship Part II.