Last weekend I spent time in DC. I was really excited going there to see how it differs from Philly. In terms of the city itself, I felt it was a very corporate atmosphere. I think this might have been a result of visiting on the weekend and DC being very much a working city and workers commuting home for the weekend, thus lending it an empty feel. The most notable aspect of it however was the lack of a skyline in comparison to Philly and New York. It had the feel of an old English town or European city. The architecture was really pleasant and it was nice in a sense to get another feel of the US with a break from the busy city lifestyle that I’ve now become so accustomed to in Philly. We travelled to the White House and I was quite amazed at how low key it is compared to how it comes across in photos and videos online. The security presence of course was not low key however it was a really cool experience to see it up close. This weekend we are having a friend from DC visit us and I’m looking forward to hearing what he says about the city from his perspective of living in Washington DC and being able to compare it to what I saw and felt and what he sees in Philly.
This week I had some midterms and I’m looking forward to seeing how I fared in them. The city has been buzzing recently with the success of the Eagles and I can’t wait to experience a Super Bowl stateside for the first time. It’s clear how much Philly loves their football and it would be great for them to win it! A new thing I’ve discovered here the past few days also is that cash spending is still very much a thing in the states. Back home, since Covid cash payments have almost become extinct with the advancements of Apple Pay and the likes of Revolut. This has been a struggle for me trying to purchase in some stores as a lot of them have a minimum card spend and due to not having an American bank account it can be a struggle and costly to get cash from ATM’s. Next on my travels for the upcoming weeks is Chicago for St Patrick’s Day, a few of us from Ireland are meeting up there as there is a huge Irish community living there and it would almost be like a taste of home for one of the most Patriotic days of the year in Ireland!
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