Alexandria

Today we traveled to Alexandria, an old city on the Potomac River south of Washington. It was hot and humid (the high was 97 degrees Fahrenheit). Dr. Marie Hallion joined us and we explored Old Town Alexandria. We completed part of a photo scavenger hunt (we tried to find all the items on a list to photograph), had a delicious lunch at the Fish Market on King Street, visited the Torpedo Factory Art Center and even saw an Irish Festival before boarding our boat for Georgetown.

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Today we took our first trip to D.C. We started at Union Station for dinner in the food court and some light shopping. The food court offered a lot of options, and some of the guys went for the familiar sushi. After dinner there was a LOT of picture taking and a monument tour. After over an hour of walking we ended up back at the metro. Many students were so exhausted by the end that they fell asleep on the train. I counted 15 of the 19 asleep at one point. Fortunately I took the opportunity to take pictures, I hope no one minds! :)

While most of the group headed to Chipotle's for dinner, five of us went to Potbelly's, a big hit with last year's AGU in America participants, for sandwiches. With such a long winded ordering process and so many things to choose from, it was a bit intimidating at first, but with a bit of courage and some friendly help from the people behind the counter, everyone was able to get their food just fine. We were also able to enjoy some relaxing music from a young man strumming away on his guitar in the corner of the restaurant while we ate.

This is just the beginning though -- we still have so much more coming up. I hope everyone is ready for some more adventuring tomorrow!!

Most of the group went to Chipotle tonight, which was not only their first American dining experience, but for many of them their first Mexican dining experience as well! The ordering process was interesting as many of the students were not used to this type of food, but eventually everyone had something to eat. :)

After settling down and resting at the hotel for two hours, everyone met up at the lobby to go on a brief campus tour! During this long walk under the hot sun, we saw for the first time some of the major buildings on campus such as the McKeldin Library, Stamp Student Union, Hornbake Library, the Campus Chapel, and more. We said our goodbyes to each other after eating at the restaurant of our choice (Chipotle/Potbelly's) and shopping at CVS for about an hour. Have a good night sleep and see you tomorrow!

At last--they're here!

The day we've been anticipating for so long finally arrived! The group, escorted by Richard Evanoff, landed right on time at Dulles International Airport. It did not take them long to go through immigration and customs, and soon we were all in the big, black Terrapin motor coach, heading to Washington, DC. We drove past the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, the White House, the National Archives, the Smithsonian museums and the National Gallery, the Capitol, Union Station, and other big government buildings before passing beneath the Chinese arch on H Street and heading out to College Park along Rhode Island Avenue. We arrived at the Quality Inn at 2:00 and the group checked in. They had a couple of hours to rest and then they were to meet the mentors for a campus tour and dinner. I hope they will go to bed early and sleep well, as we have a big day tomorrow!

Have a Great Flight!

We filled the welcome bags and folders at our team meeting today, and we are all excited about meeting the group face to face tomorrow! It's now 10:08 pm here in Maryland, and the AGU2007 group must be at Narita Airport, waiting to board the plane to come to America. I hope the flight is on time! I will check the flight status early tomorrow morning and make changes to the schedule if necessary. We are supposed to leave for the airport at about 9:30, in one of those great big black Terrapin buses with massage seats. AGU2007 is about to begin!