Extended application deadline, Newseum, & the National Archives

Greetings from NYC, the city that can’t figure out what season it is.  Last week it was in the 80s.  Then it rained.  Felt like a windy, nippy, Autumn day today.  I wonder what tomorrow will bring…

The big news on the EAP front is that the application deadline for this course has been extended until May 15th.  So, for those of you who haven’t finished filling out those applications, you’ve still got a little over 2 weeks to wrap them up.  If you’re still on the fence about it, this gives you time to decide that you reeeeally want to come along on what will surely be a grand and exciting and educational trip!  If you’ve got any questions about the course, feel free to contact the Faculty leader- Professor Vivian-Lee Nyitray.

I’ve got some more preview photos from Washington, D.C. from some of the sites we’ll be visiting while we’re there:

This is the Newseum.  Can you read what’s written in stone on the front facade of the building?  Something we’ll be dealing with a LOT during our Washington, D.C. studies.  The Newseum is primarily a journalism and media museum (hence “News”eum), but there are also galleries entirely dedicated to 1st Amendment freedoms as well, which is where we’ll be primarily be hanging out.

And right down the street from the Newseum are the National Archives, which we’ll visit to take a look at some of the most important documents in American history like the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, etc…

So with that, make sure to finish up your applications and make sure to pack your umbrella, because we’re heading to D.C.!

UCDC – An insider’s perspective

Hello again from Washington, D.C.  This is my last day here in the capital city.  This morning I went over to UCDC which is where we’ll be living and studying during our final week.  I met with Mac, the friendly facilities manager, who took me to see one of the apartments you’ll be in as well as one of the classrooms we may be using for lectures.

Each of the apartments houses 4 students in a 2 students per room / 2 rooms per apartment set-up.

Each room has 2 twin beds, 2 desks with chairs, 2 lamps, 2 alarm clocks, and 2 closets (along with under bed storage space):

There is a split bathroom (toilet in one room, shower in another) with a double vanity separating the two.  The bedrooms are located off a short hallway that also leads to the bathroom.  Going the other direction down the hallway takes you to the apartment’s living room and kitchen:

Each living room has a couch, lamps, a coffee table, end tables, and a digital TV with remote control:

Between the living room and the kitchen there is a medium-sized dining table (pictured above) with space for 4 people.  The kitchen is equipped with a 4-burner stove with oven, microwave, refrigerator with freezer, plenty of counter space (which is amazing for me…since I’ve been living in a tiny studio in NYC for so long with absolutely zip counter space), a sink, and lots of cabinets:

Mac also let me know that there are a few supermarkets within walking distance.  There’s a Whole Foods about 3 blocks away and a Trader Joe’s 9 blocks away for the more adventurous walkers.  Cooking your own meals is a great way to save money that week since Washington, D.C. does have city prices.

Finally, he took me to see one of the classrooms.  They are quite spacious with plenty of dry erase boards for drawing Venn diagrams.

UCDC is only a few blocks from the Farragut North and Farragut West metro stops as well as several metro bus stops, so it will be easy for us to get around from here.  It’s only a 20 minute walk from the White House and 25 minutes to the Mall.  Overall, UCDC looks like it will be a convenient and comfortable place for us to end our course.

Well folks, I’m heading to Union Station in just a few minutes for the bus back to NYC.  Stay tuned for more photos and info!

A sneak peek at our Washington, D.C. hotel

Greetings from Washington, D.C.!

I’m here for the weekend to check out the sites we’ll be visiting during our final week of the course.  Right now I’m sitting at a coffee shop a few blocks form the Beacon Hotel, which is where we’ll spend out first night state-side before checking into UCDC (right across the street from the hotel), where we’ll be based for the rest of the week.

Here’s a sneak peek at the hotel:

Walk down the hallway:

And into one of the rooms:

The rooms you will be in will either be one queen bed (shown above) for singles or two double beds for two people to share.

Here is the bathroom:

Every room comes with a television and dresser:

And a workspace (desk, lamp, electrical outlets, etc):

UCR represent!  Scotty Bear enjoying the bed:

And finally, here is the view out the window (you can see UCDC across the street – it’s the building on the right):

Off to visit some more of our sites ~

Check in soon for more photos from the capital city…