Oh What a Night! - Monday Evening in Washington D.C.

There is something to be said about dining with friends.  It's truly a great experience no matter what restaurant or time of night.  But a dining experience with crab cakes and filet mignon at one of Washington D.C.'s premier restaurants, it doesn't get much better than that.

 

On Monday evening, we attended dinner at Old Ebbitt Grill to listen to Stephen Moore speak about his time in Washington D.C. writing editorials for the Wall Street Journal about the U.S. economy.  He spoke of the richness of North Dakota with its supply of energy, the importance of luck, and some of the current problems in the U.S. government.

 

Following Mr. Moore, we heard from Bob Fealy, an extremely proud University of Cincinnati graduate.  Like any Midwesterner, Mr. Fealy spoke about his humble beginnings and his experience at UC.  He spoke about being passionate about the work you choose to undertake and to always give back when possible. 

 

Dean Szymanski was able to join us for dinner and he spoke highly of Mr. Fealy saying that he was one of those people that upon meeting really can change your life.  I think that we were all impacted by Mr. Fealy's willingness to speak to us about his success. 

 

 

Tuesday Morning - Washington D.C.

Sorry for the delay in blog posts - yesterday was extremely busy, but we are hard at work getting updates for you!

 

This morning, we walked to the Capitol Building and were greeted by CHCA alum, Tommy Andrews.  He works for Speaker Boehner and gave us a tour of Boehner's conference room, office, and balcony.  Talk about breathtaking!  We also loved that Boehner had a picture of his desk, with a Skyline Chili menu on it of course!

 

We then moved throughout the Capitol Building and saw the inside of the rotunda and stood at the center of Washington D.C.  Apparently no one else was allowed to stand on it because it was blocked off, so we felt pretty cool!

 

After our tour finished, we met with Cynthia Herrle, Boehner's Policy Assistance.  She spoke to us about appropriations, debt and defaults, continuing resolutions, and the sequester. 

 

We then met with Rob Portman's Chief of Staff, Robert Lehman.  He concentrated his talk on Ohio and our issues, concerns, and strengths.  He assured us Cincinnati was a great place to live and work due to its location. 

 

More about our afternoon to come!  Off to the Washington Nationals game now!

 

The view from Boehner's balcony

 

Sunday in D.C.

There is nothing like a free day on a business trip in the Capitol!  While storms were in the forecast, we all had a beautiful August day in and around Washington D.C.

 

A small group of us headed out to Georgetown for the day.  We boarded the Metro from Capitol South after heading to Mass at the church right across the street from the hotel - talk about a great location!  Needless to say, we had quite a struggle trying to figure out how to purchase a Metro pass even with our cups of caffeine from a small shop around the corner. 

 

Once we finally got on the Metro, we had a relaxing ride to Foggy Bottom/GWU.  We walked around like long-lost puppies for a while, not wanting to waste our phone batteries (too many pictures to capture!)  We found M Street, lined with pale-colored townhouses and pink overflowing hanging flower baskets.  Basically it was every college girls' dream in a street.

 

Walking down M Street, what an experience!  So many brightly colored boutiques full of clothes, shoes, books, and desserts.  While the amount of high-end retail stores was a bit overwhelming, we loved trying on a variety of clothing from local merchants and chain retail stores. 

 

We stopped for lunch at J. Paul's, a open-air café after hitting up Georgetown Cupcake.  We only had to wait 20 minutes, and the afternoon cupcake snack was certainly a treat!  While the icing had melted quite a bit, we had no problems double-licking the sides of the container... See below.  Lunch was great, and soon after we headed to a small book store.  We then headed ALL the way back down M Street to head to Georgetown University (a bit of poor planning!) to visit the campus and bookstore.  While it is definitely not the #hottestcollegeinAmerica, it had great views of the Potomac River and Washington D.C. 

 

After a bit of walking around the campus, dinner was needed so we headed to The Tombs, a small college restaurant located right off campus.  Our waiter was so friendly and basically explained every menu item to us, giving his own recommendations.  He finally realized he just needed to bring a pitcher of Diet Coke since he brought refills every couple of minutes.

 

We walked down M Street once again to head to the ferry that would take us on a short cruise down the C&O Canal.  We basically had to sprint to the dock, and after we ran the wrong way, we barely made it to the boat on time!  It was a great ride, with an informative speaker.

 

What a great day!  Can't wait for tomorrow's visits with the Chamber of Commerce, PwC, and Bob Fealy and Stephen Moore. 

 

Number of Diet Coke drinks consumed today:  10 gallons.

Number of times The Tombs waiter said the food was delicious:  20.

Number of times we walked up and down M Street:  5.

 

They forgot to give us our cupcakes!

 

Street in Georgetown

Main building at Georgetown University

 

 

 

Be on the lookout for more stories from today as my classmates join in on the conversation.

Saturday in D.C.

We are here!  We arrived in D.C. after about 10 hours of traveling.  The guys picked their fantasy football teams for their league honoring Donna.  The ladies chatted, watched movies, read books, and slept.  Needless to say, we were more than thrilled to see Washington D.C.

 

We were free tonight so we took off in all different directions.  Dinner was a must, along with picture - yes, we are SO touristy.  Cupcakes, sushi, and pizza were ordered and we all had a blast.  Here are some of our pictures from tonight.  More to come tomorrow!  But in case you are wondering, this is what happens at 1:00 a.m. in Washington D.C.

 

 

 

 

 

 

T Minus 12 Hours

Excitement is certainly rising among my class, as in we literally cannot wait!  Exams are finished - we all survived Mike's Business Analytics class (barely) - and we can now focus on the most fun part of summer classes!  Visits are planned, Broadway tickets have been purchased, and activities have been made to fill free time. 

 

Don't believe that we're excited?  Look at what has been blowing up social media:

 

 

 

Look out Washington D.C. and New York City, the Honors-PLUS Class of 2016 is ready to take over!

Want to follow on Twitter?  The official hashtag is #LHPtravelsDCNYC

 

Washington D.C. Preparation: Congressman Brad Wenstrup

Brad Wenstrup:  Doctor, Army Veteran, Congressman, Bearcat.

 

On Tuesday, July 30th, Congressman Brad Wenstrup spoke to our class.  He told us his story - a doctor who wanted to give back to his country through military service.  He went on to discuss running for Mayor of Cincinnati and winning the Congressional election that sent him to Washington D.C. to represent Ohio's 2nd District.  He then opened the floor up for questions and we were able to further the discussions about education, political processes, privacy issues and concerns, technology, and tax reform. 

 

Not only did he help us learn more about policies, politics, and life as a congressman, but he reminded us why our city is such a great place to live and work. Cincinnatians are humble, kind, and trustworthy.  He touched on why Cincinnati was such a great place for start-up companies as it is located on a waterway that connects to the world and its business leaders are invested in the community, giving back to create a better city. 

 

In your free time (if you have any), Congressman Wenstrup suggested the following books to read:

Winners Never Cheat:  Even in Difficult Times by Jon M. Huntsman

His Excellency:  George Washington by Joseph J. Ellis

The Book of Virtues by William J. Bennett (suggested read for parents)

 

Congressman Wenstrup left us with a piece of advice, "Don't be afraid to be exceptional, but remain humble."

Thank you for speaking to us, Congressman Wenstrup!
 

Let the Countdown Begin

The countdown is on!  10 days until we depart for Washington D.C. and New York City!

 

Our itinerary:

Saturday, August 10th - Depart for Washington D.C.

Sunday, August 11th - Free day in Washington D.C.

Monday, August 12th - Chamber of Commerce, PwC, Dinner at Old Ebbitt Grill

Tuesday, August 13th - Tour of Capital, GE Aircraft Engines
Wednesday, August 14th - Jones, Lang, LaSalle, Depart for New York City
Thursday, August 15th - CBX, Apollo
Friday, August 16th - Jefferies, Deloitte
Saturday, August 17th - Free day in New York City
Sunday, August 18th - Depart for Cincinnati

 

 

Are you a frequent traveler to Washington D.C. or New York City?  Are you a resident?  We need suggestions on places and attractions to visit and foods to try in our free time.  Let us know your suggestions by commenting below - we'll be sure to post pictures from our stops at your recommended locations!