Hey guys,

I'm going to DC to visit/interview for a potential summer job and I'm really excited, but also nervous...I'm flying down by myself, and I've never flown alone or traveled any significant distance alone before although I might be more nervous about traveling from the airport to where I'm meeting the program director though. I'm flying into BWI and I need to get to Eastern Market (any DDNers from the area care to reassure me that it's easy like the program director said)? Any travel tips? It's been ages since I've gone anywhere.

I'll only be there Sunday-Tuesday morning so packing will be fairly easy...a couple of outfits, my toiletries (gotta get my travel size stuff), extras of socks and underwear and that's about it, right?

Thanks!

I only ever drive to and from BWI so I am no help, but if you like tattoos at all, there is a metro accessible tattoo convention right outside of DC in Arlington VA this weekend. I will be there tomorrow from 4-8 or 9 doing my pinup thing. Just a thought for if you get bored.

Good luck on your interview; that's really exciting! Don't be nervous about flying - it will go by fine. There's definitely an easy way to get from BWI to Eastern Market. I know BWI has a metro connection type thing - It connects you to the green line (Greenbelt). From there you can take the train to L'Enfant Plaza. At L'Enfant Plaza grab an orange line train toward New Carrolton. You'll only be on the line for 3 stops so keep an eye out.

This page shows how to connect from BWI to the Metro --> www.bwiairport.com . . .

If you've never been to DC, you should go to the Smithsonian Museums if you have time. Eastern Market station is also very close to Eastern Market (imagine that), a great little outdoor market. You'll have plenty of things to amuse yourself with.

Thre may be a bus or something that connects to the metro from BWI, but one way you cane do it is to take Amtrak from BWI to either New Carrolton or Union Station. New Carrolton is the last stop in Maryland on the DC metro Orange line. Eastern Market is on the orange and blue lines. Union Station is closer to the middle of DC but it is on the red line so you would have to take the metro from Union Station to Metro Center and then switch to either the orange line (going towards New Carrolton) or blue line (going towards Largo Town Center). Theres an Iphone App withup to the minute metro schedules, maps etc. There might be one for your type of phone too. I'd reccomend downloading it if there is.

Thanks guys!

Here's what the program director said to me:

If you take the B30 (I've done this many times before, it's well marked and easy) you can get to the metro really easily. If you want to call me before you get on the metro then I can pick you up at either Eastern Market or Potomac Ave (which are both on the blue and orange line). If you want to grab a snack or coffee we should meet at Eastern Market, there are more options

Here's what I found on the wmata website.

Traveling from BWI to EASTERN MARKET on 1/15/2012 ] Bus: Departs from BWI AIRPORT STOP 2 at 1:40PM>> Take B30 BUS towards GREENBELT STATION >> Arrive : GREENBELT STATION & BUS BAY D at 2:11PM>> >> Rail: Departs from GREENBELT METRO STATION at 2:23PM>> Take GREEN LINE Rail towards BRANCH AVE >> Arrive : ARCHIVES METRO STATION at 2:49PM>> To get to next stop:No walking required Bus: Departs from 7TH ST NW & PENNSYLVANIA AVE NW at 2:54PM>> Take 36 BUS towards NAYLOR RD STATION >> Arrive : PENNSYLVANIA AVE SE & 8TH ST SE at 3:04PM>> Walk : 0.06 mile NW to EASTERN MARKET

Sounds kind of confusing, but everyone keeps telling me it's easy. God I hope it is!

I've been to DC twice before - once with my youth group and once for Obama's inauguration (so that time that was the only site to see lol). I also don't know how much free time I'll have...not much I'm guessing. If I get the job though I'll have plenty of time to explore the city

Well I got to DC just fine and got to Eastern Market just fine as well. I'm enjoying my time so far. More details when I get home.

Yay, that's great news! Again, best of luck with your interview.

So I just had the greatest time! I wish that I didn't have to leave, but alas, I had to go home.

When I first got there the director and I got coffee and went to the church. There we chatted and got things prepped for the group that was coming.

The first night we went to dinner at Old City Cafe and had falafel, hummus and baba ganouj and it was all delicious. After that we did a driving tour of the city where we were given different facts about the neighborhoods we were in etc. We ended that at a church on a hill that overlooks DC and it was absolutely gorgeous! When we got back to the church I talked to the guy who was hosting (doing the job I applied for) for quite some time and that was good.

The second day I was there we helped out the Red Cross and local fire department handing out information on fire safety in the morning, and in the afternoon/evening went to different parts of the city in groups with $2 each and our goal was to share a meal with a homeless person and that was an interesting experience. My group just ended up feeding a homeless person and not ourselves.

Yesterday morning I was picked up by the director and we chatted more and at the end before I went into the airport she thanked me for coming and gave me a hug...good sign

KOS, I'm just catching up with this...but glad you had a great time in DC. Hope you will be able to continue working in this program if that is a suitable option for the summer.

As an outer suburbanite, I don't get into DC very often except for my rehearsals and performances which are all at Thomas Circle, near the White House (and even closer to the Occupy DC encampment.)

However, I was enlisted, as a cancer survivor - particularly a colon cancer survivor - to speak about colon cancer awareness at an inner city workshop at a church about one Metro stop North of the Eastern Market area where you were. African-Americans acquire this disease in much higher percentages than the total population through a combination of diet, a cultural aversion to medical examinations and some genetic propensities. This according to the Black gastrologist-internist with whom I have been working. My main thrust has been to stress the importance of regular check-ups to ensure early detection, the factors which made my episode with this condition rather easy to cure (I have been cancer-free for 18 years now.)

This doctor later reported to me that some 30 people who attended this clinic submitted clinical samples. Five had evidence of fecal occult blood (which most of the time is an indication of hemorrhoids), but one person, upon further examination (a colonoscopy paid for by the sponsoring foundation) did have a pre-cancerous polyp which was easily removed. Left unattended, this would have certainly progressed into colon cancer.

Jon