Sean Quinn

Chris Hardwick coming on soon! (at 9:30 Club)

Starting Memorial Day weekend by honoring the African Americans who died in the Civil War. (at African American Civil War Memorial)

Metro tunnel DEAD on weekends. (at Rosslyn Metro Station)

I went on my lunch break and discovered paradise. #picstitch #nofilter #dc #food #culture (at Busboys and Poets)

Foodstagram. (at Piola)

Making my Piola D.C. debut. Any recommendations, 305 friends? (at Piola)

Afternoon entertainment. Let’s go Mets go! (at Fast Gourmet)

Appreciate the feedback and it might seem that way because I can’t elaborate on my work with clients due to a NDA I’ve signed, but I’m going to talk about DC’s traditionally classic food places when I can.

If it’s just a generic lunch, it won’t get a mention, but if it’s somewhere famous or notable, I’ll certainly be mentioning it. Thanks though.

So from the first day in D.C. to the first day at work.

I didn’t need to be until 9:30, so I woke up around 8 and got on the bus a few blocks from my uncle’s house around 8:30. The ride went smoothly, and I had one of my favorite podcasts - Men in Blazers - playing. I arrived at the Rosslyn Metro and experienced DC rush hour for real. I let the first packed train go by, then the second, and finally squeezed on the third.

After that, I caught the bus and made it to work 2 minutes early. If you know how perpetually late I am, that was a massive success.

I got in and found the office and got set up on every system. My supervisor gave me the rundown and showed me where the local comics shop was. I subsequently got on their newsletter and might rekindle that old flame. We then got lunch at a great sandwich shop, and went back to the office, and I went straight to work with some of our clients, scheduling some tweets, and setting up the office for a presentation the next day.

Our office is…interesting. We share workspaces with other business as part of a setup called Work District, and it’s a really cool idea. The walls are covered with artistic graffiti from the former tenants at LivingSocial, which gives the office character. I’ll get some photos up here soon!

I struggled to find the bus home, but finally did it and got home. I caught up on Mad Men with my uncle - which was fantastic - and then got ready for round 2 the next day.

I woke up earlier and made the bus by 7:30 Thursday morning. This time, I caught the first train and headed in about 30 minutes early to work and got to do some final set-up for the presentation. As the day went on, I ran around to help with our client presentation in any way possible - coffee, copies, and even fans from the local CVS. I went to a fantastic South American restaurant in a gas station called Fast Gourmet and had a Cuban sandwich that was to die for. I worked more on the project I started the day before, and did some research on another client. As much as I enjoyed PR Strategy more than Research, I saw the real-world required just a lot of both. I headed home and skipped dinner - again - but got to catch the Office finale, get some Taco Bell, and go back to sleep to do it again.

Finally Friday. I got there early again but decided to explore U Street and grabbed a quick tea at Starbucks. It was an absolutely beautiful day, and even doing what I loved, I couldn’t wait to get out. I worked on yet another new client - and the diversity of our clients made me love work, because it was never the same thing every day, and grabbed a cheesesteak for lunch at JJ’s. Cheese whiz on a cheesesteak seemed sacrilegious  but JJ’s did it well. I took part in our first team call and got to know what our team was all about a bit more, though I still am not 100% positive on everything, I feel comfortable enough to clarify on Wednesday. I scheduled more social media posts and then the week was over!

Jillian came into town that evening and we got to see D.C. for the first time since I’ve been here. I took the Green line at U St. for the first time and got to see some D.C. Happy Hour in full swing. I met Jillian at Waterfront and we headed to the National Mall, where we saw multiple monuments like Ford’s Theatre and the Capitol, navigated into Chinatown and were treated to an impromptu jazz concert in front of the Verizon Center.

I also got pushed by a very large high school girl while walking and after verifying I lost none of my valuables, just let it go. I didn’t want to make something out of nothing. We made it to Good Stuff Eatery (pictured below) and had the burger I was told I needed to. It was fantastic and I felt blessed to be in such a great city like D.C.

We said our goodbyes and Jillian started off on her trip to Beijing, and I made it back home after some Metrobus delays at Rosslyn. On Saturday, I laid low as my uncle and I were rained out of sailing, so we had some killer District Taco for brunch and enjoyed some pasta and sausage for dinner with a Silver Linings’ Playbook presentation.

Today, I opted to stay in for breakfast and EPL’s Selection Sunday, proud that my Chelsea Blues got to lock up 3rd place. We’re smoking ribs for the evening, and although it’s a lazy Sunday, I’m so glad to be spending it in the District.

Life is all about the good stuff. (at Good Stuff Eatery)

At a gourmet restaurant inside a gas station. Love how #DC and urban life drive innovation! (at Fast Gourmet)

Great time at #buzzfeedbrews tonight! (at The Liaison Capitol Hill, An Affinia Hotel)

So I’ve decided to blog about my DC experiences - for a few reasons.

1) I’m writing at HackCollege and the Alligator still, and this allows me to have a more personal front to what might be “business-only” for the other outlets. 

2) My friends are tired of hearing about this on all my other social media outlets, so I might as well allow people who care to opt-in.

3) I’m a glass case of emotion. Not really, but tons of feelings, and an outlet to release them might be good for both my sanity and my writing.

Today was the first day. Not of interning, but of being in DC for three whole freakin’ months. I woke up freezing because my idiot self left my formalwear, belt, Chelsea jersey, and jacket in Orlando. Whoops.

After climbing out of bed, I went across town to a Safeway (supermarket) to buy a SmartTrip card for the Metro - it’s like EPass but portable. I waited 15 minutes for a customer service rep - no one showed up. Off to a great start, DC.

I went to a CVS and they took care of me quickly, and then I walked outside and saw a burger bar. So what that it was 10:30 - burgers are good any hour of the day. It’s like Frank Underwood and morning ribs. It did matter, though - because they were closed. Disappointment #2 of the morning.

I then inadvertently drove through Arlington from Rosslyn to Falls Church and almost mistakingly into Georgetown. Ends up this mirrored my bus route, but this morning was already getting out of hand.

After getting some Burrito Taco (muy delicioso), I went back to my uncle’s to charge my phone and get ready to face the day. I made it to the bus stop on time, got on the bus and metro - without headphones, d’oh! - and headed into the city.

I got to where I thought my office was and it wasn’t there. I used my knowledge of the grid system - thanks campaigning - and finally found where I’ll be spending my next three months. I opted to wait to go in until tomorrow - it’s not superstitious if it works.

I spent the next hour or so wandering down the U St area and went to the famous Ben’s Chili Bowl. I’ll be waiting to enjoy a half-smoke sometime soon, but the area’s culture is definitely not overstated. After that, I walked back to K Street, which was a workout, and boarded the Metro to my evening event - a Buzzfeed Brews (yes, like beer) focusing on immigration and featuring the one and only Mario Lopez.

I had hours to kill, a dying phone, and nowhere to be so in classic DC fashion, I ran into a police motorcade that was celebrating National Police Week. A great way to kill some time and support those who protect and serve us.

I got into the Brews about 5 minutes after it started and I was offered a drink. My first DC open bar was here, but I was by myself and a bit self-conscious. I stood at the open bar for 30 minutes doing nothing but texting friends since I had not met anyone at my firm, nor met up with anyone at the event.

The forum itself went well, but Mario Lopez wasn’t the one I was hoping for. No A.C. Slater, but Mario H. Lopez and the rest of the panel gave great answers on immigration, but with a phone battery on 1%, I knew I had to get home.

I got to spend some time in Union Station for dinner, and it’s as majestic as it looks. I grabbed some Potbelly’s, which I promptly spilled all over my shirt, and then tackled the hour-long commute home. I couldn’t feel better to be back and ready to face the day tomorrow, but I’m not going to lie - I enjoy every single minute of being in this city.

Loving #DMatUF so far? Check out this playlist with the full-length versions of all the linedance songs!

Loving #DMatUF? Check out the @spotify playlist of all songs featured in the linedance here!

Let’s go Mets.

Not spam, but interesting.

howwouldagatorputhis:

When you found out you passed the first time round:

When you found out you passed with a B or higher:

CHIP SKYLARK.