We met in the early morning and set out or the Capitol building. The tour was very interesting and informative on much of the history surrounding the building. It was my first time touring the Capitol too despite my living in DC my entire life. The inside was as beautiful as I imagined it would be, and I couldn’t believe my eyes at the intricate architecture. I have a soft spot for marble and wood carvings, and the walls and ceilings were just breathtaking.

After the Capitol tour, we were both so starving that we decided to go straight to Chinatown. There is a wonderful tiny restaurant on the outskirts of Chinatown that makes its noodles fresh every morning, so we went there and had delicious noodle soup. Afterwards, we got crepes and walked to the Newseum and were able to see all the other Smithsonian museums on the way.

The Newseum was a lot of fun. They had a gorgeous photography exhibit and Yuri and I talked at length about September 11^th and the recent Japanese earthquake after touring through these exhibits. After the Newseum, we decided to go visit Dupont Circle and went to Raku, an Asian fusion diner where we had green tea crème brûlée and then walked around the park before heading back to Sojitz.

It was an exciting day and despite the heat we got great exercise, had great conversation and became fast friends. I am very glad I was able to meet her and have the opportunity to guide her around Washington D.C.!