D.C. DIARIES

I work in Downtown DC and its the most interesting work place ever. Earlier, I had mostly always worked in remote campuses and to get an opportunity to work in the capital city of a country is amazing. To break away from the monotony, I have been visiting nearby places around me during lunch/break time and have set a target to visit at least one new place per week. On the pretext of exploring D.C, it also gives me an excuse to munch away street food or have unlimited coffee. Here are a few places around my work place:

Franklin Park:

Franklin Park is located 5 minutes away from my work place in Downtown DC. Its named after Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Its presence amidst concrete buildings, busy roads brings serene vibes to Downtown DC.

It has many trees, benches and annoyingly large number of birds. One side of the park is surrounded by food carts and serves as an open ground lunch area to many employees. It almost always has atleast fifteen people in it who prefer it for either talking on phone or catching up with friends but mostly for having lunch. The park also serves as a home to homeless people.


I once had lunch there and it felt really good to get away from office but the downside was that there were too many birds after my food :|  and I am not ready to go back. I might prefer the park to have coffee maybe - the partial sunrays, slight breeze and green surrounds definitely are a plus.
The Park also has a statue of Commoder John Barry who is widely credited as the Father of the American Navy. He is supposed to be the first captain placed in command of a U.S. warship at the rank of Commodore from President George Washington. It feels good to know that there's so much history about the places around you.


Well, next time if you wanna have a walk and relax in a natural abode in DC Downtown, you know where to go!

New York Avenue Presbyterian Church:

I have always been fascinated by the architecture of churches ever since I started reading Dan Brown's books. I like the construction: especially the the high roofs, sculptures and the paintings. I have been to 4-5 churches till date and it's been a good experience visiting them. 

One such church is the Presbyterian Church which is right in the heart of DC. I was going back to office from Panera Bread one day when I spotted this church on the GPS. I couldn't afford a longer break and could not take a detour to the Church. So the next day, I payed a quick visit to the church. I had always expected churches to be amidst scenic locations surrounded mostly by greenery and I was a little disheartened to see this church as just one of the buildings with only the flags and pole distinguishing it. 

I stood outside it not knowing not whether to enter it or not when I saw an old lady going through an

entrance. I followed her and found her talking to the Father. I chose to come out of the place and know the history of the place rather than go barging in. This is what I learnt: 

The church was formed in 1859-60 and due to its proximity to the White House, a number of Presidents have attended services there. It was founded by leaders of the Associate Reformed movement, who had seceded from the Church of Scotland and retained a separate identity in North America. The church has seen many wars and war heroes, funerals of many Presidents and numerous gatherings.

By the time I had read this, the old lady came out of the church and informed me that its closing for the day. Having just read the history of the church, I just wanted to have one glance at the church interior but alas, I had to go! Hoping to go inside the church next time and get a few pictures if possible.