Washington, D.C
I lived in rural Pennsylvania for 23 years before moving to a big city. The culture shock was real.
- I moved to Washington, DC, after living in rural Pennsylvania for 23 years.
- Learning how to commute was difficult at first, but it opened up so many options for me.
- The work culture was a bit intense, but I loved how much there was to do after work and on weekends.
I grew up in rural Pennsylvania, tucked away in a stretch of the Appalachian Mountains known as the Endless Mountains. It was beautiful and quiet there, and I spent many of my days reading in sunny patches of grass.
But right after college, I moved to the Columbia Heights neighborhood in Washington, DC, for work and traded mountains for monuments.
Transitioning from Amish country to hill-staffer-tech-bro culture led to immense culture shock. But in DC, I learned how to navigate city life and experienced a lot of firsts.
Here are the three biggest surprises I encountered when I moved.
Learning how to commute was difficult at first
kickstand/Getty Images
The fast-paced nature of the city surprised me. I grew up in a one-stoplight town, and the transition to DC traffic was jarring.
In the part of Pennsylvania where I grew up, driving was my only mode of transportation. In fact, I could anticipate a nearly hourlong drive to access the nearest chain stores.
However, learning about the different ways to use public transportation in the city was exciting. On my first day of work, I figured out how to ride the bus and use the metro system. I also started riding a bike consistently for the first time since I was 12 and walked more than I ever had before.
I also discovered new challenges, like surrendering to the mercy of public transit delays and struggling to carry my groceries home. However, I gained something I didn’t previously have access to — options.
The work culture in DC was intense
My first full-time job was in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, so right out of college, I felt like I was thrown into the most competitive work culture. For better or worse, every moment felt like a networking event.
One of the most “DC experiences” I had was joining a community pickleball group and discovering that the group was made up of people who worked for ESPN, the ACLU, and the Peace Corps.
Although I loved discovering what people do for a living, work culture is often prioritized over everything else. This was a part of life in DC that I had a hard time reckoning with.
I’m still trying to ditch the habit of asking, “So what do you do?” when I meet a stranger.
I had so many more opportunities for after-work activities
Olivia Bardo
After work, I rode my bike to the library and picked out brightly colored books. At night, I danced to live music at the 9:30 Club.
On Saturday mornings, I wove my way through places like the Hirshhorn Museum and Renwick Gallery, then wandered around to find a new coffee shop. Food was everywhere, and it was delicious. I indulged in tahini lattes, ube waffles, and bowls of spicy ramen.
Being in a big city also meant I could discover more of my interests, which had been patiently waiting to be found.
Although my time living in DC has concluded, I’m grateful for the many ways it has shaped me and directed my next steps.
Washington, D.C
New mural dedicated to DC’s ‘Mayor for Life’ honors career, contributions of Marion Barry – WTOP News
Ten years to the day after his death, D.C. leaders honored the life of the late Mayor Marion Barry with a new mural hanging in his namesake building.
(WTOP/Luke Lukert)
WTOP/Luke Lukert
(WTOP/Luke Lukert)
WTOP/Luke Lukert
(WTOP/Luke Lukert)
WTOP/Luke Lukert
(WTOP/Luke Lukert)
WTOP/Luke Lukert
Ten years to the day after his death, D.C. leaders honored the life of the late Mayor Marion Barry with a new mural hanging in his namesake building.
Mayor Muriel Bowser joined the former D.C. First Lady at the Marion S. Barry, Jr. Building in Judiciary Square on Saturday to pull the curtain down, revealing the new mural dedicated to the “Mayor for Life.”
“My husband really loved Washington, DC and its residents. The mural captures some of the major contributions he made to the City, and some of the people who worked with him to help build the City and empower its residents,” said Cora Masters Barry, Barry’s widow, in a statement.
“I was thrilled that so many residents and visitors were able to join us on this inspirational, entertaining, educational, and historical day, as we honored a man, Marion Barry Jr., whose legacy and love of this city was so deep and strong.”
The mural is broken into three parts, each with a different title and focusing on a different aspect of Barry’s life.
The first panel, titled “Big Vision,” displays Barry’s early years as a civil rights activist and his transition into politics.
The center panel, “Big Impact,” then focuses on his time in office as a Councilmember and four term mayor.
These sections emphasize Barry’s support for Black-owned businesses, summer jobs for youth, programs for seniors and leadership opportunities for women.
The last section of the mural is titled ”Big Legacy.” It highlights the influence Barry still has on the city — showcasing advocacy against apartheid, support for the Million Man March, contributions to the development of the MCI Center, and his work with the DC Control Board.
The many pictures show Barry beside the likes of President Bill Clinton, Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr.
Another focus of this panel is Barry’s political comeback after a high-profile arrest and conviction on crack cocaine possession charges in 1990. Four years later, he returned to the Mayor’s office after a commanding primary run.
“He told me a lot of things, and he taught us a lot of things, but one of the biggest ones was if you get knocked down, you get back up,” said Mayor Muriel Bowser at the unveiling.
Nabeeh Bilal, an artist based in Ward 8, created the mural.
“You’ll notice that there is not a single solo image of Marion Barry, and that’s because, with his accomplishments and achievements, it was always about others,” Bilal said.
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Friday’s event will begin with a solemn Mass celebrated by Cardinal Wilton Gregory, archbishop of Washington, followed by an opportunity to venerate the relics.
The major relics of St. Thomas Aquinas, “The Angelic Doctor,” are on tour and scheduled to make a stop in Washington, D.C., next weekend as part of the commemoration of the 700th anniversary of his canonization.
Members of the faithful will be able to venerate the relics, including his skull, on two separate occasions: first at St. Dominic’s Church on Friday, Nov. 29, and then again on Saturday, Nov. 30, at the Dominican House of Studies. The event is co-sponsored by the Thomistic Institute.
“In a time of renewed interest in the teaching of St. Thomas Aquinas, the jubilees of his canonization (700 years in 2023), death (750 years in 2024), and birth (800 years in 2025) draw our attention to the masterwork of wisdom and sanctity which God wrought in him,” Dominican Father Gregory Pine, assistant director at the Thomistic Institute, said in a press release.
“The opportunity that we have to receive and venerate his relics makes this grace all the more proximate and precious to us,” Father Pine added.
Friday’s event will begin at 12:10 p.m. with a solemn Mass celebrated by Cardinal Wilton Gregory, archbishop of Washington, followed by an opportunity to venerate the relics of the revered theologian and philosopher from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. There will also be solemn vespers at 5:30 p.m. and night prayer at 6:45 p.m. with a Marian procession to follow.
On Saturday, the Dominican House of Studies will begin the day with solemn lauds and a votive Mass of St. Thomas Aquinas at 7:30 a.m., and veneration of the relics will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pine will also preach at 3 p.m. that day.
“‘Get wisdom, get understanding’ (Prv 4:5). One way is to study, another way is to pray for it, but an exceptional way is to pray for it in the presence of the skull of St. Thomas Aquinas,” Dominican Father James Brent, an assistant professor of philosophy at the Dominican House of Studies, also stated in the release.
The relic of St. Thomas Aquinas’ skull comes to the U.S. from the Dominicans in Toulouse, France, and is one of two skulls Church officials claim to have belonged to the 11th-century saint. The other is housed in the Italian city of Priverno. The Dominicans in France commissioned a new reliquary for the skull last year to celebrate the saint’s canonization anniversary.
After Aquinas’ death in 1274, his body was kept in Fossanova Abbey in Priverno until 1369, when his relics were moved to Toulouse, a city in southwestern France, where the Order of Preachers was established. Aquinas’ tomb rests in the Church of the Jacobins.
Researchers are currently weighing the possibility of conducting an in-depth forensic analysis of both skulls to determine their authenticity.
Where do the relics go next?
After two stops in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 29 and Nov. 30, Aquinas’ relics hit the road for their U.S. tour:
Charlottesville, Virginia: St. Thomas Aquinas on Dec. 2
Providence, Rhode Island: Providence College on Dec. 4
Cincinnati: St. Gertrude Priory on Dec. 6
Columbus, Ohio: St. Patrick Priory on Dec. 7–8
Louisville, Kentucky: St. Louis Bertrand on Dec. 10
Springfield, Kentucky: St. Rose Priory on Dec. 12
New York City: St. Vincent Ferrer on Dec. 14
Philadelphia: St. Patrick on Dec. 16
Baltimore: Sts. Philip and James on Dec. 18
Two brothers who spent decades in prison after being convicted of a 1984 murder in Washington, D.C., they say they did not commit, are seeking a presidential pardon.
Charles and Chris Turner were convicted as teenagers for the killing of Catherine Fuller in Northeast Washington, D.C. near the intersection of 8th and H Street, Fox 5 DC reported.
They have since been released and are fighting for a pardon that would help restore their rights.
“With the pardon, we get a chance to fix all that and bring a closure to this case once and for all,” Chris Turner told Fox 5 DC.
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Charles and Chris Turner were convicted as teenagers for the killing of Catherine Fuller in Northeast Washington, D.C. near the intersection of 8th and H Street. (iStock)
After decades in custody for a crime which they did not commit, the brothers maintain a positive view on the future and the impact they can have moving forward, stressing that they will not allow their case to mentally hold them back.
“People get upset more that we’re not bitter,” Chris Turner said. “We think if you remain bitter, remain upset about what occurred – even though it was an atrocity and it was injustice – that you stay locked up mentally.”
The case revealed allegations of suppressed evidence, coerced testimony and investigative errors.
Seventeen people were arrested in connection with Fuller’s murder, with eight ultimately convicted, according to Fox 5 DC. The six who are still alive all maintain their innocence after collectively serving more than 200 years behind bars.
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The Turner brothers have become involved in their community and remain hopeful about their futures, although limitations in areas such as career prospects remain due to their felony records.
“We’ve actually said we might join the police force if we didn’t have this on our record … I used to want to be in the Navy. I can’t serve my country because I have a record,” Charles Turner said.
The brothers’ fight for a pardon represents a crucial step in restoring their reputation and rights lost in the convictions.
The case revealed allegations of suppressed evidence, coerced testimony and investigative errors. (iStock)
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Charles Turner said he believes a pardon would bring validation to himself and the other five convicted men, as well as to his family, friends and others who have supported him.
“It would also validate – help to validate – what they know, not what they believe, but what they know. There’s a big difference there,” he said.
Most presidential pardons have been granted between Election Day and Inauguration Day.
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