Washington, D.C

Urban dreaming: A semester abroad in Washington, D.C. – The Quinnipiac Chronicle

Published

2 years ago

April 10, 2024

Urban dreaming: A semester abroad in Washington, D.C. – The Quinnipiac Chronicle

Reality struck me when I turned my head to see the U.S. Capitol just a few blocks down the road.

This is it. This is what I waited for, what I worked toward. I was finally in the QU in D.C. internship program that I had been eyeing since admitted students day, more than two years ago.

I gripped the hands of strangers, who would later become my roommates, as we took in the view of one of the most iconic buildings in Washington, D.C. Not because we were awe-struck, but rather we were sliding on the ice-ridden sidewalks on our way to find Walmart.

The mid-January cold wind nipped at my face, a familiar feeling that reminded me of Quinnipiac University. However, that’s where the similarities ended between Washington and my mid-sized New England school. I was not at Quinnipiac anymore. I would start to miss aspects of the suburbs that the city didn’t offer as I continued with my time here.

I’ll give credit where credit is due: Sleeping Giant State Park is a pretty impressive view to see when walking from class to class. But now that I’ve lived more than two months in this city, I still keep an eye out to catch a glimpse of the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial on my commute to and from work.

I was here to, of course, explore the city. But the heart of QU in D.C. is to get hands-on internship experience. I work in health communications as a social media intern. These were opportunities that I never had before.

Having grown up in the white-picket fence neighborhoods of my Pennsylvania town, I am used to my quiet walks around my neighborhood and 15-minute drives to grocery stores. Even at Quinnipiac, I’m used to hearing the quiet murmuring of students and the shuffling of shoes to Café Q. I wanted a change from these mundane routines.

Nowadays, I find convenience in walking five minutes to the nearest Giant supermarket, a familiar chain from home. But I’ll admit, I’ve become a victim of the Trader Joe’s bandwagon, a chain not close to my hometown or Quinnipiac. And let me just say, the tomato burrata ravioli is life-changing.

The quiet walks around my neighborhood and campus have been replaced with the angry honks of drivers and the deafening sound of sirens. Though I’ve tuned out most of these noises after being here for two months, it’s safe to say I will not miss that when I leave in two weeks. I’ve come to appreciate quietness because of my time here.

One aspect of Washington I will miss is all of the activities and places the city has to offer. A complaint that many Quinnipiac students, including myself, bring up is the fact that there is nothing to do off campus — a pretty common complaint in my hometown too.

In Washington, I can walk or take the Metro to dozens of monuments, restaurants or any of the museums (most of which are free) with ease. Not only that, but I got to go to an MLB game and my first NBA game. When I’m at home or on campus, I have to drive at least an hour to see major league sports games. But in Washington, I can walk to them if I want to.

Beck steps by the Washington Monument when she’s not working at her internship. (Carleigh Beck)

Though yes, I’m not thousands of miles away like most “study abroad” students are, adjusting to a city as someone who has never lived in a city was difficult. I still had to get acclimated to a new lifestyle, new people and a new routine.

It felt like I was starting college again. That out-of-body experience when my parents left washed over me when we parted ways.

Though the city is great and I’m thankful for the experience I’ve had here, Washington has made me learn to appreciate some of the aspects of suburban life that myself and many others would look down on.

Sure, this city has many Michelin-star restaurants, but Funcle’s Cafe and Fresh Greens and Proteins will always have a place in my heart.

During my time in D.C., I’ve gained a sense of independence and self-fulfillment. With no meal plan and no dining hall, I’ve had to learn how to cook while making sure I’m not spending an astronomical amount of money. I figured out the Metro system and how to navigate the city with only the help of my iPhone and occasionally my roommates.

These all might seem like such simple tasks, but they’re a big deal to figure out for the first time.

So as I sit here, looking out at my apartment window into the glittering Washington skyline, I can’t help but think of how I was truly able to get the best of both worlds during my college years: a bustling city and a quaint suburban college town.

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Washington, D.C

Storm Team4 Forecast: A chilly, gusty Sunday before a cool start to the week

Published

10 hours ago

April 19, 2026

Press Room

Storm Team4 Forecast: A chilly, gusty Sunday before a cool start to the week

4 things to know about the weather:

Chances of rain in the morning
Gusty Sunday
Chilly Monday
Temps will rise again through the work week

Download the NBC Washington app on iOS and Android to check the weather radar on the go.

After a nice and warm Saturday, changes arrive for part two of the weekend.

The first half of your Sunday will have a chance for showers. Winds will pick up with our next system and are expected to gust to about 20-30 mph. Cooler air will settle in, and lows Sunday night fall into the 40s.

Highs temps Monday will reach only into the mid to upper 50s.

However, temperatures will rise through the week, so you won’t need your jackets every day.

QuickCast

SUNDAY:
Showers, then partly cloudy
Wind: NW 10-15 mph
Gusts @ 30 mph
HIGH: Lower 60s

MONDAY:
Partly cloudy
Wind: NW 10-15 mph
Gusts @ 25 mph
HIGH: Upper 50s

Stay with Storm Team4 for the latest forecast. Download the NBC Washington app on iOS and Android to get severe weather alerts on your phone.

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Washington, D.C

‘It’s a twilight zone’: Iran war casts deep shadows over IMF gathering in Washington

Published

1 day ago

April 18, 2026

Press Room

‘It’s a twilight zone’: Iran war casts deep shadows over IMF gathering in Washington

The most severe energy shock since the 1970s, the risk of a global recession and households everywhere stomaching a renewed surge in the cost of living – hitting the most vulnerable hardest.

In a sweltering hot Washington DC this week, the message at the International Monetary Fund meetings was chilling: things had been looking up for living standards around the world. But then came the Iran war.

“Some countries are in panic,” said the fund’s managing director, Kristalina Georgieva, addressing the finance ministers and central bank bosses in town for the IMF and World Bank spring meetings. “The sooner it [the Iran war] ends, the better for everybody.”

Such gatherings are not typically used to fight geopolitical battles. “You don’t get people shouting at one another at these things,” one senior figure remarked. But, as a record-breaking April heatwave swept the US capital, no one could ignore the mounting damage from the Iran war.

Those familiar with the mood over breakfast at a meeting of the G20’s representatives on Thursday, which included Donald Trump’s treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, and the outgoing US Federal Reserve chair, Jerome Powell – said the atmosphere in the room was sombre amid an open exchange of serious views.

“It is such a twilight-zone meeting,” said Mohamed El-Erian, a former IMF deputy managing director who is now chief economic adviser at the Allianz insurance group. “There are several shadows hanging over it: one is the shadow that comes from concern about the global economy as a whole.

“The second is that some countries are going to be particularly hard hit, and it’s mostly countries that very few people are talking about. But the third concern is the adding of insult to injury: the fact that the US, which started a war of choice, is going to be hit, but by a lot less than elsewhere in relative terms.”

Before Thursday’s breakfast, Rachel Reeves had started her day with an early-morning jog. Joined by her counterparts from Spain, Australia and New Zealand for a run down the iconic National Mall, she posted an Instagram selfie with a not-so-subtle dig: “Friends that run together – work together.”

A day earlier, the chancellor had told a CNBC conference that she thought “friends are allowed to disagree on things” as she criticised Trump’s Iran war as a “mistake” and a “folly” that had not made the world safer.

Rachel Reeves posted this image on Instagram from Washington DC on Thursday with the message: ‘Friends that run together – work together.’ Photograph: Rachel Reeves/Instagram

Speaking at a venue just steps away from the White House, before a one-on-one meeting with Bessent, she said this “fair message” was needed because UK families and businesses were feeling the pain from higher energy prices triggered by the conflict.

Those close to Reeves insist her meeting remained cordial. Britain and the US have significant shared interests in AI, financial services and trade. The chancellor also said the UK government had little time for the Iranian regime.

But with the IMF having warned on Tuesday that the Iran war could risk a global recession – in which Britain would be the biggest G7 casualty – it was clear Reeves had travelled to Washington ready to pick a fight.

“I’m struck by how vocal she has been and the words she used,” said one global financier. “We know the disagreement between Bessent and [European Central Bank president] Christine Lagarde earlier in the year. But that was in private.”

At a cocktail party held at the British ambassador’s residence for hundreds of diplomats and financiers – including the Bank of England’s governor, Andrew Bailey, the chief executive of Barclays, CS Venkatakrishnan, and dozens of senior figures – this transatlantic tension, weeks before King Charles’s US state visit, was a major topic of conversation.

The other, in the balmy residence gardens, was one of its former occupants, Peter Mandelson, as revelations about the former ambassador’s appointment threatened to further rock the UK government.

Before the war, the agenda for the IMF had been about global cooperation; the adoption of AI, jobs and work to eradicate poverty. Each of those tasks had now been complicated, but not least the task of countries working together.

For many at the meetings, the focus was on forging closer global cooperation without the world’s pre-eminent superpower.

“Everybody is talking about how you hedge against American decisions,” said David Miliband, the former UK foreign secretary, who now runs the International Rescue Committee. “You can’t do without them, because they’re 25% of the global economy. But, in a lot of fora, they’ve pulled out.

“So everyone has to think, how does one structure international cooperation? The old west is not coming back. And so everyone has to figure out how to position themselves for that world.”

For those gathering in Washington, there was irony in the fact that they were meeting in the halls of institutions founded, under US leadership, to promote global cooperation after the second world war. The whole idea of the Bretton Woods institutions was to avoid the dire economic conditions and warfare of the 1930s and 1940s. Yet this year’s meeting was taking place amid these intertwining problems.

In their conversations about the best economic policy response to the shock of conflict, the economists also knew the real power to make a difference lay two blocks across town from the IMF and the World Bank – behind the security cordons and construction equipment blocking the White House from public view. “It is not clear they can do anything about it,” said El-Erian.

Still, with a booming economy driven by AI – including Anthropic’s powerful Mythos model, the topic of much conversation – most countries cannot afford to completely break off US ties.

“People want to find ways to insulate themselves from the mess. But, on the other hand, they admire the US private sector,” El-Erian said. “The best way I’ve heard it put, is: they want to go long the private sector and short the mess. But it’s almost impossible to do.”

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