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On April 22, students in the Program in Washington, D.C., met at the World Bank with Hasan Tuluy P '08, vice president of human resources, and Peter Stephens, director of operations & communications.

On April 19, students in the Program in Washington D.C. took a break from politics and research papers to enjoy our national pastime. Joined by some alumni from the area, students watched the Nationals snatch defeat from the jaws of victory by yielding four ninth-inning runs to the Florida Marlins.

Nearing the end of a semester studying the American presidency, students in the Program in Washington went right to the source on April 18 with a visit to Mount Vernon, the home of President George Washington.

Hamilton's program in Washington, D.C., allows students to connect their academic study of American politics and policy with the unique human resources of the nation's capital. On April 1, students had such an opportunity, when they met at Venable LLP with partners Stuart Ingis '93 and former Senator Birch Bayh.

One of the goals of Hamilton's Program in Washington is to connect classroom learning with the direct experience of politics and decision-making in the nation's capital. On February 25, participants in the program had an extraordinary opportunity to do just that at the Supreme Court of the United States.

On February 18, students in the Program in Washington, D.C., visited the Pentagon to meet with Fred Shear '03, a writer on the staff of Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. Students toured the massive facility, whose 6.5 million square feet and 17 miles of corridors are home to 23,000 military and civilian employees who plan and execute the nation's defense. Students also visited the Pentagon's 9/11 Memorial.

Students in the Program in Washington, D.C., visited Arlington National Cemetery on Feb. 11. After observing the solemn ceremony of the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown, students visited other significant sites, including the home of Robert E. Lee, the USS Maine memorial, and the gravesites of John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy.

On February 4, students in the Semester in Washington Program visited the Newseum, a 250,000 square foot interactive museum of news. Students in Washington this semester are juniors Mia Cakebread, Katie Donlevie, Kenya Lee, Brandon Leibsohn, Wenxi Li, Kye Lippold, Michael London, Sanjana Nafday, Eric Nehs, Stephen Okin, Charlotte Olcay, Chris Risi, Charles Ruff and Charles Warzel, and sophomores Colleen Callaghan and Emily Gerston.

At first, the streets of Washington were not particularly crowded. When I stepped outside into the brisk, gray dawn at 7 a.m., there were only a few bikers and small clumps of people hurrying to Metro stations. My roommate and I had decided to rise early to try and beat the crowd to the National Mall. The night before, there were rumors of vast throngs and endless waiting, despite the predicted snow. We shared gloves, socks and directions in what we expected to be an adventure.

The build-up to this inauguration is like nothing I've seen as a lifelong resident of Washington, D.C. Security had been steadily ratcheting up since New Years, as 42,000 cops prepared to hit the streets to control the crowds. The traffic around Friday last week became unbearable, as millions of people swarmed into the city. Traveling anywhere in the city became more difficult then wading through a crowd at a Jonas Brothers' concert. In the week leading up to the big event, there was a huge run on stores selling warm clothes and hand warmers. Yuppies were waiting in lines at Hudson Trail Outfitters for long johns like they were trying to buy a Nintendo Wii.