Thursday, July 19, 2007

Day 6: Princeton University, and on to Washington DC

Change of plans to start the day: we had realized the night before that trying to do both Princeton and Penn in the same day was just too much, especially since it meant waking up at 600. We were both pretty tired and trying to conserve energy, so Josh chose Princeton over Penn and we got down there in late morning. Had lunch in the student union, pizza of course, then walked back over to the Admissions office.

No question that Princeton has one of the prettiest campuses in the country. Gorgeous and varied architecture, from Gothic to Americanized versions of God-knows-what:



There is impressive modern architecture too, especially the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. 5-year BA/MA degrees offered here.



Tigers everywhere. Einstein seems to be an official mascot, even though he only ever taught one class here. And buried cannons too, which aren't very picturesque, but which keeps the Rutgers students from stealing them.



Mason-Dodge Hall, one of the prettier brownstone buildings.



And of course Nassau Hall, facing Nassau Street, which dates from before the Revolutionary War and which survived the Battle of Princeton, with the colonials firing cannon at the British who were holed up in the building. Legend has it that a cannonball went through a wall and decapitated a painting of King George, causing the British soldiers to flee in fear and confusion. Josh was more interested in the girl in white pants.



The arch featured in A Beautiful Mind...


...and the building where Russell Crowe lived. Now featuring Josh.



After the tour, the info session was held in an impressive room in Nassau Hall, replete with original portraits of George Washington, Woodrow Wilson, and other great figures in American history who had touched the University at one time or another.



After everything was over, we ventured over to a Starbucks outside the main gate across Nassau Street, the main drag. The superstition of course is that if a Princeton student walks out the main gate before he or she graduates, then he or she will never graduate. I of course strolled right through, while Josh wasn't taking any chances and used one of the smaller doors. On the way back in, though, the traffic signals seemed to offer commentary not only on a certain rejection letter of 30 years ago, but an opinion on letting a Columbian back on campus.



After Princeton we made the three-and-a-half hour drive to Washington DC, plagued by heavy rains going through Delaware, the only truly bad weather we've had except for some normal rain on the way to New Haven. We made the hotel with some time to sightsee, so we ventured out to the White House which is only three blocks away, and got some photos in before the rains started again. Don't know if George was home, but the lights were on and there seemed to be a party going on at the West Wing. Here's the White House itself through the main gate:



The White House is flanked by the Treasury and the Dwight D. Eisenhower Executive Building...here's the Old Exec.



Back to the hotel room to write the blog and maybe to get to sleep a little early. Friday is Georgetown in the late morning, followed by a 5-hour drive to North Carolina, the last long drive of the trip.