WASHINGTON – You did it! You made it to Washington – the center of everything, as anyone here will tell you. Time to start checking things off your to-do list.
Monuments, memorials and museums – Check.
Picture in front of the White House – Check.
Blisters on your feet….wait, that wasn’t on the list, but it happened anyway, so – Check.
Well, that was a fun first weekend. Now what?
Here are three suggestions.
They’ll keep you sane when Capitol Hill is driving you crazy, get you out of the city when the concrete starts staring you down, and maybe even remind you why you’re doing this in the first place.
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Pack your hiking shoes, hop in a Zipcar and head out to Great Falls to beat the crazy and the concrete. A 30-minute drive from the metro area, y
ou have your pick between Great Falls Park in Virginia and Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Park in Maryland.
Both sides offer trees, trails and a view of the falls. Set out early to beat the heat and the crowds – just think of how productive you’ll feel with a few miles under your belt before lunchtime.
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Need more than a hike in the woods to shake off a rough week? Grab a few friends and a rental car, then head to the beach.
Sand, surf and sunshine are just a scenic three-hour drive away in Ocean City, Md. The parking and beach are free, and beach umbrellas and chairs are available to rent for the day. Just bring snacks and sunscreen – and your “Crimes of War” book if you can’t shake your studies for the entire weekend.
If three hours is too far for a day trip, rent a room and make a weekend out of it, or cut a few hours from your drive and stop at Sandy Point State Park in Annapolis, Md.
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Unless you’re independently wealthy, at some point during your D.C. quarter you’re going to start your job search in earnest.
Journalismjobs.com will replace Facebook as your go-to time killer. You’ll craft the perfect cover letter, fine tune your resume and throw your hat into the ring for every reporting job that pops up – and then you’ll wait. For what seems like forever. 
After 20 or 30 unanswered applications for jobs that pay $25,000 a year, you might start questioning this whole journalism thing. When that happens, go to the Newseum — immediately.
Spend the afternoon studying Pulitzer Prize-winning photos and front pages from some of the biggest news stories of your time – and before your time. Listen to fellow reporters talk about covering September 11, Hurricane Katrina and the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Stay until you remember why you’re doing what you’re doing.
Kelsey Sheehy is a reporter for the Medill News Service in Washington covering immigration and health. She graduates in June with an MSJ from Medill