By audrey
On the surface, DC is the epitome of a metropolitan city with its ceaseless bustling activity, surrounding marble and concrete buildings. Dive a little deeper, and you'll find it's so much more than that. Incredibly lucky to have relatively good weather over the weekend, going to national parks became a whole lot easier.
Rock Creek Park
Of all the national parks, Rock Creek Park is easily the most accessible from GW (it's a twenty-minute walk from K Street in the direction towards Georgetown). We made our way to the creek and was treated to a pretty fantastic view of what mother nature has to offer. Rock Creek is a tributary (a stream) of the Potomac River, which then connects to the Atlantic Ocean via the Chesapeake Bay.
Besides the great outdoors, the park has plenty to offer: there's a Horse Center which offers riding lessons to the public as well as pony rides. While I didn't get a chance to get on a horse due to time (and budget) constraints, I would highly encourage others to try it out. Other than the center, there's also Pierce Mill, which is a very old building. It used to grind grain into flour and is powered entirely on water. Today, it is home to a mini museum informing the public about the milling process.
It is also home to the Rock Creek Park planetarium - so if there're any astronomy enthusiasts, this is the place for you. Inside, you will find a huge image of the night sky projected onto a dome-shaped ceiling. If you're lucky, there will be park rangers on break to engage you in a lively discussion of stars, the planets and the galaxy. Tip: don't bring up star wars like I did.
