Musings of an Over-Scheduler: 100+ D.C. Experiences in One Spreadsheet

Countless people have interned in Washington, D.C., but I have been told by some that I might be the only one who finished dead last in a speed-puzzling competition, plunged into freezing water dressed as a hot dog, and still made it to the Department of Justice by 8:30 AM every morning.

This isn’t really a reflection, nor a polished professional piece, and is more of a list from the spreadsheet that I kept of everything I did outside of 8:30 to 5:00 at the Department of Justice’s U.S. Trustees Program. I’ve also realized blogging isn’t really my thing unless the mood strikes, so this is more a list than a polished travel journal — I did plenty of that in my real journal over the four months I was there. :)

So without further ado, here is a (inexhaustive list) of the things that I partook of during the 3.5 months:

DC, Maryland, Virginia

Without a doubt, some highlights were finishing dead last in my first speed-puzzling competition, doing the Polar Plunge for charity dressed as a hot dog, eating Spiced Ham at a Spam tasting panel, attending a House Ways and Means Committee on the tax code with the head of the IRS, learning the “Epic History of Mac and Cheese” at the Library of Congress, attending a Supreme Court oral argument, and hearing the National Symphony Orchestra play fused compositions of Brahms and Radiohead. I will cherish these memories, and the list of all the other things I have done to make the most of my time in DC last semester.

  1. National Museum of African American History and Culture
  2. National Museum of American History
  3. National Postal Museum
  4. National Archives
  5. Supreme Court tour by docent, plus exhibits
  6. National Portrait Gallery and Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM)
  7. National Museum of the American Indian
  8. National Museum of Natural History
  9. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
  10. National Museum of Asian Art (Sackler Gallery and Freer Gallery)
  11. National Museum of African Art
  12. National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden
  13. Tour of the U.S. Capitol building (and House chambers)
  14. National Air and Space Museum (National Mall)
  15. Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center (Chantilly)
  16. Planet Word Museum in the old historic Franklin School building
  17. Lecture and book signing by Walter Isaacson
  18. Bureau of Engraving and Printing
  19. Ford’s Theatre basement museum with John Wilkes Booth gun
  20. Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
  21. Family history preservation event at a Smithsonian
  22. National Law Enforcement Museum
  23. International Spy Museum
  24. DEA Headquarters Museum
  25. National Gallery of Art
  26. Renwick Gallery
  27. National Museum of Women in the Arts
  28. “Night at the Museum” lecture event at the National Museum of Natural History
  29. United States Botanic Garden and Smithsonian Gardens
  30. Library of Congress — studied in the research areas and saw various exhibits and artifacts (Legacy of George and Ira Gershwin, The Two Georges, Book of Mormon, Jefferson’s personal library collection)
  31. January fireworks and Washington Monument light show for America 250
  32. National Building Museum (tour by a docent who had been leading tours for roughly three decades)
  33. Museum of the Bible (once for Easter Sunday, again for exhibits like the Dead Sea Scrolls and “All Creation Sings”)
  34. Sunday visit to the Washington National Cathedral
  35. Stroll along Rock Creek Park and Peirce Mill tour (with some great stories from the National Park rangers)
  36. “Japanology” lecture on film motifs in cinematography
  37. Attended the Barnes & Noble grand opening in downtown DC; bought House of Leaves
  38. Postal 250 book signing at the Smithsonian. Met the former director of the Smithsonian, James H. Bruns
  39. Spam tasting panel and history lecture from a food-history PhD
  40. Movies and film:
    1. First time with an AMC A-List membership (not popular in Utah) — IMAX, RealD 3D, Dolby movies (Oscar Animated Shorts screening, Oscar Live Action Shorts screening, Olympic Closing Ceremony, The Housemaid, EPiC: Elvis in concert, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, Hoppers, The Bride!, and 1 in Utah before membership expired - Hokum)
    2. One Battle After Another screening at the MLK Jr. Library
    3. “Live at the Library” movie screening of Groundhog Day at the Library of Congress.
    4. “Weathering with you” (anime) at the National Building Museum
    5. “Spirited Away” at the National Museum of Asian Art
    6. Project Hail Mary at the Lockheed Martin IMAX Theater in National Air and Space Museum
    7. Library of Congress Freud documentary screening and Q&A with the director
  41. National Gallery of Art conservator talk
  42. Monks’ Peace Walk from Texas to DC on the National Mall, plus an interfaith meditation event at George Mason Stadium
  43. “Epic History of Mac and Cheese” event at the Library of Congress
  44. Dupont Circle Farmers Market (multiple weekends)
  45. Dupont Art Walk (“First Friday” art walk)
  46. Potomac Phil 5K and Groundhog Day festival (the groundhog saw his shadow — six more weeks of political gridlock!)
  47. Ran along Embassy Road most weeks for exercise and sights, and around the National Mall (no Captain America passing me on the left, though)
  48. State of the Union watch party
  49. Harriet Powers Stamp Unveiling and First Day issue
  50. Figures of the American Revolution at Postal Smithsonian
  51. Closing day for indigenous Australia art gallery at National Art Smithsonian. Saw live didgeridoo performance/concert
  52. Kristi Noem Senate Judiciary Committee hearing
  53. House Ways and Means — IRS hearing (also tried to get into the Healthcare CEOs hearing earlier but ran out of seats; saw the CVS and UnitedHealth CEO enter the courtroom surrounded by press)
  54. Supreme Court Fellows Lecture Program at the Library of Congress with Amy Coney Barrett
  55. MLK Peace Walk and Parade on MLK Day
  56. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library (DCPL) — regularly studied after work on the rooftop balcony and saw rotating exhibits like the 1619 Project: Freedom and Resistance.
  57. TGI Fridays on Friday the 13th (can’t do that in Utah anymore)
  58. Norah O’Donnell book talk at the Library of Congress
  59. National Zoo - saw all but about 1-2 animals
  60. Folger Shakespeare Library — tour of exhibits, period food, homework and study in the reading room
  61. Melodies concert at Dupont Underground
  62. Polar Plunge for Special Olympics dressed in a hot dog costume
  63. Downtown historic sites walking tour - various heritage trails with markers, sidewalk signage, statues, memorials, posters, etc.
  64. Studied in Library of Congress research rooms (business, science, law)
  65. Library cards — got one from each: Montgomery County, Prince George’s, Fairfax, DCPL, Arlington, Alexandria, Baltimore, Prince William, and Falls Church
  66. Pentagon tour
  67. George Washington’s Mount Vernon
  68. American Red Cross Headquarters tour
  69. Haircut from the Senate Hair Salon (shoutout to Mario D’Angelo)
  70. Arlington National Cemetery — got to see a lot the of graves. I hadn’t expected to spend so many hours here, but the reverent atmosphere made time fly. Saw the Changing of the Guard, the Kennedy eternal flame, etc.
  71. Washington Nationals baseball game (free jersey and $5 concession day)
  72. Washington Capitals vs. Utah Mammoth game
  73. Congressional Football Game
  74. Congressional Basketball Game
  75. Congressional Hockey Game (met FBI Director Kash Patel on the rink)
  76. The Dollop Live podcast at the Lincoln Theatre
  77. Nick Offerman at the Warner Theatre (learned not to use StubHub here)
  78. FBI Headquarters tour
  79. White House tour
  80. The People’s House museum (a.k.a. the White House Visitor Center)
  81. Joined the Washington DC Stamp Collecting Club and attended a few bi-weekly meetings
  82. Live jazz at Union Station with a local gyro place
  83. Jazz Masterworks Orchestra at the Smithsonian for Jazz Appreciation Month (the birthplace of JAM)
  84. Cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin, Smithsonian museums, National Gallery of Art (Japan festivities inside), various suburb streets, and East Potomac Park
  85. Cherry Blossom Parade on the National Mall
  86. Japan Sakura Festival (sword-fighting demonstration, sumo wrestling, street vendors, and other cultural events)
  87. Embassy of Japan Information and Culture Center event (history of cherry blossoms being gifted from Japan and the woman who advocated for them), plus the small gallery in the lobby and the Japanese bidet toilet (maybe the best part of the four months?)
  88. Micro Center (Rockville and Fairfax — went to the second for a price match) — like Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory but for nerds. Bought a coveted Ryzen 7 7500X3D bundle, sold my 5+ yr old parts, and actually turned a profit (thank you AI for inflated prices! 🥲)
  89. Smithsonian Kite Festival, “No Kings” rally, counter-rally against No Kings, miscellaneous cherry-blossom events (such as Sakura Taiko drums). Kite battles, a gazillion kites in the air from the public
  90. Anime talk on “Yokai” the encounters with monsters in Japan at the National Museum of Asian Art.
  91. Petalpalooza - saw various performances and watched fireworks over the Anacostia River
  92. Art of Pink" at Amazon HQ2 (paint battle, employee artwork, and banana stand were some nice highlights)
  93. Speed-puzzling at George Mason campus; finished dead last in my first competition — who would’ve thunk
  94. Easter speedrun — sunrise mass at the Lincoln Memorial (heck yeah for Christian rock music), then Lafayette Church (the “presidents’ church”), then JFK’s church, then the LDS church
  95. Plays, Musicals, and Live productions:
    1. “Stereophonic” at the National Theatre (Broadway)
    2. “Beauty and the Beast” on Broadway
    3. “The Wiz” on Broadway
    4. “Providence Spring” at Ford’s Theatre, by Richard Hellesen
    5. “Spring” at Ford’s Theatre (forgot by whom)
    6. “Written Then, Spoken Now” lecture at Ford’s Theatre
    7. “1776” at Ford’s Theatre
    8. “Unofficial Late Night” at the Kennedy Center
    9. “Brahms × Radiohead” at the Kennedy Center
    10. American Ballet Theatre’s “The Winter’s Tale” at the Kennedy Center
    11. “American Mosaic” symphony at the Kennedy Center
    12. “Hiroaki Umeda” at the Kennedy Center
    13. “Chicago” at the Kennedy Center
    14. “Paranormal Activity” (play) at Shakespeare Theatre Company
    15. “Inherit the Wind” at Arena Stage by the Wharf
    16. “Octet” at Studio Theatre
    17. “World to Come” at Woolly Mammoth
    18. Folger Theatre — Shakespeare play performed in the style of a Mexican soap opera, in authentic time-accurate English staging
  96. “Moonshot After Dark: Watercolor Basics - World Watercolor Day” at the Kennedy Center
  97. Various restaurants and foods from local establishments, almost always with other interns because I couldn’t justify the prices otherwise haha (e.g., Ethiopian, gelato, pizza joints, cookie shops — local establishments not in Utah)
  98. Various smaller art galleries
    1. Phillips collection art gallery (and talks)
    2. Alex Gallery
    3. Church of Scientology - National Affairs Office
    4. IA&A at Hillyer
    5. Vika Gallery
    6. Heurich House Museum
    7. ADA Art Gallery
    8. Dupont underground art exhibits
    9. Washington Project for the Arts
    10. Art Museums of the Americas
    11. Studio Gallery
    12. Q Street Fine Art
  99. Various Guest Speakers through the University of Utah Hinckley Institute
    1. Jacob Tonks
    2. Tanner Holcomb
    3. Troy Dougall
    4. Micheal Pearson
    5. Noelle Huhn
    6. Thomas Countryman
  100. Miscellaneous social events 1. Artemis II watch party on TV 2. Watched BYU vs. Utah Basketball game with fellow interns 3. Watched some Jack Ryan, Reacher, Forest Gump, La La Land with fellow interns 4. Valentine’s day gala at a mansion
  101. Monuments and Memorials: 1. Lincoln Memorial 2. Washington Monument (toured the inside, going up the elevator. Great view during sunset) 3. Thomas Jefferson Memorial 4. FDR Memorial 5. MLK Memorial (on MLK day too) 6. Vietnam Veterans Memorial 7. National World War II Memorial 8. Korean War Veterans Memorial 9. U.S. Navy Memorial 10. Japanese Stone Lantern 11. Cuban Friendship Urn 12. Albert Einstein Memorial Statue 13. National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial
  102. During my plane ride out of DC and back home — decided to throw in some youthful stupidity and leave the Atlanta airport to get a burger at the first Chick-fil-A. Made it with minutes to spare (and people say I’m not punctual?!). Also, Ben’s Chili Bowl in the Dulles terminal
  103. Perhaps the absolute highlight: seeing someone in a powdered wig with a megaphone on a soapbox on a street corner, pontificating about who really controls the government

Also, I did in fact work the 40 hour work week, I would just spend 12-15 hrs away from my dorm room each day, fitting this in before/after work and occasionally on a lunch break. People seem to think that the two are mutually exclusive 🤔. (A separate blog post on my work reflections will probably happen after I am done with my summer internship stint at the DOJ U.S. Attorney’s office in Utah - stay tuned).

New York

This was my first time in NYC in 15 years. I haven’t been since I was a little kid, and sure tried to make the most of it. I don’t know if I sleep before midnight in the city that never sleeps". Was also my first time on the Amtrak. I ended up taking the bus on the way back before Amtrak was too expensive on the weekend, even with the student discount.

I was here from March 19th - March 22nd (aka the only time I took time off work):

  1. Rockefeller Center
  2. The Met
  3. Statue of Liberty
  4. Top of the Empire State Building
  5. Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
  6. American Museum of Natural History
  7. Death of a Salesman on Broadway
  8. Comedy Central standup taping
  9. Singfield, an off-Broadway production
  10. 9/11 Memorial Museum
  11. Walked around Central Park
  12. National Museum of the American Indian (George Gustav Heye Center) in NYC
  13. Nintendo, Lego, Apple, and FAO Schwarz stores in Times Square
  14. A rare “splurge spend” for me - bought a Switch OLED for a killer deal. At a buy-now, think-later price.
  15. The Symphonic Orchestra at Carnegie Hall
  16. Coney Island (closed but I got to go to the candy store and Nathan’s hotdog where they do the 4th of July eating contest)
  17. Ferry tour of the East River
  18. (Unsuccessful) attempt to get into The Daily Show audience
  19. NYC pizza shops, hotdog stands, Rice To Riches.

Philadelphia

The busiest day of the 4 months (besides working as an intern of course) Not a second wasted in Philly! (All of this in under 12 hours.)

  1. Ran straight from Amtrak all the way up to the Rocky Steps
  2. Visited the Philadelphia Museum of Art
  3. Toured Eastern State Penitentiary
  4. drooled over Intellectually engaged with Ben Franklin historic sites (B. Free Franklin Post Office, replica print shop, and museum)
  5. Visited the Liberty Bell
  6. Saw Reading Terminal Market — bought a Philly cheesesteak
  7. Toured Independence Hall, including the rarely opened second floor
  8. Magic Gardens
  9. Sightseeing at Love Park / JFK Plaza and City Hall
  10. Walked down the UPenn Locust Walk on campus
  11. Saw and got pictures at landmarks like the Betsy Ross House, Christ Church, Elfreth’s Alley, Franklin’s grave, and Penn’s Landing
  12. Sprinted back to Amtrak from UPenn with three minutes to spare (and again, people say I’m not punctual?!)
  • Side note: it was cloudy in Philadelphia! I can’t believe that Charlie, Glenn, And Rob on the TV lied to me, always sunny my butt.

Future travels

For some reason, people don’t believe me when I say I wish I could have done more. If I would have had more time I would have loved to:

  1. Visit the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial (Iwo Jima Memorial)
  2. Obama: The Musical
  3. National Arboretum
  4. Sailing on the Chesapeake Bay, specifically out of Annapolis
  5. Curling (was going to take an intro to curling lesson, had some people back out)
  6. Would have gone to the Wizards game with Jazz, but the Utah Jazz are so bad this year it’s hard to justify watching a massacre
  7. Shear Madness whodunnit at the Kennedy Center
  8. Discovery flight lesson out of Gaithersburg (and see the road that inspired John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads”)
  9. More of Old Town Alexandria
  10. See the closed and in-process-of-renovation Smithsonians and Portrait Gallery
  11. Visit Delaware
  12. Earth Day activities
  13. Lancaster, PA day trip to see the Amish
  14. Bonsai at the Japanese festival during cherry-blossom season
  15. Smithsonian Assocation classroom event
  16. Smokey Bear at the USDA headquarters
  17. Various pop-ups and one-offs (like the Polymarket one I missed)
  18. NSA Crytpologic museum (closed due to national security concerns while I was there)
  19. Navy Memorial Museum (closed like above)
  20. More think tank talks
  21. Textile Museum
  22. American Jewish Military Museum
  23. Old Postal Tower — assuming it still exists in the future :(

P.S. If not for the “free” Smithsonians (err, my-tax-dollar-funded Smithsonians), “pay your age” pricing, and college student discounts, I’d have gone bankrupt from this. Fitting that I learned how not to end up bankrupt while working at the Department of Justice division responsible for that. (Shoutout to learning what not to do to end up bankrupt at DOJ USTP!) Also, shoutout to Aldi for being my wallet’s savior.

Closing thoughts

DC was wonderful. Without a doubt, the best part of being there was all the great people I got to meet. I especially had a wonderful time living with the other Hatch Center interns, and meeting with the fellow interns at BYU Barlow Center each Sunday and Institute during the week, and to attend the Washington Stamp Collectors Club on alternating Wednesdays. Special cheers to all those amazing friends made during the first half of 2026, and a heartfelt thanks for making it so special! Perhaps one day when I make it big, I will be able to afford to travel more - but it will be hard to top this one for all opportunities to expand my worldview in such a unique place both inside and outside the internship.