Tourism – Page 3 – Teen Observer Archive

July 3, 2014

D.C. residents plan to avoid Fourth of July crowds

WASHINGTON–As the Fourth of July approaches, individuals living on American University’s campus are planning to avoid the notoriously crowded festivities happening on the National Mall.

AU students, staff, and youth attending one of the various summer programs on campus cited traffic caused by a crowd of more than 700,000 as a major reason to skip the celebrations.

Ashtyn Quinones, 14, is participating in the National Student Leadership Conference, a program at AU this summer, and said that they won’t be taking part in any large event.

“We’re going to be here,” Quinones said. “They want to avoid traffic.”

Kristen Korfitzen, a New York native and employee of the University Library, won’t be staying in D.C. for the Fourth, but still hopes to see the fireworks over the National Mall.

“I’ll probably meet some friends on the Virginia side of the river to watch them,” Korfitzen said.

Although she plans to participate in Independence Day festivities, Korfitzen’s favorite aspect of the holiday doesn’t include celebrating.

“I usually get the day off from work, so I get to sleep late,” Korfitzen said.

Lee France, an incoming AU junior, isn’t interested in attending one of the traditional celebrations around the city either. Instead, he’ll go to a party.

Although many, including France, are avoiding big events this Fourth of July, their favorite memories of the holiday often involve large-scale celebrations from years past.

“The cliché answer is fireworks, my neighborhood goes crazy,” France said, “There was a time fireworks flew into someone’s window, but no one was really that mad.”

P1010282 — Ashtyn Quinones, 14, remembers attending a fireworks show in San Francisco. This year, she’ll be participating in events with the National Student Leadership Conference. Photo by Melanie Pincus

Quinones remembers seeing fireworks in San Francisco a couple of years ago, capturing the appeal of celebrating even considering the holiday crowds.

“We were in the most awful place to view,” Quinones said. “But it was still fun because I was with family and friends.”

July 3, 2014July 3, 2014

Fourth of July a time for reflection

Erica Rush reflected on Fourth of July memories. Photo by Kayla Calhoun

WASHINGTON- Many American University summer students and faculty members shared their favorite Fourth of July memories as they prepared for one of the country’s most celebrated holidays.

Liam Toohey, an American University library employee, is planning on visiting a friend’s house and going to a local park to watch fireworks. Toohey’s favorite part about going to the park last year was watching the fireworks from the top of a hill.

“If you get up far enough, you can see around the surrounding areas,” Toohey said.

Toohey’s favorite memory of the Fourth of July is when he and his friends got stuck in traffic on their way to see a fireworks show.

“When I was 21, we got stuck on the Baltimore Beltway and everyone decided to get out of their cars and watch from there,” Toohey said.

John Douglass, a Washington D.C. native and AU School of Communication professor, remembers watching the National Mall fireworks from the Ellipse, a piece of land in front of the White House.

“I enjoyed hearing the reverberation of the fireworks off the Commerce Department,” Douglass said.

While many may have fond memories of the Fourth of July, some memories remind families to be careful, especially around fireworks.

“We tried to light a sparkler and it popped on me and I got burned,” said Shannon Kamara, who works at the AU Bookstore.

Erica Rush had a similar dangerous experience.

“When we were watching fireworks, my cousin decided to jump off the ledge and landed on his face,” Rush said.

Along with watching fireworks and spending time with friends and family, barbeques are also a popular way to celebrate the Fourth of July and bring back some of the best memories, Kamara said.

“We have barbeques and let the kids watch the fireworks,” Kamara said. “The food doesn’t matter, as long as it is off the grill.”

Overall, D.C residents look forward to making new memories during their Fourth of July celebrations on Friday.

“I like the idea that we get a chance to come together and enjoy the idea of America instead of the ideology,” Toohey said.

July 3, 2014July 4, 2014

Friends, fireworks, crowds planned for Fourth of July

WASHINGTON–As the Fourth of July approaches, students, faculty and staff at American University have different plans and preparations to commemorate America’s birthday from spending it in the city to hanging out with friends at home.

University Library receptionist, Edward Shine, 20, will marinate steak and then head to a barbecue at a friend’s house Friday afternoon before tackling crowds to see the fireworks at the National Mall for the first time.

Shine, from Boston, is no stranger to holiday crowds. Shine noted his favorite Independence Day memory from Cape Cod, “It was wicked crowded.” Normally, he spends time watching sports with friends and family but this year will be among the crowds at one of the country’s largest Independence Day celebrations.

In Washington, D.C., it will be crowded, too, with more than 700,000 people likely to attend the National Mall’s fireworks, according to The District, a tourist guide. This year marks the bicentennial anniversary of the Star Spangled Banner and commemoration of the War of 1812. Many other festivities at the National Mall will take place, including the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, which offers multicultural performances.

Barbara Martinez is headed right near the city’s top action. She will meet friends at Union Station and then tour the U.S. Capitol.

Martinez, a 19-year-old receptionist at Anderson Hall, will be with friends coming from her hometown in Queens, New York. She remembered seeing the fireworks in downtown Manhattan from her apartment building rooftop in Queens.

“If you get close enough to the fireworks, you can feel the fireworks rattle your rib cage,” Martinez said.

Teaching assistant for the Discover the World of Communications program at American University, Leila Nasser, enjoys seeing the fireworks. She remembers wanting to see the fireworks when she was younger and suddenly seeing them explode in the sky from behind a building, viewing them from her dad’s shoulders.

This year, she plans on traveling with the summer high school program to the National Mall to see the fireworks and prepares to keep the program attendees safe from any danger.

However, AU Associate Director of Graduate Enrollment Management, Kathy Clowery, doesn’t have a tradition of watching fireworks since her children have left. She enjoys just having a day off of work and being able to sleep in. She plans on spending the day by also going to a friend’s house and won’t miss the work preparing for the big day.

“I’m not going to be painting my house red, white, and blue,” Clowery said since she’ll be going to someone else’s house.

June 23, 2014

Tourism: the capital of Washington

WASHINGTON — As the capital of the United States, this city is known for its tourism. The industry affects both the city’s economy as well as the everyday lives of residents. Though there are varying views on tourism, most tend to be positive.

“I’m glad to have people coming here to visit the national capital of our country,” Richard Beatty, who has a family legacy in Georgetown, said. “[But] I don’t like them crowding out our things.”

The District welcomed a record 18.5 million visitors in 2012, according to washington.org. Since then, visitation has been continually rising and is predicted to do so through 2016. Because of the number of visitors, tourism has just become a part of life for most residents.

“Everyone gets used to [tourism],” Alex King, a senior at American University originally from Michigan, said.

Locals who commute definitely feel the influx and have tips to deal with it. Those include not going to attractions, such as the monuments, on a daily basis, unless family and friends are in town, as Henry Robertson, a sophomore at American University, does.

“I think [tourism is] good as long as it doesn’t hurt the city,” AU senior Shani Lee said.

Many think that the reason why the number of tourists is high is because of the renowned attractions such as the the National Mall, with about 55 percent of the visitors coming for leisure, according to Jeanette Tejeda de Gomez, public affairs specialist of AAA Atlantic. The most popular attractions in the city are the White House, Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument. Special events are also a big draw. This year alone, there will be 17 large events attracting visitors from all over. Tourism in D.C. creates $6.7 billion and supports 75,300 jobs annually.

“Tourism is critical to D.C.” Tejeda de Gomez said.