Day One at CPAC

Although the morning got off to a rocky start with an early morning drive to Nashville the day turned out to be a very influential day. After our flight landed in Baltimore, MD we all gathered our luggage and set out for our hotel. Only when we arrived we found out that we could not check into the rooms, so it was throw everything into one room then head off to start our day. The goal of the day was to do something cultural. Of course that could mean an array of things especially in the cultural divide of Washington, D.C..

The first lesson learned was how to use the metro. Although at first this seemed to be a task that would take till the end of the trip to master, surprisingly I soon caught on. A group of six went out exploring and our first stop was lunch in China town. This was really cool to see this area of D.C.. All the signs were written in Chinese and the streets were flourished with Chinese decorations. After viewing the scenery we were off to the Smithsonian museum of American History. I have always wanted to go to the Smithsonian so I was really excited to be able to have that opportunity. When we went in we all divided up to make sure everyone got to see what they wanted. Miranda and I toured the War exhibit, the Abraham Lincoln exhibit, the first ladies exhibit, and we saw the popular culture exhibit. My favorite were the first ladies and seeing Judy Garland's slippers from Wizard of Oz. I have always been intrigued by the first ladies and to see the gowns they wore and their jewelry was a cool experience. I also have an obsession with the Wizard of Oz. I am into Wicked and have always loved the movie. To see the shoes that had such a prominent role in the movie was an inspiring moment that really moved me.

After the Smithsonian it was off to register for the convention. The coolest thing about registration was me and Miranda finding our way on our own. We had to read the metro maps and figure out which metro to take. Surprisingly we got there and after registration it was off to dinner with the group. The first day was exhausting, but a lot of fun. It is day one and I already have sore feet and can hardly keep my eyes open. I am interested to listen to the speakers at CPAC, and hopefully I adjust to city life for the next four days.


Whitney Waller