by Kyrien Keeton
This year, the Catholic University of America adopted the Metro UPass program, providing students with unlimited access to the DC Metro included within tuition costs. Because I didn’t have too much school work to finish this weekend, I decided to go on a day trip with a few of my friends into DC to make the most of this new perk.
My friends and I started our day at the Catholic University metro stop in Brookland. From there, we took the Red Line west to Metro Center, where we made a quick stop for lunch at the salad shop, Chopt. The chicken avocado bowl was just as good as I remembered when I used to treat myself to Chopt in my hometown in North Carolina!
After Chopt, it was back to the Metro and on to the main highlight of our adventure. Hopping onto the Silver Line, the half-hour ride took us straight to Tyson’s Mall in Virginia, where we spent most of the day shopping, wandering in and out of stores, trying on outfits (that we could never afford), and spending way too much time and money in Altar’d State and H&M.
Even though we didn’t even explore half of the mall, my Apple watch said we walked 11,000 steps, and everyone was exhausted enough to head back to the Metro. Taking the Silver Line back to Metro Center, we transferred to the Red Line (Glenmont go home) and made our final stop of the day.
As if we hadn’t already spent enough money, we stopped at Rhode Island for tacos at Taqueria Habanero in Bryant Street Market. Then, for a practical stop, my friend and I walked over to Giant to pick up groceries for our dorm. Then back to the Metro, taking the Red Line one stop back to campus.
We left Catholic University at eleven in the morning, rode the Metro over thirty-two miles of DC, and returned to Catholic University at eight in the evening. All in all, a wonderful adventure of a day – with still so much more to explore around the city!
