3 States in 1 Day

The inside of the Business Quiet Car on Amtrak

Each day consistently we wake up early in the  morning and have a long day. Today, both Justice and I awoke and walked down to Starbucks, returning at 6:40 AM. Still 10 minutes early, we ran back up to our room, packed, and met everyone in the lobby. Still only half awake, we called for a taxi and were dropped off at the Amtrak station. The stone building reinforced the fact that Washington D.C is an amazing architectural city.


Once inside, we found a nice quiet table and we went to order food. After yesterday’s experience with the delicious sandwiches at Potbelly Sandwich Works, we found yet another one at the station. Since we were too lazy to putt around the train station, we ordered our breakfast here. Train stations are much easier to get around then airports. We quickly located our gate and patiently waited until boarding. Being seated in the Business Quiet Car, we were not able to mingle or introduce ourselves to new people. However, I was able to squeeze a quick nap in.


Outside doorway of White Dog

The train ride was very quick and relaxing. We arrived in Philadelphia at 11 AM and hastily checked in our luggage, for we had a lunch with University of Pennsylvania alumni at 11:30. Surprisingly, we entered the front doors of the White Dog with 15 minutes to spare. Instead of waiting inside, we all sat on the sidewalk in the cool shade. Just a few minutes before 11:30, a young woman and a tall man walked past and asked, "Is there any chance that you guys are in the ILC?" It was two of the UPenn alumni. We quickly made introductions. The young woman was named Dyana So and the tall man was Kahaari Kenyatta. A few minutes later, another woman walked up and introduced herself as Briana Williams. After mingling outside for a few minutes, we walked into the restaurant and were seated in a private back room. 

Still waiting on one more alum, we sipped our waters and got to know each other. I sat directly next to Briana who was very sweet and funny. Briana studied abroad in Seoul, South Korea studying criminology. Even though Dyana sat on the other side of the table, we were still able to mingle and we found out that we both played the clarinet in marching band. Kahaari is in Public Health and minors in chemistry. Due to lack of time, we had to leave for our tour of University of Pennsylvania.  Saying our good-byes were brief, but contact info was exchanged in case we had any more questions left.

University of Pennsylvania engineering banner

As we made our way to UPenn, we realized we were late, so we quickly walked our way into the auditorium. The auditorium was packed with students and parents in every seat. Luckily, we were able to catch half of the speech. Some interesting facts about UPenn is that they are the number one college when it comes to sending students to study abroad. Also, due to my interest in business, I found myself listening very closely about the Wharton School of Business. Wharton is one of the top business schools that focuses on students going right into the work force after graduating. Following the information tour, we were given a campus tour by Stephanie. We were able to see the majority of UPenn. Something that surprised me was that I did not know UPenn's campus was so old style looking. Similar to Georgetown's buildings, UPenn had tall, brick worked buildings. I enjoyed the University of Pennsylvania, mainly because of their outstanding business school.

Food court in gate F18

The cohort headed straight to the bookstore after the campus tour. After a refreshment stop at Starbucks, we looked around the store and read some of their available books. An hour passed and we eventually got ourselves out without buying too many items. Still 2 hours early before our airport shuttle arrived, we strolled back to the Amtrak station and got our luggage from the Amtrak baggage check-in.

US Airways Express airplane

6 o'clock rolled around and we piled into the airport shuttle. 30 minutes later we arrived at the airport. We checked in our bags, got through security, and took a shuttle to gate F18. Upon our arrival, we settled in the dining hall and blogged for 45 minutes. Eventually, our hunger got to us, so we took a break from blogging and ate dinner in the dining hall. Our flight left at 9:30 PM, so we had plenty of time to eat, blog, and mingle. The only difference was that tonight we flew US Airways instead of Southwest to Cornell, located in Ithaca, New York. This was the first time I flew in an airplane during the night time. The view was amazing. Seeing all the stars shining and the shadows of the clouds took my breath away. The flight from Pennsylvania to Ithaca was shorter than our previous ones and we landed in 45

minutes.

Chan-Law went to rent a van while the Cornell cohort waited for the luggage. The baggage finally emerged and we packed the back of the van exactly the way Holiday Inn drivers pack their shuttles. We arrived at the South Balch building and unloaded the ladies luggage and brought to the front lobby for them. Chan-Law then drove Justice and I to the Mary Donlon building. The atmosphere and the personality of the college helpers were very positive. My RA's are Jake, Rak, and Josh. All very helpful young men, who have great attitudes toward younger students.