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MARCH MADNESS: Georgetown Traditions Round 1

 See full bracket and results here

Georgetown Day Swimming in Dahlgren Fountain

Welcome to the second installment of 4E’s March Madness: The Best of Georgetown. Our first matchup for Georgetown Traditions: Georgetown Day vs. Swimming in Dahlgren Fountain. (Scroll down to see the second matchup)

It may seem hard to top Georgetown Day, with its promises of day drinking and bouncy castles…

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… but Georgetown Day comes but once a year. Dahlgren Fountain is there for you the whole year through.

Georgetown Day earns the culinary advantage, with kegs and eggs, mimosas, pancakes, waffles — anything your heart stomach could imagine.

And the only thing as refreshing as André and Tropicana on a warm day is a dip into the cool water of Dahlgren Fountain.

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Both contenders offer a hint of danger – which is what makes them exciting, right?

But also, did I mention the bouncy castles?

Georgetown Day has become somewhat sacred over its decade of existence. Its legendary status makes it the obvious top seed in this contest. But the administration’s efforts to squash everyone’s fun by adding barricades and checking bags has made it vulnerable to competitors. Dahlgren Fountain is the underdog here, but that’s not to say we can’t expect a Cinderella story. So who moves on to the next round? It’s up to you, VOTE HERE:

[cardoza_wp_poll id=10]

[POLL NOW CLOSED! STAY TUNED FOR RESULTS ON 3/24)

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white house john carrolls lap

 Onto the next ones! Here’s the second part of our Georgetown Traditions showdown: Running to the White House vs. Sitting in John Carroll’s Lap

The White House, home to every American President since John Adams, is conveniently located at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., just a short jog away from our own campus.

The statue of John Carroll, Georgetown’s founder, is even more conveniently located in the center of Healy Circle.

Georgetown students have been known to run to the White House to celebrate all sorts of events, from reaching the Final Four in the NCAA tournament to President Obama’s re-election to Osama Bin Laden’s death.

And it’s not uncommon on any given night to see someone clambering into Johnny C’s lap

JC Lap

According to campus legend, the tunnels under Healy Hall lead all the way to the White House. Good to know in case of snowstorms during a run to the big house!

There’s also a rumor that all those books under JC’s chair are hiding a toilet that some pranksters stuck under there back in the 60’s. Just something to chuckle to yourself about next time you climb up there.

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So which one will it be: Would you rather cause a ruckus outside the president’s house or spend some quality time with the founder of our school? THE CHOICE IS YOURS!

[cardoza_wp_poll id=11]

[POLL NOW CLOSED! STAY TUNED FOR RESULTS ON 3/24)

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DFMO 101: Lessons Learned at The Third Edition

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Now that the Third Edition, our friendly neighborhood bar (and this blog’s namesake … kinda), has closed its doors for the final time, it’s as good a time as ever to reflect on some of the things that we learned in its hallowed halls. Over the years, we’ve seen Thirds as a haven for freshmen frantically trying to memorize the zip code on their fake IDs and as the spot where you’re most likely to make out with that cutie who sat behind you in micro. But it just wouldn’t be Georgetown without one final look back on it’s impact on our collective college experience. So here it is, the top four things that Thirds taught us all:

Jackets are overrated Nearly everyone who’s been to Thirds has either lost a jacket, unintentionally traded one with a stranger, been way too hot with their jacket still on or felt awkward carrying their jacket while dancing. For the sake of holding onto your own belongings, it’s better to go with a beer jacket (or, more realistically, a Burnett’s jacket) before heading out for the night.

The Buddy System is real — and important Loneliness is pushing your way through a sticky, sweaty crowd alone, not knowing where your bestie has gone. Thirds taught me that a buddy makes everything better — waiting in an infinite bathroom line, fending off creeps or locating that aforementioned cutie from class in the crowd. Plus, keeping a buddy close means you’ll never have to eat pizza alone!

Speak up  Thirds was always known for their theme nights — $2 Kamikaze Night, Ladies’ Night, etc. But my freshman self was most excited about Champagne Night, for a chance to try something slightly better than warm Andre. Unfortunately, when I excitedly asked the bartender for “One champagne, please,” I should have known by the puzzled look on his face that I wasn’t about to enjoy a glass of bubbly. Instead, I got handed a full cup of Jim Beam on ice and paid a steep price for it — in both dollars and bad nights.

Don’t trust any strangers ever But seriously, if someone offers you a beer and says, “It’s not roofied, I promise,” it’s probably roofied. Just don’t do it.

Photo: TheGeorgetownDish.com

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Score Some Election Day Freebies

Did you vote in the general election? If your answer was no, shame on you — head out right now, you can register on site to vote in D.C. The Duke Ellington School is a polling place, and they’re open until 8 p.m. If your answer was, yes, high five! That “I Voted” sticker you got after you cast your ballot just got way more awesome (sorry, absentee ballot voters).

Besides the warm feeling of patriotism in your chest, that sticker can earn you a snack free of charge – lots of places are giving away free stuff or bonus items with purchase. And while some of them require an “I Voted” sticker, some of these places are just in the spirit of election day giving.

We’ve compiled a few places here, but be sure to leave any more places that you know of in the comments section!

Yoga Studios The D.C. yoga community is offering free yoga classes all day today. Stop by Lulu Lemon, Down Dog, or Georgetown Yoga to stretch out some of your nerves before the election results start pouring in. There are even more yoga studios participating, check out the full list here.

Starbucks While you won’t be seeing any free coffee this election day, you can score a red white and blue bracelet reading “INDIVISIBLE” when you stop by for coffee.

Shake Shack Grab yourself a free Presidential Caramel custard when you fill out a Pledge to Vote card at the Shake Shack in Dupont Circle.

Einstein Brothers Bagels The “I Voted” sticker will earn you a free bagel with cream cheese at Einstein Bros – unconfirmed whether or not it will work at our mini Einstein stands, but it’s worth a try!

Z-Burger It’s a bit of a trek, but Z-Burger is giving away free burgers to customers with a sticker from the voting booth (or you can say “ZVote” at the register). There’s a Z-Burger on Wisconsin Ave. in Glover Park (just past the Whole Foods). And trust us, they’re delicious.

Ben and Jerry’s A free cone with your sticker (this would be a pretty good time to grab the Americone Dream flavor).

Mellow Mushroom This Adams Morgan bar is hosting an election night party starting at 8 p.m. No sticker needed, but if you check in on Facebook with three other friends, you’ll snag a free pitcher of swing state beer – you can choose between Colorado, Ohio and Virginia.

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Surviving Sandy: Food Edition

As Hurricane Sandy descends on the East coast, we’re all making last minute preparations before the storm traps us inside. The worst of the storm is yet to come, so if you still need to grab supplies, now’s the time to do it. Lots of places are running low on bottled water and flashlights, but there’s still some things to be had if you know where to look. Nobody wants to make a long trek just to come face to face with a closed sign, so we put on our journalist pants and found out which places are still open. We’ll be updating this list as we hear updates on business hours. Wisemiller’s – Normal hours: grab a Chicken Madness to tide you over during Hurricane Madness) The Tombs – Kitchen closed at 3 p.m. Corp Services – Closed Quick Pita – Normal hours Wingo’s – Normal hours Eat & Joy – Normal hours Chipotle – Closed Tuscany – Closed Booey’s – Closed Dean & Deluca – Closed Dixie Liquor – Will remain open until 8 p.m.

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Casual Thursday: Pumpkin Overload

Now that fall is in full swing, pumpkin spice is impossible to escape. From lattes and bagels to soup and bread (and of course pumpkin pie), it has firmly cemented itself as the spice of the season. And because we love fall and everything that goes with it, we figured we’d play along. This Thursday, in honor of the week being (almost) over, we’re celebrating all things pumpkin.

There’s no better (or more festive) way to relax at the end of a long week than with a pumpkin beer. Almost every brewery puts out their own version, but Harpoon puts out some of our favorites. They put out two different options – a pumpkin-spiced version of their UFO (a wheat beer) and a pumpkin cider. Both are great beers, not too expensive, and can be found at our local grocery and liquor stores.

In the mood for something a little fancier than beer? Try making a Pumpkin Pie Old Fashioned with squash-infused whiskey and a syrup made of brown sugar, cloves and cinnamon. Then come share it with us.

It wouldn’t be fall without a few Jack O’Lanterns around, so pick up a pumpkin and get to carving. You can find pumpkins all over the place, from Safeway and Trader Joe’s to Red Square (Relay For Life is selling pumpkins as a fundraiser). You can go with the classic Jack O’Lantern face, or go for something a tad more extreme.

If you’d rather stick beer inside a pumpkin than a candle, you can also make a pumpkin keg for your next party. After you gut your pumpkin, throw the seeds in the oven with a little olive oil and salt for a toasted pumpkin seed snack.

Stay casual, Hoyas.

Photos: domestocrat.wordpress.com, Flickr user micki_hills

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The Return of drunkengeorgetownstudents.com

There’s evidence of the longstanding battle between Georgetown students and our disgruntled neighbors all over the place – lawn signs and pins reading “Our Homes Not GU’s Dorms”, angry listserv posts about sunbathing students, you name it. Now one of our more outspoken Burleith neighbors has resurrected his blog, “Drunken” Georgetown Students (quotation marks are his, not ours).

Featuring shaky videos of student parties with commentary like “No Snap… no Rocky? What gives?” and “Pigs in a Poke”, drunkengeorgetownstudents.com is run by Stephen R. Brown, a Burleith resident and former American University professor.

Seniors may remember the site from our freshman year, when Brown started taking pictures of parties on his block, and encouraging his fellow Burleith and West Georgetown residents to do the same. He once suggested a photo contest where one of the categories could be “urination” (sounds fun!).

The server hosting the original Drunken Georgetown Students took the site offline because Brown was posting photos of students without their permission, a violation of their Terms of Service. He started things up again on the current version of the site.

Brown wrapped up posting in May 2010, with a goodbye note to the graduating class. But now he’s back, and better than ever. He started things back up this spring with some snarky commentary about the effectiveness of SNAPS, and over the summer and fall has been posting videos of the parties on his block.

After the jump, check out one of his videos, and a few excerpts from the site.

Continue reading “The Return of drunkengeorgetownstudents.com”

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Verbatim: National Coming Out Day

In honor of National Coming Out Day, 4E reached out to GU Pride President Meghan Ferguson (COL ’15) for a little insight to this important day.

Coming Out Day is something that is celebrated across the country. It is a day where we, the LGBTQ and Allied community, come together to celebrate our identities and increase the visibility of our community.  At Georgetown, every year we hand out ‘I Am’ t-shirts that everyone wears on Coming Out Day as a sign of visibility and solidarity. I remember last year being so excited to see so many people wearing the shirts; knowing how extensive the community is, is invaluable.  The other main event for the day is the annual Affection-In in Red Square, where same-sex couples will gather in Red Square and hold hands, hug, or kiss, as a way to make ourselves visible as a community on campus and to show that we are proud of who we are.

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Reimagining Georgetown, One Idea at a Time

Georgetown is all about traditions. It’s about hearing Bill Clinton speak in Gaston Hall, then coming back the next day to see your roommate’s a cappella group perform. It’s about John Carroll’s lap, GUSA campaigns, and your first Chicken Madness. On a campus with so many longstanding traditions, though, there’s always room for a great new idea.

The Reimagine Georgetown Grant gives you the opportunity to bring your own great idea to life. You can win up to $10,000 to fund a project that improves the undergraduate student experience. Sponsored by the Corp, GUASFCU and The Hoya, Reimagine looks to improve the undergraduate experience at Georgetown by supporting creative student initiatives.

In the past, Reimagine has given grants to projects like the Georgetown Farmer’s Market, Breaking the Bubble, Student Workshops at Georgetown and more. We can’t wait to see what other ideas are out there!

Interested in applying? The deadline is October 28th, and you can find the application here. Starting tonight, Reimagine Georgetown will be hosting open houses where you can come ask questions and talk to us about your ideas. Just look for our table in either Uncommon Grounds or Midnight Mug.

Important dates:

Wednesday, October 10 – Open House, Uncommon Grounds 9-11 pm

Wednesday, October 17 – Open House, Midnight Mug 9-11 pm

Wednesday, October 24 – Open House, Midnight Mug 9-11 pm

Friday, October 28 – Applications due by 11:59 pm

Have questions? Want them answered now? Email [email protected]

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We’re Number 3! We’re Number 3!

Hope you look good in bronze, because D.C. was just named the third best city in America by Businessweek.

D.C. pulled in a third place finish, behind Seattle at number 2 and San Francisco at number 1. According to Businessweek, the District has become “the nation’s leader when it comes to leisure,” based on our significant park acreage, high volume of restaurants and cultural arenas like the Kennedy Center and Smithsonian museums.

This comprehensive ranking of America’s cities comes out every year, and judges them based on a variety of categories, from libraries to crime to air quality. Businessweek and Bloomberg Rankings came up with the ranking system, which took into account five major areas:

  • Leisure (bars, restaurants, libraries, museums, professional sports)
  • Education (public school performance, local colleges)
  • Economics (income, job availability, unemployment)
  • Crime
  • Air Quality

The metrics for ranking cities were altered slightly this year to put more emphasis on leisure amenities – so while many cities’ rankings may have changed, that doesn’t mean that they’ve gotten significantly better or worse since last year’s list. Last year Raleigh, North Carolina topped the list while they came in 18th place this year. The District pulled itself up to number 3 from number 6 last year.

Check out where the rest of America’s biggest cities fall in the ranking with the whole list. How does your hometown stack up to D.C.?

Photo: Flickr user rahtenkamen

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Pandamonium! A New Baby Panda for the National Zoo

Get ready for a cute overload – a new giant panda cub was born late last night at the National Zoo. After her last cub was born in 2005, Mei Xiang has finally produced another tourist-attracting ball of fluff.

Mei Xiang was artificially inseminated back in April (in case you’re super interested in the details, the National Zoo livetweeted the whole thing), and gave birth at 10:46 PM on Sunday, surprising researchers at the Zoo. According to Post Local, caretakers expected another disappointment on the baby panda front.

Instead they wound up with a yet-to-be-named panda cub, who’s currently about the size of a stick of butter. Researchers won’t be able to see the new cub for a week or so while Mei Xiang protects her new baby, but they’ve heard little panda vocalizations. Maybe even a baby panda sneeze or two.

The last five years have been full of failed pregnancies for Mei Xiang, and there was talk of replacing the National Zoo’s pandas for a younger and friskier pair. But with a new cub, these pandas will be at the National Zoo for at least four more years. Plenty of time to watch the new baby grow up with brother Tai Shan.

This will be the second piece of baby animal excitement in recent news for the National Zoo – an adorable new dama gazelle was born last week.

Photo:Flickr