Throughout the men’s basketball program’s tour of Italy, GoStanford.com will chronicle the experience with several posts during their 14-day journey to Rome, Florence, Venice, and Lake Como.
The adventure began on the East coast with a four-day stop in Washington, D.C. from Wednesday to Saturday. The Cardinal arrived Wednesday evening and, following team dinner, set out for a tour of the landmarks of our nation’s capital.
The tour guide for the evening took the Cardinal on a detailed evening tour of several monuments. It allowed each member of the program to not only view the famous landmarks, but learn the history behind each place they visited. The tour included stops in front of the United States Capital Building, the Washington Monument, the World War II Memorial, the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial, and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial.
Thursday morning began with practice at the Washington Wizards facility inside the Verizon Center in downtown Washington, D.C. With practice complete around noon, the Cardinal headed to another famous landmark of our nation’s capital, Ben’s Chili Bowl, for lunch. Several members of the restaurant’s staff recognized fellow Washingtonians Coach Dawkins and Coach Payne and discussed the restaurant’s place in the storied history of the city.
The Cardinal spent the afternoon touring one of the many museums in Washington, D.C., the Newseum. The program got a unique opportunity to experience the history of news media and how it has evolved through time. There were opportunities for the team to take their shot at being a reporter in the recording studios inside the Newseum.
Thursday ended with team dinner at Fogo de Chão in downtown Washington, D.C. The Cardinal headed to bed for some much-needed sleep, before adventuring out to visit some more of the city’s famous landmarks on Friday.
The Cardinal will remain in Washington. D.C. Friday and Saturday, before traveling to Rome Saturday evening.