Despite its rural setting, the attractions of the big city are not far away from the Blandy Experimental Farm. Blandy lies just over 60 miles west of the Nation's Capital. Students driving to the the Orange Line Metro Station in Vienna, VA can ride the subway into Washington, D.C. and walk out onto the Capital Mall in a little over an hour after leaving Blandy. In addition to the Capital Building, the White House, and its famous monuments, Washington, of course, offers the Smithsonian Museums, the National Zoo (free for everyone!), and wonderfully diverse restaurants. It has become an REU student tradition to make the trip to Washington for the annual Folklife Festival and stay for a spectacular Fourth of July fireworks display. The accompanying photo shows REU students Daniel Volpe (Virginia Tech), Jaida Collins (Howard University), and Jake Langeslag (Minnesota State University, Manketo) on the Capital Mall.