Washington DC
 

Since this seems to be the thing to do...

I'll be living in Bethesda, MD and interning in the city from late May to late August.

DCers - give a small-town girl from Ohio some tips for living in the nation's capital!

Hang out with Lil' Hannah and play horseshoes with her friends OMGOMGOMGOFOMGOMG

Yea, except that's a given, dude.

I want to come play horseshoes with Lil' Hannah and ADqtPiMel and friends!

Also, I hope you like humidity.

I love it, actually. Dry air makes my nose bleed and my favorite temperature is about 90 degrees. Sounds like I'll fit right in!

Think roommates, as in plural. Coming from Ohio, you're in for some serious sticker shock when it comes to rent. I have a friend in Alexandria (a bit more expensive) who has two roommates, and they pay $3500 a month rent. Great place, but still...

You can advertise locally for roommates or also down there, too, but most DC newbies have roomies.

Try to find something on the Metro line. It's safe, it's nice, and it will become your best friend, even if you have a car.

Are you working in DC, or in Arlington? Either way, get local maps NOW and start memorizing a few of the more popular roads. DC has some order to it (once you learn the quadrants, etc), but Arlington is another story.

Depend on those who live there to tell you where the fun places are, as they constantly change. If you get invited to the Army-Navy Country Club, don't even think of wearing pants!!!

I'm sure there's more, but I'll bow to some of the natives for now.

I've been in DC the past year and about to move again. Do you have a place to live for the summer? I'm in Arlington and looking to sublease out my room in a 4 bedroom home. One of my roomies is a fellow ADPi alum!

Things to do in DC: The National Mall is home to the Smithsonian collection of museums-- and they're all free! You'll want to go monument hopping-- Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, etc. Then there's lunch and shopping at Union Station and a tour of the Capitol, tons of great intern happy hours on the Hill, weekend flea markets, the National Zoo, nice dinners in DuPont Circle, partying in Adams Morgan and Georgetown, the bars and quaint shops of Old Town and lots of great walking tours. Don't miss historic locations like Mount Vernon, George Washington's Historic home, or other great museums like the International Spy Museum or National Geographic Explorer's Hall!

NYC, Philly and Boston are just a few hours' car ride away. Or you can take the train or an uber cheap bus from ChinaTown.

Definitely take the time for sightseeing and read the Sunday Washington Post to find out what's happening.

More sightseeing: The Hillwood Museum. It's pricy, but amazing! It's just north of DuPont Circle, and was the home Marjorie Merriweather Post (as in Post Cereals). She was married to the US Ambassador to the USSR when they were still selling a lot of the Tsarist treasures, and picked them up for a song. There are collections of jade, china (27 sets), incredible jewelry, paintings - you really have to see it to believe it! I know people who have gone there once a week for months, just to see everything properly! The Hillwood Museum

Also -

Eastern Market is a big outdoor market with used stuff and handcrafted jewelery and clothes and a farmer's market and stuff, it has its own metro stop so it's easy to find. There's an awesome sandwich shop near it called Sizzle Express which I recommend as well.

And then you must get jumbo slices in Adams Morgan after a night at the bars.

Yes. It has a big sign that says JUMBO SLICE so everybody calls it that even though that's not its name.

There are several places that have jumbo slices down there.

You all pretty much have it covered!

:)

Oh yeah, be sure to check out the various festivals: Georgia Avenue Day, the Caribbean Day Parade, Adams Morgan Day, Mount Pleasant Day...and some others...

What about that grease joint Ben's? Nobody mentioned Ben's.

-Rudey

http://www.benschilibowl.com/

The food is decent.

Thanks guys!

I forgot to mention that I'm doing an internship program called The Washington Center, so my housing, roommates and all that are set up already. I don't know where I'll be working yet, but I have a slew of phone interviews coming up, so we'll see.

GOOD LUCK! Nice Place to visit and see.:cool:

Have Very Deep Pockets or Room Mates.:(

Ohh yeah another Greek Chat DCer!!! I'm coming up on being in DC for a year (May 26th) and I have to say it's been bumpy and a lot of hard learned lessons but a great experience!

Definitly do as much as you can (Adam's Morgan Day, etc etc). Explore The Mall, do all the museums etc etc!

May you have a WONDERFUL experience that you'll never forget!!

(I know I didn't! I still have friends there who I visit!)

Y'all did a great job of covering the DC area. I lived there for 6.5 years and I miss it SO MUCH! You just don't know! :(

Washington Post is a great newspaper. I have been spoiled. No other paper has compared to it, IMO. I don't care if I have to pay $5 for the Sunday Post, if I can find it, it is so worth the money.

I miss the shopping. Tysons Corner and Pentagon City and so many more...sigh

I have yet to find comparable shopping...sorry nothing in the Pacific Northwest can hold a candle to it.

The Metro is definitely your friend...

ROTFL!!!

When I was a teenager, my mother & I would go to New York to go shopping a few times a year.

Now, we go to Tyson's Corners! :D

I love to eat at the Old Ebbitt Grill (close to the White House). I always see someone famous there!

Old Ebbitt Grill website

Oh yeah...that was one of our hangouts. One of my friends used to work there

Gee whiz -- I bet I saw Jill there & didn't even know it! :D

Well I left DC in Summer of 1998 (sniff!). Had such a blast in the Capitol City (lived in Alexandria)

I might have seen my girl NutBrown :D

If you tell me that you lived in one of the Old Town townhouses, I will die!! I could never afford even a quarter of one, when I lived there. :(

No Old Town was too rich for my blood :)

Nope lived in a high rise complex on Seminary Road. (betcha know which one) Had a great view of downtown DC

Am born and raised in the DC suburbs and still live there.

DC can be an unsafe city, just like anywhere else but you really need to be careful.

Don't wander the city alone at night nor take the metro alone at night.

I would try to stay away Southeast DC as much as possible.

Pay attention to parking signs, expired parking meters etc. Parking in the city is so difficult and they ticket you the first chance you get.

There are a million places to go and see and it's a blast. But seriously be careful because there are crazy people everwhere.

ha

I second that.

One of the first things I was told was in the form of a joke:
Q: How long does it take to walk from the White House to the Capitol?
A: They don't know - nobody's made it yet!

Can someone please explain why all the out of state cars are still parked on the streets at 5pm Monday-Friday when my father and I are trying to get home in the summer!!! :rolleyes:

But on another note, love DC, raised in MD, but the parents have worked there my whole life.

Getting ready to move to Alexandria myself in September after grad school.

Definitely hit up chinatown, that's where the spy museum and MCI center are.

Also, the mall has a lot of stuff during the summer, festivals, movies, etc. If you go for the 4th of july, be careful though, it can get pretty crazy!
:)

I was never in DC on the 4th. I was always with my nutso family for family reunions. I would love to experience a July 4th in DC

The first baby I ever held is getting married on Friday, July 1st. As mr. honeychile has never been to DC or Baltimore (!!), I've convinced him to visit our friends in Baltimore, then go to the Mall for the 4th. I can't wait!!

*Must check DC United's schedule to see if they're playing then!!

I think it depends on where you are. I've been to the mall on the 4th and it was fun, but not crazy. I was forbiddene by Mr. Jhujenn when I first moved out here to go to the mall on the 4th so the first summer after we broke-up I promptly marched myself down there with a cooler full of drinks and snacks for the day. My friends and I had fun, but I definately wouldn't call it crazy.

ditto on getting a local map, especially if you are going to be driving. And watch out for the circles. You can end up driving all day around the same area - lol.

Senusret, is Georgia Brown's still open? It has/had a nice Sunday brunch.

Yep. When my daughter attended Howard, they were told explicitly not to go out at night alone. And when you are walking hold your purse close to you in a way that the strap is not visible.

The area around Howard is a whole different thing compared to other parts of the city. I went to school about 10 blocks over and always felt very safe.

These are the very things that ADQTPiMel needs to know! When you've been there, you realize that the same street can do a 180 as to its safety between daylight and nightime. Or that the same street is good for 10 blocks, then becomes scary.

So dish it up, DC folk! We want to have her back with us, safe and sound, after this summer!

I've been in D.C. for the past 2 years and my experience seems to be different from many of the people here.

1. I lived in SE my 1L year. Granted, I lived by Eastern Market, not across the river, but I definitely would not say to "stay out of SE". I love Eastern Market and that whole area, there are tons of great shops and restaurants.

2. I think the metro is pretty safe at night. It is always clean now and I have never had a problem. My first summer I had no car and got home each night around 11:00pm. I then walked 5 blocks through SE to my house and never was bothered. I occasionally got catcalled at, but that happened more in the daytime than at night. Now, I am not suggesting that you go out at night alone on the regular, I always party in groups, I am just saying the DC metro is WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY safer than many of the other NE coase metro systems (I just tried Philly's last weekend.)

3. The summer is full of rain! I am from Houston, so I know humid heat, that was not my DC experience. My experience was storm, after storm, after storm- followed by Hurricane Isabel that October.

4. D.C. is HELLA expensive- for a Southern or Midwestern girl you will find this to be true. However, look for a little thing called rent control! I rent a 1,000 square foot apt in the D.C. part of Chevy Chase (Connec. and Military) for under $1,000. That is less than $1.00/sq foot- that is cheaper than TX price!

5. TEAR THE CLUB UP! D.C. has a great night life, and guess what, its not all in Adams Morgan. Explore! Have fun, don't be scared of the city, embrace it!

6. The shopping is good at the afore-mentioned places. I would also try Mustard Seed in Bethesda, it is a great little vintage shop.

7. If you want something touristy to do, go on a bike tour of the monuments- I have heard its great!

8. Georgia Brown's is still open, try the shrimp and grits. From this soul food raised Southerner, its pretty good!

9. Also try Spices or Asia Cafe for sushi, Chicken Out for a quick, HEALTHY REAL meal (read baked chicken, veggies, potatoes, etc...), Bread and Chocolate in Eastern Market for desserts or Sunday brunch, Oceanaire for a ritzy seafood dinner (very pricey), and Armands for pizza buffet.

Hope this helps!