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.