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Washington DC is a mystery to me!
Trowizilla
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So I've lived my whole life in and around Atlanta, GA, and I want to move somewhere else after I get done with my classes this summer. I have a friend who's looking for a roommate up in DC and thus far, it seems like we'd get along splendidly. Plus, my boyfriend lives up that way, and I'd love to see him more often. I've visited DC once before and am going back very soon, and I very much liked the city when I was there (hurrah, public transportation that isn't MARTA!)
The problem is, I don't really know a ton about the city besides the touristy things. I'd like to know about the neighborhoods, average rents, main points of local politics, weather quirks, women's clinics, resources, etc.: stuff you learn about a place by osmosis if you grow up there.
So, H/A, lend me your collective wisdom. What do I need to know about DC?
The problem is, I don't really know a ton about the city besides the touristy things. I'd like to know about the neighborhoods, average rents, main points of local politics, weather quirks, women's clinics, resources, etc.: stuff you learn about a place by osmosis if you grow up there.
So, H/A, lend me your collective wisdom. What do I need to know about DC?
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This article also mentions a few hotspots and safe areas, to help you plan out where you want to be. Does your potential roommate have any idea where they want to live? Rent can fluctuate wildly. Also remember that rent gets cheaper as you actually move out of the city--Alexandria, VA is relatively accessible from the Metro, and is a nice city itself to boot.
Things to do? Depends what you like to do. There's plenty of bars... the pizza so far stinks from what I've found (I'm from the NY metro area originally sue me, I fiend for a good slice!)... lol.
Museums, the Zoo... I dunno, it really will depend on exactly where you are going to situate yourself, what you like to do, and how far you are willing to go to get to it. I've got the tysons corner mall/galleria right by me and if you're a mall rat, they would be right up your alley I'm sure.
My suggestion (aside form maybe that book, I've never read it), is visit your friend and check out the area you are potentially going to live in and see what's there that appeals to you.
Currently I like in Alexandria, VA which is awesome. The city itself has a lot of stuff to do and some great neighborhoods. Also...instant and easy access into DC through metro train, bus, or you driving yourself. Hell..you can walk in if you want to.
Rent? I pay $900 a month all utilities included. This is for a 1 bedroom 650(ish) square foot apartment in a really great location.
Things to do? Concerts all over Northern VA and in the city, free events, musuems, bars, etc..etc..
It's a really good time.
Weather? You're from Atlanta. You'll be fine.
Crime? Less of an issue than most people make it out to be. There are certainly bad parts of the city. You'll learn them quickly. However, just be smart about things and you'll rarely, if ever, find yourself in a vulnerable position.
Getting to know people? There are bar crawls, ultimate frisbee leagues, WAKA (world adult kickball association), etc..
Transportation? Metro system is color coded and very user friendly. Very clean as well. Buses are all over the place and may take a bit of getting used to..fret not.
Traffic? Third worst in the country. Not going to lie. Keep this in mind when looking for a place and job. Many people who live outside the Beltway (495 runs a circle around DC) often tolerate a commute of an hour or more in exhange for cheaper living.
Local Politics? You ask an interesting thing. Regardless of where you live around here it will come up in conversation at some point. Hang around the bars near Capital Hill and expect it to be the opening line of all the staffers.
If you mean local politics as in if a city is liberal etc..etc.. I can only offer Alexandria perspective. Alexandria was recently written up in a book as one of the Top 50 Gay Friendly Communities to Live. The only one in VA to earn the title.
The rest of the city runs about that line too. Very welcoming of anyone and everyone. City Hall has a large staff for women's issues and the like too. The department even has it's own podcast.
Oh, and regarding the pizza slice. I can't find a good traditional one either, however, there are some amazing specialty places.
Any specific questions, please feel free to ask.
The pizza is apparently sucky down here too, so I'm used to it. I'm still sad about the impending lack of Waffle House, though. Where will I get my hashbrowns covered and diced? Is southern-style comfort food to be had in the city? I saw a zillion Ethiopian restaurants in Adams Morgan last time I visited, but what about other ethnic food (love me some samosas, mm)? Beer is near and dear to my heart/liver as well.
Does anyone know if the Planned Parenthoods over there charge on a sliding scale? I'm getting kicked off my parents' health insurance in August, and I really, really, really have to stay on birth control or Bad Things Happen.
As for music? Rock, punk, indie, etc. I'm visiting up there at the end of the week, and I should be going to see Ted Leo on Thursday.
But I don't miss the traffic, seriously! What the previous post said is true, think long and hard about your commute.
Good fries are nice!
Believe it or not,t he traffic around here (In mclean, junction of 123 and 495) is in general a bit better on many days than where I came from (central NJ, massive highway interchange). Overall tho, it's about the same... tho I gotta say, when the beltway gets bad, it's BAD... lord help you if there is an accident, just park your car and have lunch or something.
No clue about planned parenthood's in the area... someone else help a sistah out here!
As for foods, I've found the trend is more towards the asian with some smatterings of middle eastern and mediterrainian foods in my area (thai, japanese, korean, kabobs, greek, indian, etc).
There's the standard italian/american quisine and a few halfway decent mexican places.
The variety is nothing like what I'm used to (not just the woefully bad pizza), but the Chinese/thai/japanese are definately top notch if that's your thing.
I know they have plenty of theater and classical shows at wolftrap if you're into that (I'm a bit of a classical buff, but I haven't been to a show there yet). I know there are plenty of bands around, and baltimore and philly are pretty close by.... so there's tons of stuff around that's not that big of a drive. Cirque du Soleil was in Baltimore not long ago (again if it's something you are into).
As for Metro Lines, many places will offer a free shuttle to the closest metro stop, so that's an amenityt o look into. As you and your roomy are both going to be new here, I'd suggest looking into the budget you both want to work with, that will dictate certain areas. My rent in Mclean for instance is 1300/month, not including utilities, but it's a nice apt with its own washer/dryer, kitcher, balcony, private parking, etc... and it's only 2.5 miles from my job and I can walk to the grocery store in under 10 minutes... so all things concidered, I love my little slice of real estate.
There are also some cool, inexpensive places to live over by the new convention center; those neighborhoods all look a lot worse than they really are.
Good ethnic food is pretty easy to get if you like Asian, African, or Indian. Mexican is pretty crummy, but good Italian is available for a price.
Finding cheap or free birth control isn't likely to be a problem. There's a serious problem with teenage moms here, so every liberal social group in the city will be happy to set you up with birth control.
And for pizza, Two Amy's is fucking KILLER.
i hate dc though.. lived there for 4 years sure am, glad I'm out in Cali
aka Grillaface
Thanks again for being so helpful, everyone!
This is some good advice. Dupont is expensive, but is also nice. If you're going to look for Columbia Heights, go for something west of 14th Street. I live in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood (10-15 minute walk west from the Columbia Heights metro.) It's a great neighborhood - there are lots of families which I feel like points to the fact that it's pretty safe. Like I said, it's 10-15 minutes to the metro, but there's also great bus access (the 42 goes from Mt Pleasant through Adams Morgan & Dupont to downtown, and the 16th street bus goes straight downtown) depending on where you'll be working.
Other places that have been recommended to me are the Courthouse/Ballston area in Virginia, and Friendship Heights in the District. If I had to give you a guideline for picking someplace to live, it would be live west of 14th street in NW.
Exactly what drhazard said. Washingtonpost.com has their job section. It's good stuff.
craigslist will work too.
Also think about usajobs.com This is a government town and those be government jobs.
Check out Del Ray. Recently voted Top 5 Up and coming neighborhoods to live in the country. woo!