Getting Started in Washington, DC

welcome	So, you will come to Washington, DC, or "Dee-Cee" as locals call it. You probably come to Washington to advance your career, promote a cause, or find opportunities. Some people really like it here, others merely tolerate it. But for whatever reason you, like most, will stay from a couple of months to a couple of years. This budget guide to getting started in DC is intended for young professionals coming from around the US and the World.
arriving Good thing several area universities offer PhD programs in parking signs.	By Car: Are you nuts? Don't bring your car to DC unless you plan to live in the suburbs. See the part on transportation below. Dulles Airport: Recently expanded, Finnish-designed, and really far from the city center. Claim your luggage, go through customs and follow everyone out to ground transportation. The first thing you will notice is the weather. Summer: incredibly hot and humid; Winter: slimy cold. (spring and fall can be OK). Forget about it. If you don't want to drop $45 for a taxi, find the Washington Flyer bus and buy a ticket for $16 to go downtown. Ask the driver to leave you nearest to where you are staying, then get a taxi. Taxi drivers in DC are generally honest, I guess. Just pretend like you know what's up. Pay the fare plus a tip of approximately 15%, more or less depending upon how nice and helpful he is. National Airport: Right next to downtown. Pickup luggage, enjoy the new terminal that everyone likes, and get a taxi if you have a lot of luggage. If you don't mind carrying your bags a little distance, walk to the Metro about 1/4 mile (300 meters) from the terminal. Buy a Metro ticket - don't be afraid - see the section on Metro. Baltimore Washington International: Really, really far from DC. Take the shuttle bus to the train station and take an AMTRAK or MARC train to Union Station. Schedule Here. Taxis to DC are about $50. Union Station (trains): Beautiful turn of the century railway station, recently revitalized with shops, restaurants, etc. Take a taxi or the Metro to your destination depending on how much luggage you have. If you're anxious to see the monuments immediately, offer the taxi drive a couple of extra dollars to drive down "the Mall" which is nearby. Peter Pan/Greyhound (bus): Sketchy neighborhood. Grab a taxi and get out of there. During the day, the intrepid may want to walk 1/2 mile to the Union Station Metro stop to save some cash.
finding a place to live	Your first order of business is to get out of your hotel room/youth hostel/friend's livingroom. Housing in DC is relatively expensive unless you live in a psycho-dangerous neighborhood. Don't do that. Don't fret, DC isn't New York, if you have money, you have a place to live (As of January 1999, it has gotten increasingly difficult to find a place to live. Prices have risen 20% and demand is way up, this is particularly true in the near-downtown areas: Georgetown, Dupont, Adams Morgan). Grab a City Paper (free) at area bookstores, coffeeshops, and bars. They're usually stacked up at the entrance. Distributed on Thursday morning. If you can ignore the justifiably cynical articles on DC politics, you'll use the City Paper to find a place to live, to learn about what's going on around town, etc. Also check out the Washington Post on Saturday Mornings and the Washington Blade (DC's gay newspaper). All of the papers have online listings. Some housing in DC is cheap due to rent control. If you see something cheap listed, act fast, you might get lucky. Cheap places go fast, so be sure to check listings on the day the paper is issued. You can also check listings posted at area universities, coffeeshops, bookstores, etc. Housing is listed by neighborhood: Dupont Circle: Greenwich Village Lite. mostly gay, kind of artsyish, yuppieish. Very centrally located, next to downtown. Pretty safe, pretty expensive. Nice cafes, bars (gay and straight), shops, etc. Fun in the summer. Adams Morgan: multi-ethnic (Salvadoran, Ethiopian, Black, White). Many social classes and races living together. Tons of restaurants and bars (by DC standards). East of 18th street more dangerous, West side very affluent, rents reflect this. Don't go east of 16th street. Closer to Rock Creek Park = more elegant and safer. 20 minute walk from Downtown. Mount Pleasant: same as Adams Morgan, but farther and cheaper. Favored by underpaid non-profit types living in group houses. Don't go east of Mount Pleasant street. Down near the park you can hear the lions and monkeys in the zoo in the mornings. Woodley Park: kind of suburbanish. Young professionals, some families, women especially like the safe atmosphere. Metro stop nearby. Cleveland Park: same as Woodley, but one Metro stop further. Kalorama: Forget it, you can't afford it, you're not an ambassador yet. Foxhall: Forget it, you're not a kazillionaire, besides, it's too far. Georgetown: Beautiful, safe, quiet streets, very old charming neighborhoods with some cobblestone streets and nice parks. M street and Wisconsin Avenue have shops and bars where undergraduates and tourists converge. Better be willing to fork over some serious cash. 25 minute walk from downtown. Foggy Bottom: dull, safe, close to downtown, some students, kind of expensive. Other: places to consider that are farther out: Arlington, Virginia (big apartment buildings, no charm), Takoma Park, Maryland (hippie, eco-conscious on Metro red line). Anything on the red line going North into Maryland from Dupont. Capitol Hill - expensive, you don't really want to live there with all those power-crazed interns, do you? The farther out you go, the lower the rent, the greater need for a car. Normally you will have to sign a one-year lease, but shorter term subleases are popular. You will have to pay the first month up front plus a one-month security deposit. (NOTE: As of January 1999 add 20% to these amounts!) Monthly rent: Efficiencies and Studios generally range $500-700, One-Bedrooms $700-1200, Two-bedrooms $1000-1300. A room in a group house $350-550. Most arrangements don't include utilities - though you might get lucky. DC apartments for the most part are unfurnished, so you'll have to buy at least a bed, check listings for used furniture in the same places you look for housing info. Of course, some DC landlords are sick individuals, with a few good ones here and there. Make sure you read your lease. If you have trouble with your landlord and can't resolve a dispute, contact the DC Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs. It's like the third world over there, but they do have teeth, and DC laws are very favorable to tenants. It is the responsibility of landlords to provide a safe place to live, and to fix things in the apartment if they break with normal use.
getting around	Walk: If you live in a close-in neighborhood like Dupont, Adams Morgan, or Foggy Bottom, your two feet might be enough to get around. Taxi: they charge fares based on zones and the number of passengers. An average in-town ride might cost $6 including tip. Bus: Metrobuses are OK, but they sometimes don't stick to their schedules. At off times, they come only very infrequently. You probably won't take the bus much unless you live in Mount Pleasant or Glover Park. $1.10 per ride. Metro: In Washington the subway is called the Metro, like in Paris. Metro is a dream. Clean, safe, efficient, economical. It's like bizarro world. The cars are carpeted, the wheels are rubberized. It has to be the quietest subway in the world. Even the riffraff are polite. Don't let the little cards you have to buy confuse you. You pay by the distance and time of day you travel. There is a chart near the gates that lists the prices for all possible trips. Forget it. Just buy a card for $20 and you will get a $2 bonus. Slide the card through the turnstile on your way in and way out. You can turn in old cards with change left on them and get credit on your next card. Each ride is deducted off the card. Most rides are less than $2. The only problem with the Metro is that the network is somewhat limited and it closes at midnight. Bicycle: Riding a bicycle in DC can be kind of dangerous, so you should be prudent. It's a good, but underutilized mode of transportation. Most people bike on designated paths on the weekends. Look at ads for used bicycles. Car: If you live in the city, don't buy one, not worth it. Too much hassle. If you live in the suburbs you will really need one. Check listings in the Washington Post. The paperwork is too tedious to deal with here. Just remember to contact the department of motor vehicles wherever you live (Virginia, Maryland, or DC). All the more reason not to live in the 'burbs.
eating in	You must be hungry by now. Food isn't really cheap in DC. But if you're wily, you can get away with spending less. The cheapest is to buy food at Safeway. "Soviet" Safeway in Dupont on 17th - it is inexplicable, how in a capitalist free-market society there can be a supermarket with empty shelves. These guys just sell the food so quickly, I guess. "Social" Safeway on Wisconsin Avenue in upper Georgetown - get food and get a date. "Latino" Safeway on Columbia Road in Adams Morgan - reflects the neighborhood; brush up on your Spanish. Once you have a pad, Safeway will mail you coupon books with some good deals. Don't get sucked into the netherworld of upscale food places, they will impoverish you, but they are oooh so good: in Dupont: Market Day, Marvelous Market, Sutton Place; in Georgetown: Dean and Deluca; in Glover Park: Bread and Circus; Cleveland Park: Vace (for Italian). If you have access to a car, don't miss Rodman's on Wisconsin Avenue in Friendship Heights: delightfully cheap gourmet food, beer and wine - DC's best deal for poor people who know how to live.
eating out	There are soooo many restaurants in DC. See the Zagat Survey for a detailed listing. If you are from overseas, remember that you should tip the waiter 15-20% of the price of the meal before tax. Tip 20% if they're nice and attentive, tip 10% if they're indifferent and aloof. Here's my list for cheap eats by neighborhood: Downtown: Oodles Noodles: on 19th. Great noodle shop, don't let the lines scare you away. Service is fast and the food is deeeelicious. Along with Delhi Dhaba, the best deal in DC. Cafe Asia: the place to go for decent $1 a piece sushi at happy hour until 7:30pm. 19th street. Dupont: Il Radicchio on 17th. Decent Italian. Burrito Brothers: two locations Connecticut Ave and M street. $3.50 for a giant bean and rice burrito - simply unbeatable. Eat half for lunch and half for dinner. Never order a super burrito, you will explode. Wrapworks: don't mind eating pretty good food in a disco? Q street at Connecticut. Zorba's: basic Greek. Nice outdoor seating. Connecticut near Q. Lauriol Plaza: Killer Mexican. Sit-down service, good prices. Long wait but worth it. City Lights of China: Connecticut north of R. Quality Chinese, low prices, packed, worth the wait. Terrible decor. Teaism: trendy Asian teahouse. Interesting lite fare. For people who are too cool to drink coffee. Nice place for conversation and eavesdropping. Limited seating. Adams Morgan: too many to list... all on 18th street. Try these: Meskerem: top-rated Ethiopian. You must eat Ethiopian in DC at some point. Red Sea: Same story, with some outdoor seating. Star of Siam: Thai, reasonably priced, with roofdeck. 18th Street in Adams Morgan. So much food to eat... Woodley Park: Lebanese Taverna: More expensive actually, but very very good. Dolce Finale: go for the legendary desserts. Arlington, Virginia: Arlington must have some of the world's best cheap restaurants. Zillions of them. Too bad living in Virginia feels like bathing in a dish of sterilization solution. That goes for Maryland, too; to a lesser extent. Delhi Dhaba: Best cheap eats in DC. Tandoori Indian. The butter chicken will blow your mind. Kitchy Indian movies blare on TV sets. (Bethesda Location also). Pho 75: Strange name. Authentic Vietnamese. Tenley Town: Yosaku, DC's best deal for sushi. $14 + tax and tip gets you a nice selection of high-quality sushi. Georgetown: There are lots of places to eat in Georgetown, I just don't know any of them. None have a special draw, except one: Au Pied du Cochon: one of the few joints open 24 hours. Don't mind eating with thumping disco music and rude service? Plenty of atmosphere and people-watching. Win the lottery? Someone else paying? Try: Nora: Dupont circle. Impeccable Italian food and service in a cozy atmosphere. Galileo: Downtown. Ditto, but more expensive, and even better. Best restaurant in town. L'Auberge Chez Francois: Good French, good prices too (in relative terms). Strange reservations policy. Call at 7:00 am exactly 2 weeks before the day you want to go. Keep calling until you get through. You need a car to get there: Great Falls, Virginia Inn at Little Washington: had to mention it, very far. 1 hour from DC in Washington, Virginia in Virginia's hunt country. Five star. Best restaurant in the eastern United States. Prices reflect status.
going out / finding a mate	Many people go out to find a mate. It might not be the best way, but what the heck? Beers are $3.50 - $4.50. Dupont: North of Massachusetts Avenue and P street are mostly gay clubs. South on Connecticut mostly straight. Straights will want to try: 18th street Lounge: Acid jazz, live jazz, couches, candles. Sometimes pretentious. Erratic door policy. Nice atmosphere. $0-$5-$10 entry according to doorman's whim. No sign on the door keeps tourists out. Above Mattress Discounters on, you guessed it, 18th Street. Sesto Senso: Free entry. Restaurant turns disco at nite. Very pretentious. But hey, it's free. Next to 18th Street Lounge. Chi-Cha's: New place on the new U street. Same idea as 18th street. Downtown: Ozio: K street. cigars and martinis. Very pretentious, expensive, but oh so trendy... $20 entry, decent happy hour. Zei Club: Big disco. Bars around L and M between 19th and 22nd are meet markets catering to college kids. Nothing special here, but if you're looking for quick romance, you've arrived. Georgetown: Most places are populated with tourists and Georgetown students. Some very good jazz clubs including Blues Alley which is unfortunately very expensive. Georgetown is definitely post-trendy. Adams Morgan: Many clubs packed onto 18th street and Columbia Road. Habana Village: an institution. Latin American music. Races, cultures, and social classes mix freely here. Everyone has a good time. Men $5, Women free. Gets very crowded on weekends. Columbia Road. Cafe Lautrec: you gotta go once to see the guy tapdance on the bar. Nice live jazz music, great atmosphere, kind of loud though. Nice place to take out-of-town visitors. 18th street. In the summer, it's nice to sit and have dinner and drinks at one of the restaurants with sidewalk seating. Watch everyone mill by as you munch on Doro Wat or Palak Paneer.
life in general One of DC's numerous permanently decapitated parking meters.	As a young single professional in DC, you will be one of many people who come and go to this town. Nobody seems to stay for more than a couple of years. Everyone is from somewhere else. You may never meet any other professionals who come from DC proper. DC proper is actually a small town. There are about 500,000 people, with a shrinking population. I sometimes call it a city without a soul, because people don't stay long enough to put down roots. African-Americans in DC: If anyone has roots in DC it's the Black community, which has been a significant group here since the Civil War. Blacks are less likely to move away from the city, and stick around for generations. Most people don't know that DC is a predominately Black city (70%). Many Blacks who live in DC work in blue collar and clerical positions, however, there are many of professionals. As Blacks move up the socio-economic scale, they, like their white counterparts tend to move to the suburbs, in this case Prince Georges county. Unfortunately, DC's neighborhoods are very racially divided, perhaps this is a legacy of old laws that dictated where Blacks could live. Generally, to the west of 16th and south of Massachusetts Avenue, and capitol hill is white. The rest of the city is Black. There are a couple of places where races intermingle, most notably Adams Morgan and Mount Pleasant. You will notice that I recommended neighborhoods in the housing section that happen to be white (except Mount Pleasant and Adams Morgan). It might be worth your while to explore some of the Black neighborhoods in DC - not many young professionals that I know live there, but some Black neighborhoods are very nice, however some aren't so nice - I don't know enough about Black DC to comment here, so I leave the task of writing a Web page about that subject to another person who knows more. DC's Young Professionals: One way to understand the social scene in DC is to look at professional cliques. You will inevitably get slotted into one of the fluid communities here, where there are only 2 degrees of separation. One tip for you: this is a small town and don't forget it. As a young professional, your clique can't be larger than a small university. After a couple of parties, you will know a hefty percentage of the people in your clique. This is why the number-one DC question is: "so what do you do?" This is an overt attempt to be friendly and an unconscious attempt to determine if you are a political friend or foe or whether you are in the same clique. Making friends in DC can require patience. Most people meet others where they work or go to school. Many know people who are already here. Most people meet new friends by being introduced to others. The general feeling here is reserved, but quite polite; trust is built slowly. Be patient, things will happen. There are many activities in DC: special-interest clubs of all kinds, classes, volunteer opportunities, etc. These activities are a great way to meet people. Check listings in the City Paper. If you are looking for artsy, creative people who like to go out late, move to New York, this isn't the city for you. DC is a city that sleeps. Lawyers: there are so many in DC, this is their home. There is nothing finer for a lawyer than to be a lawyer in DC. Non-Profits: poor people who appear strangely affluent. They work hard at Non-Governmental Organizations and pretend not to care about making money (maybe it's true), they'd rather change the world. Hill People/Bureaucrats: the former roll in an out with the political wind, the latter stay. They are usually tickled to death to be in DC at the pinnacle of power. The big talkers are sorting mail and sending faxes. The more self-assured are busy running the country. Internationals: these people work in one of the international organizations, embassies, and associated businesses. National distinctions break down, and difference is appreciated. Sometimes national and linguistic groups flock together, but usually only temporarily. Military: they live and work in Virginia and are somehow connected to the Department of Defense. Short haircuts and patriotism are de rigeur. High-Tech: live and work in Virginia and outer suburbs, well paid, casual dressers. Summer Interns: these flood into DC every year and group according to university. DC young professionals are notoriously overqualified for what they do. People with Ivy League degrees are a dime-a-dozen here. There are plenty of super-bright people looking for jobs. Never underestimate the talents of your peers, unless you work in the Federal Government (just kidding). Professional competition can be intense depending on the organization. This is principally because people who come to DC, come to get ahead. DC Government and Local Politics: Forget it. You may never get involved. Should you? Well yes, but there are a lot of things that ail this world and you'll already be busy working on one of them. Suffice it to say that this place is a municipal disaster. The city's infrastructure is crumbling beneath a chronically inept city administration. Even if we could get rid of mayor Marion Barry, it probably wouldn't help that much. Everyone here drinks filtered water (buy a Brita filter $25). The sidewalks and streets are broken. Parking meters are smashed. If you work and reside in DC, you will pay DC income and sales taxes and get virtually nothing in return. If you register to vote or get a drivers' license, you could get dragged in for jury duty (actually kind of interesting). Statistics for DC are startling. DC has more in common with underdeveloped countries than the rest of the United States. One of DC's little hidden treasures: steps and a fountain that works! Send me an e-mail and I'll tell you where it is. That's it for now... Why not look at some more info about DC online? Here's a nice springboard: Yahoo! Washington, DC Send me e-mail with your comments! ahirsch@worldbank.org Feel free to visit my professional homepage