Wondering whether there's any Clutchfans members who live/have lived or are familiar with life in Washington DC? I found out today that I've been successful and was offered a role in Washington DC, and will be moving from Australia later this year. It isn't exactly Texas, but it's a start! Are there any neighbourhoods to avoid/any that are much better than others that I should look at apartment wise? Speaking of apartments, what are the trusted websites I should look at with regards to finding an apartment or flatmates/available rooms etc? How's public transport? Should I look for something within say walking distance to work, or is the transport good enough that I can be confident in looking for somewhere cheaper up to an hour of of DC? (I'll be at the Australian Embassy right near Dupont Circle for ease of reference) For the past 15 years I've fantasised about living in the US and it's always been a dream - so now that it's actually happening my mind is going a thousand miles an hour and I have so thoughts rushing through my head I can't focus on actual questions to ask - but if anyone has anything they want to offer up about DC it would be greatly appreciated! Good places to grab a bite to eat or a quiet drink, places to see that aren't the well known tourist attractions, where the best bbq is etc etc etc - anything - I'm all ears! Most importantly though, will anyone else be attending the Rockets game in Washington on January 8th!?! I'll be keen to grab drinks with any Rockets fans leading up to the game! First round is on me! Or maybe ticket to the game ala my very first trip to the US: https://bbs.clutchfans.net/threads/section-126a-row-aa.194099/ Honestly might be in the mood to splurge again to celebrate.
Congrats! I love DC. Haven’t lived there but given my job I’m there quite a bit. I guess the first question is what part of the city you’ll be working in. That’ll probably dictate where you want to live and the parts of town that have the best spots. Most of the people I know that work in DC live in Alexandria, Arlington, or Georgetown and go into DC daily. DC proper is kind of unlike any US city imo. It just has a different vibe. Maybe it’s just because all the buildings are short because of the proximity to the White House and Congress for security reasons, but it’s still just an interesting city. Hard not to feel patriotic as an American being there with just so many historic buildings really everywhere you go. Last few times I’ve gone I’ve actually used like those scooter rental things a lot because they are littered everywhere. It’s mostly a walkable downtown but if it’s hot out it’s good to use those to avoid getting drenched in sweat. Other than that I just Uber everywhere. There’s so many restaurants in dc that it’s hard to narrow it down. We had a client dinner a few weeks back at a spot called Rooster and Owl that was amazing but pretty pricey. Hard to go wrong really but just have to watch the budget cause most spots downtown are pretty high end. It’s not like other major US cities where there are off the beaten path pubs etc. It’s pretty swanky pretty much everywhere downtown. Have fun. Enjoy all the history of the US. Tons to see and do. Go take the train to NYC one weekend and get that experience. Two cities that are so different but both unlike anywhere else in the world.
I would also try to go to the Feb 3rd game against the Knicks if you could. Going to a game at MSG is just one of those bucket list experiences.
Lived there for 4 years. Depends on what kind of neighborhood you want to live in, if you want somewhere walkable, I'd try to do something in DC proper. North and West of the White House has some really nice areas, as does Capital Hill/H street corridor. If you want more of a suburban feel, there are really nice areas in Arlington and west, as well as Maryland north of DC. If you live out there, I would try to live near a metro station as it can be a convenient option when going into the city. Speaking of, public transit is great for a city that size in the US. The DC metro has had some issues with reliability in the past but if your job is near a metro station, commuting on public transit is a viable option there. Also, feel free to PM me if you have any other questions!
I think it can be assumed that your work location is in DC proper and not in Virginia or Maryland? Unfortunately DCkid has transformed into DCOldManWIthKidsInTheVirginiaSuburbs, so I'm not as "with it" as I used to be, but I'll do my best. For now I'll assume your working in DC and want to live somewhere in the city, but let me know if that's not the case. Like many cities there are parts that you want to avoid. DC is split into four quadrants. NW, SW, NE, SE. See spoiler image at bottom. You're most likely going to just want to avoid NE and SE altogether. There are some areas in those 2 eastern quadrants close to the capitol building that could be an option and an up-and-coming area around the NoMa-Galladet metro station (the new Union Market is near there and the National Arboretum is an underrated gem), but that's about all I know. You're probably going to want to be near a metro station, so I'll use metro stops below to identify the areas (map in spoiler). As a general rule, the Red and Orange lines in the 2 western quadrants are going to be the nicest areas. I'm pretty sure the price of apartments will track closely to my tier ratings, so a lot of it probably depends on your budget. Tier 1 # Woodley Park, Dupont Circle - nicest richest part of DC that is still close to a metro and not too far from downtown area (National Mall, etc.). Close to rock creek park and zoo. Just a perfect mix of residential, retail, restaurants, bars. Lots of trees. # Metro Center, McPherson Square, Gallery Place, Federal Triangle, Archives, Judiciary Square. Most of the best restaurants. Really close to National Mall and all the free Smithsonian museums. Easy access to just about all metro lines. Near Wizards/Capitals arena Tier 2 # Farragut North, Farragut West, Foggy Bottom - Not the most exciting location internally, but still lots of good well known restaurants. These are the closet metro stations to Georgetown, which is to the west. Just a good central location. While not a Tier 1 location, you can easily get to all Tier 1 locations by walking or metro. I'm not going to recommend Georgetown since it's not close to a metro, but it's of course very nice. # Tenleytown to Cleveland Park - a lot like the WoodleyPark/ Dupont Circle area with lot of trees. It's just even more residential and further from the downtown area, so a bit more "sleepy." In any case, it's easy access to the red line and a short metro ride to areas south. Tier 3 # L'Enfant Plaza (The Wharf) - The area around the metro station is very East Berlin-ish with lots of government buildings, but directly to the west near the Potomac River is the Wharf area which is very new and very nice. The only issue with this is it's a little bit of a walk to the metro station from there and a little bit of an island, since the area directly to the south isn't that great. Not as pleasantly/extensively walkable as Tier 1 or Tier 2 areas. # Navy Yard and Waterfront - Basically the areas around the Nats ballparkand Audi Field (soccer). The area has exploded with development since the early 2000s when the Nats ballpark opened. Similarly to the Wharf area, it's really nice in the vicinity, but it's a bit of an island with the areas surrounding it not being the best. Tier 4 # Capital South area - Surprisingly quiet residential-ish area. Extremely close to the national mall. # U St. Cardozo - been a while since I've been to 9:30 club that is up there, but it was definitely gentrifying 10+ years ago, so I'm assuming that has continued. # NoMa Galludet - Up and coming area. Union Market, National Arboretum. I've only been there a few times. That's all I got for now, but I'll reply with additional info if I think of anything. Feel free to PM me. Spoiler
Popped in to say DC is Awesome. Lives there for 4 years with my wife. Started our family there. I’ll circle back to this thread tomorrow to give you an actual idea of our experience, I.e. where we lived, our interests and stage in life.
Agree. It's awesome. DC kid accurately assessed the neighborhoods. The history and culture is second to none. And it's mostly free. Major Concerts too. Always something to do. Live near a metro station like Dupont Circle and you can get to all of it easily with no driving. Dupont is about 10 minutes from White House and Monuments and Stuff. Public metro is safe and efficient. The Basketball Stadium is in a modern Chinatown and easy to metro to. The baseball Stadium is in Navy Yard, near the Capitol, and it's easy to get to. You may never want to leave. Live inside the city to experience it.
Thanks for your posts all, glad to hear people are fond of the area, having personally only ever been to NY and Vegas outside of Texas, I'm not too sure what to expect from Washington DC. @DCkid thank you for taking the time to put all that info together it is greatly appreciated. I've been busy today and will be tomorrow as well so cannot give it the full attention it deserves, however on the weekend will digest everything you'd mentioned and use that as my basis for where to look accommodation wise. Is Zillow the best website to use to find apartments? Also - how exactly do people watch NBA games in the US? I constantly hear about black outs etc, and I know that my League Pass subscription that I use in Australia does not work over there, I tried that last season when I was last in Houston and it blocked it out. I was able to watch Rockets games because my friend from Houston had the channel which showed all of those games. But I couldn't watch any other team. Surely it's not subscribing to a bunch of different channels in order to watch them all is it?
Nobody will top what @DCkid posted. We moved to northern Virginia last year and love it. We're close enough to DC that we can go into the city when we want via public transit but can also stay on this side of the Potomac River and find plenty to do. It sounds like you want to live in DC itself and I'd recommend that if you don't have kids. I don't know enough about Maryland to comment on it, though. Public transit is extensive throughout the area and you can easily visit Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York by train. Final note is that it's very, very expensive here. Home ownership feels like a distant dream for us unless we want to live in the suburbs and we're trying to avoid that for as long as we can.
Great - More immigrants.... Sigh........ Just kidding - congratulations - you will love DC, so much to do there - never lived there but the museums and restaurants are world class....and welcome to America Aussie!!! DD
Congrats. I lived there for five years in the late 80s-early 90s. Two things to know about DC: 1) Lots of young people spending a few years there to build up a resume and contacts, so it's a great town if you are young and single. 2) Coming from Texas, I noticed the women are different there. In Texas, you assume a gal is , um, shallow until she proves you wrong. In DC, you assume a gal is smarter than you are until she proves you wrong. If you're young and single and don't have a huge salary, think about a group house. Should be a lot of them full of young Hill workers, non-profit law clerks, and the like to help you get some non-embassy friend groups going. On second thought, I guess the Air BnB craze may have done away with many group homes--nah, it still has to be a thing, right? If you're older and/or a couple, pick a spot that meets the most needs. (Even if you're older, there are a ton of things to do and groups to get involved with.) Sounds like you're already pointed to the right neighborhoods. Metro is a fine option for commuting. Used it when I lived in DC, Alexandria, and Arlington. My take is that the Yellow/Blue line south to Old Town Alexandria is good, Orange/Silver west to Ballston and east to Eastern Market are OK, Green Line from Navy Yard to Mt Vernon, and Red Line from Cleveland Park to Gallaudet are OK. Further out north, south, and west is fine in most cases--it just starts to eat up commute time and you exchange the vibe of DC for more of suburbia. Pro tip--if you do commute by Metro, see if you can stagger work hours to avoid the heart of rush hour. There's also good bike paths/routes if you want to get some exercise while going to and from work. It's easy to ride in from Arlington and Alexandria on mostly off-road paths. Many good places to eat in DC. It's changed a great deal from when I was there, but just so you can say so, you still probably need to hit both The Tune Inn and the Hawk and Dove on Capitol Hill/Pennsylvania Ave. Back in the day, the Tune Inn was for the hippie redneck non-conformists and the Hawk and Dove was for the button-down types. Don't know if it is still the case, but I would sometimes have a drink with buddies at The Tune Inn and then make fun of the tie-wearers coming out of the Hawk and Dove. https://wamu.org/story/15/02/06/the_rise_and_fall_and_rise_again_of_the_hawk_n_dove_bar/
Everyone already hit the high points so I'll just drop in to say you're going to love it. And when you get old and boring you can move to NOVA with @DCkid @mtbrays and I
Aren't you still there? Love visiting that city, need to go back and just Smithsonian the **** out of things for a few days.
When I worked around the area about 10 years ago, I was always shocked how the whole area felt sort of like its own bubble. Basically the amount of money people are exposed to in and around DC can make people lose track of reality.
