D.C. Bound
I’m going to be working six weeks this summer in D.C. and thought I’d seek out info from the SA community for advice on living, where to stay, etc. (I’ll be working on the Hill). Feel free to shoot me an email by clicking on the link beside my name.
February 27th, 2006 at 8:55 pm
what’s your budget?
February 27th, 2006 at 9:13 pm
Well, not too much, you know…I’d like to not spend more than $1600-1800 for the entire six weeks on a place to stay (I hope that’s not too lofty of a goal). I’ve looked at student housing but am not too sure about it…
February 27th, 2006 at 11:42 pm
I suggest you rent a furnished room in a private home in Arlington. See the classifieds in the Wash Post. It worked for me. Good luck.
February 27th, 2006 at 11:47 pm
obviously, living on the Hill would make your life easier, but the Hill sucks for going out, if you’re interested in that.
i would strongly recommend craig’s list and the washington city paper for that short of a stay (and you may want to look for people seeking summer roommates).
i don’t know how much of dc you now, but you probably need to talk to someone who knows the main neighborhoods. i’d be happy to discuss if you want. just email me your info.
February 27th, 2006 at 11:55 pm
Yes indeed, the hill mostly sucks - though if I was 21 again i wouldn’t mind partying it up on the House side.
Anyway, your best bet is sure to be Craigslist or the City Paper. Might also look at the classifieds in Roll Call, The Hill or most importantly, Hill Zoo.
I’d also check with who ever your working for. Many organizations maintain dorm style housing for interns (the heritage foundation has a huge dorm).
If you need info on anything else, just email me.
February 28th, 2006 at 12:21 am
GW has some great dorms with ethernet access and that are located very conveniently in the city. I stayed in New Hall and another one that I can’t remember but they were both excellent.
February 28th, 2006 at 12:35 am
GW will be on the blue line, which will get you to the Hill easy. But its also a hassle for going out. I recommend U-street, Adams Morgan, and Shaw.
February 28th, 2006 at 7:45 am
I lived on the Hill last year with one of Sen. Allen’s staffers. My rent for a room each month was $650. It was the cheapest I could find but it was close to Georgetown Law so I could walk to school. You may want to call GULC and see about places to rent. Many of the students sublet their places during the summer while they spread out over the country for associate positions. Also, call your Senator and ask to speak to his staffers about places to stay. They know EVERYTHING from legislation to the best bars in town.
February 28th, 2006 at 8:56 am
Welcome to the hood. I would actually disagree with those who say that the Hill sucks for going out - Cap Lounge (esepecially if you like cigars), Hawk N’Dove, Bullfeathers, many, many others. There’s also Eastern Market nearby for your weekend outdoor market needs, and some Nationals Baseball at RFK about a mile up East Capitol Street. Also, it’s probably fairly affordable based on what your budget is, and I’m sure you’ll find a furnished place to crash real close to where you work. As the others have said, look at craigslist, hillzoo, and city paper on line.
Arlington is nice, but not a ton to do for a nightlife (depending on where), and also, while you’re on the Orange/Blue lines for the Metro - they are not exactly pleasant to deal with every morning. I’d definitely look for a townhouse or something along those lines on the Hill.
February 28th, 2006 at 9:46 am
STAY OUT OF VIRGINIA. i live there now, but only b/c i have a dog and baby and my social life is a shell of its former self. definitely definitely live in the district somewhere
February 28th, 2006 at 12:11 pm
Nathan - I do think you should look at student housing. I lived in D.C. the three summers of law school, twice at American and then last summer (studying for the bar) at Catholic. Pros: they’re furnished, you don’t have to pay for utilities, they’ve got laundry, you get internet and parking as part of the deal, and you can set your start-end dates. Both those places are Metro-accessible, too (AU runs a frequent shuttle to the Tenleytown stop). If you are applying now, you can also get a single, which I found is best (except the first summer when I shared a room with a friend from law school). GW is more expensive than AU and CUA, by the way, and doesn’t include parking or internet.
I just found student housing for the short term to be much easier than negotiating arrangements with individuals through Craig’s List etc.
Hope that helps! If you want to know anything else about either of those schools’ housing, just e-mail me.
February 28th, 2006 at 6:30 pm
Thanks so much for all of the info!
February 28th, 2006 at 11:00 pm
I’ll offer the opposite of Publius’ opinion: I wouldn’t live in the District for love or money, but Alexandria is a nice little town.
The Metro’s pretty good, so you can really go out as far as you like as long as you’re near a Metro line, and not suffer much for it.
Compared to MARTA, anyway, it’s reliable (also, if you live in Alexandria, you can take the VRE train from King’s Station to Union Station, which is right across from the Hill. The VRE is a very pleasant experience, if you like trains — nothing like MARTA or the Metro, it’s a real train).
For that matter, you can live out as far on the VRE lines as you’re prepared to take time to commute — as far as Manassas or Fredricksburg, in other words. Both are nice towns, like Alpharetta, GA or Roswell if you’re familiar with Atlanta.
March 1st, 2006 at 1:00 am
Shortz,
The walk to bars from GW is half the fun and burns off the calories from the other half of the fun!
March 1st, 2006 at 10:46 am
6 weeks in DC eh?
Hmmm… might be spending some time in Phoenix, AZ as well?
March 1st, 2006 at 8:13 pm
JaxJD2B….are you asking if I’ll be in Arizona? If so, no…good ole Bama second half.
March 1st, 2006 at 11:45 pm
Yeah, living in Fredericksburg and taking the 5:50 VRE every morning would make for a great DC summer experience for a single guy. If you’re looking at campus housing, you might want to check in to both G’town Law (which offers apartments as opposed to dorms) and GW. Both are a lot more conveniently located than AU or (especially) Catholic. I wouldn’t recommend living on the main Georgetown campus, though.
March 2nd, 2006 at 11:54 am
The main disadvantage to the VRE is that the last train out of town runs so early. If you might have to work late, or if you are planning on spending every night at the pub, you will want something else to be sure.
I’d still take Alexandria over anything in the District, even if I were a young single guy with a desire to spend lots of time in bars. It’s no further away than American University, and there’s a certain amount of cheap housing there that caters to the artist community in the area. It’s a fun little town, if that’s what you’re looking for, and without the poisonous laws that come out of the DC board (under the gentle guiding hand of Congress).