Getting into the Smithsonian is tough, at least for arts and humanities. I worked there briefly in a trust position that was funded by a grant and still didn’t couldn’t make the interview stage for permanent federal jobs that were basically the same job that I had done successfully as trust employee for a couple of years. I met people who finally got positions after working for years as contractors without benefits. It’s still worth applying to everything but it’s easy to get discouraged and they’ll be competing with people with a lot more experience who are willing to take an entry level job even mid-career to get in the door.

Exactly. Some how this crash supports arguments against bike lanes and for right turns on red, I’m just not smart enough to see it.

Any U turn on CT is unacceptable. Basically all the streets off Connecticut are square blocks. Go around the block instead of risking yourself, pedestrians and blocking traffic.

Do not apply to History Associates even if desperate; you’d be better off changing careers. Purportedly they are marginally less horrible than they used to be but I still would not recommend.

The MAGA crowd is in Culture War .

All are afraid of progress, but some are young . Go figure

1200, 5 roommates, but I have a super nice room with a balcony and there are 2 kitchens and 2 sinks in the bathroom. Main difficulty is finding people that will all put in equal amounts of effort into keeping common areas clean, currently my ocd forces me to clean up after others

I slept less than four hours, I'm exhausted, and my body hurts.

You can expect this kind of buffoonery surrounding any "hacker" conference. Folks hand these things out. Shmoocon was just held at the end of Jan. Wouldn't surprise me if this is related.

Zero. I rather pay a little more and live in a smaller apartment than have roommates again tbh.

We really gotta change the name. Reagan was a piece of shit who opposed airline workers rights. Using his name is insulting. Interestingly enough, IAD needs a rename as well. Dulles was a spook who is rumored to have been the man behind the Kennedy assassination.

We’re considering the opp - leaving DC for NYC, even though it would be slightly more expensive for us. I usually spend a few weeks out of the year in Brooklyn the last few years

1. Living vs visiting - the humidity is disgusting in the summer time. And the mosquitoes are a different breed. Air is noticeably cleaner here than NYC.

But it’s like any place you make home, you can find stuff to do every single night of the week or not! Less concrete jungle and calmer - much easier to go hiking/ biking/ SUP if you want on weekends. Free museums whenever. Or you can easily bar hop.

Groceries aren’t taxed but juices/ soda and prepared food are (which I think is similar to NYC if I remember right.)

Taxes in DC are slightly lower than NY (7% vs 9% roughly if I recall)

It’s so hard to find a good slice of pizza! And to be at the right location. Andy’s, wiseguys, etc just do not compare to any of the slices you can get so easily in NY. (My current fav slice is table 87)

I think food scene in DC isn’t great. Suburbs food scene isn’t as fancy, but it is good. I honestly found DC more expensive while NY is much easier to have a satisfactory meal at the same price point. Some solid choices around but not as much as NY. Eating out here is 10% tax.

2. definitely doable to live here without a car.

• only upside to getting a car is being able to go to suburbs/ specialty stores/ wineries/ friends who live there. Or medical appointments not close to a station.
• get capital bike share. (If you get a bike, have two bike locks, but don’t expect to leave it alone for long. Keep it in apt, never bike room. Will likely get stolen.)
• between buses, circulator, bikeshade and metro you should be mostly fine.
• while metro is much cleaner than NY, the constant delays and work make it frustrating to take. The delays/ weekend work in Brooklyn were like nothing compared to what goes on here.
• while you can easily walk to another stop within like 10 min in most places in NY, here stops are more spread out. Try to live near a metro stop

DC is a quieter/ smaller/ calmer version of a major city. You get all the benefits of being in a big city but still have it feel like a small town. While NYC has way more going on and different boroughs you can go to, DC instead has VA and MD. Depends on what kind of life you want to have. I think in/ around DC you meet a lot more ppl who have hobbies outside of work… while in NY ppl I knew/ met, were very focused on the grind. You’ll still have ppl who are only about work/ networking tho so ymmv here.

Most of my friend groups don’t really talk about work even tho we’re all either govt, nonprofit or govt adjacent - You’ll learn govt acronyms real fast tho bc those do come up a lot at least when meeting new ppl or someone complaining shot something that happened. Instead of meeting someone who worked at some fancy design agency or tech start up for example, you might meet someone who works on the hill or lobbying. You’re more likely to meet a consultant that works at any 3 letter agency or a fed.

I think you tend to be more in the know with what happens in politics/ govt just by living here. Some sort of program or event will impact someone you know somehow

I crashed and burned out of political agency life in 2017. I'd worked in a few places including K Street. It was never the hours it was the stress of some partner screaming in his office, and when we come in the next day seeing a mostly empty bottle of whiskey on the desk, they're nowhere in sight, and then being responsible for his responsibilities. Different flavors of examples like that over 4 years.

Crashed out to run a tea shipping business for a year.

Then I spent 4 years doing spreadsheets and ads for tech companies, now I work in the toy & game industry. My bloodpressure, weight, and overall lifespan has thanked me.

"Dan's Cafe" as a running gag on this website is tired and boring. In this thread though, it may actually be the best answer.

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The food trucks are so good. You should do that.

I was priced lower than this for a one bedroom in Glover Park. Not exactly prime nightlife location but it worked for my homebody needs - plenty of walkable grocery/pharmacy/misc stores, bus lines to everything and halfway between two metro stops.

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Probably mostly confuses those that struggle with a visual disability that need to charge their phone.

I totally disagree.

Its nice, quiet, good neighborhood feel. + great if you're Catholic. The Verde calzone from Menomale is worth it alone

Founding Farmers /s

You can avoid tourist traps by not eating at the food trucks on the National Mall, or at any restaurant near the zoo that has a panda on its signage. And maybe avoid Founding Farmers? The food is fine, just kind of overpriced, and it's where everybody brings their out-of-town families when they come to visit

Other than that, there isn't much of a difference between something for tourists vs. something DC residents do. Search this sub's archives for your favorite kinds of food, or food that's going to be in the general part of the city you'll be visiting.

I guess if this is an opportunity for me to shill my favorite spots, Roaming Rooster is my ride-or-die chicken sandwich. If you're going to the White House, Immigrant Food is nice (though thr service can be slow.) Also, stop by the Pie Shop if you're on H Street; sometimes they host bands on the second floor. Nothing better than a big slice of savory pie followed by live music and drinks.

Development professional here. Yes, ample job opportunities.

I find Baltimore a bit easier to live in...more affordable, less traffic, less I AM THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON IN THE WORLD vibe.

It has fewer funky neighborhoods and shops, but other than that, it's not terribly different. I moved from SF and found DC very livable, although that was when things were a lot cheaper in terms of housing.

Save Connecticut Avenue!

Flash