Good work. Perhaps not enough data but the pizza section having Wiseguy over 2Amys is a joke. Wiseguy is my go late at night but not even close to 2Amys.

In addition to what others have said, if you're trying to get around the city without a car, I remember from my time in grad school here that the metro felt pretty expensive to take to school every day. Then I learned about the DC circulator, which was just a buck or two per ride - that was like less than a third of what I was paying daily on the metro - and just as fast considering the route. They then made the Circulator free during a longish government shutdown & furlough, which was even better.

Which is all to say, definitely look into the DC bus and Circulator systems! They are amazing for a grad student on a budget and the routes are extensive.

I moved to the dc area from smaller towns around southwest va and the biggest thing is the ability to walk or take the transit anywhere I want. I got an unlimited metro pass to save on my work commute and I love hopping on the metro as much as possible to see new places. A great way to explore is using the dc live music app to find free events (most nights a week they have some) and check out new venues or places you haven’t been. Also, I had never been to a nightclub before I came here, and that was an awesome experience that I would recommend checking out

>The $114 or $200 are both with healthcare ~ that was why I asked if you understood the tip credit: healthcare in conjunction with the tip credit was already a thing before the pandemic/ I-82.

Sorry, your original comment didn't make this clear since you stated the service fee was implemented for health care and higher wages. Your premise keeps changing so it's hard to understand what you're arguing.

The rest of your post is waxing poetic about Initiative 82 which I didn't state a position on and focusing on a very specific hypothetical of a server who wouldn't benefit under initiative 82 so I won't address it.

> the customer has always been responsible for keeping the doors open, and the cost of doing business was somewhat hidden

What I'm arguing is very simple - it's not the customer's responsibility to ensure servers are paid as much as they can get anymore than it's the customer's responsibility to ensure owners profit as much as they can.

My personal tolerance is a 20% obligatory add on fee on the bill. I don't care if it's in the form of a mandatory service charge or a cultural obligation of a tip, because the premise of the tip has long been disconnected from actual service quality.

Restaurants that do a 20% fee and guilt you into tipping on top of that are not places I will patronize.

costco for meats does a number on savings…. i spend about $120/week and about $300 on salmon, chicken, shrimp, scallops, and beef every 2-3 months the $120 is eggs yogurt milk juice vegetables kombucha fruit etc. salmon and chicken at costco is such a deal saver. i’d never buy else where unless i didn’t thaw that week. a piece of salmon cost $9 at giant, $7-8 at walmart or for $30 at costco get 5x as much. i’m originally from moco living in dc and my friends in grad school from all over the country rave about hmart…it’s not all that price wise…. nothing beats costco for meat at least lol

i live in ft totten by the walmart so that’s pretty decent for getting cheap produce. i’m not too far from the aldi in maryland but that’s probably kinda far from you. i’m glad to see you don’t shop at safe way bc that’s a rip off. if you can go to Aldi you will save big time! it’s just the commute that might get you…just like costco

i am a single grad student.

As a couple in Northern Virginia our grocery budget cut down a lot when I started having more time to cook and it's around $400 to $500, eating out once a week. Our groceries used to be $600 to $800. We used to shop at trader joes, hmart, and target. Now we go to mainly lidls, hmart, and buy like 1 or 2 brand name snacks at target.

A big contribution is that I've been experimenting with vegan or vegetarian recipes for the health aspect - not bc im practicing. So a lot of the times it's more vegetables and the proteins are things like chickpeas, lentils, potatoes, etc. which is cheaper than meat. We still eat meat but I was just trying out new recipes.

We freeze a lot so we freeze and thaw our meat throughout the week.

I've also been trying new recipes so that we never waste any ingredients in the fridge. We significantly cut our food waste once I started learning new recipes around certain ingredients

Bc I am aiming to reduce food waste, it takes a lot of meal planning. I plan for the whole week right before grocery shopping and look for recipes to use leftover ingredients or extra meals to make using pantry or freezer ingredients in case the portions go by quicker than expected

[removed]

Okay it makes sense now. Low trim Hyundai and Kias from the earlier model years don't have an immobilizer. There's a trick where if you use a metal object (usually usb cords are used) you can override the ignition and get the car to start.

This 'trick' spread onto tiktok and of course now there's going to be lots of dumbass kids trying it out.

If Kia and Hyundai would just recall the models affected and fix the issue, then we'd probably see the carjacking/car theft rates decrease by 90%

I don’t have a ton of advice other than if an apartment is such a good deal it’s hard to believe, there’s definitely a catch. If at all possible you should REALLY visit in person before you sign a lease. Don’t trust the photos in the advertisement.

I read Hyundais and Kias are being targeted but I have no idea why

It's a vast improvement on the parking lots that were once there and I want to like it but something about it has always felt...disappointing. It looks like you should want to linger there but often there are very few other people lingering any longer than it takes to snap a few selfies or posed photos in front of Tatte or in one of the festively decorated alleys. It is a good place to sit and read in good weather at one of the tables, because there generally aren't a lot of people around to disturb you.

I used to go to the Flywheel there, but it closed in 2020 and I'm definitely not the target demographic for any of the stores so, to me, it just feels like a very tidy, pretty-looking place that I shouldn't be in.

fixed link

Wow, learn something new every day. Dude grew up in Springfield, Massachusetts

*to help plan another Jan. 6

It’s complicated. The thing is just because all those big federal government buildings and monuments are there doesn’t mean they stop crime from happening. I think what a lot of non locals forget about DC is that it’s still a city of 500k+ people and has problems with crime just like any other big city in America.

That being said, I don’t think this sub paints an accurate picture. It’s kind of like watching a 24 hour news cycle for all information on the outside world. If 90% of the stuff you hear about is negative, it might seem like that negative stuff is all that’s going on. But I’ve been visiting DC my entire life and never once had to deal with anything worse than a few persistent beggars. I’m sure district residents on this sub would agree that most parts of the city feel safe, especially around the monuments and during daytime.

I mean if getting cussed out 1 out of 10 times is the cost of being decent to another human being the other 9 times that seems to be a cost well worth bearing.

Bc they are kids

Yes on the documentation, triple check the list and make sure you have everything you need.

Also, DC is basically a southern city, please and thank you and sir and ma'am will definitely help.

i mean... not... yet.

or the city you can afford

Look, leave City Center alone. DC is not a high fashion town. This is ugly Hollywood and City Center is the best we can do. Our thrift stores need something other than Ann Taylor and J Crew ok?

I spend about $400/month. Meat, produce, snacks, some juices and drinks. I meal prep some, but tbh I’m mostly using meal prep kits lately. I do about 90% of my shopping at Costco and BJ’s, supplementing a bit at Safeway. I could probably pare the cost down some by getting it delivered less. But the convenience is usually too good to turn down. And I honestly feel like the savings wouldn’t justify the inconvenience of doing all of the schlepping around myself.

You're telling me. I moved from #2 to #1. I know Columbia is quickly changing for the better but I didn't think it was that fast.

I understand the impulse that would link rent control with inflation. But incomes don't rise just because inflation does. Rent control should really be linked with median income instead. It's the relationship between rent and income that determines if a place is affordable, not the relationship between rent and inflation.

I am with you on this one albeit the response percentage differs: 80% positive response 10% nothing 10% say fucking racist etc or screаm at me

So I joined this sub before my trip to DC, and im very surprised at the level of violent crime that seems to be in the area.

I'm curious and I'd like to make sure that I'm understanding this situation correctly. On Google maps it appears that this happened in like a 10 minute drive from the White House, and there is an FBI building on this street? While I was there, radio stations were warning people about wearing Canada Goose jackets because they were a target for robberies, and im looking around the Capital like what?

Maybe I'm misunderstanding and DC doesn't have a bad issue with violent crime, but if that is in fact correct how in the world is that possible? Seems like the one place in America where all of that would be rooted out thoroughly and for good.