...from Kansas City, for work. Any suggestions, advice, stories? Anyone else out there that is on the board? Anyone know of any Cyclone hangouts? I haven't checked the Alumni Association site yet, but I know they will give me a couple of places.
Moving to Washington DC
- Thread starter Rods79
- Start date
Good luck out there! I used to live out there about five years ago or so. Worked in NW D.C. and lived in Fairfax, VA. There is a pretty good ISU contingent out there that has gamewatches and stuff (at least they did five years ago). The guy that ran the gamewatches is great. His last name is Reddy. Great guy. I think the ISU bar is in the Crystal City area of Arlington/Alexandria.
Try to live within walking distance of a Metro (DC's subway) system station. Anything you can do to avoid driving to and from work in DC traffic will be a huge quality of life upgrade IMO.
Good to hear, and thanks for the well wishes! I figured DC was large and diverse enough that there has to be places to make a Cyclone feel at home. Already found an apartment in the Capitol Hill area. My gf and I really like being in the heart of any city we live in, and considering the apartment prices are pretty much the same anywhere in that city (aside from the southeast across the river)...might as well live right where the action is. Plus, work is right downtown close to the White House.
Welcome to DC. Whereabout are you living Capitol Hill? If you live close to Eastern Market, you can get on the Blue/Orange line and get off at Metro Center or Farragut West. If you are closer to the Red line (Union Station), it is just a few stops to either Metro Center or Farragut North. I currently live in Bethesda/Chevy Chase but spent a few month in Capitol Hill as well. Have any questions, let me know.
Great to know someone else is out there. I knew there had to be a couple at least.
We found a place between Capitol South and Eastern Market metro stops. I'm unsure of which one is closer, but it should be a breeze to walk to either, jump on there and go to Farragut West.
I'm really intersted about where fellow Cyclones hang out. Looking at the DC alumni page they have Crystal City Sports Pub as their gamewatch location. Their site doesn't seem to have a lot of events listed. I think I'm more upset not being able to see the games while over there, but then again I can't see the games while I'm in Kansas City either...zing! Direct TV might not be available there without a lot of convincing of the landlord, but I don't know how well they broadcast the games either.
I really can't make it down to CC unless it is the weekend because of the commute but they do a pretty decent job and you get discounts too. It might be a Hawk bar too because I've noticed quite a few Squawks there too.
I wear Cyclones gear quite a bit and I've had some conversations with some alumni at Nationals Park, FedEx Field and on the Metro so they are around. It would be nice to meet some more though.
My salvation, at least during basketball season, has been ESPN 360. If you have Comcast, it should be included in your package.
I wear Cyclones gear quite a bit and I've had some conversations with some alumni at Nationals Park, FedEx Field and on the Metro so they are around. It would be nice to meet some more though.
My salvation, at least during basketball season, has been ESPN 360. If you have Comcast, it should be included in your package.
I lived in DC for a few months and worked for Senator Grassley, and lived in about the area you lived in (I lived about a 5 minute walk from Union Station) right on Stanton Park. I went out to Crystal City Sports Pub for the Iowa v. Iowa State football game and had a blast. When I was out there, they had the Iowa gamewatch the floor below the Iowa State one, and that made for an interesting time.
I agree with what was said earlier...find a place close to a Metro. Also, if you are living near the Eastern Market, go there on weekends, it is a great time.
Other advise I would give is check out Craig's List often for tickets to sporting/music events. There is no shortage of thinsg to do. I was able to get Capitals tickets to nearly every game ranging from about 10-20 dollars, and could get Wizards tickets for cheaper than that (wonder why...?).
As far as eating, I found a few places I would recommmend. The big staple in DC is Ben's Chilli Bowl in the U Street area. It was a big spot during the civil rights movement, and is famous for its half-smokes and chilli dogs. I enjoyed the food, but I have heard mixed reviews.
Also, a bit closer to you, is the White Tiger, a great Indian place near the Hart Building on Capital Hill on Mass. Ave.
I agree with what was said earlier...find a place close to a Metro. Also, if you are living near the Eastern Market, go there on weekends, it is a great time.
Other advise I would give is check out Craig's List often for tickets to sporting/music events. There is no shortage of thinsg to do. I was able to get Capitals tickets to nearly every game ranging from about 10-20 dollars, and could get Wizards tickets for cheaper than that (wonder why...?).
As far as eating, I found a few places I would recommmend. The big staple in DC is Ben's Chilli Bowl in the U Street area. It was a big spot during the civil rights movement, and is famous for its half-smokes and chilli dogs. I enjoyed the food, but I have heard mixed reviews.
Also, a bit closer to you, is the White Tiger, a great Indian place near the Hart Building on Capital Hill on Mass. Ave.
Make sure you wrap it up always when you are out trolling for strange. DC is an HIV/AIDS hotbed. 3% of people in DC are infected.
"Our rates are higher than West Africa," said Shannon L. Hader, director of the District's HIV/AIDS Administration, who once led the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's work in Zimbabwe. "They're on par with Uganda and some parts of Kenya."
At Least 3 Percent of D.C. Residents Have HIV or AIDS, City Study Finds; Rate Up 22% From 2006 - washingtonpost.com
"Our rates are higher than West Africa," said Shannon L. Hader, director of the District's HIV/AIDS Administration, who once led the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's work in Zimbabwe. "They're on par with Uganda and some parts of Kenya."
At Least 3 Percent of D.C. Residents Have HIV or AIDS, City Study Finds; Rate Up 22% From 2006 - washingtonpost.com
I recommend living somewhere in Arlington, VA....awesome place. Clarendon, Court House, Ballston areas...seriously awesome stuff. Although I don't know your price range or what type of place you want to live in, I could make other suggestions too in the city.
We actually have a place in Capitol Hill, but we looked in the Clarendon and Court House areas. I liked the place because it was a little more laid back, but then the Capitol Hill area is too. I'm sure Capitol Hill will be ok for a year. I know it is a good and quiet neighborhood close to everything.
Pretty much everything over there is the same price, apartment-wise...even all the way out in the suburbs. Kind of depressing when you think about how much rent is, but it is do-able for now.
You hear alot about DC being a dangerous place, but living on the Hill you may be living in one of the safest places on Earth. I read once that they have 2,000 staffed police officers just to patrol the Hill, which is all of maybe 3-4 square miles.
Just curious, have you been to the area you rented from, or did you do it all online? The Cap South area is great, make sure to hit Bullfeathers and Tortilla Coast.
Also, one of my favorite haunts was the Capital Lounge on Penn. Ave. near the Capital South metro. They have some great happy hour specials (the one that comes to mind was 10 cent wings and 2 dollar Yuenglings, but I hear their wing price has gone up a bit).
One place to avoid in that area is the Hawk and Dove. It's advertised as a bar full of political types (which may either excite you or scare you off) but all it really is is a bunch of marines looking for fights. If you hit the Penn. Ave. bars I would suggest the Pour House or perhaps even the Tune Inn if your in the mood for a dive bar.
I live in the Court House area, and also highly recommend it. Clean, safe, and easy access to Metro. If you have any questions or need any help, let me know. Always up for meeting more Cyclones out here!
Yeah, we heard that about Capitol Hill too, and definitely saw the police force out and about. Also, a good indicator of safety, sad to say it, but to check to see if there are females out walking alone and what time of day. It passed the test.
We definitely looked on Craigslist, and saw about 15 places. I am beginning to think it is really hard to find a place using that due to the competition. CL is now becoming the go-to outlet for that kind of stuff, and in a market with so much turnover, it is almost impossible to get a good place before someone else snags it up. It would be way easier to live over there first, and then use it. But anyway, we went out and looked at the places in person, and ended up finding one that wasn't listed yet.
Will definitely check out Capitol Lounge, Bullfeathers, Pour House, Tune Inn, and Tortilla Coast. We actually went to the Hawk and Dove, but I didn't notice any of what you were saying. It seemed like a really great place. Ended up going back there on a Friday night, same thing.
The Green Turtle is one of my favorite sports bars in the Maryland/DC area. The last time I was in DC there was one right by the Wizards arena...now I am hungry for a crab cake...lucky man. I wouldn't mind moving back out there, just not sure I can convince my wife.
I shouldn't say I never had fun at the Hawk and Dove, I had a blast there election night and a few other nights. My advice would be stay downstairs, I guess now that I think about it I always had fun downstairs...but I tried to stay away from the upstairs area.
