The Best of Washington, D.C. (Sightseeing Edition)

While sight-seeing in Washington, D.C. might seem like something that only tourists do, it is a great way for new residents to learn their way around town. Plus, D.C. offers so much in terms of sites, festivals, and events you really don’t want to miss out on it on all the fun. Of course - you don’t have to do it wearing an FBI sweatshirt or wandering aimlessly around in the Metro tunnels. Because you are probably already familiar with the standard sites that Washington, D.C. serves as home to, I will review some of the off-the-beaten-track opportunities you may not be too familiar with.

If you've read Dan Brown’s Lost Symbol, then be sure to check out the Scottish Rite's Temple, right outside of Dupont Circle. The temple offers a fascinating tour detailing the history of the Scottish Rite in America, including little known facts about certain former presidents who served as free masons.

Many people don’t know that the Department of State offers guided tours of their Diplomatic Reception rooms, where they wine and dine foreign dignitaries. This is probably one of the best tours I’ve ever been on in D.C. It is excellent – beautiful architecture and antiques and an informative narration about the history of the rooms. Guided tours are offered Monday through Friday at 9:30 am, 10:30 am, and 2:45 pm and are 45 minutes in duration. Reservations are required and should be made approximately 90 days in advance, due to the large volume of requests.

At Mount Vernon, you can see George Washington’s old home which now has a museum and gardens honoring his legacy. This is an absolute must-see for the history fans, and it also happens to be very family friendly as well. The new interactive museum does a good job of holding everyone’s attention and I'm confident you will find the way they portray the early years of American history to be very moving. You can also walk through the estate by waiting in line for a timed ticket. Plan to spend the whole day here as there is plenty to keep you busy.

If you're ready to spend some time outside, check out Rock Creek Park which sits up in Northwest D.C. and stretches on for over 2,800 acres. Rock Creek Park serves as a quiet haven where you can escape the hustle and bustle of city life as well as a place where you can get a good workout in. The park offers a number of hiking, running, and biking trails, as well as more formal programs such as ranger-led walks and horse-back riding. Make sure to secure your horse-back riding reservation about 2 months in advance, as it fills up pretty far ahead of time.

One really fun activity is cheering on D.C.’s soccer team, D.C. United at RFK Stadium. Tickets come as cheap as $15 and you are guaranteed to have a good time. Soccer fans get pretty crazy and it’s impossible not to get swept up in the excitement. Games typically start at 7:30pm and if you get there early, you can join the big crowd of tailgaters.

If you’re looking for a new way to experience the city, rent a kayak at Thompson Boat Center, located in Georgetown. Rentals run Monday – Sunday 8:00am – 5:00pm and end when the water temperature dips below 55 degrees. Click the above link to learn more.

I hope that you take advantage of all Washington, D.C. has to offer. This is such an incredible city with a unique culture you won’t find anywhere else. If you have a particular interest, then chances are you can find it here. For relocation assistance to help streamline your move and transition to the District, please reach out to us at info@new-todc.com

The Best of Washington, D.C. (Food Edition)

A big part of relocating to Washington, D.C. is getting a lay of the land once you’ve arrived. This tends to take some time since it’s such a big city with so much to offer, but one of the easiest places to start is with the ‘Best of Washington, D.C.’ Once you have experienced the bulk of the District’s highlights, then you may feel more prepared to venture off the beaten track without getting lost (or mugged). No matter where you’re moving from, I’m confident that the city’s rich culture and unique vibe will claim your undying allegiance in no time.

So you’ve just unpacked the last box and are ready to begin exploring. You may be wondering:  ‘Where do I even begin?’ Well, with food, of course. While Washington, D.C. has not historically been known for its cuisine, it’s been developing that reputation more recently, attracting Top Chef  rock stars Spike Mendelsohn and Mike Isabella, who have now set up shop in the District. A number of other gems have popped up over the years and you’ll have no shortage of options to choose from. If you’re in the mood for Italian, head over to Posto in Logan Circle which cooks up some of the best pasta in the entire District. Be sure to come with an appetite because the warm parmesan encrusted bread they serve before your meal is impossible to resist. Their best option on the menu is easily their seafood pasta – trust me, you don’t want to miss it. If you have a taste for Thai, check out Thai Tanic which you can find in both Columbia Heights and Logan Circle. Thai Tanic has a thick menu of tasty options which also happen to be cost-efficient. For Mexican food, don’t miss Tortilla Coast on Capitol Hill, which makes its own tortillas from scratch. You could make a meal out of those things and their margaritas if you wanted to. The Coast is also home to a good happy hour weekdays 3:30-7:00pm, where you’ll bump elbows with Hill staffers and sometimes even Members.

Twice a year, all locals feel their pants shrink a bit thanks to the phenomena known as  D.C. Restaurant Week, where over 200 establishments offer 3 course lunches for $20 and 3 course dinners for $35. Restaurant Week rolls around every August and January and is an excellent opportunity to sample a number of different places for a great bargain. You can view of list of participating restaurants here, although the specific dates for January 2012 have not yet been determined. Once you’ve decided which restaurants you’d like to try, I would recommend investigating how good of a deal they’re actually offering by comparing their fixed price meal to their normal menu, because some places are more cost-efficient than others. Also, it’s a good idea to plan ahead and make reservations to prevent waiting hours on end for a table.

For more information on the food scene in Washington, D.C. check out:

·         Washington City Paper’s Top 100 Spots for $25 or Less

·         Washington Post’s Best Food Trucks in Washington, D.C.

·         Urban Spoon’s Best DC Restaurants

Stay tuned as the ‘Best Of’ series continues with ‘The Best of Site-Seeing in Washington, D.C.!’

So you got an internship in Washington, D.C.?

Well first of all, congratulations! You’re joining an elite network of individuals across the whole world who launched their exciting, successful careers with an internship in Washington, D.C. The experience before you will shape you in ways you cannot even imagine, far beyond simply building a foundation for your career. An internship is an opportunity for many to escape the safe confines of college campus to explore a shiny new city and sample the thrill of the working world. You’ll love it. During your time here, you will meet people who will change your life – people from all over the country who will challenge your existing beliefs and push you to better yourself. To describe this time as a growing experience would not do it justice and I hope that you choose to take advantage of this valuable time as much as possible.

In order to make the most of your time in D.C., there’s a bit of planning and preparation that you need to do before you board the plane. One of your first questions is probably how to find housing. There are a number of ways you can go about this. You can go the Russian roulette route and sublet a room through Craigslist Washington D.C., Apartments.com, or Sublet.com. Keep in mind that Sublet.com charges you a fee to view their listings and while Craigslist Washington D.C., Apartments.com are free, you don’t want to sign a lease site-unseen. This is where New To…D.C. comes in. One service we offer is ‘apartment vetting,’ which means that you can give us a list of apartments you would like to have viewed and we visit them, take pictures of the inside and outside, take measurements of the rooms, meet the roommates if there are any, and ask the landlord any questions you may have. Then we provide you with detailed feedback so that you can make an informed decision about whether or not you want to choose to live there. Your living situation will have a big impact on your overall experience in Washington, D.C., so you want to be sure to make an educated choice. Also keep in mind that this service will save you some serious cash you would’ve spent on driving or flying out here solely for the purpose of viewing apartments. If we can help you view any apartments, please contact us at info@new-todc.com. (Charge applies by the number of apartments you would like viewed).

Some other options available to you are Washington Intern Student Housing, Washington Intern Housing Network, and Thompson-Markward Hall which all offer fully-furnished short-term rental options across the District of Columbia. These options can be a good way to meet people, but they are way overpriced for what you’re getting. (Many times, they’ll cram 4 people in 1 room and charge you the market rate of one room in a shared apartment). But the social aspect could be worth it depending on what your priorities are.

Once you’ve found your housing, your next question may be how to find an internship. Besides Craigslist Washington D.C., there are a number of databases out there that could assist you in your search. DC Jobs and Hill Zoo offer a list of on the Hill and off the Hill internships. If you would like to work on the Hill, the U.S. House of Representatives offers a list of openings online, but the U.S. Senate is a little bit more tricky because they only list internship openings by office. It is much more difficult to get an internship with the U.S. Senate than the U.S. House of Representatives because there are so many fewer Members and competition is fierce. If you want to get into the Senate, contact the District Office in your home state and give your network tree a good shake as well. Also keep in mind that many House offices will consider taking out of state interns (i.e. a Florida office accepting a native New Yorker) depending on the season you are in D.C. and the office’s demand for interns, whereas this would almost never happen in a Senate office.

Finally, be sure to check out USA Jobs which has a comprehensive listing of all federal government internships. I recommend using this search engine to see what’s available, but don’t bank on one of these positions panning out because of the high volume of applicants and also the long review process the federal government has. If you find an internship you’re interested in, apply for it but be sure to keep your options open.

So you’ve got your housing and internship taken care of, what’s next? Networking. When you tell people you’re going to intern in Washington, D.C. how many times have people told you to ‘network’ while you’re here? Tons, right? You’re probably sick of hearing it! You know you’re supposed to network, but how do you actually go about it? That’s the harder question, especially if you’re coming straight from college where networking basically consisted of mustering up the courage to drunkenly approach the cute girl at the bar. When you get here, networking may seem like an untrained muscle that your success as an intern requires you to condition. And it is - it’s crucial. New To…D.C. would like to help you develop this skill so that you can bulk up your rolodex and develop the vital contacts you need to achieve all of your career goals. We offer one-on-one coaching as well as group trainings, both of which will ensure that you take advantage of your time in D.C. by establishing solid contacts without looking like a superficial schmoozer or the shy kid in the corner. Please contact info@new-todc.com to set up your first meeting today. (Charge applies by the hour).

Finally, here is some recommended reading to help you to prepare for this adventure before you:

·         Newcomer's Handbook for Moving to D.C. by Mike Livingston

·         An Insider's Guide to Political Jobs in Washington by William Endicott

·         Congressional Intern Handbook: A Guide for Interns and Newcomers to Capitol Hill by Sue Grabowski

·         The Insider's Guide to Political Internships: What To Do Once You're In The Door by Grant Reeher and Mack Mariani

New To D.C. would like to help you with your move to Washington, D.C.

Hi there! Well, we’re almost half-way through the week which means it’s time to start thinking about weekend plans, especially since this will be a 3-day weekend for many. If you’re sticking around town, don’t miss the Taste of D.C. which will offer some of the District’s best cuisine all in one place! Or if you’re in the mood for some live music, head over to the JFK Center for Performing Arts where you can catch Les Miserables or Shear Madness. For other events, be sure to check out the Washington Post's Going Out Guide which has a full listing of weekend events in the area, ensuring that you won’t miss any of the fun. In terms of happy hours, Metromix D.C. has a pretty decent listing of all the best ones. If you’re new to the area, I’m sure you’re probably on the look-out for things to do so I promise to keep these little nuggets coming.

Whether you are pre-relocation or post-relocation, you know better than anyone that moving is hard. It presents a number of stresses such as finding a new job, looking for housing, leaving an old job, moving away from family and friends, packing, putting your belongings in storage, finding schools for your children if you have them, and the list goes on. In order to handle all these challenges, your first instinct may be to conduct a number of online searches but often random searches eat up hours of your time and lead you down the rabbit trail. Also, you may not even find answers to your specific questions online and sometimes the information you do find is unreliable. 

You don’t need to worry any more. New To D.C. is on the ground here in Washington, D.C. and our experts have a wealth of reliable information that will make your relocation as seamless as possible. We offer a number of services to people moving to D.C. and if there is something you need but don’t see listed, just ask. New To will help ensure that you cover all your bases in preparing for your move in order to avoid any unexpected surprises. We want to relieve you of the burden of relocating and will customize our services to tailor fit your specific needs.

New To offers a Special Package Deal which includes:

•        Initial needs assessment to determine your relocation goals
•        Tailored Relocation Plan to facilitate your move and transition to life in the District
•        Tour of the D.C. upon arrival which includes vital information such as how to use public     transportation
•        Conference calls and meetings both pre and post-move as needed to get all your questions answered and ensure that your move will be structured and efficient
•        Critical information on adjusting to everyday life such as finding grocery stores, banks, gyms, day cares, churches, restaurants, movie theaters, hair salon/barber, kennel, and whatever other service you may need

A La Carte Services:

·         Apartment Finding Assistance

• One of the most difficult parts of moving to D.C. is finding housing. Not only does the cost of rent here come as a shock to many, it can be difficult to search for housing when you don’t even know anything about neighborhoods in the area. New To would like to guide you along the way so that you make smart decisions about this critical part of your move

•  It’s easy to shop for apartments on Craigslist D.C., Sublet.com D.C., Apartments.com, but the pictures don’t always tell the whole story. While you may not want to blindly sign a lease, you don’t need to throw away money on a home-hunting trip either. New To is already here on the ground and can vet any number of apartments for you. Will provide you with honest feedback, take pictures, and measurements of the rooms. [Charge applies by number of apartments you would like us to view].

·         New To Networking

• Another serious challenge of moving to Washington, D.C. is simply picking up and moving to a city where you may not know anyone. Often new residents don’t know how to go about forming roots, making friends, and building their rolodex and many end up feeling lonely and isolated. New To Networking aims to help you form this community and meet other individuals in the area, especially those who are also new and can understand the struggles of starting over.

Please contact info@new-todc.com if we can assist you in any of the ways listed above, or if your move requires assistance in a way that is not listed above please share that with us and we will do our best to help.

Happy Columbus Day and stay tuned to hear about New To Interns.