As year-round Washingtonians know, it’s that time of year again. Eager young interns arrive in earnest droves to fill those couple inches on their resumes between their GPAs and their “other interests”. Many of these interns will be drawn to live and/or play in Georgetown. Consider this a crash course:
To Live:
Even in the boom times, interns don’t get paid much. And these ain’t the boom times. So you’re probably living on little to no pay. Can you afford to live in Georgetown? Maybe. But you’ll have to look hard. You’re young, so you probably can’t even remember a time before Craigslist, so no need mention that. But there are other places to look too. The City Paper has decent listings, but for the short term rentals that you’re probably looking for you may try off campus housing listings like you’ll find here. Good luck.
To Eat:
Well we used to have a supermarket. No more. If you don’t have a car or can’t bum a ride from a friend, you should explore grocery delivery services. Safeway is giving us free delivery right now if you enter this code when you order more than $50: “FREE642”.
Or you could eat Qdoba every night. It’s up to you.
Also, you’ll get pressure to eat some cupcakes. Try to act like a local and go to Baked and Wired instead of Georgetown Cupcake. There’s no line, and they’re better.
To Work:
There are over twelve bus lines that go through Georgetown. They all come pretty frequently, particularly during rush hour. The main crosstown corridors are Q St. to Dupont and M St. to Foggy Bottom. Get yourself a Smartrip Card and put on about $70 month and you’ll be set.
Hell, we may finally get that SmartBike station soon and you can bike there.
To Play:
GM doubts you need much advice from some 30-something where to find intern-friendly bars. You’ll find them. The only advice GM has on that account is to branch out from Georgetown. Get out to 14th st. or H St. at least a couple times this summer. One fun night at Rock and Roll Hotel and you’ll finally realize how awful bars like Third Edition really are.
Beyond booze, there’s plenty of fun stuff to do in Georgetown. Check out these ideas:
Rent a Boat – When it’s not the site of a massive sustained fireball, Jack’s Boat House on K St. below Key Bridge will rent you a canoe or kayak for a cheap price. Grab a picnic and head over to Roosevelt Island for lunch sometime.
Play Some Sports – There are tennis courts all over Georgetown. Try Volta Park (34th and Q), Rose Park (27th and O), or Montrose Park (Avon Pl. and R). The Rose Park courts are definitely the best, but they’re also the most crowded. The Volta courts are less crowded but not nearly as nice. The Montrose Park courts are terrible, but you may have the best luck getting on the court. Beyond tennis, Volta Park and Rose Park both have basketball courts and small ballfields. Finally, go to Volta Park to cool off in the pool.
Hang out – The new Georgetown Waterfront Park is a great place to spend an afternoon. Bring a book and a Frisbee and spend a few hours here. Also, make sure to stop by Dumbarton Oaks at least once this summer.
To Read:
Of course you should read the Georgetown Metropolitan for all your Georgetown news. But since you probably don’t know what an ANC is, you may want to branch out to the links on the right for other Georgetown and DC blogs. DCist is a must.
The Georgetown Metropolitan 