Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with dc

State of the sidewalks in DC?

yarrow — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 13:49:46 -0800

How slushy are the streets in downtown Washington DC right now? I'm heading down to DC for the day tomorrow and attending a somewhat dressy event in the evening, and trying to decide which shoes to wear. Because of the nature of the event & my transportation I won't be able to carry much in the way of a bag, so cannot change shoes at any point. My options are: black Clarks similar to these or black snow boots similar to these. I'll be wearing a black suit. I'll be walking a bit, but not much - for a few blocks around H & 11th and a few blocks around 18th & K. I'd prefer the Clarks in terms of appropriateness for the event and comfort, but am wondering how the sidewalks are. Any first hand accounts from today?

Where to find Kinder Eggs in D.C.?

zxcvz — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:16:51 -0800

Where can I find Kinder Eggs in the Washington, D.C. area? I know they were technically banned in the '90s, but I used to see them in German delis around here long after that. This may be futile, but where should I hunt for them now?

Catching el clasico soccer game in DC?

uk_giffo — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:50:59 -0800

Where in Washington DC will I be able to watch el clasico (Barcelona v Real Madrid) this Sunday afternoon at 1pm? I don't have cable so I want to get out to a good bar or cafe to watch the soccer game. Can any locals recommend somewhere? Anywhere metro-accessible I suppose, but the more central or NW the better. The Washington Redskins and a ton of other American football teams are playing at exactly the same time so I don't think I'll have much luck seeing it at the traditional sports bars.

As a cheeky bonus question (sorry!), are there any useful DC-centric general forums? I'm looking for an online space where I'll be able to ask these kinds of local questions and others. The forums I've found seem to lean quite heavily towards discussing politics on the hill (understably so).

Quinoa help me out with this dish?

oflinkey — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 22:45:45 -0800

Quinoa salad at Mitsitam Cafe in DC--where can I find the recipe? I was in DC last week and hit up the Mitsitam Cafe for a glorious lunch. I had the quinoa salad and fell in love. I am not sure if it changes, but the version I had was fruity and vinegary and had blue sweet potatoes in it (I am pretty sure). I asked about recipes, and I was referred to a book, but I wonder if anyone has any knowledge of if the quinoa salads change... and if anyone knows this recipe (or if it is in this book). I have found the wild rice with watercress recipe online (wee!), but the quinoa eludes me.

Seeking new Church

dmbfan93 — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:52:04 -0800

Need Church Recommendation in NOVA/DC area with active 20/30/40 single congregation Looking for a church in the NOVA/DC area, and specifically am looking for a Christian faith based church that is less focused/caters to families or equally caters to the single population and folks with lifestyles alternative to the family unit. Tired of feeling like an alien because I don't have a spouse and four children trailing me as I walk down the church aisle to my pew. If you know of any vibrant church congregations that have an active 20/30/40 something crowd composed of more than the usual married families but include an active single people population, please share the names of those churches and location. Thanks.

Help me de-fuzz

hazelshade — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 19:36:30 -0800

Can you recommend a place to get laser hair removal done in D.C.? Quality of treatment is more important to me than lowness of price, but if you've found somewhere that's both good and not astronomically expensive, all the better!

Also, if you think electrolysis is better, can you let me know why, and any places you'd recommend that do that?

Thanks!

finding more rooted community in DC

Anonymous — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:21:08 -0800

I've been in DC for a few years. In many ways, this can be a really transient city. Since I'm here for the long-haul for work, I'm interested in meeting people who don't see DC as a pit stop, and aren't going to move again in a few years. I'm in my late 20s and live inside the Beltway (not in a far out suburb or anything). I don't have trouble meeting people casually or through groups, but so many people I meet are only here (or plan to be here) for a short time before they uproot. While I've made great friends who I keep in touch with post-departure, I'd like to make more grounded, long-term connections.

Suggestions from DC mefites? What things have you done here that have led to more consistent community? (church brings itself to mind, among other things).

This question is anonymous simply cause I am a little embarassed to ask it!

What's going on in the Capitol City this Saturday?

HotPatatta — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:34:30 -0800

Are there any museum exhibits, art installations, or events going on in D.C. tomorrow (Saturday) that are worth checking out? I lived in DC back in 2004, so I don't need general sightseeing recommendations. Just looking to check out whatever's New! and Exciting! Thanks.

Help me make last minute dinner reservations for a large group!

Loto — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:13:05 -0800

Where can I make a last minute (Saturday, 7PM) dinner reservation for a group of 15 in NW DC? My original plan fell through! So, I screwed up my own birthday and my original dinner plans fell through. I find myself in need of a place that can handle a group of 15 (+/- 5) at the last minute. Help?

Conditions:
Must serve beer
No Italian
Easily accessible by the Red Line
Within walking distance of other bars

Thanks, gang!

Where can I go to type for a day in DC?

l33tpolicywonk — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:36:54 -0800

Diner, coffee shop or other not-too-crowded space I can go to write for a day in Washington, DC? I'm at the tail end of work on a thesis, and I want to be able to put in 6 hours or so of solid work on it on Saturday. I think a change of scenery will help me stay focused. I need somewhere that's open throughout the day, where I can get food / beverages when needed, where no one will bother me if I stay for that length of time (as long as I keep buying drinks every hour or so), that's not too crowded (a place like Tryst is definitely out - way too many people tripping over you all day), decent power outlet and table access for laptops, and is metro-accessible in Washington, DC. Any good ideas?

Chinese food ingredients in DC?

inara — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:13:20 -0800

Does anyone know of anywhere in Bethesda or the DC Metro area in general where one could get Chinese food ingredients? I'm specifically looking for wonton wrappers. Also, preferably someplace Metro accessible. Thanks.

Does anyone know of a good florist in Washington, DC that will deliver on Sunday?

Anonymous — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 08:56:45 -0800

Does anyone know of a good florist in Washington, DC that will deliver on Sunday? My girlfriend has been away and gets back on Sunday evening. I won't be able to see her then, but I'd like to have flowers waiting for her (getting them into her apartment has been taken care of). Delivery would be made around Adams Morgan, and I'd love to be able to go to the florist and write the card myself (for my convenience, a florist downtown or Metro-accessible would be even better).

Related questions: 1-800-Flowers will do this, but I'm forced into the computer-printed note. Does anyone have any experience with using 1-800-Flowers in DC? Do they work with a decent florist?

Tricked by Travelocity! Help!

luckyme793 — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 09:48:09 -0800

Cheapest/easiest way to get from one DC airport to another? My connecting flights in DC are at two different airports! What is the cheapest/easiest way to get from DCA (Ronald Reagan National Airport) to IAD (Dulles International Airport)?

Flight logistics:

I land at DCA at 2:06 PM

I fly out of IAD at 5:15 PM

This leaves me with 3 hours and 9 minutes to transfer airports (cutting it close, eeek!), what do you all recommend?

Inexpensive work clothes in the DC area?

Mrs. Pterodactyl — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:22:25 -0800

Where can I find inexpensive work clothes in the DC area? I am planning to start a job as a receptionist/administrative assistant in the near future and I've recently lost weight so none of my clothes fit, although I am still plus-size. We are pretty short on money right now so I really really don't want to spend too much; I would very much appreciate any suggestions for decent, inexpensive stores for plus-size women to buy work clothes. The hardest part for me is generally finding things in my size, especially things that will last and are appropriate for my age (twenty-five). Thank you for any suggestions you might have!

Cheap Bus NYC-DC

mixer — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 15:48:43 -0800

Cheap buses from NYC to Washington D.C.? The question's been asked and answered in the past, but I'm wondering if that information is outdated. Thanks!

Places to study in DC?

Neekee — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:47:57 -0800

Law student seeking nice place to study in Washington, DC - not Starbucks or a library. Any recommendations? Preferably somewhere near a metro and with free wi-fi. I'm look for a coffee shop that's not crowded or loud. There was an earlier post about this but some of those places are closed and others are in Virginia, which is pretty far for me.
Thanks!

Picking up life again in DC

TheOtherSide — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 06:54:37 -0800

My friend, a 7-year resident of Manhattan, is relocating to DC (Alexandria). What should he know? My friend, who has only briefly visited DC, will be relocating to old-town Alexandria in a few weeks. He has lived in NYC for the last several years, and he has thoroughly enjoyed it. What should he know about DC to make this transition easiest and most enjoyable?

BTW he is mid-30s, works in software, is sort of fashionable / borderline extrovert, and in his spare time he enjoys the usual: food, books, art, music, and women. Also, he knows no one in DC.

What should he know? Where should he go? Who should he meet?

What are the things (e.g. cultures, rules, mores, laws, experiences) that most differentiate DC and NYC?

DC-area therapy?

Anonymous — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 09:20:44 -0800

Looking for a therapist in the DC area to deal with general anxiety issues and depression. Some restrictions apply: They must be within reasonable walking distance of a metro stop and take Blue Cross/Blue Shield.

I only want to take medications as a last resort, but I would prefer an MD of some sort. As I understand it, anyone can call themselves a "therapist." I'd also prefer a female, in DC itself or the close-in VA suburbs.

Beautiful towns within driving distance of Washington, DC (and that are not overrun with tourists)

actionPetential — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 09:55:27 -0800

EastCoastFilter: Is your lovely town a best-kept secret? Looking for a magical sort of place to visit in or near DC, Virginia, or Maryland, something with the sort of historic downtown/art scene/subtle eccentricity vibe of Savannah, Ga. or Charlottesville, Va. I live near DC and have a car this weekend and my spur-of-the-moment notion was to find a special sort of place to which to have a leaves-changing-colors drive that is near the Mid-Atlantic. The last time I felt I was walking around in a "magical" town or city was New Orleans (of course), but I would gladly and gratefully "settle" for a place like Charlottesville, Va. or Savannah, Ga., where there's a lot of things to see and do without having to drive around. I think these sorts of places align very closely with college towns rather than places where people retire which is the impression I got from places like, say, Middleburg, Va. Thanks so much!

Give me your comic book tips, tricks, and resources

joshrholloway — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 20:39:05 -0800

Please help me fuel my new-found obsession with comic books! What are some of your favorite recommended reads, as well as comic book resources, tips, and tricks? In the past few weeks I've become very interested in comic books. Not just the stories themselves, but the whole culture, history, and industry. This is my first real exposure to the world of comic books besides reading Watchmen and a few other graphic novels a couple years back. (For reference, I find that I'm more drawn to the DC Universe, and Batman specifically.) Given this new obsession, how can I use all the resources available to me to best enjoy the comic reading experience?

I'm open to all your tips and tricks of the comics world (or reading recommendations), but I do have one thing I'd specifically like to find: an RSS feed, or more ideally, an email newsletter that would keep me updated on all the new stuff that's coming out in each week or even further out.

Also, are there any good comic-related apps for the iPhone? I'm really loving ComicBookDB for its comprehensive information, but it would be great if there was something like this that was specifically made for the iPhone.

What to do when in the presence of your personal heroes (and how to avoid the cost and wait)?

notcomputersavvy06 — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 17:14:05 -0800

Book festivals? National Book Festival? What to expect? I'm attending the National Book Festival in DC tomorrow. I've never been to a book festival before. For those who have, can you tell me whether I'm permitted to bring my own older copies of the books I'd like the authors to sign or do I have to buy the books new at the festival? Also, how do I stay on the right side of faithful reader/scary stalker reader? There is one author in particular whose books I greatly admire but I don't want to annoy him through effusive gushing. For those who have been to this particular festival, will I have to stand in line for each author whose signature I want or is it just one big line, and, of course, how long can I plan on waiting in said line(s)? Thanks much!

New career for 60+ info-tech entrepreneur/manager?

r0w — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 12:10:20 -0800

Demand is way down, and so my dad is closing down his software contracting company. He founded it in 1985, and has always been its primary manager and salesman, so he has no current programming skills. He is over 60, but can't afford to retire yet. What should he do now? He lives in the DC metro area, and many of his clients have been government contractors or telecommunications companies.

From the glowing testimonials the employees wrote for a "memory book" which they gave him, it seems that he has a unique and much-appreciated management style. They describe him and the corporate culture he created as scrupulously ethical, efficient, rational, transparent, putting employees first, and so on.

He's incredibly intelligent, hardworking and committed to tasks that he takes on.

His Myers-Briggs type is INTJ, but over his life he's worked very hard to aquire skills in sales, understanding others, and public speaking, none of which come easily to an Introverted Thinker.

He's also near-fluent in Hebrew and has a lot of handyman skills.

He knows he could get work as a Bar/Bat Mitzvah tutor, but I think it's not really worthy of his abilities.

Are there organizations or career counselors that specialize in finding a new career when you're close to retirement age?

Is there a market for his management style, which inspired such employee loyalty that people turned down offers for much higher-paid jobs?

Should he look for work in the UK, where he was born, or in Israel, as well as in the DC area?

What fields of work will be most welcoming of his personality, which is about 1/2 English, 1/4 Asperger's-ish, and 1/4 rationalist non-conformist?

Any and all ideas are welcome--there's really no box to think inside for this situation.

Help me navigate the DC DMV

Bulgaroktonos — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 07:55:55 -0800

So after three years of living in Maryland, I'm moving inside the District, help me navigate the DC DMV. Right now my wife and I each have a MD driver's license, and we have a car titled and registered in my name alone in MD. From reading the DMV website, and an old thread here's what I know:

1)I don't need to pay the excise tax
2)I need to get the car inspected, before I do anything
3)The wait will be long and I will want to kill myself

Here's my questions
1)When do I change my insurance information? If I change it before the day I go to the DMV, won't my current MD insurance lapse and cause me problems?
2)What is the minimum set of documents I can bring?
3)Can this actually be done in a single trip?

Anyone who's done this who could walk me through the process?

Cost-of-living filter: DC (proper) vs. Oakland (or East Bay--not SF).

Ignatius J. Reilly — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 09:11:50 -0800

Cost-of-living filter: DC (proper) vs. Oakland, CA (or East Bay--not SF). I am interviewing for positions in both Washington, DC and the Bay Area, and would need to relocate to either place. I would like specific and first-hand accounts/information about how far my salary would go in either place. Moreover, my goal is not simply to determine which is cheaper (that would appear to be Oakland), but to ascertain HOW MUCH cheaper, and to better inform any potential salary negotiation or decision making. Relevent Conditions:
A. I am married, my wife and I (no kids or immediate plans to produce any) will be moving together (from Chicago, which we love).
B. We want to make the decisions germane to this question conservatively and in a way that would still work out if my income was our only one (sure, my wife will be working as well, but we want her to be able to be patient and find the right fit).
C. I would strongly prefer to live in DC proper if we move east, or in Oakland (I really like the Lake Merritt area) if we move west (e.g., comparisons of SF to DC or of Oakland to Arlington are not what I'm looking for). My wife is a little more suburbs-positive (I hate long commutes and love walkable stuff, plus we only have one car).

Relevant Facts:
D. Though I am looking for more general information, I will throw out that the salary range I am looking at is around 75-80k (obviously I would ask for more if a position was in DC, I think, but calibrating that sort of thing is largely my goal in writing this question).
E. I work in politics/advocacy and my wife works in museums. Both locations are good for our long-term careers (DC slightly better, I guess), but the Bay Area is a little better for us in lifestyle terms (we like hiking and gardening).
F. Our lifestyles are simple. We don't eat out all the time, never go out drinking or to clubs or things like that, and generally don't do a lot of paid recreation beyond the occasional movie and cheap ethnic food. We don't care if a cocktail or a steak costs more one place or another.

Questions:
1. How much more money would I need to make in DC for it to be "equal" to Oakland, in terms of cost of living?
2. What is the cost difference between these two places in terms of rent only (we will not be buying), likely for a 1 bedroom apartment?
3. Am I being stupid by ruling out suburban DC?

Miss Sofia Goes to Washington

fijiwriter — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 08:36:32 -0800

What's good for a toddler to see and do in Washington, D.C., in early summer? The Writer Family is looking to travel to Washington, D.C., for an early summer vacation, and bringing our (will be then) 3.5 year old little girl. But we need your hope!

I haven't been to D.C. in 5+ years, and my last trip was certainly not geared for a toddler's itinerary. What are the best museums that she'd enjoy? She loves science and animals and fish. I can see us strolling the Mall and getting over to Georgetown or Alexandria for a few hours.

But what else is there?

Bonus points for kids stores, besides the mall/chain kind. Extra points for kid friendly eateries.

The plan is early June, about three days up there.

(I know D.C.'s been covered before, but I'm looking for a kid perspective.)