We love showing people around our city! And we couldn’t do it everyday if we didn’t really love our city. So, just for fun, we decided to put down some of our favorite parts about living in DC. In no particular order… here we go:
1. Great Views Everywhere! Like here, or here, or here, or here, or here, or here! We could go on forever.
2. The President lives here. For some of us, he lives “right down the block”
3. A Biker’s Heaven. Tons of bike lanes, a huge bike share system, and chances are you’ll run into some great views on your ride.
4. Cupcakes! Georgetown Cupcake (as seen on TV!), Red Velvet and our favorite, Baked and Wired. Cupcakes are everywhere.
5. Hamburgers. The first Five Guys stores were in DC and Northern Virginia! The secret has gotten out, so we now head to Good Stuff, BTS, Shake Shack, Bobbys Burgers, Thunder Burger, BGR or any of the other amazing burgers in the city. DC is weirdly a great place to get a Burger!
6. The 9:30 Club. One of the best concert venues in the country, Rolling Stone rated it the best big room in the country. Bands playing there love the energy and nearly every show is sold out.
7. Walkability. Taking a stroll is not a chore around here. You can walk through great neighborhoods like Dupont Circle, Capitol Hill, Georgetown or Foggy Bottom.
8. Rowhouses. Chances are these neighborhoods are chalk full of beautiful row houses that just add to the city’s charm.
9. Free stuff! Museums, the zoo, visit the Capitol, the Declaration of Independence, the National Mall. None of it costs money! Getting culture in DC is easy and almost always free.
10. Get on the big (and little) screen! Sure, House of Cards and Scandal are filmed in Baltimore, but we have seen our apartments or offices in movies from Transformers 3, In the Line of Fire, The American President, Wag the Dog, Along Came a Spider, the West Wing, St. Elmo’s Fire, All the President’s Men, and countless other classics have all been filmed right here.
11. Live in the shadow of history. Down the street from the White House or next door to a U.S. Representative, we don’t just live next to today’s movers and shakers, but near the sites of things like the Watergate break in, two presidential assassinations, the “I Have a Dream Speech” and many many more.
12. Local news is National News. Chances are, if you are watching it on the evening news, DC was involved in some way.
13. The Cherry Blossoms! I mean… look at them!
14. Happy Hours are big business here. DC can can have a reputation of being a little stuffy. But not after 5pm. Nearly every restaurant and bar has a Happy Hour and they are hugely popular. It’s not uncommon for bars like Chef Geoff’s , Tonic, the Standard (aka Garden District), or countless others to be packed every weeknight. Stop in for Trivia, drink specials, food specials (half priced raw bar at Old Ebbitt Grill!)
15. The Willard Hotel. The amount of history in this one hotel is incredible. From the coining of the term “lobbyist” to the writing of the Battle Hymn of the Republic and the “I Have a Dream Speech.” Maybe the end of the Cuban Missile Crisis, or the invention of the Mint Julep! The beautiful hotel has seen a lot of history.
16. Central Location. A trip to New York or Philly can cost us $20! A weekend trip to Boston, New York, Philly, Richmond, Charleston, even the Outer Banks of North Carolina is easy from DC.
17. Amazing Restaurants. Seems like every week another opens up. No wonder Travel and Leisure put it in it’s top 20 best Foodie Cities.
18. The Capital Weather Gang. You know the old joke about how the weatherman is always wrong? Not these guys. DC has some really weird weather (as evidenced by this winter). But these guys are always on top of it and give, dare we say, the best forecast in the world.
19. The Old Post Office Building. Sure, it was only really home to the Postal Service for a few years, and now Donald Trump is making it into a hotel. But, it will always have its charm and historic clock tower. The easiest and maybe the best free view in the city.
20. The Potomac River. From Happy Hour cruises, dinner cruises, kayaking, paddle boarding and riverside dining, the Potomac River is a big part of having fun in DC.
21. Ben’s Chili Bowl. This U Street Institution may have a Hollywood guest list that includes Jimmy Fallon, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Chris Rock, Usher, Bono, Tyrese, Nick Cannon, Chris Tucker, Sara Jessica Parker, Serena Williams and countless others. But, as the sign behind the counter says, there are only two the eat free: “Bill Cosby and the Obama Family.”
22. Adam’s Morgan. You know you’re there when you see a building sized painting of a redhead marking Madam’s Organ. This eclectic neighborhood is not just home to a strip of some great bars, but also some unique shopping, and a diverse collection of restaurants with Middle Eastern, Ethiopian, Indian, Brazilian, Greek and more! And yes, a pizza the size of your head.
23. The Metro. Sure, we have our frustrations. But its clean (for a Subway, its like a hospital down there!), it’s air conditioned and a great way to get from one side of the city to the other.
24. The People. DC has everyone from idealistic youths, to political insider veterans, to incredible intellectuals. Your conversations won’t be dull and you can find a group to talk about just about anything you want. Just don’t stand on the left side of the escalator and you may find that compared to some big cities, many people here are pretty nice too!
25. The Monuments at Night. If you’ve ever visited the National Mall at night, you know just how special these places can be.
