One thing I can ask you to do, regardless of where you will be living is to take a look at the Washington, DC Metro map. Start clicking around their website and you will find a trip planner and information on the SmartTrip card, which you should get at any DC-area CVS and then add money to it in order to go through the entrance of the Metro faster than the guy who has to add money every time he needs to go somewhere. The Metro will not wait for you, and unless it is rush hour you will have to wait a minimum of 15 minutes for the next one.
I am in Alexandria, northern Virginia and only a few steps from the Metro station. Other interns live in Maryland, and TWC is in the process of constructing an apartment building in the District. At my building we do not have computer labs, so for those who want to know if they should bring their laptops the answer is yes. How about internet? Well, you may get really lucky and have a neighbor who for some reason has not locked his/her wireless connection which you can use as I have heard some students have been able to do. But I would rather suggest that you bring your own wireless modem and connect it to the internet cable that is located in the living room. Just make sure to tell your roommates to either chip in for the device or the 4 of you can buy one the first week you get there.
My room has a dinning table, not a desk. We have four chairs, two sofas and a living room table. In the kitchen you will find cutlery, 3 pots and one pan, a teapot, a coffeemaker, a toaster, microwave, refrigerator, more than enough plates, the same with the glass cups and coffee cups. I bought one of those pans that don’t let food stick since I have a habit of cooking in order to save money (hint to what you should also do) and non-sticky pans work for me. There is a can opener and a waffle maker also. Oh and a dishwasher. I didn’t use one before, but I have to tell you this one works pretty well. Regardless, I'd rather wash my dishes, dry them and put them back in the cabinet rather than waiting for the dishwasher to be full to have the dishes washed.
What else? My bedroom has one dresser with 4 drawers and one nightstand with two drawers, a walk-in closet and a bathroom, which has a bathtub. You've got a washer and dryer as well in one separate room. Plus the broom, mop and iron with the ironing table, finally….the television with basic cable.
If you are looking to buy things once you get there you should check out the Potomac Yard Shopping Center which is located say…a good 25 minutes away from the apartments if you walk. Maybe you might want to get a cab on the way back, depending on much you bought. There you will find lots of stores; a Shoppers supermarket with low prices, a Target, a Subway, a place to get a haircut, etc. There is also a store called Giant which is closer to the building. When you get there before you buy anything go to the counter and get the “Giant discount card.” I now I sound like a commercial, but you will see the discounts.
I think that was a lot of details, so now go ahead copy and paste this post to Word, print it, make a list, start thinking about what you will be bringing and be relieved about knowing some of the stuff you will find in one of the apartments where TWC will house you.
You may even get free coffee in the morning!
Ha! thanks for this blog post man. I just googled the apartment and came across this and from the pictures I can tell you had the same apartment as the one I'm living in now. You even had my bed. Creepy. But this was definately a helpful post.
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