After spending 3 boring months in West Michigan, I will finally, and permanently, return to the city I fell in love with this spring: Washington DC!
I got myself a job at Congressional Quarterly. A real full-time job with real benefits. Since I’m making about $25,000, I doubt I’ll actually be able to live IN the city, but it matters not!
My dream since I was 16 was to move out of Michigan and get a political reporting job in DC. I thought that would happen by time I was 30. Here I am, though, 22 years old and somehow, in a crappy economy, I’ve already accomplished one of the top items on my life’s “to do” list. Huzzah!
So if anyone has any advice on where to live on my income and how to totally transplant one’s life to a new city, I certainly welcome it. Any trouble, though, is gonna be worth it, because one of my dreams has come true.
Congratulations! I will refrain from the “you’ll just be a bitter, cynical cuss eight years sooner” jokes and welcome you to the Reality Distortion Field.
You’re gonna have to squeak that belt pretty tight to make it on 25K a year in style, but it’s doable. I recommend ditching the car and planning to take the Metro a lot. I see… group housing… in your future. I’ll see what’s up amongst my lads. No tool sheds or dog houses, right?
It’s partly fortunate and partly unfortunate that you have not been able to enjoy this August here along with the rest of us. The unfortunate part is that all the wise folks are on vacation or in recess, which leaves only us lunatics and a few sadly uninformed tourists. Free city!
The fortunate part is that I feel like a damned crab in the pot. What is it, like 95 degrees at night? And humidity so high the newspapers cry–not just because there’s nothing to report.
And hey! We Washingtonians (well, actually I’m in Rosslyn) just received an honor which we have been unjustly denied for decades. We are an A-1, official, dyed-in-the-wool disaster area! Hooray for us! We received this honor because… it rained a lot. Heheheh. Just wait 'til it snows.
Anyway, I’ll do my best to welcome you back and help you get settled in. Right now it’s time to put on the snorkel and go out partying.
Yeah, I’m seriously considering going carless and relying on the wonders of public transportation, regardless of what Homer Simpson thinks about it. Besides, the Metro is a fantastic subway system that I’d enthusiastically give my money to… if only they’d fix the escalators.
Sofa King (and anyone else for that matter), your help with housing is GREATLY appreciated. However,liberating myself of a $263/month car payment and the full-coverage insurance payments my lease requires may enable me to afford an actual apartment, even if it’s a studio. However, if anyone knows a group of single folk in their early 20s looking for a roommate, please hook me up!
Ah, Montfort, I was wondering how long it would be before my lack of Lunch Bunch participation was mentioned. I think you’ll be more likely to see me this time around, provided I’m not forced into brown bagging it every day.
I’ve never looked so forward to living in near poverty.
A good place to start would be the Washington City Paper. If an apartment is your goal, you should rent a room while you look. Low-end apartments are hard to come by around here, at least in northern Virginia. That’s why I bought a condo instead of moving to another apartment, plus there’s no lease to renew.
Apartments away from the subway are your best bet. I spent 6 years in a 1BR a mile west of Ballston Station. There was a bus stop almost right in front of the building, the ride to Metro was 15 minutes. For my last year or so, I was paying $600 in rent.
Hey, Jeff, we must have been neighbors. I lived off of Sycamore St., about a mile from the Lost Dog.
There was good, cheap housing around there, but last year we got muscled out by a 50% boost in our rent. However, this year may be fairly different. All the politicos are now safely housed, and the local tech economy isn’t able to match the rents that are being charged. It ain’t anything near a housing glut, but rents might remain stable this year. I hope so, for my own sake.
I can’t say enough about the City Paper as a good place to find cheap, first-time housing.
And congratulations on the gig. I did political reporting with Bulletin News Network for two years. It’s great to be plugged in but sometimes you feel a need to take showers every three hours. Let me know when you get all cynical.
And, to welcome you to DC, allow me to invite you to our Dope-A-Ween party on Oct 27. As you’re going to be dirt poor for a while I’ll promise you that I’ll feed you until you explode and you’ll meet a bunch of DC-based dopers.
Besides, the Metro is a fantastic subway system that I’d enthusiastically give my money to… if only they’d fix the escalators.