I took it as airtight canisters for things like sugar, flour, etc. Not only does mold easily develop but with even a little exposure to humidity sugar becomes hard as a rock. I refilled an empty sugar canister last week and opened it back up for the first time this weekend. Brick o’ Sugar, it was.
Also, bread goes bad (moldy) really fast. Even though I hate keeping bread in the fridge, I found myself doing so, just to avoid wasting 2/3 of every loaf, when I lived in Williamsburg. That’s a little further south than DC but they share a similar muggy clime.
I rent in Rockville and find it nice. There are places here. I was in Gaithersburg previously though, and HATED it. Rio Center in Gaithersburg is where I go for movies though, still.
I found this website useful
I’ve got a SmartCard, which is also good for fares - although, it’s a pain in the butt for someone like me, who doesn’t get down to DC too often. Actually, I was there meeting CrankyAsAnOldMan with Hamadryad about three weeks ago, and then Canada Day (July 1) I was there to go to festivites at the Canadian Embassy, and Wednesday I’ll be heading down to meet up with Barbarian. Watch me not get there for another year.
Every time I go to DC, I drive to Greenbelt and Metro in. I can handle a 40 minute train ride if it means I don’t have to fight the traffic. I hate driving down there.
Another super resource for finding a place to rent in Metro D.C. is the D.C. Craig’s List. When I moved last year, I posted an ad stating what I was looking for and had over a dozen responses.
You didn’t have to. Bread freezes well with little loss of quality. Refridgerating destroys it.
Really? I hadn’t heard that. What does refrigeration do to it?
All of the tips and advice in this thread is spot on, and I’d like to chime in with a big, ol welcome. Here are some other tips you might want to think about:
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The Washington Redskins are a big deal in this town, whether you’re a diehard fan or a casual fan. Every year, certain American Indian activists publicize their resentment at the name and want the current owner, Dan Snyder, to change the name, which I don’t think will happen. I understand that there is a sizable American Indian population in New Mexico, so you might have an opinion on this delicate subject already. My advice is to not make a big deal about the name and not get into a big discussion about whether the name should be changed or not.
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As mentioned before, Washington D.C. is the seat of the federal government and is known as, “Hollywood for ugly people”. Some of the butt-ugliest people you’ll ever see in your life hold very important positions. Occasionally, big scandals come to light when these powerful people are caught behaving badly, i.e. chasing women, accepting illegal campaign contributions, etc., and being shocked when their high position dissolves and they are no longer held in high esteem. These scandals are great sport and they are held with the same fascination as televised car chases in California.
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One of the sad truths about dealing with our high humidity is that you will have to get intimately involved in anti-humidity potions for your hair. It will either puff out into frizz-ball, or stick to your head and look goofy. On days when the temperature hits 95° and 70% humidity, you will need another shower 5 minutes after you already had one.
Other than that, welcome to the D.C. area and I hope you two have a great time!
I am curious however, about the American Indian (is that name acceptable or do the people in question prefer another name?) scene in your hometown. What’s the food, culture, entertainment options where you’ve lived until now?
::shrug:: I don’t know. Messes it up. The refridgerator makes bread hard and stale for some reason and freezing doesn’t.
Nope. No real opinion on this, so it won’t be hard to avoid discussing it. Actually, (Winnie, don’t hate me!), I don’t care about football at all, so any discussion of the Redskins will probably involve me giving a carefully cultivated “interested look” and occasional "Uh-huh"s. 
Now, it’s possible that exposure to die hard fans will change this, but coming from a big football family (Denver Broncos mostly, but other teams thrown in to make things lively), I really doubt it.
How interested in this do I have to be? I mean, I like to know what’s going on, but the Hollywood-type schtick gets a bit old. Should I be cultivating the same “BlueKangaroo looks interested” stare? 
I have one thing to say to this. NOOOOOO!!! I know, I know. I’m going to have to get used to it. On the other hand, my mom and I have nearly the same hair and she says her hair gets a great deal nicer looking with humidity. (I can dream!)
Thanks. To everyone. This thread is really making the whole thing seem less daunting.
Well, I’ll answer this briefly, but I don’t want to hijack my own thread. Here, I hear “Native American” exclusively. American Indian is a phrase from textbooks as far as I’m concerned. The food is yummy! Navajo tacos can sometimes be purchased from roadside stands (not always Navajo either), and are ALWAYS availible at the state fair. The culture is dependant on how far on to the many reservations you travel, I think. I haven’t gone too far and so can’t really say. We have a ton of casinos though. Whether these have been good for tribes or most individuals, I don’t know. The casinos also cover entertainment. Occasionally people can watch sacred dances, but I wouldn’t call that entertainment and cameras are generally more than a no-no. Also, don’t forget that tribal police officers have every right to ticket a person on the interstates passing through their reservations. I’ve seen people blaze past triabal officers because they “weren’t on the reservation.” Yes, you are. Be aware.
Okay, so Mr. Kangaroo thinks he might have housing for us. So, knowing what I know now,
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I’m at AU.
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Mr. Kangaroo is still not employed.
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Neither of us knows much (read: anything) about the area
What do you all think about Tacoma Park? I guess the house is six miles from AU and one mile from a Metro stop. And what does “Plenty on street” parking mean? Is this where I should be hearing Ravenman, and worry? We will only have one vehicle, but we will have that.
medstar writes:
> 1) The Washington Redskins are a big deal in this town, whether you’re a
> diehard fan or a casual fan.
The Redskins are a big deal to those people to whom they are a big deal. If you’re claiming that more people are sports fans in the Washington area than in other areas, you’re wrong. There are probably less hardcore sports fans in the Washington area than in most areas in the U.S. Many people, including me, get by just fine not even thinking about sports nearly all the time.
> 2) As mentioned before, Washington D.C. is the seat of the federal
> government and is known as, “Hollywood for ugly people”. Some of the butt-
> ugliest people you’ll ever see in your life hold very important positions.
> Occasionally, big scandals come to light when these powerful people are
> caught behaving badly, i.e. chasing women, accepting illegal campaign
> contributions, etc., and being shocked when their high position dissolves and
> they are no longer held in high esteem. These scandals are great sport and
> they are held with the same fascination as televised car chases in California.
I have no idea what you’re talking about here. There is no more interest in following political scandals in this area than there is in any other area of the U.S. There is (no surprise) somewhat more interest in real political engagement than there is in other regions, but being interested in political scandals isn’t particularly characteristic of Washington.
BlueKangaroo writes:
> What do you all think about Tacoma Park?
It’s a nice place to live. Lots of interesting old houses. Tacoma Park has the reputation of being an aging-hippy crunchy-granola town where the city council does things like declaring itself a nuclear-free zone (as if that proved something).
I live in *TaKoma ** Park and kind of hate it, but lots of people love it. Rents are lower than most of the rest of the area. We have a two bedroom, 1 bath for $1,000 a month.
Reasons I don’t like it:
Too far from the city, people won’t come out there.
Nothing to really do, downtown has some bead stores, a pretentious video store, a couple of second hand clothing stores and that’s about it.
Very granola. I’m a liberal, but I’m more old school Democrat, a lot of my neighbors are knee jerk sandal wearing types and there’s a bit of culture clash.
Kind of high crime, my car stolen twice, lot of the neighbors kind of scummy
*Full disclosure: I’m from Virginia and abide by the rule that you always hate neighboring states. Moved here because my wife was at University of MD and needed instate tuition.
My advice is that you see if you can live in DC totally different experience.
What I love about DC:
World’s greatest museums free, you can just walk in any time you want
People have in depth meaningful conversations everywhere. Politics all the time, I’m always kind of shocked how little people talk about the issues of the day outside of the beltway.
I know some people get full of themselves, but DC is a place where ideas matter and debating them is not only encouraged it’s expected.
BlueKangaroo writes:
> And what does “Plenty on street” parking mean?
If it said “plenty of on-street parking” in the advertisements for the house your husband found, that means that you will have no problem parking more or less right in front of your house each evening when you return from school (assuming that you drive). This is not true in general. If you were to live in the Dupont Circle or Woodley Park neighborhoods in D.C., for instance, you would often have to park a long way from your house. There aren’t as many parking spots on the street as there are houses in those neighborhoods.
This is why I wouldn’t be too worried about what madmonk28 says:
> Nothing to really do, downtown has some bead stores, a pretentious video
> store, a couple of second hand clothing stores and that’s about it.
This is quite true for the town of Takoma Park itself. It means that you probably won’t do your socializing within Takoma Park itself (unless you have friends there to visit). But that also means that there won’t be a lot of people from other neighborhoods driving there and using up all the parking spaces. Takoma Park is a residential area. If you’re looking for a neighborhood with lots of nightlife and shopping, look elsewhere.
medstar writes:
> Some of the butt-ugliest people you’ll ever see in your life hold very important
> positions.
The more I read your post, the stranger it seems, medstar. Most political people are about average in looks. By the time you reach the top of your profession, you’re probably well into middle age. So it’s not terribly surprising that there are a certain amount of weathered-looking people in those positions who weren’t so goodlooking when they were young either. What’s that got to do with their performance in office.
I love Takoma Park, but if you’re not the ultra-liberal type, it might not be your speed. It has kind of a small-town feel with the benefit of being close to the city. Lots of trees and pretty, older houses. I would LOVE to live there, but don’t quite have the money.
Well, on-street parking is a bonus. If I were in TP, I would definitely have a car so I could do grocery shopping, etc. However, don’t come in with the expectation of driving from Takoma to AU every day—very high parking fees downtown & tough to find a space.
booklover writes:
> However, don’t come in with the expectation of driving from Takoma to AU every day—very high parking fees downtown & tough to find a space.
Minor nitpick: American University is not downtown. It’s actually part of the area called “uptown” (i.e., the area around Wisconsin and Connecticut Avenues in northwest D.C. within about three miles of the Maryland border). It may still be true that it’s impossible to park there. I once went to a conference at American University where I stayed there from Friday to Monday living in a dorm. This was during the summer. I was told specifically just to park in a lot next to the campus and leave my car there for the weekend. However, this may not work during the academic year or during weekdays for most students. Ask the American University administration what the deal for student parking is.
Incidentally, some of the people I know who live in Takoma Park are distinctly not liberals. Some are actually rather conservative in politics. The thing that really distinguishes Takoma Park from some other suburbs is that there’s no “keeping up with the Jones” feel to the place. Nobody’s going to bother you about your political leanings. Just don’t expect anyone else to feel that they have to dress fashionably or have well-manicured lawns or flashy cars.
Well it is a drag not having anything to do in the immediate area. Doing anything: shopping, going to a movie, having a nice meal, means getting in your car and hitting the clogged streets. University Boulevard is always backed up everyday, including weekends.
I also find the city government intrusive, as an example they recently debated whether to ban the outdoor grilling of meat as the odor offends vegetarians. It’s that kind of stuff that drives me nuts.
Wendell is right, if you want to have access to restaraunts, bars and things to do Takoma Park is not the right place.
May I suggest Silver Spring, Kensington and Wheaton as three places that offer roughly the same rents as TP, roughly the same crime rate and (probably) are a far easier commute to AU than TP would be. All have less “character” than TP, which is a Nuclear Free Zone (not kidding). Depending on where you located, all would have more to do as far as shopping , movies et al go.
Ah, The Peoples Republic of Takoma Park. Nice and close to Metro, close to some good Salvadorian restaurants (I love pupusas), and very very green. You have Washington Adventist Hospital close by if either of you two are accident prone, and the co-op gets some good organic food, I would drive in from Silver Spring to shop there. If Mr. Kangaroo gets a job in Maryland he is going to be fighting traffic any way he drives. If he gets a job in DC, hopefully, you can both ride to the metro together.
If you are used to walking everywhere this is not going to seem normal to you. However, you are relatively (20 minutes to 1/2 hour depending on traffic) close to Wheaton, Silver Spring, and College Park with movies, restaurants, civic activities, etc.
There have recently been a rash of robberies of women at the Takoma Park metro station. I am not saying this to dissuade you from moving there, but just so that you will know that you will need situational awareness in that area.