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Hi, 25 y/o female here relocating from the South to complete a four month, rotational internship near (one is near George Washington University, the other is TBA). In terms of living accomodations I am considering the Thompson-Markward OR Boston University Washington Center Apartments. I am a little weirded out by such options as one is dorm-style and the other is a 3 Bedrooms, 2 Bath situation with 6 people total because I have never lived in such settings.
I have a limited budget (1but I want to have fun & explore the city. . .work hard, play harder! I am a bit nerdy & like mueseums and other cultural activities. I love Sushi, seafood, all things Italian, & almost anything that is spicy. I love a good beer as well as good wine. I plan to live lean & healthy during the week. . .so I need to know about a good grocery store with reason prices/bargains and if they accept coupons. Will also be shopping for clothes occasionally & getting my hair done.
So please tell me about your favorite places that are cheap but good or **great** bargains!
Also what is the average cost of:
1 loaf of Bread (whole grain & white)
1 gallon/1.4 gallons of milk (1%) vs. Soy Milk
1 Box of Cereal (like Multi-grain Cheerios, etc.)
Also how is the flavor of tap water? And last but certainly not least where are some of the best but most affordable places to live?
Coming from Columbia, SC my food prices went up almost 50% across the board. Definitely get the discount card things that grocery stores have. Where I live in MD I my tap seems to taste fine. Here at work they say to run it for at least one minute before consumption, but I don't know if that is because the pipes are old or what. You won't be disappointed by the selection of things to do and eat
2. Eat: Many of the pupuserias in Wheaton, Vietnamese in Falls Church, any Z-Burger or Five Guys, Rockland's BBQ in Glover Park, Thai Shirlington, groceries at Costco.
3. Shop: Ummm, not really my bag. I go to Friendship Heights, White Flint Mall, Tyson's, nothing cheap about any of that.
Live like an intern. That's how most people who come to DC just out of school survive. Share a group house to lower costs, try to get invited (or crash) as many cocktail parties as possible (to snag the free food). Buy your clothes at the outlets in Potomac Mills, Leesburg, Arundel Mills or over the Bay Bridge in Queenstown (and get them tailored to fit so they look much nicer).
Pho places (Vietnamese noodle soup) are a good cheap place and all over Virginia. I like Armands all you can eat pizza and pasta buffet for lunch ($7 a person or so). If you like spicey you should definitely try out all the Thai places around town.
I'd try to live near GWU if at all possible. I'm assuming your going to bus or metro so there's no point in spending so much of your time on public transit if you are only here for a few months. See if you can get something closer to your work.
Also check out short term rentals / house sits on craigslist.org. You might get lucky and find a nice place already furnished for a few months.
When I was an intern I lived off free happy hour food and cocktail reception spreads my friends knew about. Of course back then I was in better shape and had a higher metabolism.
There should be an email list your fellow interns float around with a listing off all the places and times of free happy hour food.
People say bad things about DC tap water but I think it's fine. Really, the chances of ever getting sick from water in the United States are so, so low. You really should worry about other things and put a miniscule risk like this in perspective.
People say bad things about DC tap water but I think it's fine. Really, the chances of ever getting sick from water in the United States are so, so low. You really should worry about other things.
The problem with DC's tap water is that part of the system is connected to lead pipes, which would be especially harmful for children. When DC's water agency discovered the problem, they looked the other way and went as far as firing the engineer that reported the problem to the U.S. EPA. After the story broke, the water agency has been trying to remove the lead piping and have indicated that the problem is mostly resolved. But I know that they are still problems in Capitol Hill and they occassionally tear up roads and sidewalks looking for lead pipes.
However, there remains deep distrust of the water agency and many DC residents still drink bottled or filtered water.
Food: Shopper's Food Warehouse is cheaper than Giant or Safeway, most of the time. However, they're all in the 'burbs.
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