Tips on the Washington Scene for those who live and work in Washington DC

Goods & Services

Renting/Owning a Place

Rentometer
Great for rent comparisons for the entire DC metro area.

ZIPskinny.com
Type in a zip code and get all the dope on crime, house values, demographics, household income, educational achievement, etc.

Getting Around

Division of Motor Vehicles Driver’s license You don’t have to take the test if you have a valid license from another state. Locations: 3220 Pennsylvania Ave. SE; 3222 Georgetown Park Mall NW; 95 M Street SW Service Center; 1233 Brentwood Road NE.  Hours: 8:15am-4:15 pm with the exception of Brentwood 6:00am-6:00pm. Vehicle Inspection 1001 Half Street, SW 6:00am-6:00pm Car Registration: You’ll need the following: Registrant's DC driver's license or permit, evidence of vehicle ownership, vehicle value, vehicle mileage, vehicle insurance, and vehicle inspection. Residential (Zone) parking permit Issued by DMV when you register your car. You‘ll need a valid DC registration card and valid DC driver’s license.

DC Circulator
Click to find the routes, times, etc. It only costs a $1.00 and will take you around the city.

Washington by Water
Take a water taxi; see the monuments and have lunch in Old Town Alexandria or Georgetown.

Bus/Subway Click for routes, fares, and itineraries.

Zipcar
Join and use it for short trips or rent one of their vans to move your stuff.

Neighborhoods
Like all great cities of the world DC has historic neighborhoods, each with its own distinctive personality. From Adams Morgan to U Street, each community has something to offer.

The National Park Service also provides a guide to DC’s neighborhoods and historic monuments in them.

People & Places

Politics and Prose Bookstore & Coffeehouse Located at 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW, this bookstore gets a lot of best-selling authors. Click on Author Events or their Events Calendar for a list of who is speaking.

Busboys and Poets
Two locations: 2021 14th and V Streets, NW and the Village at Shirlington. CB&P combines a “progressive political” bookstore with a bar, restaurant, and performance space. Click on their events link to see who is in house for a reading, signing, or a spoken word recitation.

Barnes & Noble
Click on this store locator link and the events link for authors and area stores.

Borders
Use this link to locate the nearest store.

Pen/Faulkner Foundation
Get to meet and greet the top five finalists for the prestigious Penn/Faulkner Award. One can either subscribe to the entire series or purchase individual tickets at $15.00 each.

Events at The Library of Congress
Scroll through the month and you’ll find fabulous speakers from politicians, scientists, poets and author—plus free concerts and films.

National Gallery of Art
Click on various links for info about free concerts, jazz programs, films, exhibits, and lectures.

The Washington Post
Either subscribe or buy one on Friday and read their “Weekend” section for what’s hot, including restaurants, movies, museum exhibits, and more. A good place to browse online is the Post’s Entertainment Guide at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/cityguide

DC Swimming pools DC is equatorial in the summer. Click to find the locations of the nearest indoor and outdoor pools and their hours of operation.

Wolf Trap Performing Arts Center
Get out of the city, sit on the grass, picnic, and see a jazz concert, opera, rock band, and other performances.

Third of July Celebration This Dress Rehearsal is DC’s best kept secret. Stroll down to the mall on July 3rd with your picnic supper and at 7:30 pm you’ll see a complete dress rehearsal of a Capitol Fourth celebration sans crowds and security.

Capitol Steps
The Capitol Steps is a creative and one of a kind performance. Former Congressional staffers perform a political musical satire and keep you laughing about events and personalities on Capitol Hill, the Oval Office, and other centers of power around the world. The Capitol Steps perform live every Friday and Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster; performances are at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center at 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.

Arts & Entertainment

Embassies Where else can you see global culture concentrated in one city? From receptions, art, live music, this is time well spent when an Embassy opens its doors to Washingtonians. Most embassy events are free, but an RSVP and picture ID are often required.

DC Celebrate
DC celebrates all year long with parades and festivals: Kites, Cherry Blossoms, Chinese New Year, DC Green Festival, Smithsonian Folklife, National Book Festival, Capital Fringe, DC Caribbean, Capital Pride, Fiesta DC, and may others.

Plane-spotting
Want some screaming entertainment? Drive to Gravelly Point, located at the end of the runway of National Airport. It’s a short ride on the GW Parkway to watch the jets take off and land right above your head. And parking is available!

Get Sporty DC has multiple options for running, walking, hiking, rollerblading, biking, kayaking, rowing, kickball, boating, and many other active pursuits. Mount Vernon Trail An 18.5-mile trail that runs from Mt. Vernon to Roosevelt Island bordering the Potomac River. Theodore Roosevelt Island This is an 88-acre nature preserve is in the middle of the Potomac River. Rock Creek Park DC’s version of New York’s Central Park. Walk a dog, play tennis, have a picnic, visit the Park’s Planetarium, or enjoy a ranger-led hike. The C&O Canal Follows the route of the Potomac River for 184.5 miles from Georgetown to Cumberland, Md. Now a National Historic Park, the Canal provides excellent walking, biking, and hiking opportunities. Stop by the Boathouse at Fletcher’s Cove in Georgetown to rent canoes, boats, bicycles, and buy gear to fish the Potomac.

Twenty-foot waterfalls?
Excellent hiking and views make up Great Falls, which is actually two beautiful parks, one on the Virginia side of the Potomac and the other on the Maryland side.

National Arboretum Take a relaxing walk around the 446-acre National Arboretum in Northeast DC. You’ll see the herbarium, elegant bonsai, and be surrounded by cool ferns, bright azaleas, and the grove of state trees. Admission is free.

Twice as many parks
DC’s Department of Parks and Recreation and the National Park Service maintain many parks and recreation facilities here in the District. Find tennis courts, municipal golf courses, indoor and outdoor pools, bike trails, volleyball courts, and more. Click here for information about East Potomac Park.

Got culture?

Kennedy Center Millennium Stage You can see free performances of all types every day at 6 p.m. A free shuttle is provided from the Foggy Bottom Metro station to the “KenCen.” Click the link for a schedule of Millennium Stage events

Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Free for All
This event at the Carter Barron Amphitheater in Rock Creek Park begins in late May, offering free outdoor performances of Shakespeare plays.

Artomatic
The most democratic art show in existence where over one thousand artists take over a 10-story office building downtown to display their visual art along with live music and poetry.

Prefer classic films?
Pack a picnic, bring a blanket, and head to the Screen on the Green where classic flicks are shown free of charge on a huge screen on the National Mall.

Film Festivals Usually there is always some sort of film festival playing in or around town: Environmental Film, Reel Affirmations, SilverDocs Documentary, DC Shorts, Slapsticon, etc. See as many festival entries as you can.

Drumming Circle
The Drumming Circle at Meridian Hill Park, a.k.a. Malcolm X Park, takes place every Sunday. You can be a spectator, take a lesson, dance, or join the circle.

Whassup?
Who is on tour? What new exhibition just opened? Which festival starts tomorrow? Find out at Cultural Tourism DC. Locals voted and you benefit.

The City Paper's Best of DC 2008
The Washington City Paper profiles the "best of" DC, from "Best Soul Food Restaurant" to "Best Place to Access your Inner 13-Year old."

Food & Drink

Farmers’ Markets It’s easy to eat fresh and buy local; the area hosts many weekday and weekend farmers’ markets in neighborhoods of DC, Virginia, and Maryland. Many are metro-accessible.

Chowhound
Are you a foodie? Check out the DC Foodie blog for all the news on restaurant openings, reviews, menus, and tastings.

Washingtonian Magazine
The authority on restaurant ratings and reviews, especially their “Cheap Eats” issue.

Miniburgers & Margaritas DC is famous for its Happy Hours. Find the perfect after-work spot at Happy Hour City. Here are the best places to enjoy Happy Hour according to the Washington Post: Asylum (Adams Morgan); Austin Grill (Penn Quarter, Old Town Alexandria, Silver Spring); Cafe Citron (Dupont Circle); Café Deluxe (Cleveland Park); Capitol City Brewing (Union Station, Metro Center); Circle Bistro (Foggy Bottom); Clarendon Ballroom (Arlington); Firefly (Dupont Circle); The Front Page (Dupont Circle); Lucky Bar (Dupont Circle); Matchbox (Chinatown); Tapatini’s (Capitol Hill); Vinoteca (U Street corridor);

Eat the world DC’s diversity extends to an enormous array of cuisines:  Burmese, German, Afghan, Belgian, Salvadoran, Moroccan, Greek, Indian, Mongolian, Peruvian, Persian, Eritrean, Turkish, Malaysian, Bolivian, Thai, Cantonese, Lebanese, Nepalese and on and on and on.

Don’t Miss
You might not be able to try it all, but some things in DC are not to be missed:

• Anything in a beer bottle at the Brickskeller
• Half smokes at Ben’s Chili Bowl
• A cupcake from CakeLove
• The drag brunch at Perry’s every Sunday
• A BLT from Bob & Edith’s Diner
• Mitsitam Café in the National Museum of the American Indian
• The City’s best $5 Burgers at Chef Geoff’s Happy Hour
• 2 Amys Neapolitan Pizza
• A book and a bite at Kramerbooks & Afterwords Café
• Fresh seafood at the DC Fish Market at the Southwest Waterfront
• A jumbo slice at 3am from Pizza Mart in Adams Morgan
• A Gourmet 3-course dinner for $30.08 during Restaurant Week
• An ice cream and carousel ride at Glen Echo Park