Posts Tagged ‘DC’

My MBA Countdown Has Begun!

Thursday, July 14th, 2011

If you don’t know already, I’m starting my MBA this fall at Georgetown University. Today marks T-3 weeks until the start of my graduate school program, beginning with MBA Boot Camp. I didn’t expect to be breaking a sweat this early on but I guess I was wrong.

I’ve been back and forth between NYC and DC this past month looking for a place to call home for the next two years. I’ve got my heart set on Dupont Circle. Georgetown offers a free shuttle bus to campus so my broke behind can save on transportation fees. And also because I’m a 24-year old New Yorker who can’t drive. That’s actually not an anomaly.

  • Aside from apartment hunting, there are a few loose ends to tie up before I start this new chapter of my life.
  • Purchase short term health insurance since my insurance as dependent under my dad doesn’t kick in until January 2013. (Thanks, Obama!)
  • Order the required textbooks for the fall semester, which adds up to about, oh, $600.
  • Harass the financial aid office to ensure all my loan applications and approvals are in order.
  • Rent a U-Haul pickup truck to lug all my things down to DC. (I’m a little skeptical about it since I’ve read so many reviews about how terrible the pick-up, drop-off and customer service is at U-Haul facilities in DC.)

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Posted in Life | 16 Comments »

Apartment Hunting In DC

Monday, June 13th, 2011

I took a one day trip to DC this weekend with my parents to go apartment hunting. Driving down the I-95 (or was it the I-295?) my parents blabbed on and on about how beautiful the scenery was with the acres of farm land. As we approached the center of town, my parents said,

Mom: A Kohl’s!
Dad: Home Depot

I chuckled at their comment and then proceeded to wonder what life would be like for me if I had to drive a mile to buy a gallon of milk instead of walking a block. For some reason, I pictured life in Smallville. Maybe it’s because I recently finished watching the entire series for a few moments, I felt like I was there – small town, acres upon acres of land, little red barns. All that was missing were just a few cows.

Six hours later, we finally reached DC. All of the places we looked at were in Dupont Circle. It’s the most ideal location for me since it’s only two blocks away from the free shuttle bus to Georgetown University. It’s also close to the metro, restaurants and supermarkets. That’s pretty much all I need to survive – easy access to transportation and food.

We saw 8 different units and I really hope I don’t have to make another trip down there again. That 10+ hour round trip drive exhausts my parents and trying to give directions to my father can almost be as stressful as driving. There are at least one or two with some potential. Here are some pictures of my favorite apartment.

The rent was pretty painful in Dupont Circle. It hurt so much that I didn’t even realize the 17 mosquito bites that suddenly appeared. Good news is that at least I’m scratching my ass in the privacy of my own home.

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Posted in US | 22 Comments »

Photo Friday: Shades of Dusk

Friday, March 5th, 2010

Statue In DC

As soon as JC and I arrived in DC for Obama’s Inauguration, we parked our car at the Ronald Regan Airport and took the Metro directly to The Mall. We wanted to scope out The Spot to watch Obama’s inauguration and while everyone was busy throwing questions at the security guards, I was captivated by the color palette in the sky.

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Posted in Photo Friday, US | 11 Comments »

Inaugural Adventure

Wednesday, January 20th, 2010

This post was written a year ago during Obama’s Inauguration.

The White House
We stocked up on food and energy drinks before heading to DC on Monday. Once we arrived, we drove straight to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, parked the car and took the Metro to the Mall to scope and strategize “the spot” for Tuesday’s inauguration. After we concocted our plan we had an Indian restaurant in Chinatown and swam through a sea of hawkers to see Gran Torino. Except the hawkers weren’t Chinese, they were black.

They were selling everything underneath the sun with Obama’s name and face, including condoms. This inauguration showed DC at its most capitalistic. Hotel tripled, some even quadrupled, their rates. Everything hiked in prices including Metro fare cards and restaurant menus. Even tickets for Jay-Z’s concert ranged from $300-$1,000. What inner city kid who listens to rap can afford that? Jay-Z was obviously milking out white wallets.

We made it back to the Ronald Reagan Airport where we parked our car around 12:30AM, Tuesday. I prepared ham sandwiches in the car while JC made room for blankets and pillows. We slept in the frigid car at the airport and woke up at an ungodly hour, 3:45AM. We motivated to get ready and took the Metro to L’Enfant Plaza to be herded like the masses who were also headed to the Inauguration.

We stood at the Mall for over 7 hours waiting for Obama to make his inaugural speech. I was not a pleasant person. By 4AM I lost all feeling from my knees down and with less than 2 hours of sleep I was running at 50% mental capacity.

It was a long, cruel tease until Obama finally appeared to be sworn in. After being semi-frozen for last 5 hours, I couldn’t care less about all the people they announced whose name wasn’t Barack Obama. All I was thinking was, “Let’s get this shit over with already!” As soon as Obama finished is inaugural speech, the people swarmed out like bees to the nearest Smithsonian Museum to defrost. Everyone sprawled out on the museum floors like dead logs.

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