Spring Break
Regional Profiles - Northeast - Washington DC: Suddenly Hip Again
Elana Berkowitz (OA), Contributing Writer
Issue date: 2/23/09 Section: Features
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Generally, few HBS-ers move to DC, which is a shame. Compared to other HBS post-graduation hotspots like New York, San Francisco, or London, the cost of living is lower and a fabulous life is available for much less. (For what it's worth, when I lived in DC before grad school, I had a massive room with my own balcony in a big, rambling house in Mt. Pleasant for $550 per month.) Plus, given the employment mix of Washington, DC, you will be parking yourself for a few years in one of the most counter-cyclical cities in the U.S.
For folks contemplating those few remaining jobs in private equity or a life as a lobbyist, I can't offer much advice on the bottle service and kobe beef scene in DC, but, I have no doubt, it exists in spades. Nonetheless, here are a few great reasons to move to DC.
If you are the kind of person who gets excited by celebrity sightings of folks like White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel or MSNBC Hardball host Chris Matthews, there is just no better place to be.
The amount of free culture available is truly gluttonous, with nearly every museum in town offering free admission. Check out the Gutenberg Bible at the Library of Congress, Whistler's hauntingly over-the-top Peacock Room at the Freer Gallery or a chunk of the Berlin Wall or the collection of dresses from famous first Ladies at the National Museum of American History. You will never run out of ways to entertain your folks on the cheap, I promise. Plus, visit the National Museum of the American Indian both for its ridiculously good food spread, which is worth the trip alone. For those who find the Smithsonian scene too touristy, there is a burgeoning local art and music scene.
Really good fast food. When you are short on cash or after a long night out, you will be very grateful for the greasy genius of Ben's Chili Bowl. Ben's Chili Bowl, a landmark DC destination in the U-Street Corridor, doles out great milkshakes, half-smokes, chili dogs and chili cheese fries. Lining up with the throngs there will put you in esteemed company - Miles Davis, Bono, Duke Ellington, Bill Cosby and Barack Obama have also dug in.
Lots of great outdoor spaces. Go for a run in Rock Creek Park --- which is twice the size of NYC's Central Park - or walk around the Tidal Basin during cherry blossom season and then over to the Maine Avenue floating fish market for a fresh sandwich or some chowder. Ride your bike over to Haines Point for some golf or, in my case, miniature golf. If you are feeling ambitious, gather your friends and a cooler full of beverages and go tubing down the Shenandoah River.
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