Life in DC
Here you will find information on the basics of living in DC–where to buy groceries, how to get around, etc. If you are looking for information on things to do within the District, check out our Explore DC page.
Getting Around DC
Washington is a very walkable city–you can get almost anywhere within a 45 minute walk and we encourage students to walk as much as they can. The best way to learn a city is to explore it by walking around. If you’d rather not walk, there are other options:
Public Transportation
The Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority (WMATA) operates a rail and bus system in the DC region, including suburban Northern Virginia and Maryland. Metrorail and Metrobus operate on a farecard system, which BUDC provides to students when they arrive on their first day.
With 86 stations and 106 miles of track, DC’s subway system is the second largest heavy rail system in the United States and makes owning or even using a car within the District unnecessary.
Metrorail
Navigating Metro: DC’s Metro system operates with six different colored lines (red, silver, orange, blue, yellow and green). Stations are marked on the street by a column with a large “M” and a ring of color for each line that station offers. Stations can be accessed via escalator and elevator.
Fares: Fares for rail vary by distance and time of day.
Helpful Apps for traveling: DCRider, a free app for your phone, is an excellent tool for using Metrorail and includes a trip planner, next train, station alerts and also cost of the trip.
Hours of Operation: 5 am – midnight, Monday-Friday and 7 am – 3 am on weekends.
Trip Planner
An example of a Metrorail sign
Metrobus
Navigating Metrobuses: The Metrobus stops are marked by red, white, and blue signs. Routes are denoted with a number and destination.
Fares: $1.60 with a farecard or $1.80 if you are paying with cash.
Helpful Apps for traveling: BusTrackDC, a free app, shows the nearest bus stops to your location, the buses that stop there, and the amount of time until the next bus.
Hours of Operation: 5 am – midnight, Monday-Friday and 7 am – 3 am on weekends.
Trip Planner
Circulator Buses
There are five circulator bus routes, all of which operate independently from WMATA. One of the buses will take you from the Debonair to Target, another will take you from downtown to Georgetown. Each ride costs $1 and buses come every 10 minutes or so.
Fares: A trip on the Circulator costs $1. SmarTrip cards are accepted.
Helpful Apps: NextCirculator is a great app for your phone that will tell you when the next Circulator is based off of your location. It also gives route information. While the app does cost $1.99, it is worth it.
Hours of Operation: The hours for Circulator varies by the route. Students should check the Circulator website for times and schedules.
Trip Planner
Bikes
Capital Bikeshare
DC is the first city in North America to launch a bikeshare program. Currently there are over 200 stations in the DC metropolitan area that offer 1800+ bikes to rent. Bikes can be rented for a maximum of 24 hours.
How it works: To use Capital Bikeshare, you first must become a member. There are six membership options: 24 hour, 3-day, daily, monthly, or annual. After becoming a member, you will be given a Capital Bikeshare key to take any available bike at a station. When you are done, you return the bike to any Capital Bikeshare station.
Pricing: The amount you pay to become a member varies based on the option you chose. When using Capital Bikeshare, you get the first 30 minutes of each trip for free. After that, you will be charged an additional fee. For a complete description of pricing, please visit Capital Bikeshare’s pricing page.
Helpful Apps: Spotcyle, a free app, uses your location to show you the nearest stations as well as the number of bikes available.
Bikeshare Station Map
Taxis
DC has a number of different taxi companies and while DC has started to require them to accept credit cards, some cabs have been slow to make the change. As a result, it is important to carry cash with you whenever you plan on taking a taxi.
Uber: DC has Uber, a taxi service where you can request and pay for a taxi all from their mobile application. Uber offers SUV taxis, Lincoln Town Car taxis, regular taxis, and UberX.
HAILO: DC also has Hailo, a taxi service where you can request and pay for taxis from your cell phone. Hailo works with DC’s licensed taxi drivers and screens each driver.
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Airports
Reagan National Airport
This is the closest airport to DC and is the easiest to get to using the metro. When flying into DC, we encourage students, parents, and other visitors to fly into Reagan.
Airport Code: DCA
Metro Accessible: Yes. Reagan has its own stop on the yellow and blue Metrorail lines.
Approximate taxi fare from Debonair: $20
Map
Dulles International Airport
Located 26 miles from DC in Virginia, Dulles is not easy to get to get to unless you drive.
Airport Code: IAD
Metro Accessible: Yes, but it is hard to get to. It requires taking the metro to L’Enfant station and then taking a one hour bus ride.
Approximate taxi fare from Debonair: $65
Map
Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport
Located between DC and Baltimore, BWI is a good airport that is not hard to get to.
Airport Code: BWI
Metro Accessible: Yes. To get there, you need to take the metro to Union Station. From there, you can take an Amtrak train which costs about $15.
Approximate taxi fare from Debonair: $75.
Map
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Pharmacies
CVS – Woodley Park
This is the closest CVS or Pharmacy to the Residence Hall and is located on the corner of Conecticut Ave and Calvert St.
2601 Connecticut Ave NW
Washington, DC 20008
202-332-1446
Walgreens – Cleveland Park
This is located in Cleveland Park and is one metro ride north of the Residence Hall.
3524 Connecticut Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20008
202-686-6927
CVS – Dupont Circle
This is located on Du[ont Circle, a metro ride away from the Residence Hall, and features a 24-hour-pharmacy.
6-7 Dupont Circle NW
Washington, DC 20036
202-785-1466
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Restaurants
DC is lucky enough to have many different restaurants to choose from–whether you like Ethiopian, authentic English Pub food, or some good barbeque, we have it. With so many to choose from, we couldn’t list all of them on the website. Instead, we surveyed our staff and came up with five restaurants for you to check out.
- Old Ebbitt Grill – Located across from the White House, this is DC’s oldest restaurant and serves up the best Oysters in town. 675 15th St. NW, Washington, DC 20005
- Founding Farmers – Two of our staff members actually chose this one–it is that good. Everything on the menu here is delicious and most ingredients are from local farmers. 1924 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20006
- Rasika – Considered by many to be the best Indian restaurant in DC, Rasika has two locations – one near the Verizon Center and one near GWU’s campus. Get the Palak Chaat to start. 633 D Street, NW, Washington, DC 20004
- Hot n Juicy Crawfish – Located almost accross from the Debonair, this southern restaurant specializes in all things seafood. 2651 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
- Twist Dupont Restaurant and Lounge – Another restaurant that was chosen twice by our staff, this restaurant is one of the best brunch places in DC. 1731 New Hampshire Ave NW, Washington, DC 20009
Want more? Check out Neighborhoods to visit page. Here you will find many more eating options.
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Target
Target – Columbia Heights
Located in the Columbia Heights neighborhood, Target is about a 30 minute walk or 15 minute bus ride from the residence hall. Target also offers free parking.
3100 14th Street NW #201
Washington, DC 20010
202-777-3773
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Grocery Stores
Manhattan Market
This is the closest grocery store to the residence hall and has a great selection at reasonable prices.
2647 Connecticut Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20008
202-986-4774
Giant
Located above the Van Ness Metro stop (Red Line), this is two stops away from the Debonair on the Metro and is about 10 minutes from door to door.
4303 Connecticut Ave NW
Washington, DC 20008
202-364-8250
Safeway – Adams Morgan
This is just under a mile from the Residence Hall and is about a 15 minute walk or 10 minute bus ride.
2647 Connecticut Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20009
202-667-0774
Harris Teeter
Located in Adams Morgan, this is about a mile from the Residence Hall and is about a 20 minute walk or 15 minute trip via public transit.
1631 Kalorama Road NW
Washington, DC 20009
202-986-1415
Yes! Organic Market
Located Adams Morgan, this store is similar to Whole Foods and sells organic and natural foods. Yes! is about a half mile from the Debonair and is a 15 minute walk.
1825 Columbia Road NW
Washington, DC 20009
202-462-5150
Trader Joe’s
Located in the U Street Corridor, this Trader Joe’s opened in March of 2014 and is a 15 minute bus ride or 30 minute walk from the Debonair.
1914 14th St. NW
Washington, DC 20009
202-986-1591
Whole Foods Market
Located in the Logan Circle Neighborhood, this is about two miles from the Residence Hall and is about a 40 minute walk or 30 minute public transit ride.
1440 P Street NW
Washington, DC 20005
202-332-4300
Alternative: Giant Market’s Peapod Program allows you to purchase your grocery items online and they will bring it to your front door step. It is easy, convenient, and will save you the hassle of public transportation. For more information, call 1-800-573-2763 or visit the Peapod website.
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Farmer's Markets
Eastern Market
Located in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, this market features fresh food, local produce, and a flea market where local arts and crafts are sold. It is a 30 minute public transit ride from the Residence Hall.
225 7th Street SE
Washington, DC 20003
202-698-5253
Union Market
Located in the NoMa neighborhood, this market features fresh food along with a number of good restaurants. It is about a 30 minute metro ride or 15 minute cab ride from the residence hall.
1309 5th Street NE
Washington, DC 20002
202-543-5459
Seasonal Farmer’s Markets
Throughout DC, there are neighborhood farmer’s markets that are generally open from the spring through the fall. The exact dates they are open varies by the individual location. There is one however that is a half mile from the Debonair:
Adams Morgan Farmers Market
18th St. & Columbia Rd. NW
Washington, DC
301-587-2248
mid-May-Thanksgiving
Saturday, 8 a.m.-1 p.m.
For the complete list of neighborhood farmer’s markets, and their approximate hours, please click here.
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Gyms
Washington Sports Club
Washington Sports Club has many different locations and options within DC. The nearest one is located just under a mile from the Debonair on Connecticut Avenue. It is important to note that you can take your Washington Sports Club membership with you back to Boston and transfer it to a Boston Sports Club membership.
1835 Connecticut Ave NW
Washington, DC 20009
202-332-0100
Gold’s Gym
Located steps from the Van Ness Metro, Gold’s gym is less than 10 minutes away from the Debonair.
4310 Connecticut Ave NW
Washington, DC 20008
202-364-4653
YMCA of Metropolitan Washington
Located just two metro stops from the Debonair, the YMCA provides a great gym along with opportunities to give back to the DC community.
1112 16th St NW #720
Washington, DC 20036
202-232-6700
Balance Gym
Located just off Thomas Circle, Balance Gym is only a 15 minute trip from the Debonair.
1111 14th Street Northwest
Washington, DC 20005
202-730-0003
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Banks
Below is a list of the major banks in DC:
- Bank of America
- Capital One Bank
- Citibank
- M&T Bank
- PNC Bank
- Wells Fargo
Important Note: While Citizens Bank is one of the most popular banks in Boston, there is not one branch within 40 miles of the Debonair. There are also no Chase Banks in the DC region.
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