It poured in D.C. all weekend, but that didn’t keep us inside.
We braved the rain for dog walks, bowling, happy hour, and of course, study spots. The rain also coincided with a nice warm-up, which made things much more comfortable, albeit a little soggy.
The historic PNC Branch Bank in Georgetown, D.C.
Our labradoodle Ingrid braving the rain in Washington D.C.
The U.S. Capitol building during a very mild winter.
Washington D.C.’s Chinatown District on a rainy weekend afternoon.
Rainy day in Washington D.C.’s Chinatown.
Cafe society
Michael and I still spend a lot of our weekends at coffee shops – I’m trying to fast-track papers for my LL.M. program and he’s studying for the GMAT.
We got into the coffee shop habit this past summer in Dallas when I was studying for the bar exam. It’s nice that we both have a reason to study on weekends so one of us isn’t just ditching the other for two days.
Finding a study spot in D.C. is challenging because many of the cafés have very few power outlets. The rain makes it even harder to find a spot because the regular student/work crowd is joined by parents with toddlers and homeless people seeking shelter.
People generally try to avoid bothering others at coffee shops, but you’ll occasionally run into a stray screaming toddler or shifty man who is really excited to share his thoughts on Watergate. Often, we’ll bypass the coffee shops altogether and just study at school, where the biggest risk is making too many trips to Starbucks.
When we’ve been parked at the same table studying for too damn long.
Studying with a Bloomberg tax portfolio.
A rainy afternoon in Rosslyn, Virginia.
The historic PNC Branch Bank in Georgetown, D.C.
Ditching my Texas plates
One of the surprising things that happened this weekend is that we got a fat $100 ticket in Georgetown.
Our Texas plates just expired, and we’ve been hemming-and-hawing about registering the cars here. The problem is that we don’t drive during the week and I have to yet figure out where I am working post-graduation (which is only 3 months away!)
Registering the cars for only a couple months seems like a waste of time and money – particularly since we don’t really need to drive the cars at all. However, the $100 ticket (and tow tag!) was a wakeup call.
So, yesterday I went on a DMV odyssey to get new plates. My classes are only at night, which is why I have the ability to sit around the DMV during business hours.
The DMV here wanted way more information than I expected – like original purchase price, vehicle weight, etc. Luckily I’ve hoarded kept every important car-related document over the years. When I got to the DMV, the clerk asked for even more information than I anticipated, but then kept saying, “Oh it doesn’t matter” if I didn’t have it. It was stressful because I never knew which question would be the deal breaker for him.
After waiting an hour and paying $13, I was handed new plates. As I was getting ready to leave the DMV clerk casually mentioned that I had to go to the courthouse to pay county vehicle taxes. Who knew?
So I made my way to the courthouse, where a very skeptical tax assessor informed me that I should have renewed my registration immediately after moving here. However, I avoided late fees because I thought I had a student registration exemption (which apparently only applies for students from particular states, but not Texas.)
After a $33 payment, I had a county decal, and a mandate to get my car tested for emissions. At least now my car is no longer a tow-risk in Georgetown.
The Georgetown shopping district on a rainy afternoon.
The Georgetown Waterfront on a rainy and foggy afternoon (with a view of Rosslyn, Virginia).
The Georgetown Waterfront on a rainy and foggy afternoon (with a view of the Kennedy Center.)
The Georgetown Waterfront on a rainy and foggy afternoon (with a view of Rosslyn, Virginia).
Happy-houring
Besides studying and almost getting towed, we did make it to happy hour this weekend at TRADE and a few other places around town. The rain just meant that we took more Ubers than normal.
I suspect that the happy-houring is going to be a less frequent event in the coming weeks as Michael gears up for the GMAT and I keep juggling job interviews with finals prep. There’s always our bowling league and semi-mandatory networking events to keep our social lives intact.
However, despite the upcoming busy season, I think we’ll manage to make time for a cocktail or two. 🍺
Fancy happy hour people at the Rock and Roll Hotel on H Street, Washington D.C.
The Howard Theater in Washington D.C.
A drag performer at Ziegfeld’s in Washington D.C.
Some late-night pizza in Washington D.C.’s U-Street club district.
Light-up shoes at UPROAR Lounge in Washington D.C.
Trying our best to win the game during our weekly bowling league.
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