<p>and how often do you guys go? Also, is D.C a popular choice for people on, say, a weekend night or do people usually tend to stay on campus?</p>
<p>I've gone into D.C. a few times...once to catch a Chinatown bus to NYC with friends, once to eat in Chinatown with the same people (we had discovered a great Thai place when we got back from NYC and wanted to go back), and twice to go to concerts at the 9:30 club during the week. It's really easy to get there--you just hop on the shuttle from Stamp and get to the College Park Metro in like 10 minutes. D.C.'s not as popular a choice for things to do on the weekend because usually there's just so much going on campus. Some people go shopping in D.C. or for a nice dinner, and some people take the Red Line to Wheaton Station (Maryland) to go to the mall there.</p>
<p>We've already got our tickets for our next D.C. concert. Goo Goo Dolls at 9:30 on Feb 6!</p>
<p>its like what, less than 10 miles to DC? I would say its pretty convenient...</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies guys.</p>
<p>I guess I'm asking because I'd really like to go to a school with a major city with great cultural and social opportunities to accompany great academic credibility. I feel that living in, or atleast next to, a major city would make for an ideal college experience. So i just wanted to know if UMD can consider a place like D.C "their" city.</p>
<p>Well, I'm not a UMCP student, but I live really close to campus/know a lot of people there/etc. There are actually several schools in DC; Georgetown, American, and GW being the ones most people would recognize. Because Maryland isn't "in" DC, I don't know if many students would consider it "their" city. Also, UMCP is a big sporty school with a lot going on on campus, so the contigent that goes out and explores the city on a regular basis is probably smaller than the amount of people who would rather just chill on campus. That said UMCP is REALLY, REALLY close to DC (more convenient than Northwestern is to Chicago...psh), so it is definitely there as a thing to do if that is what you want. Also I know many kids have internships there, esp. in academic areas like journalism.</p>
<p>UM is the closest school to the nation's capital, there aren't alot of places to go if you live here for a long time. However it's quite intersting to take people around DC. But there are plenty of places to go around collegepark area. You can get more government jobs/internship than most schools since it is like right there.</p>
<p>How safe is the trip from College Park to DC?</p>
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How safe is the trip from College Park to DC?
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<p>Oh, it's actually one of the safer things to do. You hop on a shuttle bus in front of Stamp Student Union that takes you right to the Metro station...you walk about 30 feet from the stop and you're in the station, set to head into town. College Park is three stops away from Fort Totten (the first stop in D.C. on the Green Line--also a transfer point to the Red Line).</p>
<p>for students who live off-campus and across route 1 (or some on south campus), the metro station is about a 10-minute walk-- much quicker than waiting for the shuttle bus on nice days.</p>
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I've gone into D.C. a few times...once to catch a Chinatown bus to NYC with friends, once to eat in Chinatown with the same people (we had discovered a great Thai place when we got back from NYC and wanted to go back), and twice to go to concerts at the 9:30 club during the week. It's really easy to get there--you just hop on the shuttle from Stamp and get to the College Park Metro in like 10 minutes. D.C.'s not as popular a choice for things to do on the weekend because usually there's just so much going on campus. Some people go shopping in D.C. or for a nice dinner, and some people take the Red Line to Wheaton Station (Maryland) to go to the mall there.</p>
<p>We've already got our tickets for our next D.C. concert. Goo Goo Dolls at 9:30 on Feb 6!
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</p>
<p>How long would you say it takes to get to the 9:30 club? Also, are their any other good venues nearby? I think theres a place called The Recher somewhere in Maryland. You know anything about that? Thanks</p>
<p>It takes about 25-35 minutes to get to the 930 club from Stamp Student Union, a little more if you get unlucky and miss the first train. The Black Cat is off the same stop on the Green line, but that's mainly for indie rock and other underground music--it's a nice place too. Recher Theatre is in Towson, Maryland--that's pretty far away. DAR Constitution hall is a 45 minutes rail and bus ride, and the Verizon Center where occasionally there's a big show (RHCP for example), or a Wizards or Capitals game is on the metro as well (closer than DAR too).</p>
<p>Man, the 9:30 club is so tempting...there's a Jack's Mannequin show followed by two nights of Guster in late Feb. I'll have to see.</p>
<p>
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It takes about 25-35 minutes to get to the 930 club from Stamp Student Union, a little more if you get unlucky and miss the first train. The Black Cat is off the same stop on the Green line, but that's mainly for indie rock and other underground music--it's a nice place too. Recher Theatre is in Towson, Maryland--that's pretty far away. DAR Constitution hall is a 45 minutes rail and bus ride, and the Verizon Center where occasionally there's a big show (RHCP for example), or a Wizards or Capitals game is on the metro as well (closer than DAR too).</p>
<p>Man, the 9:30 club is so tempting...there's a Jack's Mannequin show followed by two nights of Guster in late Feb. I'll have to see.
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<p>Wow, thank you so much! This might sound stupid to most people here, but no joke, having music/concerts near a school is probably one of the most important things for me. All the other schools I've applied to are in cities (NY/Boston) with a huge music scene so I was worried that Maryland would be a bit lacking but this is great for me. And I never even thought of the Verizon Center (I'm also a bit of a hockey nut).</p>
<p>Anyways, as far as Jack's Mannequin I would most definitely recommend you go see them. I saw them once before and they put on an amazing show; plus this time they're playing with Head Automatica and The Audition who are both supposed to be pretty good.</p>
<p>One last thing... Are their any nice chill coffeehouse type places around/near campus where people just go and hang out that have an open mic nigh or anything like that?</p>
<p>I think Santa Fe does coffee house type shows, but, and someone correct me if I'm wrong, I think you have to be 21 to get in.</p>
<p>Yeah, having a music scene was big for me too when I was thinking about colleges. Luckily, I know the DC scene pretty well. I've got 4 concerts I'm definitely going to this semester (2 at 9:30, one in Baltimore, one at the Black Cat), and possibly more as the Black Cat books more shows for March and April and if I see Jack's Mannequin and/or Guster. Also, occasionally, a show will play at UMD itself. Ben Folds played last year, and Brand New played with Dashboard Confessional at Cole Field House.</p>
<p>Oh, I forgot to mention the Velvet Lounge, another small concert venue, which is also at the U Street Metro stop. I haven't checked out the Rock and Roll Hotel, which opened up over the summer, but it's also in DC and is supposed to be really nice.</p>
<p>there's college perk, which is a coffeehouse nearby...it's not really convenient without a car though (although i think it's on a metrobus route). i believe they have open mic nights and stuff, but that's not really my scene so i'm not sure.</p>
<p>We went to Potbelly's last night down on Route 1, and apparently they occasionally have live music. There was this guy with an acoustic/electric guitar singing and playing in the corner while we ate--he was really good. Just thought it was worth mentioning</p>
<p>Thanks for all the info. Like mps, I need a school where I know I'll be able to go to concerts. Lately I've been worrying about not being able to go to as many concerts as I do now when I start college, and UMD is one of the only schools I applied to that's near a big city. Though UMD was my top choice for the past few months, all of this information has definitely reinforced how badly I want to go there. Thanks guys!</p>