<p>Hey!</p>
<p>So this may seem a little vague - but fill me in on GW. I will be participating in a semester program at GW (I'm at BU). I am a California kid and have never been to Washington or GW before. What do I need to know?</p>
<p>Student Gym?
Campus Hangout/bar?
Any local favorite restaurants or bars?
Anything I have to do at GW?</p>
<p>Any help would be great. I plan on taking two management courses, while interning on Capitol Hill. Thanks for the help!</p>
<p>Hey Aztec,</p>
<p>Welcome-in-advance to G-Dubb! 
I’ve actually heard people say the environment/student body is pretty similar at GW and BU, so hopefully that won’t be too much of an adjustment. Here’s my take on your questions…</p>
<p>Student Gym?
It’s really nice. It’s called the Lerner Health and Wellness Center (HellWell for short). 4 floors, a pool, indoor track, b-ball and squash courts. It gets kind of crowded from like 8:30-10 AM and 4:30-6:30 PM, but you usually don’t have to wait too long for a machine.</p>
<p>Campus Hangout/bar? Any local favorite restaurants or bars?
There are only a few places that I’d call “GW” restaurants/bars. McFadden’s is the most popular bar, because it’s just a block away from campus and they have dirt cheap happy hour (they are REALLY, REALLY strict on IDs though, so if you’re not 21, forget it). Froggy Bottom Pub and Nooshi are two other restaurant/bars that a lot of people go to.
At night, however, your best bet is to venture out of Foggy Bottom. Georgetown and Adams Morgan have a ton of bars that students from all different schools go to. If you’re the more adventurous type or really into the music scene, U St. is the place to go, as they have a bunch of concert venues and jazz clubs. Message me if you want to know more details.</p>
<p>Anything I have to do at GW?
First order of business: Midnight monument tour. You haven’t been “inaugurated” into DC without it
Make sure you pay attention to what’s going on around campus. There’s always speakers coming- last week Dana Bash gave a talk in the library, and the College Democrats hosted Barney Frank. Most student orgs are very welcoming of semester-in-DC students, so don’t be afraid to show up at any meetings that you may be interested in. Also, every day at 6 PM the Kennedy Center (which is maybe 3 blocks away) has a free performance at their Millennium Stage; check out the schedule on their website and stop by if a performance looks interesting!
It’s hard to give more recommendations without knowing your interests, cause DC just has so much to offer. Let me know if you’d like more specific recommendations!</p>
<p>I second the midnight monument tour! Its absolutely gorgeous.</p>
<p>Thank you gwsenior!</p>
<p>I am a senior at BU, so I am above 21!</p>
<p>I think I am pretty adventurous, outgoing, and I definitely enjoy a good social scene (bars, music venues). Thanks for the tips about student organizations - I can’t wait to be around a politically active campus! (no bash to BU but I just don’t think it compares).</p>
<p>The program’s housing is near the Woodley Park - Zoo stop on the Red line. Is that area filled with students, or will I need to venture out a little bit?</p>
<p>This midnight monument tour sounds awesome. Do student organizations host that?</p>
<p>As far as my interests go I love sports, music, politics. As I said before, I’ve never been to DC so I really want to get the most out of it that I possibly can. I have a feeling my first few weeks will be lots of monuments, parks, and museums - but I really want some of the non-touristy stuff too. Thanks for your insight!</p>
<p>Woodley Park is a great, funky neighborhood, and it’s the closest metro to Adams Morgan, where the party scene really is. I think more young professionals/just-out-of-college people live there rather than students, but I don’t think it matters much- you can still meet other students through your job and at GW, I am sure.</p>
<p>A lot of student organizations will host midnight monument tours at the beginning of the year. Or you can just get a group of friends and stumble around them yourself! :)</p>
<p>As for your interests…
Sports: GW isn’t very into the whole sports thing, but the men’s basketball games are reasonably well-attended. You can always catch a Wizards or Nationals game too. And if you are into playing sports, I know there are a ton of informal ultimate frisbee/soccer/softball/etc. teams for people in DC. Not too sure of the specifics, but I see them playing on the Mall all the time.</p>
<p>Music: DC is a GREAT city for music. The U St. neighborhood has 9:30 Club, which hosts both national acts and local bands, as well as the Black Cat, which is more focused on local acts and has random dance nights (80s, 90s, Hip-Hop, etc). H St. NE is an up-and-coming neighborhood for music too- check out what bands are playing at Rock n Roll Hotel and DC9. Big concerts are usually held at the DAR or Verizon Center. There’s also tons and tons of dance clubs throughout the city.</p>
<p>And as for politics…no need to go looking anywhere; it’s alllllllll around you, whether you like it or not :)</p>
<p>know of any good breweries? I love taking family and friends in Boston to the Sam Adams brewery - any good ones down in DC?</p>
<p>I can’t think of any in the District itself, but there are several good ones (so I hear- I’ve never been) in the Shenandoah Valley, which is a little over an hour drive from DC.</p>