relocating

My son recently was hired by the US Patent office. He will be relocating to DC in late October and visiting in a few weeks to check out the area. Any suggestions as a good area to check into. He%26#39;s thinking he might want to try to sublet or share in the Georgetown/FoggyBottom area because of the chance to meet new people, college atmosphere etc. (He%26#39;s 25 single and recently graduated from Law School) Also, suggestions for hotel while visiting would be appreciated. Thanks.

relocating

Georgetown and the Foggy Bottom area are good places to live. Craig%26#39;s List is often recommended as good place to start looking for apartments. As to hotels--what price range are you looking at?

relocating

Well we are flexible on the price of the hotel- of course the lower the price the better. I was hoping under $200. He would like to fly into Reagan and if all possible avoid renting a car. Thanks again.

You could go to quikbook. com and enter your dates to see what hotel deals come up in DC. If any interest you, then you can check the reviews posted here under ';hotels';. As for renting a car--if he just plans to stay in the District, then a car is not necessary.

Does he know where the PTO is located? Does he know in which building he%26#39;ll be working? How long of a daily commute is he willing to take?

The PTO is not in Washington DC, nor is it Arlington VA for that matter. It%26#39;s now down in Alexandria, with several buildings outside the DC Beltway (property costs out there are lower, and it%26#39;s far more convenient for the bulk of PTO employees). Besides, the area around the new PTO campus is looking better and better - take a drive out there while you%26#39;re in town and see the amenities.

Compared to Michigan, the DC area is an expensive place to live, especially within the District itself. I%26#39;m guessing he won%26#39;t be making as much money as his classmates who found jobs in private practice (starting salaries for first-year associates topped $100K a few years ago), so he might want to consider living in the Virginia suburbs and just coming into DC on the weekends, saving himself thousands of dollars in rent and commute costs.