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Post by stretcharmstrong on Apr 11, 2014 9:42:21 GMT -5
I am a Canadian Hoya fan and I’m going to be visiting the DC area next month. As you may or may not know, 99.9% of Canadians do not follow Canadian college sports (not even their own Universities), as there is virtually zero presence/interest, and the media coverage matches that. So Canadians adopt U.S. college teams, and I was awestruck by JTII, PE, and the entire ’84 Hoya team as a kid, and I’ve been following the Hoyas ever since.
I will be making my first visit to the DC area since I was a kid, and would love to get some recommendations from HoyaTalk. I will be staying at a hotel just East of the White House (I’ll have a car) and have booked off the Friday morning to visit the GU campus. Can anyone recommend places to park nearby, or if I even need to drive there. Which places are must sees on campus? Also, I will be looking to stock up on Hoya gear, so is there a good place on campus, or are their other places in DC that have a better selection?
I’m only in town for one night (Thurs), so does anyone have any casual dinner recommendations? Also, a buddy of mine will be coming in to visit and we’re going to head out on the town, so does anyone have any casual bar/club recommendations that cater to the 25-35 crowd? Any recommendations are welcome, and thanks in advance for any input you have!
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RusskyHoya
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Post by RusskyHoya on Apr 11, 2014 10:12:37 GMT -5
No need to drive - just take the Circulator bus into Georgetown and walk to campus. It's a very attractive neighborhood, so the walk is a good experience in and of itself. There are various other options as well, e.g. taking the Metro to Rosslyn and then taking one of the free university GUTS buses straight onto campus. The campus is fairly compact and you can ignore the entire medical center, so in terms of "what places are must sees?" you can really see just about everything important, e.g. McDonough, Healy, Dahlgren Quad, the front lawn. Personal recommendation: go up to the Village A rooftops for some great skyline views. The bookstore in Leavey Center is the most comprehensive source of Hoya swag. Do casual dinner at The Tombs for the authentic Georgetown experience. As for casual bar/club recommendations that cater to the 25-35 crowd... eh, most places shouldn't be toooo bad on a Thursday night. I like some of the places around U Street - The Gibson, Saloon, New Town, Marvin, Darnell's. If you only go to one place, though, go to The Passenger by Mt. Vernon Square.
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PhillyHoya
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Post by PhillyHoya on Apr 11, 2014 10:13:35 GMT -5
You can park for free in West Georgetown for 2 hours during the day. There is two garages on campus (Southwest Quad and Leavey) but I'm not sure what they'll try to charge you (it's never consistent). It's cheaper/easier to either take a cab or do a combo of bus/metro/walking.
My favorite place on campus is Dahlgren Quad (the area between the back of Healy Hall and Dahlgren Chapel). The bookstore is in the Leavey Center and definitely will have lots of Hoya gear.
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Elvado
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Post by Elvado on Apr 11, 2014 11:44:16 GMT -5
Look to see if you can get into the McDonough lobby to see the trophies and photos.
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Post by flyoverhoya on Apr 11, 2014 11:53:17 GMT -5
I like some of the places around U Street - The Gibson, Saloon, New Town, Marvin, Darnell's. If you only go to one place, though, go to The Passenger by Mt. Vernon Square. Not a sentence that would have ever been uttered back when I was at GU. The post-Metro change along U Street has been pretty amazing.
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Boz
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Post by Boz on Apr 11, 2014 12:02:06 GMT -5
We have fans in Canadia? I agree with pretty much all what Russky said. If you're only on campus/in town for one day, you more or less have to go to The Tombs. Even though the food isn't all that great. It'll taste great to you. I also echo U Street for going out. It's not really a "Georgetown" experience, but I think it's the best D.C. experience (on the bar/nightspot front anyway). Too bad the Do-Me isn't still open....sigh....
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Post by buffandblue on Apr 11, 2014 12:18:34 GMT -5
Best way to see our nation's capital is by foot and by Metro. If you are staying downtown, east of the White House, walk west along Pennsylvania Avenue, past the White House and into Foggy Bottom and the main campus of George Washington University. You can continue west along Pennsylvania Avenue into Georgetown, take a Connector Bus at the Foggy Bottom-GWU Metro stop to Georgetown or take Metrorail to see other parts of the city and region. Welcome to Washington!
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Post by stretcharmstrong on Apr 11, 2014 12:49:20 GMT -5
Thanks for the responses everyone, I am definitely going to Metro it to Campus, can't wait to see it, and I'll definitely hit The Tombs for dinner. And yes, there is at least one Hoya fan in Canada, although I was surrounded by Syracuse fans growing up. Thanks again, this has definitely helped with my planning!
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hoyainspirit
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Post by hoyainspirit on Apr 11, 2014 13:38:03 GMT -5
Your welcome.
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Post by stretcharmstrong on Apr 28, 2014 12:52:25 GMT -5
Thanks for all the replies, I appreciate it. I have a traffic question. I'm going to be driving in crossing the Key Bridge (29) and making my way across the city around 3pm this Thursday. What's the best way to get to 14th ST NW and H ST NW? Just stay on K ST NW all the way? Any suggestions would be great. Thanks!
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Boz
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Post by Boz on Apr 28, 2014 14:23:30 GMT -5
Get yourself a jetpack.
Short of that, sit back, relax and enjoy the never-ending cluster&*#$ that is D.C. driving in the afternoon.
(Going into the city will be slightly less soul-sucking than trying to leave it, so you got that going for you.)
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Post by BubbleVisionBiff on Apr 28, 2014 14:59:10 GMT -5
Stretch: You will save yourself a little time inbound if you take the first right off the Key Bridge (there is no signal, just a break in the pedestrian walkway on the bridge) onto Whitehurst Freeway. You will bypass most of the Georgetown traffic. Stay to the left and at the first light, Whitehurst dumps into K St. NW eastbound. Be careful, as there is a speed camera right after this merge as you start to head towards an underpass. Once K street comes back "up," you are at about K St. & 20th Sts. NW. From there, continue on K heading east, and about half a block past 18th, you should be able to bear right into the access road. Once on that road, make a right onto 17th St NW and then H will two blocks down on the left.
Other than that, may God have mercy on your soul. Just kidding, welcome back to DC.
Oh, and the pro shop at Yates Field House sometimes has swag not available at the bookstore.
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Post by stretcharmstrong on Apr 28, 2014 20:30:41 GMT -5
Stretch: You will save yourself a little time inbound if you take the first right off the Key Bridge (there is no signal, just a break in the pedestrian walkway on the bridge) onto Whitehurst Freeway. You will bypass most of the Georgetown traffic. Stay to the left and at the first light, Whitehurst dumps into K St. NW eastbound. Be careful, as there is a speed camera right after this merge as you start to head towards an underpass. Once K street comes back "up," you are at about K St. & 20th Sts. NW. From there, continue on K heading east, and about half a block past 18th, you should be able to bear right into the access road. Once on that road, make a right onto 17th St NW and then H will two blocks down on the left. Other than that, may God have mercy on your soul. Just kidding, welcome back to DC. Oh, and the pro shop at Yates Field House sometimes has swag not available at the bookstore. Thanks so much, I will definitely take that advice. For fun, I just checked. and Toronto rates 2 spots worse than DC in the worst traffic cities in North America rating, so I know what to expect! I'll definitely check out both the Pro Shop at Yates and the bookstore for swag.
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Nevada Hoya
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Post by Nevada Hoya on Apr 29, 2014 12:04:45 GMT -5
The traffic in Toronto, when I lived there in the mid-70's was not so bad, with the feeder lanes for the 401 taking some of the burden. I can imagine it now, although I was there last year, but heading north, and the traffic was not too bad (not rush hour).
The day after my graduation from GU in '66, we headed out on a road trip to San Diego (for a classmate's wedding), and, being naive at the time about the DC traffic (I didn't have a car in DC), I was not ready for the one hour drive across Key Bridge. Ugh!
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DFW HOYA
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Post by DFW HOYA on Apr 29, 2014 12:29:33 GMT -5
Not a sentence that would have ever been uttered back when I was at GU. The post-Metro change along U Street has been pretty amazing. As late as the 1980's, undergraduates were advised not to travel beyond 15th St. at night. The day after my graduation from GU in '66, we headed out on a road trip to San Diego (for a classmate's wedding), and, being naive at the time about the DC traffic (I didn't have a car in DC), I was not ready for the one hour drive across Key Bridge. Ugh! One always hopes that the 92 year old Key Bridge is adequately protected against the wear and tear that 60,000 cars per day engender. Then again, on my last visit to DC, I was beginning a walk along the bridge when an industrial grade Terex crane turned right off Canal Street and headed towards Virginia. For a moment, you could feel the bridge shake.
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Post by flyoverhoya on Apr 29, 2014 13:02:30 GMT -5
Not a sentence that would have ever been uttered back when I was at GU. The post-Metro change along U Street has been pretty amazing. As late as the 1980's, undergraduates were advised not to travel beyond 15th St. at night. Up to at least the late '80s, there was a T-shirt place at 13th and U where we used to get T-shirts done for M&B shows. Cab drivers would only take us up there if we paid in advance, and they wouldn't wait for us while we were inside.
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