There is so much to do in D.C. Like any major city there are festivals, concerts, sports teams, etc. No matter what you’re scene, you can find something that fits you best. I’m a sports fan. Not the most typical of a 22-year-old girl, but I am a huge hockey fan, and D.C. has a pretty good team.
The Capitals’ stadium is right in the middle of the city. For me, it’s a four stop Metro ride to Chinatown, and then Capital One Stadium is right outside the stop. Now, I’m not a huge fan of Stubhub. When it comes to theater performances they overprice the tickets by at least twice as much as you can get on the company’s actual websites. Hamilton tickets, for example, are sold for twice the price you can get them on Broadway.com.
But for sports, Stubhub is great. About a week before the game, my friend, Payton, and I went online for tickets. It was the Caps v. the Lightening, currently the best team in the league, so I knew it would be a good game, and the tickets were $30. Originally they were $50. But because whoever had bought them before could no longer go, they sold them cheap.
We even learned that if you go online day of, you can find the same type of tickets we had for $20. When people get closer to the game they want to get something for the tickets instead being out the whole $50. With being a college student, saving as much as I can is absolutely a plus.
Now, I’m a Pittsburgh girl at heart, and being in the same division, I needed the Caps to lose. Besides my freshman year when the Islanders played right next to Hofstra, I’ve never had a home hockey team so close to me. So I bought a Caps t-shirt and went to the game.
We were pretty much as high up as one could be, but we were right behind the goal, so for at least two periods, we saw the puck go into the net every time the Caps scored. It was freezing, as you’d expect for a hockey game, and the Caps lost, but I had a great time. Sports are always better when you actually go to the game than when watching it on TV, and nothing beats the energy of a pumped up hockey crowd.
Since I’m in D.C. until May, I’m definitely going to be attending more games, especially if I can get tickets for $20. And, playoffs start in April, and as the standings are now, Pitt might be playing the Caps while I’m here, which would be amazing to see since the teams have a bit of a rivalry.
Now if sports aren’t you’re thing, which is totally fair, maybe concerts will be. D.C. has plenty of concert venues from the big ones like CapitalOne to the smaller, newer ones like the Anthem. The Wharf, as I’m told, is a newer area with plenty of restaurants and twinkle lights. It’s actually a really great place to walk around, and it’s right by the water in the south east corner.
The Anthem is on The Wharf, and I happened across a ticket to see Portugal, The Man. I was at my internship, and one of the other girls said her roommate was no longer able to attend, and if she didn’t find someone to go with her, she’d have to sell the tickets.
Not having anything better to do, I thought, “Why not?” I’m not all that familiar with Portugal, The Man. I know Feel It Still, but that was it. I went anyway and I’m so glad I did. The Anthem has no seating for general admission, so when you get there you crowd the stage and get as close as you can, and when the show starts you’re up against everyone else, drowning in music and lights. There were lasers shot over the crowd, and they were using a smoke machines that swirled the lights.
The show was unreal, and by the end of the night, I could barely hear and smelled of cigarette smoke. My feet were killing me, but really all that means was that it was a Saturday night well spent.
That is why I love this city. If you don’t know what you’re going to do, chances are a quick Google search will give you any number of ideas, and something can fall into your lap out of nowhere, all you have to say is “yes.” After a month here I feel like I haven’t even scratched the surface of this city, and I cannot wait to see what else will happen. St. Patrick’s Day is coming up, and so are the Cherry Blossoms Festival. So here’s to my upcoming adventures!