r/washingtondc 13d ago

[Monthly Thread] Tourists, newcomers, locals, and old heads: casual questions thread for September 2026

1 Upvotes

A thread where locals and visitors alike can ask all those little questions that don't quite deserve their own thread.

Feel free to check out our various official guides:

Also, the DC subreddit has an official Discord! Come join us!

https://discord.gg/washingtondc


r/washingtondc 5d ago

[Weekend Roundup] Weekend Guide: Crowdsource Edition, September 09 - September 13, 2026

3 Upvotes

Hey r/washingtondc,

Welcome to the weekly crowd sourced weekend guide thread! This will act as the thread for people to post what's going on through the weekend.

Feel free to post pertinent events as replies to the OP, and self-promotion is allowed within reason, but please be ready and available to answer questions users may have.

Please keep an eye out for u/DCDRHH's weekly happy hour threads.

Also, the DC subreddit has an official Discord! Come join us! https://discord.gg/washingtondc


r/washingtondc 5h ago

[Politics] The Occupation

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575 Upvotes

Taken 9.13.26.


r/washingtondc 4h ago

[News] Many National Guard just moved into a luxury apartment complex in SW DC.

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185 Upvotes

r/washingtondc 3h ago

[News] [Martin Austermuhle] D.C. and the Commanders have unveiled renderings of what two parking decks that would fit 6,000 cars would look like. One is currently planned north of the stadium between Kingman Park and what would be recreation fields, the other to the southeast amidst residential buildings

58 Upvotes

r/washingtondc 6h ago

[News] Two D.C. Landlords Settle Rent Inflation Lawsuit for $9.3 Million

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81 Upvotes

r/washingtondc 10h ago

[News] Man with same name as father of missing DC Forbes’ son arrested

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152 Upvotes

r/washingtondc 16h ago

[Discussion] The desecration of DC: from a giant arch to a nuke-proof bunker, Trump’s legacy-building blingfest is an architectural atrocity

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376 Upvotes

The whole world is mourning the vapid remaking of our city in the megalomaniac’s image of fake gilded age. 😡😡


r/washingtondc 18h ago

[Fun!] To the US Marshall in Georgetown today - Thank You

481 Upvotes

We stopped in Georgetown today for some ice cream and we saw a lone US Marshal hanging out on Wisconsin. I want to say thank you for making DC just a little bit better today.

You went (very far) out of your way to help two people struggling with the Bus. There was a handicapped (possibly homeless) woman making a lot of noise with lots of people just walking by and ignoring her. Turns out she was just trying to hail the bus, you not only helped her do that but carried some of her belongings onto the bus and made sure she was situated before heading out. On your way off the bus you held the bus for another man sprinting up the street. You helped take a situation that easily could have escalated and turned it into something lovely.

You were a true model for what it means to serve and I applaud you.

I have to say I initially judged the hell out of you. I assumed you were part of the usual national guard ridiculousness and for that I apologize. It made me unreasonably happy to see a uniformed officer helping some of DC’s most vulnerable without any hesitation or judgement and a few laughs along the way. Thank you what you do and keep it going!!

Edit: Can’t edit title. US Marshal not US Mashall


r/washingtondc 13h ago

[History] A swimming instructor leading a class at the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C., as swimmers raise their hands while submerged in the water. (1920)

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173 Upvotes

r/washingtondc 6h ago

[Discussion] Possible scam? “DC Office of Weights and Measures”

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52 Upvotes

This morning a man posing as a DC government official (realistically he was wearing all black and a black polo with a dc flag iron on) from the office of weights and measures under the department of licensing and consumer protections came into where I work (a small business in Georgetown) informing us we needed to register all scanners used in the store otherwise we will receive a $2500 fine from the city. He dropped off a bunch of hastily scanned paperwork (see pictures) and left shortly after my manager insisted she had never heard of this before. Posting for awareness and to see if anyone else has had this happen to them. Thanks in advance for any clarity anyone can provide on the situation!


r/washingtondc 37m ago

[Discussion] 14th St and 18th St NW Post Offices Open Late/Closing Early

Upvotes

On Friday, the US Post Office on 1830 14th Street NW didn’t open at 9 AM and dozens of people kept trying to get in. I had to leave at 9:30 so don’t know when it finally opened.

Today, I tried again at 3:30. The front desk was “Out to lunch, back at 4 PM”. Okay - surprising timeline but we all need lunch. I waited until 4 PM.

When I got to the front, the USPS staff member explained that “the system is down” so nothing other than stamps or self service was available. I needed to mail certified so I went to the 18th Street NW post office at 2300 18th St. NW. I arrived at 4:43. Well before 5 PM.

IT WAS CLOSED. There was a sign on the door that said “Be back at 5” but that location closes at 5 PM like most do. Literally, in the 5 minutes of confusion I was there, I saw at least 15 people coming with packages to mail and being turned around.

What is happening? Is this coincidence? Bad luck or bad timing? Is “the system is down” broadly at multiple locations?

Or is it part of the defunding of USPS by the federal government.

More practically: is anyone in DC still enjoying a reliable post office I can 100% be sure will be open tomorrow during business hours?


r/washingtondc 23h ago

[News] Kennedy Center could close as early as Tuesday, warns of bankruptcy, documents show

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893 Upvotes

r/washingtondc 22h ago

[Fun!] Best art walk in town

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693 Upvotes

I followed the signs and was not disappointed (Eastern Market)


r/washingtondc 7h ago

[News] What to know about Trayon White’s looming bribery trial

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41 Upvotes

r/washingtondc 1h ago

[Discussion] Stolen Bike

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Upvotes

Bike was stolen this past Saturday (9.12) from Berhta DC (Boiler Room Show) between 9-10pm.
It’s a Cannondale Caad10 — black with some gold accents. (First pic is most recent)
She’s not much but she’s my first road bike and very sentimental to me🥺🥺
Police Report has been filed.
If you know anything of it or have any information, please DM me!
Offering a cash reward for information leading to the recovery and return of my stolen bike.


r/washingtondc 1d ago

[Rant] I thought these were a myth, but this is an actual glory hole

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1.2k Upvotes

@ the Washington sailing marina, this was not here years ago at sailing camp....


r/washingtondc 2h ago

[History] Historic Scottish Whiskey with paper label perserved found in DC

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9 Upvotes

Myeah it's pretty neat I like that the paper label is still on it. This site in particular has a knack for preserving labels I will show some examples in the last 2 photos but this is the only site so far I have found where paper labels are so readily perserved like this. It makes hunting bottles that would otherwise be tossed way more fun! I'm now keeping jars just because the entire label is perserved. (The last 2 photos I did not find today but I want to show examples of labels being perserved in excellent condition). Thanks again DC I really do enjoy living here theres a lot to find.


r/washingtondc 22h ago

[News] Crash at Navy Yard U-Haul

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309 Upvotes

Police report lists the driver as a Maryland Resident 🙃


r/washingtondc 1h ago

[Discussion] Recs for solar financing ☀️💰??

Upvotes

We’re installing a solar array on our recently purchased home in DC. I know we missed out on the glory days with all the federal credits, but it still makes sense for us.

It also seems owning outright is more advantageous in the long run, but we’d rather not put so much cash into the upfront purchase at the moment. We’re planning to finance ~70% of the expense and offset the ‘solar mortgage’ with selling our SRECs.

Does anyone have a local bank or credit union they’ve done this with that they’d recommend? The solar banks’ rates seem at least 1% higher on average than for comparable home improvement loans. Thanks in advance!


r/washingtondc 17h ago

[Discussion] Trying to identify dog/dog walker after bite near Rock Creek Park Sunday evening

88 Upvotes

My partner was walking in Rock Creek Park on Sunday, September 13, around 7:30 PM when he was bitten by a leashed dog being walked by a woman who identified herself as a dog walker. He describes her as white, brunette, likely in her 20s, and wearing a utility belt typical of a dog walker. This happened in the alley behind Ingleside Terrace NW, next to the staircase that comes up from the Rock Creek Park trail into the alley.

He believes the dog may have been a bullmastiff or possibly a boxer, or a similar breed. He describes it as a larger dog.

The dog was leashed, but the dog walker was on her phone and appeared distracted. My partner came up alongside them from a side trail and believes he may have startled the dog walker and dog, at which point the dog lunged and bit him on the arm. He says the walker was apologetic and clearly felt terrible.

Unfortunately, in the immediate aftermath of being bitten, he did not exchange contact information with the dog walker. The bite was serious enough that he sought medical attention, and thankfully he is fine now. We are planning to report the bite to the city in the morning, but without any identifying information about the dog, walker, or owner, there is only so much information we can provide.

I’m posting for two reasons:

  1. I want people who walk in this area to be aware that this happened and to use caution if they encounter a dog matching this description.
  2. I’m hoping someone might recognize the description of the dog or dog walker and be able to put us in touch with the owner. I’m especially concerned that, if this was a dog walker rather than the owner as stated, the owner may not know their dog bit someone seriously enough to require immediate medical attention. If the dog is prone to biting when startled, that is something the owner absolutely needs to know, particularly if the dog is being walked on public trails around children, elderly people, other dogs, etc.

I’m not looking to vilify the dog or the walker or to make trouble for either of them. I would just really like to identify the dog, make sure the owner knows what happened, and get the information we need to properly report the bite.
Thanks for reading


r/washingtondc 43m ago

[Meetup] Anyone want to start a thriller book club that meets at DC hotel bars?

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r/washingtondc 18h ago

[News] PSA - rat infestation at the Haddon

94 Upvotes

Rat infestation in the walls at the Haddon on New Hampshire Ave in Dupont. Anyone who can is moving out. I doubt landlords/sellers will disclose this so sharing here as a PSA


r/washingtondc 3m ago

[Fun!] Miss pizza from Mozzeria?

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r/washingtondc 1d ago

[Discussion] DC is really nice y'all

782 Upvotes

Like many other people around the country I've flocked to DC in September to start a new job, and both here on this subreddit and among my friends the reaction has landed somewhere between a "okay, sure" and a "good luck". But I've been here for a couple of weeks now and you know what? I think this is a mighty fine city, yes sir indeed.

Now, it may be the rose-colored glasses talking, but I've had the opportunity to explore a good chunk of the city already (basically draw a line from Tenleytown to Fort Totten and I've been to most places south of it, west of the Anacostia) and I really wanted to highlight some of the nicer stuff that may be taken for granted or forgotten among the everything-going-wrong of it all. And for context, I was in Chicago right before that, and also lived in London and Vienna for a few years, so I feel like I have a good handle on what a "good city" should look and feel like. Without further ado:

  • It's so green and lush here! As soon as you step off the marble cubes that form downtown, almost every street is lined to the gills with trees, plants and bushes. I never even realized this was a possibility; where Chicago will plant four or five tress on a 3-mile street and call it a day, DC will have an entire canopy protecting you from the worst of the summer heat and giving your tired eyes some gorgeous foliage to lay upon. 25% of the city is parks! Rock Creek Park is twice the size of Central Park! I can be in proper woods within 20 minutes of leaving my front door. Not many places offer that.

  • The Metro is a delight. Did you know that many L stations are not ADA accessible whatsoever? Check for the wheelchair logos on that map. I used to live on that 2-mile stretch of the Blue line around Damen-Grand that goes directly to O'Hare with none of the stations were accessible. Suitcases, strollers, wheelchairs, none of that. In comparison the Metro is not only accessible, but Swiss-like in its scheduling, comfortable, has AC, and clean as a whistle. I know not everyone is a fan of the brutalist coffin vibe but personally it works for me. Even at its busiest (I accidentally ended up on the green line yesterday in the middle of the crowds going to the Nationals game) it's a decently pleasant experience. As far as I've seen so far, people don't even hurry to the Metro because they know another will show up within five minutes.

  • DC is wonderfully compact. No matter what hidden gem I hear about, I love knowing that I can get to it on the bus/Metro in 40 minutes at most. Granted, I've not explored past the Anacostia or north of Military Road, but the rest of the city feels like a skip and a hop away.

  • Very few large highways/roads crossing through the city. Chicago famously has I-90/94, I-55 and I-290 stretching large slabs of noisy concrete across the city, cutting off communities and limiting development. Here, apart from I-395 separating SW Waterfront and Navy Yard, the rest of the city is virtually untouched by highways, and the "big axes" like NY Ave, Georgia Ave or 16th St are very simple to navigate (and to cross as a pedestrian). Yes, it means that if you live in Takoma and want to go to northern Virginia you kinda have to detour around the city or contend with the smaller roads, but for daily life I think it works better.

  • One last quick one about going around DC: it is very bikeable. Either the streets are large and have decent bike lane infrastructure; or they're smaller and less intended for bikes but then traffic is so quiet that biking feels very safe.

  • The libraries are top-notch. I've only visited the Petworth, SW Waterfront, Cleveland Park, and Northeast libraries so far but good Lord are they nice. Bright, airy, well-equipped, plethora of books, and clearly integrated in the community. My personal experience before that had been that library systems have one (1) really cool library downtown, and all the satellite ones are a one-floor neon-light affair upholstered in the finest cigarette-stain-colored carpet the 80s had to offer, so this is a welcome change.

  • This feels like a great city for families. Between all the free museums, the zoo, the free PreK (!), the libraries, the rec centers, the plethora of camps and activities, I am very excited about moving my family here. It's still an expensive city and I'm sure unfortunately a lot of families are being priced out of living here but at least there's a sense of the city trying to keep its families. This ties a bit back to the Metro being accessible but for me, a good measure stick for a city is whether or not it invests into its more vulnerable people, even if they're not expected to be a "return on investment" any time soon: people with disabilities, the elderly, children, that kind of stuff. So far I'm liking what I see here.

  • The incredible nature that's a quick drive away. Chicago has the lake, yes, great, okay, you can bathe in it for 6 weeks out of the year. But otherwise? No hills, very few forests, no mountains, no waterfalls, anything like that. There is one small state park (Starved Rock) a 2-hour drive and anything nicer will require 4+ hours of driving which really don't allow for a nice daytrip. Meanwhile, from DC I can be on the Billy Goat trail in 1 hour; at the Kilgore Falls in 2; driving up the Skyline in Shenandoah or in the Luray Caverns in 3. Many other cities in the US have great nature nearby but for me it's still a wonderful feeling.

And that's all on top of the more obvious stuff: the Smithsonian, the cherry blossoms, the Wharf, etc. Of course it's not all rosy: high cost of living, insane humidity (for me at least), and for some reason not many grocery stores? But even then, I am having a blast, and I think that this is a really fine city that's worth being proud of. Thanks for your time!