Days 7 and 8 of Freshman Orientation

     Freshman Orientation officially ended today, with most members-elect going home.  We stayed, however, to attend the Heritage Foundation Orientation and to search for a place to live.  We moved to the Phoenix Park Hotel, right next to Union Station.  It is lovely.  Our room overlooks Union Station, which is decorated for Christmas with three HUGE lighted Christmas wreaths!

 

     We listened to several speakers from the Heritage Foundation in the morning, including Ed Meese, Reagan's adviser.  They were all terrific.  Then, we changed clothes and set out to find living arrangements.  We had to walk by Mo's new office :)

      Mark and Diane rented a very nice apartment in the Navy Yard area in a place called the Axiom.  They first visited a basement apartment going for $1,100 a month.  It was about 450 square feet, and there were pipes on the ceiling so low that Mark couldn't stand up straight.  Diane quipped that it was a good thing she was there, because Mark would have rented it!  Mo and I put down some very low offers on 3 condos in another building.  It's a very tough decision.
      On Sunday Mo and I listened to the end of the Heritage Foundation presentations, then walked around the Capitol Hill area and Eastern Market visiting open houses.  Most of the row houses, condos, basement apartments are from $450 - $550 per square foot!  We saw one row house about 2 blocks from the capitol that was going for $619,000.  It was an estate sale.  The carpet had been ripped out, but the stench of cat urine still blasted you when you walked in.  The hardwood floors underneath were stained.  The ceiling was falling down in places.  There was one bathroom on the opposite end of the hall from the master bedroom.  In short, an unlivable mess!
     Home looked very good when we at last stumbled in about 10 p.m.  Lots of work to do to get ready for January!