Exactly and get you back if it all goes belly up.

I moved over here by myself in April. I am 28 and got transferred to New York by the bank I worked for in London.

It was pretty daunting coming over here not really knowing anyone. I am sure Washington will be like New York in the fact that the amount of Brits there is huge (I have just found it easier to make friends with Brits over the locals although I do have some American friends) Its not as if you are moving to a small town in the middle of hicksville.

I took the view that if I didn't like I could always move back to the UK and that life was too short not to experience these things. So far its going well.
Considering how many people post on these forums about wanting to move to the US who realistically have no chance of moving here, I feel in a privileged position to live and work here.

For my first two years here, I hung out with Brits predominantly. The company I worked for had some British ties and thus a good number of Brits working there. This certainly made it easy in the beginning, and like many ex-pats I found myself drinking pints of Fullers at the local 'british pub', playing darts, eating fish n'chips, etc.

But after a couple of years, I got fed up with listening to all these Brits complain about (just about everything) ... beer too cold, weather too hot, food not right, TV not right, blah blah blah, and I started wondering why they stayed if everything was so bad. I drifted away from the Brit crowd entirely, found myself an Asian/American girlfriend, started hanging out with more Americans, learned to appreciate baseball, discovered PBS, and generally became 'integrated'. Every single one of those 'complaining Brits' is still here, and ... I found on a recent reunion ... still complaining about the same things. It was fun to see them all, but I was glad it was over - I found that atmosphere depressing.

PS - I have to add, hanging out with the locals where I live is a good option - the Bay Area is full of what I'd call "enlightened and educated" folks. It's diverse, multicultural, dynamic, etc. If I were living in the 'south', where the locals would be trying to drag me off to church every Sunday to save my soul, or in Texas, where 'beating up immigrants' is a local redneck sport, I may feel differently! In Washington DC, you should find a great number of 'locals' to hang out with.

I agree with everyone else - do it! I just moved a few months ago to Pittsburgh, PA for work, and one of my friends moved to Arlington, VA for work. I can highly recommend Arlington - I have been down there to stay for a few weekends, and it's awesome! Lots of stuff to do, nice weather (at least when I was there), lots of single men everywhere (!) - it was great!!

Having said that, my friend is finding it lonely, because she works from home. You'll be better off working at an office and having people to hang out with. I work at a hospital here and have found it better. If you make it known that you're new in town and don't know many people, the locals are very friendly and invite you everywhere (I find). Just this weekend I went to a party at my boss' friend's house. Accept every invitation, even if you don't feel like it, and sooner or later you will make some friends.

I have just accepted the job and they have already put me in touch with their immigration lawyer! It's all happening pretty fast- I will be handing in my notice at work tommorrow.

I'm so excited

Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences- keep it coming!

Sam

YAY Good for you, please keep us posted of your adventure

You asked about where to live. Do you know where the job itself is? Is it in DC or in the area? This can make a big difference to where to live

The DC area has a great public transportation system that will allow for her to live in the close surrounding suburbs without having to use her car much. She might have to use her car to drive to one of the Metro stations but overall DC has a wonderful Metro system. If I were to move back I'd most likely move to the Northern Virginia area. Most likely the Arlington area. I'd move within 5-10 minutes of a Metro station. I'd take that downtown and then walk the rest. I'm going to assume that her position is located downtown near or in the Northwest or Southwest quadrant where there are a lot of educational and research institutions. There are several stops in that area. Given the fact that her organization is reimbursing her for travel is a KEY indicator that it's located in the downtown DC. Companies in the suburbs will not reimburse you since it's much easier to use your car to get to those locations.

I didn't want to assume as a lot of people say they are going to be in DC, but end up in the area - there are a lot of non-profits in Alexandria for example. I do agree the public transport is good, but it can sometimes be a pain if you are not heading for the centre.

It's located close to Union Station. The hippy in me wants to avoid driving if at all possible so that will definately be a key factor in choosing where to live. Ugacrew- will take a look at your suggestion of Arlington. Cheers!

Not many companies outside of the DC area, meaning DC and not Virginia or Maryland will not reimburse for transportation. That's what clued me in. They will reimburse for parking though depending on what the parking situation is like. In Old Town Alexandria the parking is almost nonexistent accept for paid parking garages. The same for Rosslyn (Arlington).

I'm jealous! My dad worked less than a mile from Union Station. Union Station is a fabulous place to grab lunch at.

Also check out the area near Chevy Chase, Silver Spring, or Rockville. All those cities are in Maryland. Also check the Crystal City area which is located right near the Potomac River. Super nice area.

Just FYI. My sister and I are looking in the Arlington area as well. I'm from Virginia and I have somewhat a loyalty to the state. Plus it would feel weird for me to have a Maryland driver's license in my pocket.

From a MD point of view...

This is where it comes down to budget, Rockville is OK, but it is not really like living in the City - you will almost certainly need a car to get about unless all you ever do is go to DC and back. The area around the metro stations is just one long strip mall and hardly walking friendly. And living near the Metro is still fairly expensive.

On the red line Bethesda would be as far out on that side I would suggest if you don't want to drive. Bethesda is nice, and has shops and restaurants so you can get by without going too far - I almost moved there myself, but it isn't cheap.

Getting into DC, Adam's Morgan is a very diverse place, worth checking out and maybe even Dupont Circle although this is getting very central and imagine that your place will be getting pretty small and/or very expensive around here.

All of these places are on the red line - as is Metro Center so its a nice straight shot.

But I know a few people who have lived in the Arlington area - it seems to be a bit more affordable then heading NW.

Very true about the budget issue. When I was back in DC last, my sister and I were house hunting, and it was quite ridiculous. The house my parents purchased, was done at a price I could afford now with at least a salary of 60K. However I can't even afford their place. They purchased it around 150K. It's now worth 600K. Totally ridiculous if you ask me. I hope that my condo has appreciated where I am given the amount of urban improvements to the point where I'll have some equity to put down on something decent out in the burbs or near Shirlington. I desperately want to stay close to the Beltway and near a Metro line. I don't want to commute using MARC or VRE. Given my desires I'm pretty much giving myself little or no options. However this all depends on where I am hired. I'd love to get a job that requires a Security Clearance. This will add about 15K to my asking price. It would be great if I could get something in the Tech Corridor near Dulles. I could probably find something nice out in Loudon County.

Yeah the prices around here are crazy. But being in the tech industry there will be quite a few well paid jobs about as well.