Moving away from home isn't easy, and moving into a dorm room invites opportunity for both forgetting items from home and missing the familiar comforts of a hometown. Whether you didn't bring enough crates to hold all of your bath products under your bed or you need to get a shopping fix at a local mall, this guide will help you maneuver your way around there provides for proud new dorm and apartment inhabitants in the Tenley area.
I can't handle my TDR. I need real food.
Whole Foods Market 4530 40th St. N.W. www.wholefoods.com (202) 237-5800
Safeway 4203 Davenport St. N.W. www.safeway.com (202) 364-0290
Super Fresh 4330 48th St. N.W. www.superfreshfood.com (202) 362-4208
Whole Foods, located right at the Metro/AU shuttle stop, is the perfect grocery store for lovers of organic and ethnic cuisine. For a more traditional supermarket, Safeway has most, if not all, of the same features of your hometown store. Super Fresh is similar to Safeway and is located right next to the Washington College of Law.
What about when I get sick?
CVS Pharmacy 4555 Wisconsin Ave. N.W. www.cvs.com
Rite Aid Pharmacy 3301 New Mexico Ave. N.W. www.riteaid.com (202) 966-4900
The AU shuttle will stop at Brandywine Street just before the Metro if you ask the driver. A quick walk to the corner of Wisconsin will lead you to this pharmacy that also sells all of you basic needs, such as shampoo when you run out and medicines when various plagues spread throughout the dorms. Plus, it's open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Rite Aid is just a five-minute walk down New Mexico next to the Starbucks. However, this pharmacy is closed on Sundays.
Where is there a store that just has everything?
Falls Church Target 6100 Arlington Blvd. Falls Church, VA 22044 www.target.com (703) 237-8118
Wheaton Target 11160 Veirs Mill Road Wheaton, MD 20902 Metro: Wheaton (red line) (301) 946-8006
Wal-Mart 5800 Kingstowne Blvd. Alexandria, VA 22315 www.walmart.com (703) 924-8800
All of these stores offer everything you could imagine for furnishing a dorm room (and aiding in its upkeep), no matter which one you think is better. However, the Wheaton Target is the only one realistically accessible by Metro, and it's all the way at the other end of the red line. Best to stock up while your parents' car is still in the District (unless you somehow were able to get one on campus).
Please, please tell me there's a mall around here somewhere.
Union Station 50 Massachusetts Ave. N.E. Metro: Union Station (red line) www.unionstationdc.com (202) 289-1908
The local transportation hub for AU's overwhelming Northeast corridor population also boasts 130 stores, a food court, several full-service restaurants and a movie theater. Stores include Express, White House Black Market and Bath & Body Works.
Georgetown Park 3222 M St. N.W. at Wisconsin and M streets www.shopsatgeorgetownpark.com (202) 298-5577
This mall is popular among AU students. Situated in the midst of the bustle of Georgetown, Georgetown Park comprises about 100 stores and a food court. Stores include Victoria's Secret, Express, J.Crew and Anthropologie. Many other clothing retailers and designer shops are located along Wisconsin and M streets outside of the mall. While you can make the trek from the Foggy Bottom-GWU Metro stop on the blue-orange line, your best bet is to take any of the buses that run along Wisconsin that are in the thirties (such as the 32, the 34, the 36, etc.).
Mazza Gallery 5300 Wisconsin Ave. N.W. Metro: Friendship Heights (red line) (202) 966-6114
For the more upscale shopper, Mazza Gallery has only 20 stores to offer, all of them ritzy. You can find Neiman Marcus, Saks Men's and Williams-Sonoma in this tiny mall, and there is also a General Cinemas Movie Theatre with 11 screens. More shopping opportunities can be found on the outskirts of the mall, such as Gap and J.Crew. The same bus lines that take you to Georgetown can also take you to Friendship Heights; just make sure you take them in the opposite direction.
The Fashion Centre at Pentagon City 1100 South Hayes St. Arlington, Va. Located at the intersection of South Hayes Street and Army Navy Drive. Metro: Pentagon City (blue-yellow line) www.fashioncentrepentagon.com (703) 415-2400
This mall is a seasoned mall shopper's oasis with 170 stores, including Banana Republic, Coach and Guess. There is a food court and full-service restaurants include L & N Seafood Grill and Ruby Tuesday. While the Metro ride is long, it's worth it when you need to get a lot of shopping done in one place.
