The Commute: Most of the junior staff lives near the office—Dupont Circle, Thomas Circle, and Adams Morgan. People usually walk or bike to work. Washington, DC has the Capital Bike share program, which allows you to rent and return a bike from anywhere in the city. A few of us live in Virginia and Maryland, and take the metro. As part of the Benefits program, CRA offers the monthly metro pass in which you can have a specific amount deducted from your pre-tax earnings and put on your card each month—so you pay less than the actual amount.
Lunch Spots: There are many food options here in Metro Center—you will find good food from every cuisine. Some of the food joints popular among the staff are Roti, District Taco, Food Court, Potbelly, Shake Shack, Chopt, and Devon & Blakely. The food trucks in DC are very famous and by noon, the street adjacent to our office building is swamped with food trucks. There is also a food court at the next block. Chinatown, which is a few blocks away, has some of the best restaurants. During restaurant week, which happens twice a year, many junior staffers take an hour off for lunch and get a great 3-course meal for cheaper than usual prices. The DC office has a big spacious kitchen and we usually eat lunch together in the kitchen or on the office rooftop. The kitchen is equipped with microwaves, refrigerators, and cutlery. There is usually fruit, sodas, juices, tea and coffee for everyone.
Dress Code: The dress code is business casual. Men wear buttoned-down shirts and pants while women wear dresses, skirts, trousers, and blouses. When you attend client meetings, you are expected to dress more formally. Fridays are casual—people usually wear jeans.
Social Outings: The office typically has happy hours every month. We also host themed events for holidays such as St. Patrick’s Day. Occasionally we will attend sporting events. For example, last fall we went to a baseball game and last month, we had a yoga session in the office. The holiday party is the biggest event every December—it is usually held at a big party hall near the office. The junior staff also goes to happy hours sometimes after work or on weekends.