Blog Posts

Swimming Pool Tips

There isn’t much that beats a day at the pool: basking in the sun here in Arlington, VA and splashing around the cool water. We recommend spending a day at our apartment community swimming pool with family and friends! In this week’s Dolley Madison Towers Blog, we’ve got a few safety tips to make sure you have a fun and exciting time at the pool. Safety should always be first! Dress Appropriately Don’t get caught by the pool in jeans and a button-up shirt. Wearing the appropriate attire at the swimming pool is essential to having fun, not only for you but also for the people you’re with. It’s more enjoyable to throw someone who’s in a swimsuit into the pool rather than someone who’s in nice clothes and is likely to be upset about it. When you’re near the water, make sure that your wallet and expensive technological devices are in a bag or on a table far from the water so as to avoid spending money replacing your expensive devices. Take Breaks Time flies when you’re having fun, making it easy to forget that it’s time to take a break to hydrate or go to the restroom. Be sure to take a shower before you get in the water to wash away the dirt and grime from the day. Don’t forget to schedule breaks for going to the bathroom. This may seem like a hassle, but it’s much easier to do so than needing to halt your festivities while you wait for the pool to be cleaned from an unwanted accident! Be Mindful of Others Horsing around may be fun, but there are plenty of ways it can hurt or bother someone else, especially in a crowded pool. Remember that there are other people in the pool, so keep the splashing to a minimum if you’re close to someone and practice having fun without getting into a stranger’s personal space. This not only is polite, but it can help you avoid accidents that can cause someone to get hurt.

Summer Movies

Summer is here! It’s time to enjoy your summer a little more by watching some movies set in the summer! These movies inspire a lighthearted and fun-loving attitude, so we’ve decided to share with you some of our choice summer movies in this week’s Dolley Madison Towers Blog. We hope these movies will inspire you to be more adventurous and take advantage of the warm weather here in Arlington, VA! Mamma Mia “Donna (Meryl Streep), an independent hotelier in the Greek islands, is preparing for her daughter's wedding with the help of two old friends. Meanwhile Sophie, Donna's spirited daughter, has a plan of her own. She secretly invites to the wedding three men from her mother's past in hopes of meeting her real father and having him escort her down the aisle on her big day.” Heavyweights “Gerry (Aaron Schwartz) is not looking forward to his summer vacation, since he'll be spending it at a camp for overweight boys in order to shed pounds. Fortunately, a kindly couple, the Bushkins (Jerry Stiller) ] (Anne Meara) ], run the camp and make the process fun and relaxed. However, they're soon forced to declare bankruptcy and sell the camp to Tony Perkis (Ben Stiller), a fitness fanatic who turns the camp into a living nightmare of over-the-top training. But the kids plan to fight back.” National Lampoon’s Vacation “Accompanied by their children (Dana Barron, Anthony Michael Hall), Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) and his wife, Ellen (Beverly D'Angelo), are driving from Illinois to a California amusement park. As Clark increasingly fixates on a beautiful woman driving a sports car, the Griswolds deal with car problems and the death of a family member. They reach Los Angeles, but, when Clark worries that the trip is being derailed again, he acts impulsively to get his family to the park.” Don’t let the summer pass without enjoying some of these fun summer movies in your beautiful and spacious apartment here at Dolley Madison Towers! Thanks for reading.

Biking to Work/School

May is National Bike Month, making it a good time to start biking to school or work instead of driving. Biking is a good mode of transportation and also doubles as cardiovascular exercise, which is why we’ve decided to share with you some biking tips in this week’s Dolley Madison Towers Blog. Getting the Right Bike An important part of biking is to make sure that you’ve got a bike that can handle the type of cycling you want to do, whether it’s commuting, riding trails, or a nice ride in the park. If you’re looking to rent or buy a bicycle, you can check out your local bike shop for some deals and additional information! These shops are a great resource if it's your first time purchasing a bicycle as they’ll be able to tell you everything you need to know. Gear Up Once you’ve gotten a bicycle that fits your needs, the next thing you need to do is make sure you’re safe while out on the trail. Helmets, elbow pads, and knee pads are all viable options for keeping yourself safe. Remember that safety is more important than looks. While riding, you may experience unexpected mechanical issues, so invest in some maintenance items like a spare tube, multi-tool set, and a bicycle pump. When you’ve geared up appropriately, you’re ready for anything Mother Nature has to throw at you! Adjust Your Schedule Biking may be slower than driving, but depending on whether you are early enough to beat traffic and how efficient your route is, it could be a better mode of transportation than driving. Give yourself time to make your route in a timely manner so not a burden for your work schedule. This may take waking up an hour or two earlier than normal, or adjusting your work and school schedule to accommodate arriving later than usual. It’s time to enjoy the beautiful weather of Arlington, VA and make some greener transportation choices. If you have some additional biking tips, share them with our apartment community by leaving a comment!

Get Nerdy with Dungeons & Dragons

Are you a fan of all things nerdy? If you fancy yourself a nerd or a geek, you’ve probably at least heard of Dungeons & Dragons. This tabletop roleplaying game was first published in 1974 and since then has experienced various ups and downs, and has recently gained popularity again. In this week’s Dolley Madison Towers Blog, we’ve got a few interesting tidbits about D&D that can help you understand the game a little more. Mechanics When learning a new game, the first thing you need to get a grasp on is how the game is played. This is achieved by understanding the rules and the mechanics of the game. Dungeons & Dragons is played primarily through the theatre of the mind and the rolling of dice. The dice referred to are polyhedral dice ranging from 4 to 20 sided dice. Depending on what you wish to do, you may be required to roll some dice to see if you succeed or fail. Part of the fun is not only succeeding but also being open to failing. Roleplaying Another aspect of Dungeons & Dragons is roleplaying. Since it’s a tabletop roleplaying game, the roleplaying contributes to the enjoyment of the game. Being able to embody and play as a fictional character of your own creation has its merits and can be an escape from the stresses of real life. Roleplaying can be difficult for some people, especially if they consider themselves more introverted. If you find yourself interested in playing Dungeons & Dragons and are afraid of the roleplaying aspect, we suggest trying the game with some of your friends, the ones you’re comfortable with. Notable Celebrities Who Play Since the game has been around for a while there are bound to be many who enjoy playing it, but you may be surprised to find which specific celebrities are fans of the game. Here’s our short list of celebrities who have played the game: Joe Manganiello (True Blood) Stephen Colbert (Colbert Report) Anderson Cooper (CNN) Vin Diesel (The Fast and the Furious) James Franco (Freaks and Geeks) Try Dungeons & Dragons today by inviting your friends over to your Arlington, VA apartment for a game!

Photography Tips

Do you enjoy taking photographs? Is your Instagram feed full of moments you’ve captured? Photography is an art form that can be easy to start but difficult to master. Understanding that, we’ve decided to share with you some photography tips in this week’s Dolley Madison Towers Blog to help you get better at photography and up your Instagram game! Lighting Once you’ve taken a photo and reviewed it, have you ever wondered why it ends up being too dark or overexposed? Lighting can make the difference between a bad photo and a great one, so we suggest getting familiar with how light interacts with your subject and camera. Play around with the lighting, doing shoots during different hours of the day to help you understand how the natural light shows up in your photos. Practice makes perfect! Composition If you were to compare amateur and professional photographer’s work, the major differences between the two would be lighting and composition. Photo composition involves how you frame your subject, and it differs with the type of photography you’re doing. For example, if you’re doing headshots, it’s important to ensure that your subject is centered. If you’re unsure as to how to compose photos, you should adhere to the rule of thirds ! Creativity Once you’ve mastered lighting and composition, you may fall into a slump of a lack of creativity, so we suggest doing your best to think outside the box. Sometimes, your usual way of shooting a photo can get dull, so mix it up and try new things. As you do so, you may find that added measure of creativity that could give you the boost to get out of your slump and take some amazing photos! Do you have any photography tips worth sharing with our Arlington, VA apartment community? Share them with us by leaving a comment. Thanks for reading!

Healthy Eating for the New Year

You may have a New Year’s resolution to be a little healthier, and the perfect way to achieve that is by changing your diet! As much as people have resolutions to go to the gym, results come quicker and easier when you eat healthier! In this week’s Dolley Madison Towers Blog, we’ve got a few tips on how you can have an easier time transitioning to a healthier diet. Take it Slow If you’re not used to eating a specific diet, it can be difficult to make the shift. We suggest taking it slow! Instead of making the shift with every single meal you’ll eat in a day, start with one and then work your way to eating healthy for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. If you were to jump right in, there’s a high chance you might fall off the healthy eating wagon, so start slow! Find Recipes You Enjoy Healthy eating isn’t so bad when you actually enjoy what you’re eating. Finding recipes that cater to your tastes will make the path to a healthier lifestyle much easier, so scour the internet and find recipes that you enjoy! Compile them and refer to them often! You’ll be surprised how many healthy recipes you can find that actually taste great! Being healthy doesn’t have to be boring! Cheat Meals What’s a diet without cheat days? Since healthy eating is a change in routine and lifestyle, it’s okay to have those cheat meals as long as they remain cheat meals instead of cheat weeks or months. Being able to treat yourself to food that you’ve been craving is crucial to sustaining a healthy lifestyle. There’s really nothing too bad about eating a slice of pizza, but if you eat too much of it, you’ll probably regret it! Do you have any tips you’d like to share with our Arlington, VA apartment community? Leave us a comment!