The Five Apps Every D.C. Girl Needs

Fun fact about me: I actually grew up in the D.C. area. I left for 5.5. years to go off to college, intern in New York, and transfer to yet another college, but this area quickly lured me right back in right after graduation. I absolutely love living in the D.C. area and I don’t see myself leaving anytime soon, and in the 1.5 years I’ve been back, I’ve nailed my 5 must-have apps to improve my standard of living in this town.

1. PrettyQuick — I love, love getting pampered. I can’t turn down a good mani and my schedule is so insane that sometimes I need to invest in a good massage. I love PrettyQuick because it’s basically the Uber of beauty services. You can schedule an appointment at a salon through your phone and pay/tip through the app as well. Sign up today and get $15 in app credit on me!

2. Surge Protector — How many of us use Uber? All of us? Yeah, that sounds about right. Least fun thing about Uber? The surge prices. Let’s not talk about how expensive my ride was on Halloween night. Woof. You all need to download Surge Protector immediately. It actually shows you where you can walk to avoid surge pricing. Sometimes you only need to walk over 1-2 blocks to lower/completely diminish your surge rate. Game. Changer.

3. Classpass — So, I had a gym membership and I definitely wasn’t feeling it. I’m no fitness expert, and it was super intimidating just looking at rows of endless machines and heavy weights. I’m a girl who needs to take classes/have an instructor tell me exactly what to do. I love Classpass because I can try all sorts of studios in the area (cycling, barre, yoga and dance classes are included). I also love being able to reserve my spot in a class on my phone. Super easy! If you haven’t found your ideal fitness studio yet, give Classpass a try!

4. Popular Pays — Calling all Instagram addicts: are you the girl who ‘grams everything? Yes, I’m looking at all you bloggers who insist on getting the perfect shot of your food before consuming it. Download Popular Pays immediately. You’ll get either products or monetary compensation just for taking photos for Instagram. Seriously. I was able to lunch at Cava Grill for free, just as long as I uploaded a photo of my meal for Insta. Who doesn’t like free food?

5. Waze — Okay, so this app is somewhat common. But trust me, if you drive as much as I do, Waze is the superior traffic app. Don’t even bother with Google Maps or Apple Maps, this is the only traffic app you need. Waze is amazing at finding you the best backroads to avoid even the messiest of traffic jams (um, hello, not having to actually drive on I-66 at night? #blessings). Waze is also a million times better at estimating your ETA. Google Maps made me late to so many things. We all know D.C. traffic is the definition of misery, so do yourself a favor and download Waze now.