Washington, D.C., residents suffering the standstill of a shuttered government survived the 16-day ordeal with a healthy dose of alcohol and comfort food.
Washington, D.C., residents suffering the standstill of a shuttered government survived the 16-day ordeal with a healthy dose of alcohol and comfort food, a social media analysis found.
Foursquare released data on Thursday about location check-ins using their mobile app, focusing on the Washington, D.C., metro area. Its analysis of patterns among social check-ins on the Foursquare app found that during the shutdown, Washington residents were enjoying the first week of the shutdown by drinking more heavily and visiting expensive restaurants--at least during the first week.
More highights from Foursquare's analysis of check-in data reveals:
Washington, D.C., Mayor Vincent Gray reported that during the shutdown, the district saw an increase in alcohol sales and a decline in hotel booking and restaurant revenue. Alcohol sales increased 3% in the first two weeks of October, compared to September sales.
Mayor Gray said: "[During the shutdown, we've had] 13,000 fewer hotel bookings and about a $2 million loss in revenue. The one area where we've seen an increase is the alcohol tax has increased in the District in Columbia. I won't try to speculate as to why."
