THE
WASHINGTON
POST
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FRIDAY,MAY
27, 2022
EZ
4
My D.C. Dream DayCoffee and comedy for this TikToker
In D.C. Dream Day, we ask our favorite people in the area to tell us
how they would spend a perfect day in the District.
What’s your salary?
The question feels taboo to ask co-workers, and even more
uncomfortable to ask a complete stranger. But Hannah Williams
hopes to demystify just how much people make with her new TikTok
series, “Salary Transparent Street,” which has racked up nearly 700,000
followers since she released her first video April 16.
“Our goal is to make sure that as many people talk about this as
possible, because it really helps to close the gender pay gap and remove
discrimination opportunities that women and people of color face on a
significant basis,” says Williams, who lives in Alexandria.
After graduating from Georgetown University in 2019, Williams says,she changed jobs five times and increased her annual salary from
$40,000 to $115,000 as a data analyst for a government contractor.
This, along with her weight loss journey in 2021 when she lost more
than 50 pounds, inspired Williams to create a personal TikTok account
to share her lifestyle and career advice. She launched @salarytranspar-
entstreet on Instagram and TikTok last month after soliciting feedback
from her TikTok followers.
Williams uses a person-on-the-street-style interview format, in
which she fearlessly pulls aside strangers to talk about their pay. Her
series started in D.C., and she has now quit her full-time job to take
“Salary Transparent Street” on the road to several cities around the
country. Before taking her TikTok show nationwide, Williams would
spend a dream day in D.C. where money is no object.
— as told to Stephanie WilliamsI
would wake up in Alexandria, in
the home I bought with my f iance.
My dream day would be on a
weekend, and I would get to sleep
in until 7:30 or 8 a.m. I would take my
dog for a walk in our neighborhood. If
it was my perfect day, it would be
winter. I love cold, so it would be chilly
and frosty with light snow.
Then I would come back, and I’d
probably fix myself some coffee, just to
have some at home, and start getting
ready. I’d head over to the Georgetown
area around 9 or 10 a.m. I have so
much coffee throughout the day, s o we
would head straight to Baked and
Wired and get some coffee and a
cupcake. I’d walk around the water-
front with my f iance just talking about
life and our plans and goals.
I’d probably book it back up the hill
and do some more walking. Walking
about Georgetown brings me so much
joy, so I would probably go walk
around for about an hour, walk
around campus and say hi to John
Carroll.
Then I would probably head over to
Guapo’s and have lunch with my
fiance, parents and my older sister.
She’s a d iplomat who lives overseas, so
I don’t get to see her very often. She
would come over from Abu Dhabi,
which is where she lives now, and we
would have a nice brunch with marga-
ritas and some good food.
My perfect day has to involve a
bookstore. There’s one in Dupont Cir-
cle called Kramers, so I would go
there and then I’d head home for a
little nap.
I love getting ready for dinner and
events at night. I’d probably wear a
cute outfit that I never get to wear
because I’m always in my sweatpants
at home. I would have a date night at
DC Improv comedy club. So if it was
my perfect day, and I got to choose the
exact person I want to see, it would
have to be a toss-up between Chelsea
Handler, Leslie Jones or Ilana Glazer.
I have a soft spot for this bar called
Spider Kelly’s in Arlington. I met my
fiance there on my 21st birthday, and
it’s one of our favorite spots in the
area, so I would go there after the
comedy show.
There’s a restaurant at the Wharf
that I really want to go t o that I haven’t
been yet called La Vie. So I would love
to go there and take an Uber home, go
to bed early and cuddle with my dog.SCOTT SUCHMAN FOR THE WASHINGTON POST
Hannah Williams of the TikTok series “Salary Transparent Street” has never been to La Vie at the Wharf, but she’d like to. So on her
dream day, she’d try it out after enjoying a comedy show and a visit to the Arlington bar Spider Kelly’s, where she met her fiance.BILL O'LEARY/THE WASHINGTON POST
DEB LINDSEY FOR THE WASHINGTON POST
LEFT: After a walk and some coffee, Williams would pick up a
cupcake and (more) coffee from Baked and Wired. TOP: She’d have
a midday meal with her family and fiance at Guapo’s. The tacos
pictured are, clockwise from top, lengua, cochinita and frijoles.