News & Politics

5 Things We Learned About Pete and Chasten Buttigieg’s Life in DC

Did you know Pete Buttigieg was training for a Half Ironman triathlon?

Chasten and Pete Buttigieg photograph by Chuck Kennedy/Pete for America.

Chasten Buttigieg got candid in a Washington Post profile published on Monday, sharing tidbits of his life in DC with husband and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. Here are five things we learned about how the Buttigiegs are adjusting to their new home:

Pete is training for a Half Ironman.

Even in his leisure time, the Secretary of Transportation is focused on transit. We’ve seen Pete cruising around Navy Yard on a Capital Bikeshare bicycle, and he’s also an avid runner and swimmer, snagging an early-morning spot at William H. Rumsey Aquatic Center in Eastern Market. Given Pete’s propensity for exercising by foot, bike, and water, it makes sense that he’s prepping for a Half Ironman triathlon in the fall.

The couple is currently trying to adopt.

For the past year, Chasten and Pete have embarked on their latest journey: expanding their family through adoption. Chasten revealed that earlier this year the couple came close to adopting when they received a call regarding a potential birth mother in labor. Suddenly faced with the prospect of a bringing a baby home, the Buttigiegs scrambled to get ready for the newborn. However, the mother changed her mind a few hours later. Still, the couple remains on adoption lists in hopes that they will soon welcome a baby Buttigieg into the family.

Chasten thinks DC is too expensive.

Surfing real estate website Zillow is basically the national pastime, and even the Buttigiegs engage in the activity. (Secretaries of Transportation—they’re just like us!) According to Chasten, the couple enjoys guessing the price tags of various homes around the District, experiencing the same price perturbation as many DC residents. Their own digs near Eastern Market are more austere: a one-bedroom apartment in a secure building. “We couldn’t afford the one-bedroom-plus-den,” Chasten told the Post.

They’ve already found their favorite spots.

There have been numerous Buttigieg spottings around DC, but Chasten revealed some of the places you’re likely to find the First Gentleman of the Department of Transportation. He is a fan of the croissants at Eastern Market, and often visits Capitol Hill pub Mr. Henry’s for a pint with Pete. Chasten also shared his affinity for Dupont Circle bookstore Kramers, where he was seen perusing the stacks with Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, who snagged a copy of Seth Rogen’s memoir.

Chasten worries about his appearances in Politico’s Playbook.

Politico’s influential newsletter is a go-to source for scoops and sightings of Washington officials, and even though Chasten isn’t a legislator or member of the administration, the famous spouse has garnered a few mentions in the Gossip Girl-esque bulletin. The Playbook panopticon has clearly impacted Chasten, who mentions a moment when he realized his hair was disheveled while walking his rescue dogs Buddy and Truman. “I was like, ‘Oh my God. I’m going to be in Playbook for looking like an idiot,’ ” Chasten told the Post.

Daniella Byck
Lifestyle Editor

Daniella Byck joined Washingtonian in 2022. She was previously with Outside Magazine and lives in Northeast DC.