How. would you describe Boston versus DC?
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Anonymous
| Curious as many here seemed to have spent time in both. |
Anonymous
| Cold, dirty and has a middle class. |
Anonymous
| Boston’s way better. Signed, DC Native |
Anonymous
| I love Boston and would happily move back there. It is crazy expensive though, and traffic can be a nightmare. |
Anonymous
| Boston is on the ocean. DC is not. |
Anonymous
| One is insular and provincial and one is transient and cliquey. |
Anonymous
| Boston is more historic, less transient adults besides the college students. I feel Boston has more a sense of pride. I love walking around Boston and feel safer than I do in DC. |
Anonymous
| Boston is not provincial. |
Anonymous
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Both are locked and loaded with unattractive alcoholics. At least in Boston they’re funny. DC is more welcoming for transplants, minorities and homosexuals. DC summer is way more miserable than Boston winter, though that’s going to be fairly subjective.
Like any town with a decent size population, there are cool people and places to be found in each. You’re dodging government drones to do so in both cases. |
Anonymous
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I’ve lived in both, currently in Boston. I find them to be pretty similar in size and amenities, but with some noticeable differences. DC is more transient and diverse. A lot of people in Boston grew up in Greater Boston or elsewhere in New England. But the share of transplants does seem to be growing. And we even have a transplant mayor! There’s more of an undercurrent of privilege here. Prep schools, insular and pricey suburban towns, Boston Brahmins, Chatham and island homes, ski trips, etc.
Summer and fall are nice, although summers are definitely hotter and more humid than in the past. Winters are meh. The cold and snow are noticeably worse than DC, but manageable, especially if you’re WFH. The darkness can be tough. Spring doesn’t really exist. The ocean keeps us pretty cool and damp until mid-May, but it’s better if you’re away from the coast. Housing stock is older here, but new construction is becoming more common, although it’s more expensive than comparable properties in DC. The T has struggled with the same issues as Metro. The subway portion is less extensive than Metro, but the commuter rail network is far more extensive than MARC or VRE. Better day trips from Boston. Hard to beat coastal New England, although I miss the wine country vibes in VA. We don’t have the climate for that here. |
Anonymous
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Anonymous
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Boston = Beantown
DC = Our nation’s capital |
Anonymous
I’m pp and from New York. There are plenty of small minded and unappealing people in Boston. That doesn’t mean it’s provincial. Sorry. |
Anonymous
Nobody calls Boston Beantown. Ever. |
Anonymous
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This is all really interesting; I have lived in both cities. I loved DC in my 20s. I found it so easy to meet people! Easy to navigate, people were transient so everyone was eager to connect (even if it felt a bit fueled by profession). Not sure if this memory is was fueled by my youth and rose-colored glasses, but it seemed like there were happy hours all the time, easy access to power (in the sense that you might randomly end up at a senator's barbecue somehow!), great for visiting family with all the monuments and attractions. Fun restaurants, too, and so much diversity.
However, as we had kids, it felt less livable. I felt the DC suburbs had nothing on Boston's suburbs in terms of schools, charm, livability, town squares, housing stock. The towns farther out in VA felt so drab and cookie-cutter, as did Maryland's (though a bit less so, but places like Chevy Chase were not affordable). I also began to miss day trips: In Boston, you are a stone's throw from adorable towns, skiing, ocean, great smaller cities like Providence or Portland, et cetera. I also appreciated the largely progressive politics and the sense of hometown pride (yes, it can be insular). In DC, people kept moving every couple years, nobody was from there, there wasn't a ton of hometown nostalgia. Also liked the neighborhood-i-ness of Boston and the weirdness/edge/grit/magnitude that puts it on par with a large city like NY. However, I deeply miss the DC food scene and the sheer ease of meeting new people. It is SO MUCH HARDER in the Northeast. That is my take. |