How. would you describe Boston versus DC?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

I agree in general, but personally found Boston winters far more miserable than DC summers. I felt miserable with the lack of light and the dirty ice/snow banks that don't go away for months and months make walking around unpleasant. Working class people are friendly and funny, if provincial, while the affluent are generally cold and unfriendly. My only real Boston pros: their suburbs are far more beautiful than DC ones and being waterside is wonderful. Otherwise, don't miss it at all, especially the local accent, which is incredibly annoying and grating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

I agree in general, but personally found Boston winters far more miserable than DC summers. I felt miserable with the lack of light and the dirty ice/snow banks that don't go away for months and months make walking around unpleasant. Working class people are friendly and funny, if provincial, while the affluent are generally cold and unfriendly. My only real Boston pros: their suburbs are far more beautiful than DC ones and being waterside is wonderful. Otherwise, don't miss it at all, especially the local accent, which is incredibly annoying and grating.

I grew up in Boston and have lived in the DC area for almost 20 yrs and totally agree with this. Especially the part about the accent

If we are just talking about location/ascetics I do think Boston has a lot more pros. As PP states being near the water, but also near the mountains of NH, VT and ME. Lots of older homes with character and historical significance.
People wise- I find the DC area to be a lot more educated. In Boston even the educated folks act like idiot. The men all have a tough guy persona showing off their Irish and Italian pride.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

Did you grow up in Boston/New England?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Boston is not provincial.

I'm the PP and called it provincial. I grew up in Boston. Your experience may differ.

[Anonymous]

It really depends on where you live. I'm a minority and when we found out we were moving to Boston for DH's job several years back everyone told me Boston is less diverse and (can be) less welcoming for non-whites, but where we are in Cambridge right now, we love our neighborhood and the kids love their schools (public), both of which are quite diverse.
There are great people and not-so-great people in both cities

[Anonymous]

We know two families who live in Cambridge, a family in Newton, and another in Hingham. All are old friends of ours who moved to the area for grad school (as did DH and I, but then we came here). All are really happy there with teen kids in various public schools that they like. When we’ve visited and met their neighbors and colleagues, we’ve found them to be interesting and friendly people who hail from many different places in the US and other countries — not provincial at all. FWIW, most of these folks are academics.

[Anonymous]

Winter is longer in Boston. It's colder up there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

What are the “adorable towns”?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Boston’s way better. Signed, DC Native

+1

The climate is awesome and it is not built on a swamp.

Towns are actual towns and have personality and a bona fide (not Potemkin) centers.

Housing stock is nicer.

Ocean and mountains are close by.

[GKDad]

Anonymous wrote: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.

This is my experience (born and bred Bostonian, moved to DC out of college in the early 90s and never left, much to my chagrin). Insular is a better description than provincial, but provincial isn't wrong.

[Anonymous]

GKDad wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

This is my experience (born and bred Bostonian, moved to DC out of college in the early 90s and never left, much to my chagrin). Insular is a better description than provincial, but provincial isn't wrong.

I also grew up in the Boston area and moved to DC when I was in my 30s, and agree with both of these posts.

I'm hoping to move back to New England in retirement because it still feels like home, and because between now and dead, I really don't want to live in DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

GKDad wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

This is my experience (born and bred Bostonian, moved to DC out of college in the early 90s and never left, much to my chagrin). Insular is a better description than provincial, but provincial isn't wrong.

I also grew up in the Boston area and moved to DC when I was in my 30s, and agree with both of these posts.

I'm hoping to move back to New England in retirement because it still feels like home, and because between now and dead, I really don't want to live in DC.

I alos grew up in the Boston area and totally agree with this Insular is a better description than provincial, but provincial isn't wrong.
i have no desire to stay in DC but also no plans to ever move back to the Boston area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

What are the “adorable towns”?

Salem, Newburyport, Concord, Lexington, Wellesley, Amherst, Northampton, Stockbridge, Great Barrington, Lenox, Newport (RI), Kennebunkport (ME), Portsmouth (NH), etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

What are the “adorable towns”?

NP. Newburyport. Gloucester. Sturbridge. Sandwich. Wellfleet. Concord. Provincetown. Rockport. Anywhere in the Berkshires. Then farther up, Portsmouth, Portland, Ogunquit, Kennebunkport, etc.

[GKDad]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

GKDad wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

This is my experience (born and bred Bostonian, moved to DC out of college in the early 90s and never left, much to my chagrin). Insular is a better description than provincial, but provincial isn't wrong.

I also grew up in the Boston area and moved to DC when I was in my 30s, and agree with both of these posts.

I'm hoping to move back to New England in retirement because it still feels like home, and because between now and dead, I really don't want to live in DC.

I alos grew up in the Boston area and totally agree with this Insular is a better description than provincial, but provincial isn't wrong.
i have no desire to stay in DC but also no plans to ever move back to the Boston area.

We should start a support group. We used to all congregate at Murphy's in Old Town on Sundays and get hammered and watch the Pats. Now we just get Sunday Ticket.