Are you too experiencing a different DC culture than the one everyone complains about?

[Anonymous]

I agree with everything the OP said. I have a similar lifestyle. Get home reasonable hours, have flexible job, make decent (although not crazy money), live very close-in, love my DS's school and have not met the crazy parents I hear about on here. Also routinely hang out with neighbors and have many friends that I have met since moving to DC. I also do not think the OP is being smug. She's just pointing out that the craziness you read about on DCUM is not everyone's reality.

[Anonymous]

I would agree with the OP as well. I read DCUM and start getting stressed about DC but the true reality is that my life here is pretty darn awesome.
We live on a single 200K income in the city. Have a great house with a yard, save for retirement and will save for college (once 2 kids are out of preschool). We live a fairly simple life butwant for nothing materially. Our neighbors are fantastic and over the course of 3 years have become great friends. I've found it exceedingly easy to meet people to the point that I have no ability to keep up with anyone else and keep meeting new folks who I like but simply don't have time for.
Our fellow school parents are down to earth and real.

[Anonymous]

I live in Arlington and love it. I work 1.2 miles away from my single family home, my husband and I are both federal employees. I experience the most stress when I'm trying to get anywhere outside of the District or Arlington -- traffic is my enemy. But I love it here and am never bored or frustrated. I'm thankful I have a job, I'm surrounded by smart and engaged people and have a very responsive local government with good schools once it matters. I will retire here so that when I'm old and frail I can take the bus and be close to good medical care.

[Anonymous]

PP's, I believe you might be what some complain about. Not everyone is from a "less metropolitan" area, to your surprise and dismay. How small minded of you. Maybe that is why they are homesick? They know they are here temporarily.
The other PP is more accurate, as not 100% of the people are complaining about 100% of the issues cited. You have to take it in context.
So what if D.C. isn't the be all and end all for everyone? Really, what do you care? It usually seems the locals are most offended at someone who dare mention something about D.C. without singing its praises. It is not personal, but many people in the area have a hard time deciphering, for some mysterious reason.
Most areas of the country are very different. Some people are more accustomed to happier people (who happen to also be accomplished, imagine that!) It is okay, it is not about you. I believe it is only compounded by the canned responses seen as typical D.C.: "maybe its you", etc. Don't feed into it, and it won't be a problem.
I could give you a million examples, but here is one: people who refuse to let another pass/change position/in, no matter how polite the latter is, either in traffic, in the grocery store whatever. It just seems classic D.C. Behavior such as that is akin to what my mixed breed dogs demonstrate, not what humans should be doing on the sidewalk, so to speak. It's laughable. Anyway, that is just an example of primitive behavior one does not see in most other metropolitan (accomplished) areas. But again, don't feed into it and you won't be the problem. Flame away, I fully expect a pissing contest

[Anonymous]

Like OP, I just don't get it when people say they hate it here. I don't find people particularly rude, especially when you actually get to talking. I'm a single mom of one, only make 65K, but we get by. My kid goes to DCPS, and we live in a small apt in Glover Park, but it is safe and cozy. I love this neighborhood. I don't even have a car... rely on the bus, walking, and cabs. Once in a while Zipcar. It's great that we can easily get to Whole Foods. I also do Safeway.com. I find a lot of people in this neighborhood to be friendly and unpretentious. I work in the city too and have my commute timed to the minute. Works about 4 out of 5 days a week. Bloom where you're planted, I say!

I'm noticing a lot of people who are content here live AND work in the DC and don't have to brave the 'burbs and the accompanying traffic.

[Anonymous]

Meant to write in DC (scratch the "the")

[Anonymous]

I agree OP. And it's interesting that our HHI is exactly the same - I think that must be some sort of sweet spot for being able to live a good life here (close in, decent sized house but not big, not stress about $ etc.) without having to deal with the bullshit people complain about (social climbers etc.) who maybe hang out with people with more money.

Some things about the area annoy me but overall we are pretty happy. And when we are not and we look at the alternative it doesn't seem better. We have great jobs here, some good friends and neighbors, and family not to far away so not much to complain about.

[Anonymous]

Another happy DC resident here. Use our local public schools, kids are happy, love our neighbors, and love DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I will concede that heading for bridges into Virginia can be trouble, but that's not really "DC" traffic. Routes coinciding with backed up VA traffic can usually be avoided, or at least the coincidences can be minimized.

This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. You do realize, don't you, that the District of Columbia was carved out specifically as the seat of the federal government, right? Or are you unaware of that bit of history. In other words, the only reason it is a city of any significance and not some podunk town is because of the feds. And the individuals who WORK in the institutions that make up the federal government are in fact part of the "real" DC even if they live in VA or MD - in fact more integral to the existence of the city than those who are wholly independent of the feds. Therefore, I think their traffic counts as part of the "real DC" traffic. Without those feds (and accompanying lobbyists, legal types, NGO's, and associations employees who flock to this city because the government is here) there would be precious little DC traffic period.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I will concede that heading for bridges into Virginia can be trouble, but that's not really "DC" traffic. Routes coinciding with backed up VA traffic can usually be avoided, or at least the coincidences can be minimized.

This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. You do realize, don't you, that the District of Columbia was carved out specifically as the seat of the federal government, right? Or are you unaware of that bit of history. In other words, the only reason it is a city of any significance and not some podunk town is because of the feds. And the individuals who WORK in the institutions that make up the federal government are in fact part of the "real" DC even if they live in VA or MD - in fact more integral to the existence of the city than those who are wholly independent of the feds. Therefore, I think their traffic counts as part of the "real DC" traffic. Without those feds (and accompanying lobbyists, legal types, NGO's, and associations employees who flock to this city because the government is here) there would be precious little DC traffic period.

Whoa. Calm down. I think you're overthinking this. I think what PP meant is if you can avoid the areas where people are going over bridges at rush hour, you'll be okay. For example, I work in Columbia Heights and live in Glover Park. I take the bus, but if I drove I'd just go Columbia Road to Conn, go down Florida, come out somewhere on Mass, take a left on Calvert, cross over Wisconsin to continue on Calvert, and boom... I'm home. No muss no fuss. 20-25 minutes.

[Anonymous]

OP here - glad to hear there are others who are happy in DC! Of course there are things I would change, but overall I really like it. And I'm really not feeling smug - sorry if it came off that way. What I was doing was pointing out criticisms from that popular post right now with a vent about how she hates DC and then pointing out the ways in which I'm not experiencing those same problems - yes, it took work to find an affordable house in a safe neighborhood with good schools and great neighbors that's close to the Metro inside the Beltway, but not impossible. Yes, it takes work to live comfortably on a salary of less than $200k, but you can do it while still affording to save for retirement, have a good childcare arrangement, and still go on trips and eat out.

Yay DC!!

[Anonymous]

18:10, where do you live?

[Anonymous]

19:40's post was a little garbled, but I totally agree with the point on passing/changing lanes. What is it with folks around here? I've lived in DC over 15 years and still can't get accustomed to how folks refuse to let drivers change lanes. I was once chased down by a guy who must've been mad that I merged in front of him. I was in the left lane and needed to get into the right lane in order to make a right turn. It was nuts - I used my turn signal, etc, but he followed me for a few miles, rode my bumper by inches. Never felt such relief when he finally got tired of it and drove off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP's, I believe you might be what some complain about. Not everyone is from a "less metropolitan" area, to your surprise and dismay. How small minded of you. Maybe that is why they are homesick? They know they are here temporarily.
The other PP is more accurate, as not 100% of the people are complaining about 100% of the issues cited. You have to take it in context.
So what if D.C. isn't the be all and end all for everyone? Really, what do you care? It usually seems the locals are most offended at someone who dare mention something about D.C. without singing its praises. It is not personal, but many people in the area have a hard time deciphering, for some mysterious reason.
Most areas of the country are very different. Some people are more accustomed to happier people (who happen to also be accomplished, imagine that!) It is okay, it is not about you. I believe it is only compounded by the canned responses seen as typical D.C.: "maybe its you", etc. Don't feed into it, and it won't be a problem.
I could give you a million examples, but here is one: people who refuse to let another pass/change position/in, no matter how polite the latter is, either in traffic, in the grocery store whatever. It just seems classic D.C. Behavior such as that is akin to what my mixed breed dogs demonstrate, not what humans should be doing on the sidewalk, so to speak. It's laughable. Anyway, that is just an example of primitive behavior one does not see in most other metropolitan (accomplished) areas. But again, don't feed into it and you won't be the problem. Flame away, I fully expect a pissing contest

Everyone who finds DC rude and impersonal is from a less metropolitan area. People from bigger, busier cities find it fairly quiet, slow, and reasonably friendly. People who grew up here before, say, 1990, should be lumped in with people from less metropolitan areas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I will concede that heading for bridges into Virginia can be trouble, but that's not really "DC" traffic. Routes coinciding with backed up VA traffic can usually be avoided, or at least the coincidences can be minimized.

This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. You do realize, don't you, that the District of Columbia was carved out specifically as the seat of the federal government, right? Or are you unaware of that bit of history. In other words, the only reason it is a city of any significance and not some podunk town is because of the feds. And the individuals who WORK in the institutions that make up the federal government are in fact part of the "real" DC even if they live in VA or MD - in fact more integral to the existence of the city than those who are wholly independent of the feds. Therefore, I think their traffic counts as part of the "real DC" traffic. Without those feds (and accompanying lobbyists, legal types, NGO's, and associations employees who flock to this city because the government is here) there would be precious little DC traffic period.

Whoa. Calm down. I think you're overthinking this. I think what PP meant is if you can avoid the areas where people are going over bridges at rush hour, you'll be okay. For example, I work in Columbia Heights and live in Glover Park. I take the bus, but if I drove I'd just go Columbia Road to Conn, go down Florida, come out somewhere on Mass, take a left on Calvert, cross over Wisconsin to continue on Calvert, and boom... I'm home. No muss no fuss. 20-25 minutes.