Moved to the burbs and hate it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I always assume that the love/hate people have from DC has little to do with the metropolistic factor of where they grew up, but just more to do with whether they liked where they grew up. One of my best friends had an idyllic childhood in suburban Kansas City. Hates it here. Another friend grew up in Manhattan. Hates it here. I have another friend who grew up in non-charming parts of suburban Indiana and finds DC quite nice compared to that. Same thing with the friend from rural Pennsylvania. And another friend who spent quite a bit of time in London but didn't love it there, but loves DC.

In other words, DC is better in comparison than a bland childhood. Or an unhappy childhood. Or a stressful childhood. But it's not better than a satisfying childhood.

Nah. I grew up in NYC, and loved it, and still like NY. And I also like DC just fine. Including the theater.

A lot of the refrain of "NYC is REALLY urban, DC is nothing like that" comes from people justifying a move to the suburbs. Not that there is anything wrong with moving to the suburbs, but the "its okay because DC is not really urban anyway" meme is silly, IMO.

Call it silly, but as former NYC residents, that is exactly how we felt. Living in DC had most of the negatives of city living with a few of the positives, so we called it quits on DC and moved to the suburbs. If work or retirement took us back to the NYC area, we would again gravitate towards Manhattan or Brooklyn. But DC itself - got tired of it very quickly. It is incredibly parochial.

I am the PP who grew up in NYC - I found it much more parochial than DC. Perhaps you did not spend enough time with native born NYers? Does Brooklyn to you mean only yuppie north Brooklyn? For many NYers, all that choice of theater is nice, but they cannot afford to go frequently because of the COL in NY. And of course some have hour long subway rides to "bridge and tunnel" country afterwards. Meanwhile I am never without something to do in DC and its urbanish inner suburbs, much of it free. And I can bike without taking my life in my hands quite so much.

As people said when I lived there, and it is still true, NY is good city in which to be rich.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP here. Typo corrected below. Damn Android auto correct.

DC is not city enough for me therefore tract home or McMansion in the urbane quarters of MoCo, Arlington, or Fairfax. Only the finest in cul de sac neighborhoods appeal to my discriminating cosmopolitan tastes. The traffic in DC suburbs is truly an indulgence only the most seasoned city connoisseurs can appreciate. Who needs a show at Studio Theater, an opera at Kennedy Center, or exhibit opening at the National Art Museum during the week when you have endless columns of SUVs to ogle at on 66, 270, or, yes, that splendid jewel of white flight, the Capitol Beltway.

Oh us urbane DC dwellers are constantly at the Kennedy Center abd Studio Theater watching shows, an amenity that is utterly unavailable to anyone not residing within District limits! We are oh so cultured and also have lots of free museums that only city-dwellers can use. Nothing says "cultured" like visiting Air & Space and riding in the similator games! We are so smug and urban as we ride around in our laughingstock of a Metro system. NYC is lame compared to us smarmy DCers, they wish they could pay for the urban grit of a subway system that is never on time and has killed more people than any transit system in this hemisphere. DC is for true urban sophisticates, who enjoy thr finer things in life, like stepping over piles of 7-11 filth and dodging bullets even in the nicest neighborhoods. We are so smarmy and important andedit our DCUM posts to fix typos.

I've encountered multiple people (friends of friends, usually millenials) who ask, "so, like, how did you GET here tonight?" I got here in my car; it took about 15 minutes. Enjoy waiting around 25 minutes for the metro at 1:00 am (oh, wait, it's now going to stop running at midnight even on weekends). "you live.... all the way out there??" Invariably - in every single case - these people moved here a few years ago from flyover country.

Why would a millennial be waiting 25 minutes for the metro when they can bike home that fast?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP here. Typo corrected below. Damn Android auto correct.

DC is not city enough for me therefore tract home or McMansion in the urbane quarters of MoCo, Arlington, or Fairfax. Only the finest in cul de sac neighborhoods appeal to my discriminating cosmopolitan tastes. The traffic in DC suburbs is truly an indulgence only the most seasoned city connoisseurs can appreciate. Who needs a show at Studio Theater, an opera at Kennedy Center, or exhibit opening at the National Art Museum during the week when you have endless columns of SUVs to ogle at on 66, 270, or, yes, that splendid jewel of white flight, the Capitol Beltway.

Oh us urbane DC dwellers are constantly at the Kennedy Center abd Studio Theater watching shows, an amenity that is utterly unavailable to anyone not residing within District limits! We are oh so cultured and also have lots of free museums that only city-dwellers can use. Nothing says "cultured" like visiting Air & Space and riding in the similator games! We are so smug and urban as we ride around in our laughingstock of a Metro system. NYC is lame compared to us smarmy DCers, they wish they could pay for the urban grit of a subway system that is never on time and has killed more people than any transit system in this hemisphere. DC is for true urban sophisticates, who enjoy thr finer things in life, like stepping over piles of 7-11 filth and dodging bullets even in the nicest neighborhoods. We are so smarmy and important andedit our DCUM posts to fix typos.

I've encountered multiple people (friends of friends, usually millenials) who ask, "so, like, how did you GET here tonight?" I got here in my car; it took about 15 minutes. Enjoy waiting around 25 minutes for the metro at 1:00 am (oh, wait, it's now going to stop running at midnight even on weekends). "you live.... all the way out there??" Invariably - in every single case - these people moved here a few years ago from flyover country.

Why would a millennial be waiting 25 minutes for the metro when they can bike home that fast?

because nebraska, where s/he grew up, doesn't have a public train system! gotta take advantage of all the perks of the big city!

[Anonymous]

^
As a millenial from a 500-person town in Nowhere, Nebraska who has never seen a functioning city, let me tell you how urban and cosmopolitian dysfunction DC is! Waiting forever for a squalid train that will almost certainly break down and make me late for my internship is just part of the vibrant experience. Plus I get to talk down to people who still live in Nowhere, when I move back in a couple years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^
As a millenial from a 500-person town in Nowhere, Nebraska who has never seen a functioning city, let me tell you how urban and cosmopolitian dysfunction DC is! Waiting forever for a squalid train that will almost certainly break down and make me late for my internship is just part of the vibrant experience. Plus I get to talk down to people who still live in Nowhere, when I move back in a couple years.

This is trolling.

For one thing, the millenials who live in the District, afaict, mostly walk, bike, take buses to work. Which DC neighborhoods exactly do they rely on metro so much (now the millenials in Arlington, that is something else).

Second the DC metro is not squalid. The NYC subway circa 1970, now THAT was squalid. DC metro does not come close.

Third, breakdowns are just not that common. More than there should be, but not terribly worse than road backups.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^
As a millenial from a 500-person town in Nowhere, Nebraska who has never seen a functioning city, let me tell you how urban and cosmopolitian dysfunction DC is! Waiting forever for a squalid train that will almost certainly break down and make me late for my internship is just part of the vibrant experience. Plus I get to talk down to people who still live in Nowhere, when I move back in a couple years.

pp here. this has always amused me about people from nowheresville who move here and think they're in the "big city." this ain't NYC. it ain't chicago. it ain't even philly. so i'm not missing out on all that much by living in a close-in suburb.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^
As a millenial from a 500-person town in Nowhere, Nebraska who has never seen a functioning city, let me tell you how urban and cosmopolitian dysfunction DC is! Waiting forever for a squalid train that will almost certainly break down and make me late for my internship is just part of the vibrant experience. Plus I get to talk down to people who still live in Nowhere, when I move back in a couple years.

pp here. this has always amused me about people from nowheresville who move here and think they're in the "big city." this ain't NYC. it ain't chicago. it ain't even philly. so i'm not missing out on all that much by living in a close-in suburb.

+1

Although our traffic is hellish, the city is tiny and easy to navigate. Whether you choose public transport or Metro, it's about a wash if you're coming from close-in.

it's not like we're talking about living in Paramus and having to hike into Manhattan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^
As a millenial from a 500-person town in Nowhere, Nebraska who has never seen a functioning city, let me tell you how urban and cosmopolitian dysfunction DC is! Waiting forever for a squalid train that will almost certainly break down and make me late for my internship is just part of the vibrant experience. Plus I get to talk down to people who still live in Nowhere, when I move back in a couple years.

pp here. this has always amused me about people from nowheresville who move here and think they're in the "big city." this ain't NYC. it ain't chicago. it ain't even philly. so i'm not missing out on all that much by living in a close-in suburb.

Don't take this the wrong way, but are you an idiot? The Metro breaks down literally every single week, and any given line is likely broken down every single day. You do know what Safetrack is, yes? That huge maintenance program designed to fix years and years of poor repair and sloppy work? The program that has been causing massive delays for months? Ring any bells? You do know Metro had the dubious honor of being the first transit system seized by the Feds because it posed an imminent risk of harm? You know, the transit system that is so unreliable that it has lost riders year over year despite huge population growth in the area?

By way of example, it is Tuesday. My Metro train broke down last night during my commute home. My morning commute yesterday and today were delayed. I'm sure something will go wrong when I leave tonight, too. But so far Metronis batting 100% in terms of breaking down or being late for me this week.

So again, are you an idiot?

[Anonymous]

^ sorry meant to quote 9:42

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^
As a millenial from a 500-person town in Nowhere, Nebraska who has never seen a functioning city, let me tell you how urban and cosmopolitian dysfunction DC is! Waiting forever for a squalid train that will almost certainly break down and make me late for my internship is just part of the vibrant experience. Plus I get to talk down to people who still live in Nowhere, when I move back in a couple years.

pp here. this has always amused me about people from nowheresville who move here and think they're in the "big city." this ain't NYC. it ain't chicago. it ain't even philly. so i'm not missing out on all that much by living in a close-in suburb.

Don't take this the wrong way, but are you an idiot? The Metro breaks down literally every single week, and any given line is likely broken down every single day. You do know what Safetrack is, yes? That huge maintenance program designed to fix years and years of poor repair and sloppy work? The program that has been causing massive delays for months? Ring any bells? You do know Metro had the dubious honor of being the first transit system seized by the Feds because it posed an imminent risk of harm? You know, the transit system that is so unreliable that it has lost riders year over year despite huge population growth in the area?

By way of example, it is Tuesday. My Metro train broke down last night during my commute home. My morning commute yesterday and today were delayed. I'm sure something will go wrong when I leave tonight, too. But so far Metronis batting 100% in terms of breaking down or being late for me this week.

So again, are you an idiot?

1. I must admit, I have not taken metro in over a week - the weather for biking is just too delightful. Last time I took it was last Monday, and it was fine. When I do take, it I seldom encounter a problem. It is simply not the case that any given line is broken down every single day. In fact line breakdowns still make the papers, because they are not that common.
2. Yes I know about safetrack. It effects one line at a time. The lines I use have not been impacted in a couple of months, and will not be impacted again for at least several more months. Even when impacted, they are still quite useable.
3. It appears you use metro regularly despite all its problems. Apparently your choice to live in the suburbs has not freed you from metrorail. That agrees with what I said above - its actually suburbanites who are more reliant on metrorail (and folks who live in the most suburban, least "hip" parts of DC)

[Anonymous]

Here's a massive Metro collapse from this morning:

http://www.popville.com/2016/09/wiedefeld-we-have-a-problem/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here's a massive Metro collapse from this morning:

http://www.popville.com/2016/09/wiedefeld-we-have-a-problem/

i metro in on the red line. good god, it has been terrible the last several days. breakdowns, delays, "sick" passengers basically stopping service for 15 minutes. must be gearing up for the safetracking that begins in october.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here's a massive Metro collapse from this morning:

http://www.popville.com/2016/09/wiedefeld-we-have-a-problem/

Since when does overcrowded platform = breakdown ???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here's a massive Metro collapse from this morning:

http://www.popville.com/2016/09/wiedefeld-we-have-a-problem/

Since when does overcrowded platform = breakdown ???

Right, because this is the only example. Well, here are a couple more: two red line trains broke down and were offloaded this morning; a blue line train had mechanical problems and broke down yesterday evening during rush; and OL/SL are single-tracking and causing massive delays. I'm sure there are lots more, these are just a handful from Unsuck DC Metro reported over the last 24 hours.

But really, defending Metro? Doing that just makes you look dumb or completely out of touch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here's a massive Metro collapse from this morning:

http://www.popville.com/2016/09/wiedefeld-we-have-a-problem/

Since when does overcrowded platform = breakdown ???

Right, because this is the only example. Well, here are a couple more: two red line trains broke down and were offloaded this morning; a blue line train had mechanical problems and broke down yesterday evening during rush; and OL/SL are single-tracking and causing massive delays. I'm sure there are lots more, these are just a handful from Unsuck DC Metro reported over the last 24 hours.

But really, defending Metro? Doing that just makes you look dumb or completely out of touch.

Metro badly needs to change to be all it can be. Its got lots of reliability problems.

Still, when I use it, it is very seldom I personally encounter a breakdown. Mostly it goes pretty smoothly.

But yeah, there are problems. Safetrack on the Orange Line is a big problem for commuters from Dunn Loring and Vienna.

Who do not live in the District.