How do you tell a DC native from a transplant?

[Anonymous]

Still Calls Reagan airport national

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The DMV is the Department of Motor Vehicles, not the DC area.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
1. Everyone not from the DMV thinks you mumble when you talk, but you and your friends understand each other perfectly

2. you don't understand when people say they can buy a nice house for 250k

3. "5 miles" can mean a place is 20 min away or 1 hour and 20 minutes, depending on time of day

4. You remember when parking on the Mall was free

5. It is likely that you are a first generation DMV person, growing up in the area with parents from outside the area. However, you consider yourself a heritage Midwesterner. Although when you go back to Illinois for Thanksgiving, you don't quite understand how people can live in that winter, every winter.

6. What, the kids at your K-12 school didn't speak 43 languages at home?

7. At least 50% of your friends parents are lawyers, or were lawyers. They are universally miserable, and yet 50% of your friends are now lawyers, too. So much for all those high GPAs and test scores, some people never learn.

8. Snow is a beautiful thing that shuts down the whole world. No one should ever been expected to function when snow is falling, or could be reasonably expected to fall within the next 24 to 48 hours.

9. As an adult, the chance of running into friends from HS at the supermarket or whatever is infinitesimal, because everyone moves away (the Heritage Midwesterner often returns to the nest).

It should not be such a surprise, because you don't live there anymore, either.

10. It will always be National Airport

Totally with you on 7-10. I do have some high school friends here but most of my HS classmates (Sidwell) are elsewhere.

I'd add: When you meet someone local, the first question is about where you each went to high school. (I met someone last week, we are both over 50, and the first question he asked me was about where I went to high school).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:National Airport
Cabin John Bridge
Mumbo sauce
Gogo music

We never say that DC is full of transplants, and we get used to having friends move away.

If someone doesn't say the federal agency where they work, chances are it's the CIA.

I'd replace gogo with HFStival, but both were popular in different parts of the city

HFStival! And camping out outside Hecht’s overnight to secure your HFStival tickets (but telling your parents you were sleeping over at someone’s house).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The DMV is the Department of Motor Vehicles AND the DC area.

[Anonymous]

How they say water

[Anonymous]

You can always tell they're from this area because they stay in the left lane and they don't know how to drive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a DC native, I think we are less ambitious than people who move here for their career.

Yup from another DC native!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a DC native, I think we are less ambitious than people who move here for their career.

Yup from another DC native!

Definitely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a DC native, I think we are less ambitious than people who move here for their career.

Ding ding ding. This is the correct answer.

[Anonymous]

Ask if they remember the Bayou in Georgetown.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a DC native, I think we are less ambitious than people who move here for their career.

Ding ding ding. This is the correct answer.

Yes!!! - DH and I were both born and grew up here

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Still Calls Reagan airport national

Correction: Calls National Airport by its real name.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:National Airport
Cabin John Bridge
Mumbo sauce
Gogo music

We never say that DC is full of transplants, and we get used to having friends move away.

If someone doesn't say the federal agency where they work, chances are it's the CIA.

I'd replace gogo with HFStival, but both were popular in different parts of the city

Gogo clubs if you're black. HFStival if you're white.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The DMV is the Department of Motor Vehicles, not the DC area.

Yep, I can spot all of the non-natives on this thread. Natives do not use the phrase DMV to refer to this area.

Many African Americans from this area report they have been using the term DMV for decades …