Why so many negative posts about "the DC area"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"pseudosophisticates" - GREAT word! HOW true! There really are too many here. Pretentious, pretentious, pretentious.

"much friendlier than Boston" - nope, nope, nope. And if someone from Boston tells you the drivers here suck (as only someone from Boston could) - then you KNOW they suck.

Don't EVEN compare this place to the Northeast. EVER.

And to the person/s hating the old money phrase (because s/he isn't old money, of course, which obviously REALLY gets his/her goat) - don't read any further - but *new money and wannebe money* has no manners.

That might explain a LOT.

Please move. There must be somewhere you would prefer to DC that you can afford.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"pseudosophisticates" - GREAT word! HOW true! There really are too many here. Pretentious, pretentious, pretentious.

"much friendlier than Boston" - nope, nope, nope. And if someone from Boston tells you the drivers here suck (as only someone from Boston could) - then you KNOW they suck.

Don't EVEN compare this place to the Northeast. EVER.

And to the person/s hating the old money phrase (because s/he isn't old money, of course, which obviously REALLY gets his/her goat) - don't read any further - but *new money and wannebe money* has no manners.

That might explain a LOT.

So, I guess you would lump Obamas with the new money crowd?

[Anonymous]

Funny, according to those who are "from" here, no one is supposed to say anything negative about D.C., MD or VA. Tunnel vision - it's ALL about you! How easy it must be to believe anywhere else MUST be a small town or the middle of nowhere. Wrong again.

PP wonders where the "typical D.C." expression came from - some of us have actually resided elsewhere. Oh, the horrors! At least half of you sound like you are still in your parents' basement. No surprise there.

Funny, if you go to certain areas of the country, people can tell someone from the D.C. area a mile away, and no, that's not a compliment. But certainly 'it must be me' - yeah, right.

Next you'll correct my grammar as a desperate attempt. I really should be more entertained here.

It's even hard for people here to believe there are more expensive, educated and accomplished areas?! What kind of bubble are you living in? It's a rhetorical question.

[Anonymous]

I think DC is really high on itself. It is very expensive because of all it has to offer, but IMO it has less to offer than similarly-expensive cities.

The city itself is sterile and lacks character as it was planned down to the last block. It didn't grow up organically (as, e.g. Boston and NYC did) so there are no interesting alleyways, oddly-placed houses, curvy streets, etc.

The suburbs are soulless. Completely planned, no town centers or the like, nothing that grew up as history passed. Sure, there are some "town centers" (TM) and the occasionally interesting little commercial area (Kensington, Garrett Park) but those are the exception and not the rule.

There is no industry, so the only blue collar class = service industry workers and clerical workers. ~yawn~

The climate sucks. It is not northern, not entirely southern, neither here nor there. It doesn't snow, but it's not balmy either. And the summers are pure torture.

Basically it has all the charm of the north and all of the efficiency of the south.

I'm here for the long haul, because we've put down so many roots here (and DH's family is here), but I would never in a million years have chosen this town but for those factors.

[Anonymous]

19:32 Agree completely.

But I digress, you mentioned NYC AND Boston - are you TRYING to get DCUM shut down for good!?

[Anonymous]

I can't wait for snow when the place shuts down and Obama says, essentially, what an embarassment. BAH!

[Anonymous]

the DC metro has some of the worst traffic in the country. this is measured. that alone makes it horrible.

as for the people, you tend to have extremely educated professionals or very poor minorities. Not a lot of old-fashioned blue collar jobs (which I suppose are disappearing everywhere, but especially so here). I find the blue-collar folks give an area some character, and the professionals with their annoying associations, NIMBY attitude and (often) extra aggressiveness to be a real turn-off. give me a town like Baltimore over DC 100 times out of 100.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

19:32 Agree completely.

But I digress, you mentioned NYC AND Boston - are you TRYING to get DCUM shut down for good!?

19:32 here - how would mentioning those cities get DCUM shut down for good? Did I miss something?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not a lot of old-fashioned blue collar jobs (which I suppose are disappearing everywhere, but especially so here). I find the blue-collar folks give an area some character, and the professionals with their annoying associations, NIMBY attitude and (often) extra aggressiveness to be a real turn-off. give me a town like Baltimore over DC 100 times out of 100.

Yes, this.

[Anonymous]

Three hours to salt water! Three hours to anywhere near decent skiing! You're killing me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think DC is really high on itself. It is very expensive because of all it has to offer, but IMO it has less to offer than similarly-expensive cities.

The city itself is sterile and lacks character as it was planned down to the last block. It didn't grow up organically (as, e.g. Boston and NYC did) so there are no interesting alleyways, oddly-placed houses, curvy streets, etc.

The suburbs are soulless. Completely planned, no town centers or the like, nothing that grew up as history passed. Sure, there are some "town centers" (TM) and the occasionally interesting little commercial area (Kensington, Garrett Park) but those are the exception and not the rule.

There is no industry, so the only blue collar class = service industry workers and clerical workers. ~yawn~

The climate sucks. It is not northern, not entirely southern, neither here nor there. It doesn't snow, but it's not balmy either. And the summers are pure torture.

Basically it has all the charm of the north and all of the efficiency of the south.

I'm here for the long haul, because we've put down so many roots here (and DH's family is here), but I would never in a million years have chosen this town but for those factors.

You're not too bright if you think that NYC's grid pattern "grew" organically. Snicker.

[Anonymous]

Sorry, I love DC. No manufacturing jobs, so few blue collar workers...I saw the previous posts, and I understand that many people like the "feel" of towns like Baltimore, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, etc. I don't, and I like the fact that this is a white collar town. Also, no rednecks, no trailer parks, etc...unless you venture outside the beltway. Like the old maps said, "Here there be dragons".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think DC is really high on itself. It is very expensive because of all it has to offer, but IMO it has less to offer than similarly-expensive cities.

The city itself is sterile and lacks character as it was planned down to the last block. It didn't grow up organically (as, e.g. Boston and NYC did) so there are no interesting alleyways, oddly-placed houses, curvy streets, etc.

The suburbs are soulless. Completely planned, no town centers or the like, nothing that grew up as history passed. Sure, there are some "town centers" (TM) and the occasionally interesting little commercial area (Kensington, Garrett Park) but those are the exception and not the rule.

There is no industry, so the only blue collar class = service industry workers and clerical workers. ~yawn~

The climate sucks. It is not northern, not entirely southern, neither here nor there. It doesn't snow, but it's not balmy either. And the summers are pure torture.

Basically it has all the charm of the north and all of the efficiency of the south.

I'm here for the long haul, because we've put down so many roots here (and DH's family is here), but I would never in a million years have chosen this town but for those factors.

You're not too bright if you think that NYC's grid pattern "grew" organically. Snicker.

I agree. One thing among many in that post.

[Anonymous]

20:14 and 20:40 have GOT to be related.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think DC is really high on itself. It is very expensive because of all it has to offer, but IMO it has less to offer than similarly-expensive cities.

The city itself is sterile and lacks character as it was planned down to the last block. It didn't grow up organically (as, e.g. Boston and NYC did) so there are no interesting alleyways, oddly-placed houses, curvy streets, etc.

The suburbs are soulless. Completely planned, no town centers or the like, nothing that grew up as history passed. Sure, there are some "town centers" (TM) and the occasionally interesting little commercial area (Kensington, Garrett Park) but those are the exception and not the rule.

There is no industry, so the only blue collar class = service industry workers and clerical workers. ~yawn~

The climate sucks. It is not northern, not entirely southern, neither here nor there. It doesn't snow, but it's not balmy either. And the summers are pure torture.

Basically it has all the charm of the north and all of the efficiency of the south.

I'm here for the long haul, because we've put down so many roots here (and DH's family is here), but I would never in a million years have chosen this town but for those factors.

You're not too bright if you think that NYC's grid pattern "grew" organically. Snicker.

~snicker~ back at you. Downtown NYC (Village & south of there) did indeed grow up organically over time.

Many of Boston's streets are based on cowpaths.