Does anyone else hate Bethesda?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't like it either. Much less community than DC. No one plays after school at the elementary school or middle school -- or on the weekend. I knew we weren't walking distance to stores, but thought it would be OK. It is blah.

What school are you at? We are at Bradley hills and there are constantly kids meeting up there and playing after school and on weekends.

+ 1

We go to Bradley hills and it’s almost always packed. Sometimes my kids head over just to see who might be there they want to play with.

We also live in Bradley Hills and are surrounded by kids that go to the same school. I can also take a bus and be at the metro station in 5 min. I can ride my bike and be there in 15 min. Maybe it depends on the neighborhood?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I grew up there and it was good enough. Private schools were barely on my radar back then, except a number of foreigners would attend FIS or Holton. Otherwise, they’d have to pay for public.

I don’t think I’d want to live there now as I don’t want my kids growing up with the affluenza.

It’s materialistic now and lots of Botox.

I'm a middle aged woman living in Bethesda and no one I know does Botox or any other age-related intervention. My circle is not afflicted by affluenza, as in, they don't buy their kid a Jeep at 16, they don't run around covered in designer brands, they don't look down on others who live elsewhere. We save our money to pay for whatever college our kids can get into, or pay for expensive nursing homes for our parents. That's where the money goes!

It's pathetic when people just slap labels on neighborhoods and write them off. Morons think east MoCo is unsafe and gang-infested, they think Bethesda-Chevy Chase is full of rich snobs, upper county is full of hicks...

The stupidity is just mind-blowing.

I lived there. I grew up there and have been connected to Bethesda longer than you.

My friends drove BMWs and vacationed around the world.

When I go to Wildwood, there are plenty of people who’ve had lots of work done on their faces. Do you think the plastic surgeons advertising in Washingtonian are doing so for fun?

My elementary friends had house staff and one had drivers.

I’ve visited clients there. Two $70,000 cars in the garage, a maid, pool, giant house.

If you can’t admit Bethesda suffers from affluenza, then you’re not being honest with yourself.

Maybe you live in Westlake or something. If so, I’m not talking about you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I grew up there and it was good enough. Private schools were barely on my radar back then, except a number of foreigners would attend FIS or Holton. Otherwise, they’d have to pay for public.

I don’t think I’d want to live there now as I don’t want my kids growing up with the affluenza.

It’s materialistic now and lots of Botox.

I'm a middle aged woman living in Bethesda and no one I know does Botox or any other age-related intervention. My circle is not afflicted by affluenza, as in, they don't buy their kid a Jeep at 16, they don't run around covered in designer brands, they don't look down on others who live elsewhere. We save our money to pay for whatever college our kids can get into, or pay for expensive nursing homes for our parents. That's where the money goes!

It's pathetic when people just slap labels on neighborhoods and write them off. Morons think east MoCo is unsafe and gang-infested, they think Bethesda-Chevy Chase is full of rich snobs, upper county is full of hicks...

The stupidity is just mind-blowing.

I lived there. I grew up there and have been connected to Bethesda longer than you.

My friends drove BMWs and vacationed around the world.

When I go to Wildwood, there are plenty of people who’ve had lots of work done on their faces. Do you think the plastic surgeons advertising in Washingtonian are doing so for fun?

My elementary friends had house staff and one had drivers.

I’ve visited clients there. Two $70,000 cars in the garage, a maid, pool, giant house.

If you can’t admit Bethesda suffers from affluenza, then you’re not being honest with yourself.

Maybe you live in Westlake or something. If so, I’m not talking about you.

So you are saying there are people who live in Bethesda who are not affluent?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like you picked the wrong neighborhood for you.

Agree. I live in Wyngate and it’s full of kids who go to the local schools. Easy to get around by bike or Ride On to the metro.

+1. Yay WYngate! I’ve been commuting downtown by public transport for over a decade (j2 is another option). My kids all go to public school as do most of our neighbors. And I e never had Botox, dye my own hair, and don’t have any designer clothes or purses. There’s really a big mix of different types here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I grew up there and it was good enough. Private schools were barely on my radar back then, except a number of foreigners would attend FIS or Holton. Otherwise, they’d have to pay for public.

I don’t think I’d want to live there now as I don’t want my kids growing up with the affluenza.

It’s materialistic now and lots of Botox.

I'm a middle aged woman living in Bethesda and no one I know does Botox or any other age-related intervention. My circle is not afflicted by affluenza, as in, they don't buy their kid a Jeep at 16, they don't run around covered in designer brands, they don't look down on others who live elsewhere. We save our money to pay for whatever college our kids can get into, or pay for expensive nursing homes for our parents. That's where the money goes!

It's pathetic when people just slap labels on neighborhoods and write them off. Morons think east MoCo is unsafe and gang-infested, they think Bethesda-Chevy Chase is full of rich snobs, upper county is full of hicks...

The stupidity is just mind-blowing.

I lived there. I grew up there and have been connected to Bethesda longer than you.

My friends drove BMWs and vacationed around the world.

When I go to Wildwood, there are plenty of people who’ve had lots of work done on their faces. Do you think the plastic surgeons advertising in Washingtonian are doing so for fun?

My elementary friends had house staff and one had drivers.

I’ve visited clients there. Two $70,000 cars in the garage, a maid, pool, giant house.

If you can’t admit Bethesda suffers from affluenza, then you’re not being honest with yourself.

Maybe you live in Westlake or something. If so, I’m not talking about you.

There are people like that all over the DMV and other major cities. Wildwood, wherever that is, is not the parts of Bethesda most people on here are talking about. Half the houses in my neighborhood don’t even have driveways and most don’t have a garage. No one is living the lifestyle you’re talking about. I’m sure someone somewhere is but those folks don’t mingle with the rest of us. Not saying I am not well off - two GS14s, sure I’m well off - but stop pretending every zip code that calls itself Bethesda is populated by people who live or die by the Washingtonian. Never read it, myself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I grew up there and it was good enough. Private schools were barely on my radar back then, except a number of foreigners would attend FIS or Holton. Otherwise, they’d have to pay for public.

I don’t think I’d want to live there now as I don’t want my kids growing up with the affluenza.

It’s materialistic now and lots of Botox.

I'm a middle aged woman living in Bethesda and no one I know does Botox or any other age-related intervention. My circle is not afflicted by affluenza, as in, they don't buy their kid a Jeep at 16, they don't run around covered in designer brands, they don't look down on others who live elsewhere. We save our money to pay for whatever college our kids can get into, or pay for expensive nursing homes for our parents. That's where the money goes!

It's pathetic when people just slap labels on neighborhoods and write them off. Morons think east MoCo is unsafe and gang-infested, they think Bethesda-Chevy Chase is full of rich snobs, upper county is full of hicks...

The stupidity is just mind-blowing.

I lived there. I grew up there and have been connected to Bethesda longer than you.

My friends drove BMWs and vacationed around the world.

When I go to Wildwood, there are plenty of people who’ve had lots of work done on their faces. Do you think the plastic surgeons advertising in Washingtonian are doing so for fun?

My elementary friends had house staff and one had drivers.

I’ve visited clients there. Two $70,000 cars in the garage, a maid, pool, giant house.

If you can’t admit Bethesda suffers from affluenza, then you’re not being honest with yourself.

Maybe you live in Westlake or something. If so, I’m not talking about you.

This sounds like saying “I grew up in Manhattan and knew people that had maids and drivers…”. I’m sure there are peoole in bethesda with that stuff but I e never met them. Our houses are so packed together, I really don’t know where you’d put all this “staff”! Lots of houses don’t even have a garage!
Anyway, I grew up in a very normal middle class suburb in a town that every on this thread would definitely characterize as an extremely low brow place. People here do take better vacations and when you see their LinkedIn, there are some seriously intimidating resumes (people who run departments at NIH, etc.).. But most dvrryone seems very normal and down to earth to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I grew up there and it was good enough. Private schools were barely on my radar back then, except a number of foreigners would attend FIS or Holton. Otherwise, they’d have to pay for public.

I don’t think I’d want to live there now as I don’t want my kids growing up with the affluenza.

It’s materialistic now and lots of Botox.

I'm a middle aged woman living in Bethesda and no one I know does Botox or any other age-related intervention. My circle is not afflicted by affluenza, as in, they don't buy their kid a Jeep at 16, they don't run around covered in designer brands, they don't look down on others who live elsewhere. We save our money to pay for whatever college our kids can get into, or pay for expensive nursing homes for our parents. That's where the money goes!

It's pathetic when people just slap labels on neighborhoods and write them off. Morons think east MoCo is unsafe and gang-infested, they think Bethesda-Chevy Chase is full of rich snobs, upper county is full of hicks...

The stupidity is just mind-blowing.

I lived there. I grew up there and have been connected to Bethesda longer than you.

My friends drove BMWs and vacationed around the world.

When I go to Wildwood, there are plenty of people who’ve had lots of work done on their faces. Do you think the plastic surgeons advertising in Washingtonian are doing so for fun?

My elementary friends had house staff and one had drivers.

I’ve visited clients there. Two $70,000 cars in the garage, a maid, pool, giant house.

If you can’t admit Bethesda suffers from affluenza, then you’re not being honest with yourself.

Maybe you live in Westlake or something. If so, I’m not talking about you.

This sounds like saying “I grew up in Manhattan and knew people that had maids and drivers…”. I’m sure there are peoole in bethesda with that stuff but I e never met them. Our houses are so packed together, I really don’t know where you’d put all this “staff”! Lots of houses don’t even have a garage!
Anyway, I grew up in a very normal middle class suburb in a town that every on this thread would definitely characterize as an extremely low brow place. People here do take better vacations and when you see their LinkedIn, there are some seriously intimidating resumes (people who run departments at NIH, etc.).. But most dvrryone seems very normal and down to earth to me.

Agree! I too live in a Bethesda neighborhood where the houses are small, older (with older kitchens and bathrooms), and many dont have garages. My neighbors and I drive Nissans and Toyotas and minivans. I’m not aware of any botox.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like you picked the wrong neighborhood for you.

Agree. I live in Wyngate and it’s full of kids who go to the local schools. Easy to get around by bike or Ride On to the metro.

+1. Yay WYngate! I’ve been commuting downtown by public transport for over a decade (j2 is another option). My kids all go to public school as do most of our neighbors. And I e never had Botox, dye my own hair, and don’t have any designer clothes or purses. There’s really a big mix of different types here.

Yes we love Wyngate! The school is wonderful and there’s a nice community here. It’s very intelligent, exactly who I want my kids to be raised with.

[Anonymous]

Wyngate and Bradley Hills are very different from Woodacres, Westmoreland Hills and the communities along Mass Ave.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wyngate and Bradley Hills are very different from Woodacres, Westmoreland Hills and the communities along Mass Ave.

That's kind of the point. Stop bashing "Bethesda" like its some monolith. It's a collection of many different neighborhoods with different vibes. Sorry the OP picked the wrong one for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We’ve lived here for 3 years and dislike the area. Everyone said Bethesda was amazing - great schools, easy commute to DC, nice DT. What we’ve found is that most people in our neighborhood send their kids to private schools, so the great schools don’t seem to matter. The commute to DC is good, but the only option is driving unless you live in or near the congested DT area near the metro.

Awesome time to sell. Life is too short to live somewhere you don’t like. Get out and find your ideal place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wyngate and Bradley Hills are very different from Woodacres, Westmoreland Hills and the communities along Mass Ave.

What's wrong with communities along Mass Ave! I live in the Westbrook neighborhood and love it. Great neighbors, lots of kids playing, elementary school in the neighborhood, swim club...what else could you want?

[Anonymous]

I also live in Wyngate. It’s lovely and the community is very real. Not a fan of the huge tear downs but it’s okay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I grew up there and it was good enough. Private schools were barely on my radar back then, except a number of foreigners would attend FIS or Holton. Otherwise, they’d have to pay for public.

I don’t think I’d want to live there now as I don’t want my kids growing up with the affluenza.

It’s materialistic now and lots of Botox.

I'm a middle aged woman living in Bethesda and no one I know does Botox or any other age-related intervention. My circle is not afflicted by affluenza, as in, they don't buy their kid a Jeep at 16, they don't run around covered in designer brands, they don't look down on others who live elsewhere. We save our money to pay for whatever college our kids can get into, or pay for expensive nursing homes for our parents. That's where the money goes!

It's pathetic when people just slap labels on neighborhoods and write them off. Morons think east MoCo is unsafe and gang-infested, they think Bethesda-Chevy Chase is full of rich snobs, upper county is full of hicks...

The stupidity is just mind-blowing.

I lived there. I grew up there and have been connected to Bethesda longer than you.

My friends drove BMWs and vacationed around the world.

When I go to Wildwood, there are plenty of people who’ve had lots of work done on their faces. Do you think the plastic surgeons advertising in Washingtonian are doing so for fun?

My elementary friends had house staff and one had drivers.

I’ve visited clients there. Two $70,000 cars in the garage, a maid, pool, giant house.

If you can’t admit Bethesda suffers from affluenza, then you’re not being honest with yourself.

Maybe you live in Westlake or something. If so, I’m not talking about you.

There are people like that all over the DMV and other major cities. Wildwood, wherever that is, is not the parts of Bethesda most people on here are talking about. Half the houses in my neighborhood don’t even have driveways and most don’t have a garage. No one is living the lifestyle you’re talking about. I’m sure someone somewhere is but those folks don’t mingle with the rest of us. Not saying I am not well off - two GS14s, sure I’m well off - but stop pretending every zip code that calls itself Bethesda is populated by people who live or die by the Washingtonian. Never read it, myself.

Wildwood is 'north bethesda'. When they add 'north' to the name it's to try to capitalize on the more affluent neighborhood. "North Cleveland Park", parts of Gaithersburg that people refer to as "Potomac". When people live in Burleith or Glover Park and say "Georgetown", etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I grew up there and it was good enough. Private schools were barely on my radar back then, except a number of foreigners would attend FIS or Holton. Otherwise, they’d have to pay for public.

I don’t think I’d want to live there now as I don’t want my kids growing up with the affluenza.

It’s materialistic now and lots of Botox.

I'm a middle aged woman living in Bethesda and no one I know does Botox or any other age-related intervention. My circle is not afflicted by affluenza, as in, they don't buy their kid a Jeep at 16, they don't run around covered in designer brands, they don't look down on others who live elsewhere. We save our money to pay for whatever college our kids can get into, or pay for expensive nursing homes for our parents. That's where the money goes!

It's pathetic when people just slap labels on neighborhoods and write them off. Morons think east MoCo is unsafe and gang-infested, they think Bethesda-Chevy Chase is full of rich snobs, upper county is full of hicks...

The stupidity is just mind-blowing.

I lived there. I grew up there and have been connected to Bethesda longer than you.

My friends drove BMWs and vacationed around the world.

When I go to Wildwood, there are plenty of people who’ve had lots of work done on their faces. Do you think the plastic surgeons advertising in Washingtonian are doing so for fun?

My elementary friends had house staff and one had drivers.

I’ve visited clients there. Two $70,000 cars in the garage, a maid, pool, giant house.

If you can’t admit Bethesda suffers from affluenza, then you’re not being honest with yourself.

Maybe you live in Westlake or something. If so, I’m not talking about you.

There are people like that all over the DMV and other major cities. Wildwood, wherever that is, is not the parts of Bethesda most people on here are talking about. Half the houses in my neighborhood don’t even have driveways and most don’t have a garage. No one is living the lifestyle you’re talking about. I’m sure someone somewhere is but those folks don’t mingle with the rest of us. Not saying I am not well off - two GS14s, sure I’m well off - but stop pretending every zip code that calls itself Bethesda is populated by people who live or die by the Washingtonian. Never read it, myself.

Wildwood is 'north bethesda'. When they add 'north' to the name it's to try to capitalize on the more affluent neighborhood. "North Cleveland Park", parts of Gaithersburg that people refer to as "Potomac". When people live in Burleith or Glover Park and say "Georgetown", etc.

I think it's actually Rockville.