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

[Anonymous]

We bought a small townhouse in the Murch school district. We can walk to the grocery store, bookstore, coffee shop, Friendship Heights, Tenleytown. DH takes the L1, 2, 4 bus downtown. For a little more than what we paid in rent for a 2 bdr apartment in Dupont Circle, we pay in mortgage (PITI).

We are close enough in that we don't feel isolated, but far enough away from the noisier parts of the city.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Columbia Heights. Nice-sized, renovated house we bought years ago, long before the Target and whatall. Three blocks to groceries, restaurants, metro, etc.

Obvious concern now is schools; kids weren't even part of our plan when we bought, but now, if we don't get into a good charter, we'll have to move. That is the sum total of my living-in-DC stress.

I'm in the burbs because the crowding, noise and dirt of the city get to me. That would be stressful for me.

Even central neighborhoods in DC are less crowded, noisy, and even dirty than many other major cities.

[Anonymous]

but luckily I don't have to live in any city.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:but luckily I don't have to live in any city.

True, but you used these attributes to justify your decision to us.

Everything is relative. Referring to "crowding" in particular in DC as a reason for avoiding it is laughable for any but the faintest of heart.

[Anonymous]

Have lived in various big cities before DC and find DC slooooow and boring. It took me 10 years to actually like living here.

We live in Tenleytown. We are content here, friendly neighbors, we walk to the metro, Janney, swimmingpool and now the brand new library. We walk to Starbucks and Whole Foods as well. We live a fairly simple life, no luxuries. We drive an old car that we only use during the week ends. DH uses metro to go to work, and I am so lucky to be within 10 mn walking distance from my job.

The only downside is the smaller, unrenovated older house and its pink tiled bathrooms ... but then not everybody needs a 4000sqft house.

[Anonymous]

Yes. I live about three minutes from most things we need (grocery store, library, P.O.) and work part-time, mostly from home, so I only commute about 4 days/month. DH works one mile from home.

DH is home by 4PM every day, and I am either working at home, or not working at all (and therefore home) most days as well. Also, DH is home all summer. Therefore our kids need no after-care, are enrolled only in those summer camps that interest them, and are spending more time with their parents than many kids of WOHPs do.

We take a two-week vacation every summer, and do other getaways all year round.

Our house in Silver Spring is about one mile from the District line and we can walk to Metro.

Life is pretty simple here.

[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.

No--- Mass Ave, Conn, Independence, K st, Constitution at rush hour??? I used to live in Gtown and I sat in a h*ll of a lot more traffic than I do where I live now.

It used to take me 20 min to get all the way from my office in Oldtown back to Georgetown...which is much farther than your trip from Columbia Heights to Glover Park...so the city driving can def. be more time consuimg.

[Anonymous]

OP we are also in SS - though within walking distance to the Forest Glen metro. LOVE the area. Love our neighborhood, the parks and playgrounds, and the downtown SS area.

[Anonymous]

We live in G-town in a 2.5 br condo (rent). We have lots of friends who are not uber-wealthy and really down to earth. No one cares who drives what, labels you are wearing, or what preschool you kid got into. People pay their nannies $10-15 hr, many in cash - certainly not whats reflected on the DCUM nanny board.
We walk to TJs or Safeway but often drive as well. We work downtown. People are fun, nice, friendly at the park and generally pretty interesting.

I love DC and while we might move to the suburbs at some point, I think its a fantastic place to live.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:but luckily I don't have to live in any city.

True, but you used these attributes to justify your decision to us.

Everything is relative. Referring to "crowding" in particular in DC as a reason for avoiding it is laughable for any but the faintest of heart.

Yes, I did. The city proper is noisier, dirtier and more crowded than my suburb. I don't give a fig if you think I'm faint of heart. I like space between me and my neighbors and no foot traffic at 11 pm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We live in G-town in a 2.5 br condo (rent). We have lots of friends who are not uber-wealthy and really down to earth. No one cares who drives what, labels you are wearing, or what preschool you kid got into. People pay their nannies $10-15 hr, many in cash - certainly not whats reflected on the DCUM nanny board.
We walk to TJs or Safeway but often drive as well. We work downtown. People are fun, nice, friendly at the park and generally pretty interesting.

I love DC and while we might move to the suburbs at some point, I think its a fantastic place to live.

Your friends are all tax scofflaws and pay their nannies under the table? Really? I wouldn't be mentioning that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We live in G-town in a 2.5 br condo (rent). We have lots of friends who are not uber-wealthy and really down to earth. No one cares who drives what, labels you are wearing, or what preschool you kid got into. People pay their nannies $10-15 hr, many in cash - certainly not whats reflected on the DCUM nanny board.
We walk to TJs or Safeway but often drive as well. We work downtown. People are fun, nice, friendly at the park and generally pretty interesting.

I love DC and while we might move to the suburbs at some point, I think its a fantastic place to live.

PP here -

I also work for the fed gov and find my co-workers to be very bright and hardworking (contrary to DCUM belief).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The people complaining are comparing their lifestyles here to the ones they experienced in less metropolitan parts of the country. They would look at your situation through different eyes. We each take away different impressions of the same events.

That is my impression, too. I think man of the people who complain are from smaller, more rural areas. Those are the same people who complain how expensive it is here. It's still cheaper than California, for food and real estate.

i think people here are still more friendly than people in southern California.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:but luckily I don't have to live in any city.

True, but you used these attributes to justify your decision to us.

Everything is relative. Referring to "crowding" in particular in DC as a reason for avoiding it is laughable for any but the faintest of heart.

Yes, I did. The city proper is noisier, dirtier and more crowded than my suburb. I don't give a fig if you think I'm faint of heart. I like space between me and my neighbors and no foot traffic at 11 pm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The people complaining are comparing their lifestyles here to the ones they experienced in less metropolitan parts of the country. They would look at your situation through different eyes. We each take away different impressions of the same events.

That is my impression, too. I think man of the people who complain are from smaller, more rural areas. Those are the same people who complain how expensive it is here. It's still cheaper than California, for food and real estate.

i think people here are still more friendly than people in southern California.

Of course they are. Never met such aloof, snobbish people as those in LA/San Diego.