When in doubt, blame DC

[Anonymous]

"We should be inspired by Paris, not Peoria."

Someone who gets it! In more ways than one, I might add...LOL!

[Anonymous]

OP here. I started this thread to point out how silly it is to blame DC for one's problems. The particular problems that people here blame on DC are

--snotty mothers
--competitive atmosphere
--rude people in grocery stores

It's interesting to see that it has devolved to become a parody of the moronic-- and dare I say, competitive-- threads that get back to the same place: whether DC is worth living in, and whether it is "world class."

I'll still smile at you in the grocery store because I'll have no idea where you are when I run across you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't care that DC isn't NYC... or L.A., or Chicago, or Boston. I live HERE. I know it's far from perfect, but what city isn't? I could sit here and pick it apart, so long as I live here, I choose to be happy.

I'm one of the complaining posters. I choose to try to improve it, and the improvement is happening, at least east of the Park where there are no UpperNorthwesties to tilt at mixed use development and busier street life. The progress is slow, but even in the almost 5 years I've been here, the number of businesses that are useful to me, places I want to go, and even people on the street has increased noticeably. There is also a lot of interest in more thoughtful urban planning. I don't expect this will ever be NYC, of course, but I do think we can build a more credible capital. We should be inspired by Paris, not Peoria.

Sorry, the improvement you're citing is a mixed bag. Yes, there's more pretty places to live and restaurants and gift shops (and don't get me wrong -- I do enjoy them) -- but it's also been at a cost to long-term neighborhoods with a strong sense of community where people have lived for years and pretty much been pushed out.

And this is part of the problem of the debates about DC. I don't really care if it is a world-class city on the same level as New York and Paris. And if that makes someone from NYC feel superior, well, enjoy yourself, I don't care. And if my work took me to Southwestern Virginia tomorrow, I might not be crazy about living there but I would make the best of it and I wouldn't look down on the people who like it. I certainly wouldn't pat myself on the back for "improving" it.