Does anyone else hate Bethesda?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't really like white affluent mainstream culture. I can blend, but my people are not those people. And other women are the worst. Passive aggressive, so positive that they're toxic, competitive, and really cruel.

"I don't know anyone like that," you'd say. "You must just have not met the right people. Or maybe it's you. You're the toxic one."

No. It's not me.

Things to dislike about Bethesda:

The Barnes and Noble closed (the one thing we liked about Bethesda).

Chain counter-service restaurants that serve carb-conscious "bowls" of food.

The lack of a grid and the confusing layout.

Parking manages to feel both unsafe and is expensive.

Chain sit-down restaurants that make you think you are in Walnut Creek, CA with your retired nana.

So many blonde ponytails.

So many SUVs.

Hyper-competutive, neurotic children with rich-kid kid problems: anxiety, etc.

People who think disliking these things means I'm jealous. Not jealous. I just don't like you or your town.

Do you like black affluent mainstream culture? asian affluent mainstream culture? WTF are you even talking about

I prefer them, in fact. They're generally a lot more pragmatic and a lot less concerned with manners.

I want to amend that: when I say less concerned with manners, I don't mean they have none or are rude.

I mean those cultures are generally more direct.

White Bethesda will mince circles around what they really mean. They're a lot more neurotic about how they're perceived.

You're nuts and need help. Direct enough?

Love, a white neurotic person from Bethesda

[Anonymous]

i hate it too, but i go there because friendship heights is dead and even more depressing, DT bethesda is the closest pocket of "life."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My issue with Bethesda is the lack of diversity. Period. Our family moved here (from another part of the US) hoping for a nice neighborhood with interesting, diverse (race, ethnicity, careers, interests) people. This place is anything but that, and it seems like everyone got memo before they moved in: Vineyard Vines wardrobe, check. Range Rover, check. Yellow goldendoodle, check.

I don't have any of the things you mentioned and barely know what you meant. Range Rover is so yesterday. What about Hyundai Ionic 5. What is Yellow goldendoodle? A dog?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't really like white affluent mainstream culture. I can blend, but my people are not those people. And other women are the worst. Passive aggressive, so positive that they're toxic, competitive, and really cruel.

"I don't know anyone like that," you'd say. "You must just have not met the right people. Or maybe it's you. You're the toxic one."

No. It's not me.

Things to dislike about Bethesda:

The Barnes and Noble closed (the one thing we liked about Bethesda).

Chain counter-service restaurants that serve carb-conscious "bowls" of food.

The lack of a grid and the confusing layout.

Parking manages to feel both unsafe and is expensive.

Chain sit-down restaurants that make you think you are in Walnut Creek, CA with your retired nana.

So many blonde ponytails.

So many SUVs.

Hyper-competutive, neurotic children with rich-kid kid problems: anxiety, etc.

People who think disliking these things means I'm jealous. Not jealous. I just don't like you or your town.

But is it unique to Bethesda? Sounds Spring Valley, DC. Actually, sounds all the zip code of Chevy Chase and Northwest DC.

[Anonymous]

I loved the Bethesda of the 90s. I lived and worked there. I left about 10 years ago. Unrecognizable.

[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.

“Good schools” just sounds less pretentious than “most prestigious enclave we can afford in our quest to avoid peasants.” It does not actually mean you care about the public schools or will send your children to them. Even the best public schools are a joke compared to $40k-50k annual day schools.

[Anonymous]

I like Bethesda… it’s a nice and safe area. Prices reflect this

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't really like white affluent mainstream culture. I can blend, but my people are not those people. And other women are the worst. Passive aggressive, so positive that they're toxic, competitive, and really cruel.

"I don't know anyone like that," you'd say. "You must just have not met the right people. Or maybe it's you. You're the toxic one."

No. It's not me.

Things to dislike about Bethesda:

The Barnes and Noble closed (the one thing we liked about Bethesda).

Chain counter-service restaurants that serve carb-conscious "bowls" of food.

The lack of a grid and the confusing layout.

Parking manages to feel both unsafe and is expensive.

Chain sit-down restaurants that make you think you are in Walnut Creek, CA with your retired nana.

So many blonde ponytails.

So many SUVs.

Hyper-competutive, neurotic children with rich-kid kid problems: anxiety, etc.

People who think disliking these things means I'm jealous. Not jealous. I just don't like you or your town.

I used to live there. Was my fave place I ever lived. I was in SF in 30mins and Tahoe in less than 3 hours. Walk-able and friendly. Loved it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live in Fairfax. Hate everything in MD

I wouldn’t be bragging about fairfax.

LOL Fairfax is every suburb, USA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I loved the Bethesda of the 90s. I lived and worked there. I left about 10 years ago. Unrecognizable.

This isn't really a bad thing. I guess you liked places like Pizza Hut (the eat-in restaurant version), Burger King, McDonalds, and Arby's. Because all of those places used to be within a block of the metro. Bethesda has come a long way, and it's been for the better. It's a great place to live and raise a family.

[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.

How do you know that?

[Anonymous]

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.

We have had the opposite experience in Bethesda - always kids playing at the school and other parks and very welcoming families.

[Anonymous]

Having been in Bethesda for several years, your experience could differ greatly depending on your race.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't really like white affluent mainstream culture. I can blend, but my people are not those people. And other women are the worst. Passive aggressive, so positive that they're toxic, competitive, and really cruel.

"I don't know anyone like that," you'd say. "You must just have not met the right people. Or maybe it's you. You're the toxic one."

No. It's not me.

Things to dislike about Bethesda:

The Barnes and Noble closed (the one thing we liked about Bethesda).

Chain counter-service restaurants that serve carb-conscious "bowls" of food.

The lack of a grid and the confusing layout.

Parking manages to feel both unsafe and is expensive.

Chain sit-down restaurants that make you think you are in Walnut Creek, CA with your retired nana.

So many blonde ponytails.

So many SUVs.

Hyper-competutive, neurotic children with rich-kid kid problems: anxiety, etc.

People who think disliking these things means I'm jealous. Not jealous. I just don't like you or your town.

Wonderland books just opened. Very direct, caring people that have made a village. A statistically-average amount of blondes (and ponytails, I’d guess, but I don’t pay that much attention to hairstyles).

I’ll give you the suvs.

[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 mostly agree. We make good money but definitely sweat the big expenses. "The best college your kid can get into or nursing homes for our parents" really hits home. And we live in Potomac, and whatever everyone things about Potomac is worse, yet totally disjointed with our lifestyle (normal house, don't always mow the lawn when we should, drive Mazdas, didn't take a vacation last year and probably not going to take an international vacation this year, etc...). People raise their eyebrows when their hear your zip code and yes the schools are great but it's not like that. That said, I do get a little botox.