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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]We moved from DC to Arlington and I love it!!!  In DC our kids went to a charter school which meant every morning started with fighting city traffic for a 3 mile drive and then hunting for parking.  Ugh!  Now my kids take a free school bus that picks up two blocks away and there is even a late bus for when they do after school clubs!  We go for tons of bike rides because biking on the city streets isn't terrifying and we can pretty easily get to trails that are much less crowded than the Rock Creek Park trail we used to bike on.  overall, our lives are so much simpler and easier now.

My spouse works in Arlington so one of our commutes is much shorter now and my commute is about the same by metro.  I can walk to a few good coffee shops, Sweetgreens, Giant, Trader Joes, Whole Foods.  It is actually more walkable than some of the places I lived in DC.  (We live in Lyon Park).[/quote]

I just noticed the earlier PP who looked down on people who want things to be easier.  I used to be like that but honestly after 10 years of DH and I each working 50+ hours a week and juggling two kids, I was just worn down and wanted free school buses.  And we are actually as close or closer to the DC museums than we were when we lived in DC.  And my favorite local theater is Signature, which is in Arlington so no loss there (although I do still see shows at Arena Stage and Studio).[/quote]

I used to live in Chicago and was pretty smug about being able to deal with the cold. Now having been gone a decade, I realize it’s just nice for things to be nice. Easy, pleasant, convenient. It’s great. [/quote]

I'm the PP who doesn't appreciate the desire for things to be easy.  I also used to live in the upper Midwest.  Sure, dealing the any kind of extreme weather can be a source of personal pride, and yes I find it nice not to deal with such extremes anymore. The difference is that the weather isn't a social phenomenon; whether you live in Chicago or DC, you don't bear responsibility for each cold snap. And, although global warming is a function of human choices, it doesn't directly depend on where you live, except to the extent that you can locate in a place that reduces your carbon emissions (i.e. the city).  You're not abdicating any responsibility by moving to a more comfortable climate.

Also, not to make this about me, but the people who are speculating that I live in a suburban part of DC and am therefore being hypocritical are mostly wrong.  I live in a rowhouse within the L'Enfant City.  There are probably 20,000 people per square mile in my neighborhood, which is much more than the city average, but still quite a bit less than in our densest neighborhoods.  I'm not one to argue that we should all be trying to live in high-rise condos, or that every city should look like Midtown Manhattan.  I get that there are trade-offs in all of life's choices, and that not everyone can afford this particular lifestyle.  But I find it really disappointing when people who *can* afford this lifestyle (which in DCUM-land is a lot of people) decide that they would rather that things be easy than that they use their position of fortune to contribute to the social good.  And I do believe that things like sending your children to urban public schools with others who have less than them, working to deter crime in the community rather than fleeing it, and remaining connected to the artistic and cultural communities of the city are important parts of that contribution to the social good.  I'm not perfect, nor is anyone, but it's very sad to see that so few people consider these trade-offs.

In short, people should expect more of themselves.[/quote]

Question: Do you have school-age kids? Because in my experience, that is generally the turning point.[/quote]

They are not yet school age, no, but we have given quite a bit of consideration to our long term plans for schooling.  Yes, I understand that may people leave as their children get older, but contrary to what people here would have you believe, it's by no means universal. We have friends and neighbors with older children who are staying in DC for the duration, whose kids are doing quite well, and whose advice we solicit.  Is it the easy choice?  No. But to paraphrase the other poster who is so offended by my opinion, sometimes it's not just about you or your family.[/quote]

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