Guys, this thread is a joke.

See: “is it considered a failure to live in a condo?”…which unfortunately wasn’t a joke but spawned the hilarious “it is considered a failure to live in the suburbs?”

I don’t live in DC any more, but liked it well enough in the aughts, before kids. It looks like a brutal place to raise a family, honestly.

Small college cities are the way to go for sure if you want LCOL and highly educated people.

Other lower COL places seem great until you live there. I lived in one such place for 5 years and missed the DMV area so much.

Along with living in a lower COL area comes a lower salary. It also comes with fewer if any museums, sports teams, musical venues, etc.

The best, IMO, is living in the V of the DMV. Why? Better roads & drivers than in the M. Less crime than in the D. But you're close enough to the D & M to visit for their experiences like the museums, sports, theatre, etc.

I'm disappointed with where you live, OP. If that helps.

Anonymous wrote:Some of us grew up here and like it.

This.

I grew up in Texas... a "good" part. Living in DC is exactly what I wanted, want, and will want in the future. I love it here.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NYC sucks though. So there’s that. What a stifling environment - and one that’s not easy to physically leave without a ton of annoyance.

Love NYC though I wouldn't want to live there. And the general transit system in/out of NYC is still far better than NYC; much easier to get in/out of the city from the burbs than the DC area. DC really needs more metro stops. Busses are a crappy solution to public transport when they take so much longer to get anywhere than cars in DC - why would you choose a bus?

I live in DC and drive everywhere because I'm a 20 min walk from a metro and my DC workplace is also a 30 min walk from a metro (though work provides shuttles, but still, waiting for shuttle then shuttle ride can be 20 min total). I can take busses but they are never faster and I have kids and it would make life impossible.

With the exception of the Hamptons, there’s not really exceptional transit options to tourism destinations outside NYC. Same as DC. No one is taking transit to the mountains from either city. Manhattan travel logistics are nightmarish. In DC, the worst (unless massive accident or closure) traffic will add 1hr. You can sit in midtown for an hour and go 5 blocks. Cars just aren’t an option - this limits your mobility a ton. NYC certainly doesn’t have the transit system of Northern Europe capitals, for example. NYC transit is built for commuting - and yes is far superior to DC, but I still couldn’t live in NYC or its environs because it’s absolutely stifling. Living on Long Island means you’re on the other side of a massive nightmare to get to the rest of the world by land or air. Sea is your only relief.

Anonymous wrote:NYC sucks though. So there’s that. What a stifling environment - and one that’s not easy to physically leave without a ton of annoyance.

Love NYC though I wouldn't want to live there. And the general transit system in/out of NYC is still far better than NYC; much easier to get in/out of the city from the burbs than the DC area. DC really needs more metro stops. Busses are a crappy solution to public transport when they take so much longer to get anywhere than cars in DC - why would you choose a bus?

I live in DC and drive everywhere because I'm a 20 min walk from a metro and my DC workplace is also a 30 min walk from a metro (though work provides shuttles, but still, waiting for shuttle then shuttle ride can be 20 min total). I can take busses but they are never faster and I have kids and it would make life impossible.

Some of us here appreciate that DC is an IRL version of Grand Theft Auto.

Why play video games when you just stroll downtown, grab a car (preferably from the president's granddaughter) [1] smash it into the nearest courthouse, [2] and be released to do it again next month? [3]

[1]
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68366571
[2] https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/dc-carjacking-suspect-charged-with-murder-after-taking-suv-from-hospital-crashing-with-victim-inside-police/3632442/
[3] https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/10/27/dc-carjacking-crash-dead-teenager/

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Huh? Do people grow up dreaming of living anywhere other than maybe California or Hawaii? I grew up in Hawaii. [/b]Let me tell you, not paradise[b].

Why?

Poverty, drugs, housing is crazy unaffordable, traffic sucks, if you are white you face open hostility in all aspects of living.

Thus Spoke MAGAthustra!

NYC sucks though. So there’s that. What a stifling environment - and one that’s not easy to physically leave without a ton of annoyance.

I am from London and DC is definitely a bit of a downgrade. That said, it is an easier place to live, buy a house and raise kids. And it has a highly educated international population, parts of it are beautiful, and there are some interesting jobs. There are definitely much much worse places to end up!

Anonymous wrote:I love living in DC, but yes, I'm from NYC so everyone thinks I'm a loser. Not on a personal level (I have a great career, live in a "cool" as can be for DC part of town, etc.) but it's definitely viewed as a downgrade.

New Yorkers think every other city is a downgrade though!

I don’t think it makes one a failure, but it’s certainly not a universally desirable place to be. I grew up there and couldn’t get out fast enough.

I grew up in central PA - you know, Pennsyltucky. Living in the DC Metro area is indeed a dream.