Anonymous wrote:I'm confused. I live EOTP and my house cost $350,000. Can I really get a house in a school WOTP in a good school district for the same price? Screw hipsterdom I would totally do that, if only for the yard. That's what you guys are saying, right? No difference?

Um, yeah. You are not "confused." You know damn well that most houses EOTP cost more than $350k. But thanks for the sarcasm, it really helps support the image as EOTPers as smug and insufferable.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OK, this is the schools forum, but most of the above seems like a self-justification entitled, "why I chose to be on the right side of residential segregation and don't want to be judged."

There's a premium for everything in Upper NW, from higher cost of housing to higher cost of living to limited transit, etc., that makes living there a deliberate choice.

Live with it. We all vote Dem, we just don't all live the liberal lifestyle in practice. We can all do better from the position we're in, so just try to do that.

New poster. First off, I voted for Obama but I try to avoid voting Dem in city elections, and I hope more of you will consider doing the same, especially if you care about education.

Second, I didn't see the deleted thread. But on its face your critique of OP of this thread is unfair. Everyone seems to assume that wotp real estate is universally more expensive than, and wotp people universally more affluent than, the eotp houses/people. That's not the case. For example you can spend a lot more on average in Logan Circle or Mt Pleasant right now than in parts of the Lafayette district. That was even more true in 2009-2010 when a lot of people bought houses during the recession. I don't blame people for prioritizing schools and low crime over walkability to cool bars and transit service. It is ridiculous to assume that wtop people are paying a premium to avoid diversity, if that is what you were trying to suggest.

It's really pointless. The PP is far too focused on her own self-importance to concern herself with things like facts and reality.

If he/she could come back and explain to me about my limited transit I would appreciate it. I am within a 10 minute walk of the metro, the L2, L1, H2, H3, H4, and the entire 30 line. How many more options do I need to qualify as an acceptable neighborhood? Also I am interested in this higher cost of living. Is the Giant near my house charging higher prices than the ones EOTP?

+1. Her self-righteousness and condescension, especially in conjunction with her utter cluelessness about Upper NW, are really nauseating, and do not represent most EOTP parents.

New poster here. From EOTP.. I appreciate the OP outlining the ways that we're all pretty much the same. What I find offensive are the posts claiming that only parents who buy/rent WOTP are making responsible decisions. I realize that thaese are people suffering status envy - a citywide epidemic - but there's a prevalence of posts that suggest the only "right" decisions for schooling are JKLM. Which is just impossible for the majority of parents in DC.

Yes, I take everything within these forums with a grain of salt. But the only path to equitable public schooling is a broader swath of households accepting and attending their neighborhood schools. Period. If you don't want overcrowding in your ward 3 schools, stop promoting them as the only responsible choices that parents can make.

We're pretty content with our EOTP DCPS, and I think a lot of parents are discovering the same. It's an outcome we should all want because it broadens the field of choices. We just have to get a few people to stop acting like assholes.

Sigh. I don't think that is what most people are saying (or at least me). The OP made it very clear that her priorities were walking to school and an easy commute to her/her husband's jobs. Never does she say that these are the only universally responsible choices, just that for her family and their commutes, those are the right choices. I am in the same boat (one of us works in VA, the other in DC). If that weren't the case we certainly would have looked in other neighborhoods. I had a friend who LOVES Brookland but her husband's commute would have been a nightmare so they looked elsewhere. I personally didn't want to commute across the city everyday for school, but I totally understand how people in my neighborhood who value bilingual education choose to do so to go to an immersion school.

People use many different factors when they are deciding on housing and it doesn't automatically mean they are judging people who use different criteria for their choices.

Anonymous wrote:I'm confused. I live EOTP and my house cost $350,000. Can I really get a house in a school WOTP in a good school district for the same price? Screw hipsterdom I would totally do that, if only for the yard. That's what you guys are saying, right? No difference?

I think you can agree that $350k is on the low end of what is available. Not all houses EOTP are $350k. Nor are all houses WOTP $1+ million. There is a lot in between, and a lot of similar prices ($700-800k). The point is that some people (not all people, clearly) pay the same amount for a house EOTP that others paid WOTP. That is not to say that either is the "right" choice. It's just not a universal truth that a WOTP person paid more for their house than an EOTP person.

Anonymous wrote:I'm confused. I live EOTP and my house cost $350,000. Can I really get a house in a school WOTP in a good school district for the same price? Screw hipsterdom I would totally do that, if only for the yard. That's what you guys are saying, right? No difference?

There are definitely differences in many parts of the city. But not in some of the areas about which many people seem to complain. I have been in many public forums and listened to people living in areas of Capitol Hill, Logan Circle, Shaw, Mt. Pleasant, etc. complain about the arrogant, rich people living WOTP and attending JKLM schools. I live WOTP but could not afford the homes in which these people live. They often follow up with how great living in their area is because they have great access to entertainment and restaurant options, most of which I cannot afford either. Or they have a newly renovated house with a yard in Bloomingdale or Petworth. So they focus instead on how they couldn't afford the exact same kind of house WOTP and paint everyone living WOTP with one brush. Which ignores that many people WOTP live in apartments and sacrificed the house and the yard only to be viewed as rich the moment they say which school their children attend.

I find that most threads on DCUM would have you believe the only responsible school choices are private schools, moving to the suburbs, or charter bilingual. And many of the people saying WOTP schools are the only credible option are not justifying their choice of a WOTP school, but rather to go charter, private, or move to the suburbs.

I'm confused. I live EOTP and my house cost $350,000. Can I really get a house in a school WOTP in a good school district for the same price? Screw hipsterdom I would totally do that, if only for the yard. That's what you guys are saying, right? No difference?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OK, this is the schools forum, but most of the above seems like a self-justification entitled, "why I chose to be on the right side of residential segregation and don't want to be judged."

There's a premium for everything in Upper NW, from higher cost of housing to higher cost of living to limited transit, etc., that makes living there a deliberate choice.

Live with it. We all vote Dem, we just don't all live the liberal lifestyle in practice. We can all do better from the position we're in, so just try to do that.

New poster. First off, I voted for Obama but I try to avoid voting Dem in city elections, and I hope more of you will consider doing the same, especially if you care about education.

Second, I didn't see the deleted thread. But on its face your critique of OP of this thread is unfair. Everyone seems to assume that wotp real estate is universally more expensive than, and wotp people universally more affluent than, the eotp houses/people. That's not the case. For example you can spend a lot more on average in Logan Circle or Mt Pleasant right now than in parts of the Lafayette district. That was even more true in 2009-2010 when a lot of people bought houses during the recession. I don't blame people for prioritizing schools and low crime over walkability to cool bars and transit service. It is ridiculous to assume that wtop people are paying a premium to avoid diversity, if that is what you were trying to suggest.

It's really pointless. The PP is far too focused on her own self-importance to concern herself with things like facts and reality.

If he/she could come back and explain to me about my limited transit I would appreciate it. I am within a 10 minute walk of the metro, the L2, L1, H2, H3, H4, and the entire 30 line. How many more options do I need to qualify as an acceptable neighborhood? Also I am interested in this higher cost of living. Is the Giant near my house charging higher prices than the ones EOTP?

+1. Her self-righteousness and condescension, especially in conjunction with her utter cluelessness about Upper NW, are really nauseating, and do not represent most EOTP parents.

New poster here. From EOTP.. I appreciate the OP outlining the ways that we're all pretty much the same. What I find offensive are the posts claiming that only parents who buy/rent WOTP are making responsible decisions. I realize that thaese are people suffering status envy - a citywide epidemic - but there's a prevalence of posts that suggest the only "right" decisions for schooling are JKLM. Which is just impossible for the majority of parents in DC.

Yes, I take everything within these forums with a grain of salt. But the only path to equitable public schooling is a broader swath of households accepting and attending their neighborhood schools. Period. If you don't want overcrowding in your ward 3 schools, stop promoting them as the only responsible choices that parents can make.

We're pretty content with our EOTP DCPS, and I think a lot of parents are discovering the same. It's an outcome we should all want because it broadens the field of choices. We just have to get a few people to stop acting like assholes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am extremely confused. Did the deleted Lafayette mom live EOTP or WOTP? Did she get in to Lafayette OOB, CMS, and IT?? What is a "food economist"? How can anyone claim Whole Foods is frugal? What is the liberal lifestyle, and how does it differ EOTP and WOTP? Thanks in advance!

1) EOTP

2) Got a spot OOB at Lafayette K but has good wait list numbers at CMS and IT so expects she might get a spot at both.

3) Technically, that PP claimed to be a "food economist mom." Not sure what that entails.

4) Unclear, although I'd say basic generic stuff is about equal in cost.

5) I believe a liberal lifestyle means living a place deemed acceptable by hipsters and calculated by number of coffee shops, bars that serve PBR, and bearded men, so clearly not possible WOTP.

I bet you're far more patient than I am as a mother pp. This was nice of you.

But I missed the thread!!! It's NOT FAIR!

^^sometimes people realize it, but find it fun to respond as if they didn't.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OK, this is the schools forum, but most of the above seems like a self-justification entitled, "why I chose to be on the right side of residential segregation and don't want to be judged."

There's a premium for everything in Upper NW, from higher cost of housing to higher cost of living to limited transit, etc., that makes living there a deliberate choice.

Live with it. We all vote Dem, we just don't all live the liberal lifestyle in practice. We can all do better from the position we're in, so just try to do that.

New poster. First off, I voted for Obama but I try to avoid voting Dem in city elections, and I hope more of you will consider doing the same, especially if you care about education.

Second, I didn't see the deleted thread. But on its face your critique of OP of this thread is unfair. Everyone seems to assume that wotp real estate is universally more expensive than, and wotp people universally more affluent than, the eotp houses/people. That's not the case. For example you can spend a lot more on average in Logan Circle or Mt Pleasant right now than in parts of the Lafayette district. That was even more true in 2009-2010 when a lot of people bought houses during the recession. I don't blame people for prioritizing schools and low crime over walkability to cool bars and transit service. It is ridiculous to assume that wtop people are paying a premium to avoid diversity, if that is what you were trying to suggest.

It's really pointless. The PP is far too focused on her own self-importance to concern herself with things like facts and reality.

If he/she could come back and explain to me about my limited transit I would appreciate it. I am within a 10 minute walk of the metro, the L2, L1, H2, H3, H4, and the entire 30 line. How many more options do I need to qualify as an acceptable neighborhood? Also I am interested in this higher cost of living. Is the Giant near my house charging higher prices than the ones EOTP?

Yes they are. Did you really not know this?

signed, food economist mom

I really don't know it, nor do I believe it is true in any way that would significantly impact me, especially considering that where I live I have my choice of walking to two different grocery chains, thus cutting down on the cost of transit to do my shopping.

Then again I'm not a food economist.

I live WOTP but often shop EOTP for a variety of reasons. I am pretty aware of my spending and have never noticed a significant difference in overall prices.

I used to shop at Wholefoods in Logan Circle and now at Wholefoods in Friendship Heights. I have not noticed a difference in prices, and I am very cost conscious. I did, however, recently notice that a product was cheaper at the Wholefoods on River Rd. So I guess the really frugal people should live and shop in Bethesda!

How come nobody realized that this was tongue-in-cheek?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am extremely confused. Did the deleted Lafayette mom live EOTP or WOTP? Did she get in to Lafayette OOB, CMS, and IT?? What is a "food economist"? How can anyone claim Whole Foods is frugal? What is the liberal lifestyle, and how does it differ EOTP and WOTP? Thanks in advance!

1) EOTP

2) Got a spot OOB at Lafayette K but has good wait list numbers at CMS and IT so expects she might get a spot at both.

3) Technically, that PP claimed to be a "food economist mom." Not sure what that entails.

4) Unclear, although I'd say basic generic stuff is about equal in cost.

5) I believe a liberal lifestyle means living a place deemed acceptable by hipsters and calculated by number of coffee shops, bars that serve PBR, and bearded men, so clearly not possible WOTP.

I bet you're far more patient than I am as a mother pp. This was nice of you.

Anonymous wrote:I am extremely confused. Did the deleted Lafayette mom live EOTP or WOTP? Did she get in to Lafayette OOB, CMS, and IT?? What is a "food economist"? How can anyone claim Whole Foods is frugal? What is the liberal lifestyle, and how does it differ EOTP and WOTP? Thanks in advance!

1) EOTP

2) Got a spot OOB at Lafayette K but has good wait list numbers at CMS and IT so expects she might get a spot at both.

3) Technically, that PP claimed to be a "food economist mom." Not sure what that entails.

4) Unclear, although I'd say basic generic stuff is about equal in cost.

5) I believe a liberal lifestyle means living a place deemed acceptable by hipsters and calculated by number of coffee shops, bars that serve PBR, and bearded men, so clearly not possible WOTP.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How does really frugal and whole foods get into the same post?

Oh no, not this one again. Have you ever compared the prices between Wholefoods and Giant or Safeway on regular groceries? Sure, Wholefoods has some really expensive stuff, but it is the same or cheaper on a lot of staples. And if I want to save money on produce, I go to Trader Joe's or Rodman's.

No one buys produce at Trader Joe's. Crazy talk.

+1, it's all pre-packaged. I love TJ but not for the produce.

And who has the self control to walk into WF and not spend your paycheck, not me!

You are right, nobody, ever. It all goes straight in the trash, especially in Bethesda.

I am extremely confused. Did the deleted Lafayette mom live EOTP or WOTP? Did she get in to Lafayette OOB, CMS, and IT?? What is a "food economist"? How can anyone claim Whole Foods is frugal? What is the liberal lifestyle, and how does it differ EOTP and WOTP? Thanks in advance!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How does really frugal and whole foods get into the same post?

Oh no, not this one again. Have you ever compared the prices between Wholefoods and Giant or Safeway on regular groceries? Sure, Wholefoods has some really expensive stuff, but it is the same or cheaper on a lot of staples. And if I want to save money on produce, I go to Trader Joe's or Rodman's.

No one buys produce at Trader Joe's. Crazy talk.

+1, it's all pre-packaged. I love TJ but not for the produce.

And who has the self control to walk into WF and not spend your paycheck, not me!