I've lived in DC for 20 plus years and love it. We no longer own a home and rent. Kids walk to our local school and take the bus. I have a 10 minute commute if I drive, 20 if I take the bus. Oldest is in college and receives money from DC Tag, which really helps. Hope to do the same for siblings. Our kids have had incredible opportunities through DCPS and seem happy and well-adjusted, for now.

I'm happy. I have great friends, a good job that pays well, I have a husband who works hard but when he comes home is an equal partner in parenting, I am very disciplined about turning off my own Blackberry once the garage door closes until the kids are in bed (colleagues know they should call me with any true emergencies), when it's hot I turn on the sprinkler or head for the pool, and I'm not really status conscious and neither are my friends. My kids love their school, play in the streets during the long summer evenings after its has cooled off (lots of adults out in the evening gardening or hanging out with a drink, watching the kids and visiting). I use my commute to listen to NPR or music or to chat on the phone with my mom or just to daydream. If people are annoying or self important I just kind of tune them out because it has nothing to do with me.

18:56: I like you and the way you live.

Loved it for many years after college. Now that we have kids I completely agree with you and are moving next month.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What are some good semi-rural, beautiful places that also have a lot of highly educated people & some culture? I mean besides Aspen.

Santa Fe?
Santa Cruz?

Ew
Ew

Spoken like someone who has never been to either.

Anonymous wrote:Ewwww, Cleveland... I grew up there... Ewww, just ewwww.

I never heard of an apt in DC w/o a washer/dryer, central a/c, etc. Maybe you haven't looked at any since the 90ties but things have changed.

I've never had an apartment in DC WITH w/d. And my last apt. didn't even have central air. But I loved living in DC!

OP our experience is really different from yours. Daycare is expensive and I do hate the weather, but DH and I both like our jobs and don't work crazy hard. We live in a small but cozy house in a non-ritzy area of north Arlington and have great down to earth friends. Public schools in our neighborhood are fantastic. DH commutes downtown by metro and I drive to Tysons, neither of which is terribly burdensome. We love oye lives. And no we don't make tons of money by any stretch.

If I felt like you did, I would move. No job or opportunity is worth being that miserable. If you're not prepared to move, you should seek out new friends and a new location, and find ways to appreciate what you've got. Life's too short, you know?

Look on Craigslist. Apts in Dupont, Adams Morgan, downtown, etc. at the very least have a washer/dryer in the laundry room/basement if not in the apt itself.

Anonymous wrote:Ewwww, Cleveland... I grew up there... Ewww, just ewwww.

I never heard of an apt in DC w/o a washer/dryer, central a/c, etc. Maybe you haven't looked at any since the 90ties but things have changed.

not the cleveland poster, but really??

Anonymous wrote:I love it here. I have a 6 mile commute that on a good day is 15 minutes and, a bad one, about 45. On average 25 minutes. I pay a little over $1600 a month for daycare for my twin toddlers. Daycare is a block and a half from my office. I have a 3 bdrm condo in a working class neighborhood that should turn around in a 5 - 7 years.

.

I'm really curious what neighborhood this is.

Ewwww, Cleveland... I grew up there... Ewww, just ewwww.

I never heard of an apt in DC w/o a washer/dryer, central a/c, etc. Maybe you haven't looked at any since the 90ties but things have changed.

Fellow Ohioan here...PP, seriously, Cleveland!?

i love DC, but we plan on moving. the quality of life for a family just isn't good here. i've lived here since 1986, husband since 1990. we have approx a 1 hour commute each way, we have good jobs (i love mine), affordable childcare ($1100 a month), live in a townhouse in a good school district, drive decent (non-luxury) cars. but the commute is what kills us. you shouldn't have to spend two hours commuting each day. i don't want to come home and have only 1-2 hours to spend with my son. and why don't we live in an apt in the city? because we want the "luxuries" of living like normal adults -- washer/dryer, central a/c, trees. if that makes us extravagant, call me crazy. cleveland here we come!

as for the people here. yes, some are a-holes, but a lot aren't. and there are a-holes everywhere.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What are some good semi-rural, beautiful places that also have a lot of highly educated people & some culture? I mean besides Aspen.

Santa Fe?
Santa Cruz?

Ew
Ew

I love it here. I have a 6 mile commute that on a good day is 15 minutes and, a bad one, about 45. On average 25 minutes. I pay a little over $1600 a month for daycare for my twin toddlers. Daycare is a block and a half from my office. I have a 3 bdrm condo in a working class neighborhood that should turn around in a 5 - 7 years.

The thing is - it's all about choices. When I look at jobs, I won't go outside of a 10 mile radius of my home (or over a bridge) unless it has flexible hours and a significant salary increase. I barely notice the other kids and parents at daycare much less worry about what they might think of me. My focus and decision making priority is to be able to provide a comfortable, advantageous life for my twins and to spend as much time with them as I reasonably can and keep my job.

That plus all of the diversity and cultural enrinchment available -- I don't think you can beat this town if you have your priorities straight.

We live in DC. 10 minute walk to work. Kids are in well regarded public charter school about a 10-15 minute drive. We did not own a car before kids were in school but that's the tradeoff. We live in a rowhouse, 2200 sq ft, with a backyard big enough for kids to play in, indulge my gardening, parking and near playgrounds, parks, museums and other urban amenities. Much easier and cheaper lifestyle than the one we had in NYC.