are you a particular "flavor" of NoVan? (Arlington: waterpark, house)

[brooklynborndad]

Not in terms of race or religion or whatever, but in terms of geography and geographic lifestyle?

I live in Annandale and work in DC. Most of my NoVa friends are in Arlington, Alex, Falls Church, Annandale, City of FFX and adjoining nabes, and Burke. We often shop at Tysons, but I havent been to Dulles Town Center in 6 years. If I have to fly somewhere I automatically think of National, not Dulles. My life (locally) pretty much revolves around DC, inside the beltway NoVa, and the area along LRT out to City of FFX. We sometimes go out to Leesburg, or Fauqier or Bull Run for a day trip, but in the same spirit (and probably a lower frequency) that we go out to Shenandoah.

On the one hand we have so many ties to the above parts of NoVa, that moving to DC or Md would actually be an issue. On the other hand I feel like my (and my wifes) tastes in urban design, transportation, lifestyle,etc are not only shared by few of our fellow NoVans (well we've known that for a while) but are actually resented by many.

I would post more to the DC board, but I find the politics uninteresting (well I get enough of that from Kojo Namdi) and the racial debates unilluminating.

[Caladium]

My kids think I'm pretty Vanilla. Although I think I'm more pistachio. When I used to have to drive down to Ft. Belvoir, I was Rocky Road. In the spring I tend to be Cherry Garcia.

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by brooklynborndad

On the other hand I feel like my (and my wifes) tastes in urban design, transportation, lifestyle,etc are not only shared by few of our fellow NoVans (well we've known that for a while) but are actually resented by many.

I suspect there may be more people than you think who share your tastes. After all, we are an unusually diverse area. With this sort of variety you're bound to have variety in tastes, as well.

As far as resentment goes, I doubt anyone resents your tastes. If you're sensing resentment IMO the odds are it's a resentment against an attitude. For example, a lot of people resent those who say "my tastes are better than your tastes". Some people use taste in artwork, food, etc. as a reason to sneer at others--IMO, that's bad manners and something I resent.

Bottom line: if you simply state your own tastes, I don't think you'll experience resentment. If you put other people down for having tastes that are different from yours then you'll be resented.

[brooklynborndad]

Originally Posted by Caladium

I suspect there may be more people than you think who share your tastes. After all, we are an unusually diverse area. With this sort of variety you're bound to have variety in tastes, as well.

As far as resentment goes, I doubt anyone resents your tastes. If you're sensing resentment IMO the odds are it's a resentment against an attitude. For example, a lot of people resent those who say "my tastes are better than your tastes". Some people use taste in artwork, food, etc. as a reason to sneer at others--IMO, that's bad manners and something I resent.

Bottom line: if you simply state your own tastes, I don't think you'll experience resentment. If you put other people down for having tastes that are different from yours then you'll be resented.

I dont know. Lately Ive tried to refrain from expressing certain judgements and merely asserted things in relation to my own preferences, and it still seems to get some resentment.

Also, is all taste subjective? Is taste in architecture all subjective? It seems to me that it SHOULD be possible to say, for example, "Building X is better designed, aesthetically, than building Y, and arguments to the contrary are incorrect, and here is why" without it being seen as snobbishness, or reverse snobbishness, or whatever. As someone whose daughter is about to start at Architecture school, this is not purely a matter of "academic" concern to me.

[michgc]

I mostly stick to Vienna and Fairfax. For the most part, everything I need is here. Sometimes we'll do a moms' night out dinner, and I hate when someone suggests even Reston - I feel like there are so many good places that are closer. If I need to go to Target, I usually go to the one in Fair Lakes versus the one in Falls Church (Bailey's area), and I've never been to the Reston one. For Trader Joe's I go to the one in Fairfax rather than Falls Church. I hardly ever go to malls, but if I do, I head to Fair Oaks usually since I find Tyson's to be crazy. But once the American Girl Store comes here, that might change.

On weekends, my husband often takes the kids into DC for museums or sometimes to Fryng Pan Park.

The only time we head out to Loudoun County or out west is for fruit picking in the summer (but usually we go to Butler's Orchard in MD because it's closer) or to the waterpark at Algonkian because it's really easy to watch my kids there and not as crazy as WaterMine, and it's nice.

When I lived in Bethesda I was the same way. I mostly stayed in Rockville or Bethesda and sometimes went downtown.

ETA: And while I appreciate visiting "the country" I tend to like a more urban, walkable-to-stores-and-amenities lifestyle. My perfect place would be a place like Bethesda minus the snobbiness and expensive housing.

[ajzjmsmom]

Originally Posted by brooklynborndad

I dont know. Lately Ive tried to refrain from expressing certain judgements and merely asserted things in relation to my own preferences, and it still seems to get some resentment.

Also, is all taste subjective? Is taste in architecture all subjective? It seems to me that it SHOULD be possible to say, for example, "Building X is better designed, aesthetically, than building Y, and arguments to the contrary are incorrect, and here is why" without it being seen as snobbishness, or reverse snobbishness, or whatever. As someone whose daughter is about to start at Architecture school, this is not purely a matter of "academic" concern to me.

You are correct in that it should possible to say that one building is better designed than another but then when one follows that with "arguments to the contrary are incorrect, and here is why" that could become an issue. So in answer to your question, IMO taste is subjective, what one person likes another may not, whether or not it is better or not.

[Fern435]

(What follows is not directed at the OP or anyone on NoVA city-data. )

This thread touches upon a habit I've observed in NoVA--most people like to put people into categories here, and are not as tolerant of the diversity that they tout so highly. Yes, I know this can happen everywhere in the US, but because there are so many people from other parts of the country/world here, it seems like I encounter it far more than I should. Perhaps getting to know someone a little bit takes too much of one's time/energy, so putting a label on someone is simpler. But one misses out on some interesting people, ideas, and exchanges when one person dismisses another as a certain "type." I'm guilty of it too, especially when avoiding mean people.

[Stephen 81]

Originally Posted by brooklynborndad

Also, is all taste subjective? Is taste in architecture all subjective? It seems to me that it SHOULD be possible to say, for example, "Building X is better designed, aesthetically, than building Y, and arguments to the contrary are incorrect, and here is why" without it being seen as snobbishness, or reverse snobbishness, or whatever. As someone whose daughter is about to start at Architecture school, this is not purely a matter of "academic" concern to me.

Within a genre, maybe. You might be able to say, "This brutalist building is better designed than that one, for the following reasons." It would be a lot harder to argue that, "This brutalist building is aesthetically more pleasing than that Georgian revival building, for the following reasons."

Personally, I find French food to be pretty awful. It's bland and overly reliant on meat. I would rather eat Indian food (north or south) twenty meals in a row than eat one meal of French food. 95% of Americans would probably disagree with me, but my subjective preferences in food (or architecture, or development patterns) guide me to certain results.

Oh, and to answer your original question: anything in Arlington, Alexandria or Fairfax is fair game, as long as it's north of the Beltway/Braddock Road. I live in Arlington, work in Fairfax and have friends/family in Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, McLean and Centreville. I will also occasionally drive to Herndon for dinner, but only if I am starting from Fairfax or McLean.

[JD984]

Originally Posted by brooklynborndad

I dont know. Lately Ive tried to refrain from expressing certain judgements and merely asserted things in relation to my own preferences, and it still seems to get some resentment.

Also, is all taste subjective? Is taste in architecture all subjective? It seems to me that it SHOULD be possible to say, for example, "Building X is better designed, aesthetically, than building Y, and arguments to the contrary are incorrect, and here is why" without it being seen as snobbishness, or reverse snobbishness, or whatever. As someone whose daughter is about to start at Architecture school, this is not purely a matter of "academic" concern to me.

If one subscribes to the view that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder," and recognizes that aesthetics "relate to the beautiful," then it is problematic to make a categorical assertion that Building X is aesthetically superior to Building Y. And, yes, it will generate resentment because it will ultimately be viewed as a statement that "I have better taste than you."

You would be on safer ground - in terms of avoiding arguments - on such topics if, for example, you took the position "Building X is safer [and/or more energy-efficient] than Building Y and here's why," or "I believe Building X is more aesthetically pleasing than Building Y, and here's the basis for my opinion."

Of course, if you enjoy sparring with others in NoVa, either on C-D or elsewhere, a good way to do so is to assert categorically that a 1940s Cape Cod in Arlington is aesthetically more pleasing than a 1990s Colonial in Vienna or Ashburn.

[robbobobbo]

Prickly Pear

9 times out of 10, I will not bother to go outside the Beltway unless my children are involved, or I'm passing through NoVa out to the country for hiking or camping. I rarely, and I mean really rarely, go to western Ffx Co, and never to Loudoun unless, like I said, it's for outdoors recreation.

My inclinations are also shaped by the fact that I have very busy kids who keep my own schedule busy, so if I can do something close to home rather than farther out, I will.

I'm not a foodie if that means one who will travel far and wide to experience a new place. Although I like a variety of cuisines, I'm satisfied with the options I have locally and feel no need to drive to Leesburg, for example, to try something.

Part of this is my personal "flavor" of enjoying urban over suburban, part is my history of having lived in the suburbs of Ffx Co for many years. I have no desire to drive down Braddock Rd (Ffx Co's), Rolling Rd, Ox Rd, Ffx Co Pkwy, etc yet another time unless I really have to. Long ago I was a delivery driver, and I got my fill of NoVa for what parts I hadn't actually lived in.

I enjoy DC, loved living there, and wish I had time to go there more often. Even though I'm just as familiar with many of its roads as I am NoVa's, I enjoy the urban environment so much more.

Finally, assertions like "building X is better than building Y" are fine and dandy until building Y is your listener's house or town.