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I grew up in Vienna, its very hoity toity and people there are to busy keeping up with the Jones'es. If you see anyone deny this, they are either blind, or just uninformed. I lived there 31 years, trust me I KNOW. There is nothing special to do there and you'll get tired of the lame suburban stripmall bar scene and clusters of big box stores that swallow up all the retail business
Boom. Thanks for the reply back but I certainly took this as a blanket statement: even a grateful dead sticker on the back of your car will cause the police to pull you over quickly and search you around here with no other probable cause (true story!)... No matter how I read it I come to the same conclusion. Maybe something to the effct: The Grateful Dead sticker caused an officer to pull me over.
I grew up in Vienna, its very hoity toity and people there are to busy keeping up with the Jones'es. If you see anyone deny this, they are either blind, or just uninformed. I lived there 31 years, trust me I KNOW. There is nothing special to do there and you'll get tired of the lame suburban stripmall bar scene and clusters of big box stores that swallow up all the retail business
So I've been here my whole life and I'm older than 31, so I guess that means I KNOW more than you. OK, I can see your point about keeping up with the Joneses - which tends to happen in any fairly affluent area. So there is a lot of that. But I must deny what you said because many of the people here have a rather balanced view on life as well - it's not all or nothing.
And I'm inclined to believe that I am correct because 1) I am not blind since I'm typing this on a non-Braille typewriter, and 2) I am not uninformed since I've lived here for more than 31 years, and thus I KNOW all there is to KNOW about this area.
And I guess whether there is anything special to do here is subjective. So maybe being the capital of the U.S. and having all these museums, restaurants, monuments, parks, etc. is rather lame and mundane. I guess we would need to build more roller skating rinks or something to create a special atmosphere.
So many people assume that if you want nice things you're trying to keep up with other people. I think for the most part it isn't true. People just like nice things, not just here but everywhere. It just so happens that here and other metro areas where the job market is great more people have money to buy those nice things.
So many people assume that if you want nice things you're trying to keep up with other people. I think for the most part it isn't true. People just like nice things, not just here but everywhere. It just so happens that here and other metro areas where the job market is great more people have money to buy those nice things.
some people want expensive material possesions (not all "nice things" fall in that category) for reasons of social status, psychological worth, etc while some do because they like the attributes of those possesions and get use out of them (and of course there are lots of people who get BOTH from their possesions). Some people get trapped by their possesions in some way - whether its spending a lovely holiday weekend when the family is together inside a big box store, or buying a house larger than they otherwise would need (and sacrificing, say, location) to have a place to keep their possesions. Others have lots of possessions without making such tradeoffs - and of course some have many possessions without being in their thrall at ALL. There are also people who make a conscious decision to choose a less possesion oriented life - whether this involves spending more of their income on experiences (and center city housing costs) or it involves working fewer hours, or working less stressful jobs, or giving more to charity directly, or supporting causes indirectly by making consumption choices based on criteria such as local/fair trade origin, etc - varies, and to some extent reflects differences among "yuppies" (at least a particular variety of them) "hipsters", ultra "hipsters" etc.
Arguing over the merits of these choices is not, IMO, the optimal use of this forum (of course others may disagree, and as long as its related to life in NoVa, its on topic). I think the OP has made it clear (in unfortunately provocative language) where he falls wrt these choices. I think the general consensus is that the kind of people he would like to have around him in signficant numbers are a minority in NoVa, though far from absent, but that there are few geographic concentrations of them in NoVa - no place really better for him than the Del Ray section of Alexandria (some parts of DC and Md would work) He asked about the commute from Del Ray to Tysons - a perfect question for this forum. I tried to respond, but I suspect there are others who know that commute as its done today better than I do.
Some people are materialistic because they want to show off, sure. So many of these threads have posters making blanket statements about this area that insinuate anyone who wants a big house or nice car is doing it to keep up with everyone else. I'm willing to bet it's not true in most cases. Most people who buy a nice big house probably just want a nice big house to live in with their family.
Some people are materialistic because they want to show off, sure. So many of these threads have posters making blanket statements about this area that insinuate anyone who wants a big house or nice car is doing it to keep up with everyone else. I'm willing to bet it's not true in most cases. Most people who buy a nice big house probably just want a nice big house to live in with their family.
I'm sure we all know different people who express different reasons for their possesions, and we also know people who probably have different reasons than they express - sometimes people who have different reasons than they acknowledge to themselves. I don't think we are going to get very far judging the numbers in each category and it tends to lead to long emotional arguments about the utility of specific possesion features.
Certainly though expressions that ALL people in the area are status focused are incorrect (as most statements about human beings that include the word "all" are) .
I'm sure we all know different people who express different reasons for their possesions, and we also know people who probably have different reasons than they express - sometimes people who have different reasons than they acknowledge to themselves. I don't think we are going to get very far judging the numbers in each category and it tends to lead to long emotional arguments about the utility of specific possesion features.
Certainly though expressions that ALL people in the area are status focused are incorrect (as most statements about human beings that include the word "all" are) .
That's pretty deep. I certainly don't want to get into a long argument with you about anything because I fear it will be never-ending. I just would like to be able to read this forum without the daily thread where essentially the have-nots complain about people in this area being too well off. I would just avoid those threads if they were more clearly titled.
I just would like to be able to read this forum without the daily thread where essentially the have-nots complain about people in this area being too well off. I would just avoid those threads if they were more clearly titled.
not all who complain about this aspect of our regional culture (and I agree, its found in many parts of the country, and indeed the world) are "have nots". Some are quite affluent, but dont care for this attitude to possesions. Some could have been affluent, but have made different choices. Some are more modest in their means and are satisfied with what they have, but find some aspects of this region on this issue offtputting.
Its certainly easier to avoid a topic when its clearly in the title. but "I am looking for a place to live" can include almost anything - from "I dont want live near the status seekers" to "I dont want to live near immigrants' to "I dont want to live in one of those awful high crime urban areas" to "I dont want to live in a sterile cookie cutter suburb" etc, etc. Enter at your own risk.
That's pretty deep. I certainly don't want to get into a long argument with you about anything because I fear it will be never-ending.
Well, excuse me.
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