I hate DC and I am blowing this joint!!! (Reston: to rent, job transfer)

[Scohan]

I have lived in NoVa for nearly 10 years. I agree with you about the weather in DC. It sucks and can be dreary at times. Hot and humid in the summer and cold rain in the winter. However, this is a tropical paridise compared to many other places... like Western New York, etc. I also agree with you about the workaholic attitude and the traffic. Another negative is the cost of housing... the DC housing market is way overpriced! However, where I disagree is about the people. I find the people here to be nice and the opportunity to make friends here are actually far more numerous than most cities. Organizations for singles and for cultural events abound here. Groups like TasteDC and the International Club of DC are just two examples.

[NYNYNative]

As a Native New Yorker who has lived in DC for a few years, I can tell you that this is not the North. No, it's not the Deep South either, but it is the Upland South. There were certainly things distinctly different about it here that I couldn't put my finger on, and then it hit me one day how similar this place is to Atlanta and Dallas. Northern Virginia in particular has its Southern characterisitics--and not the finest, by the way. The big houses on small pieces of property, an obnoxious amount of SUVs with personalized license plates, a "good ole' boys" network in the government that is replete with nepotism, government consultants who wear those horrible khaki pleated pants and have semi-Southern accents, the small town feel of everyone knowing everyone, the SLOW pace of everything--by the way I've never been in a Northern City that had a thousand signs on their subway system telling people where to go, where to step, where to place their garbage, perhaps a small specter of Southern gentility. By the way, the capital of the Confederacy was, of course, Richmond, and while Richmond is not in NoVA, it's a hell of a lot closer than Philly or New York, and DC is by far not Northern in its influence. I never really liked the South because I found people concentrated much too much on being nice to your face in order to preserve that air of being polite and civilized, but then rip you to shreds behind your back. We may a bit rough around the edges in PA, NY, NJ and other Northern states, but at least you know where you stand and if you become friends with us, we'll be your friends for life. I'm leaving here as soon as I can transfer jobs back home to NY. I can't imagine raising kids in the South--whether it's the watered-down version or not...

[normie]

Best of luck to you, hope your next town is everything you're idealizing it to be.

[mississippimagnolia]

Well....Bye!

[NYNYNative]

No, it's not idealizing it. I've lived in New York before. I came here for a government job, I got it, and now I'm going back to a place that I know very well, thanks. Have fun down here. Drink lots of sweet tea.

[JEB77]

Originally Posted by NYNYNative

As a Native New Yorker who has lived in DC for a few years, I can tell you that this is not the North. No, it's not the Deep South either, but it is the Upland South.

Thanks for the geography lesson. By the way, since you think people here won't be direct, I think your post is silly, and full of stereotypes. I lived in NJ/NY for almost a decade; wouldn't be unhappy to return, but not for the reasons you proffer.

Originally Posted by NYNYNative

There were certainly things distinctly different about it here that I couldn't put my finger on, and then it hit me one day how similar this place is to Atlanta and Dallas. Northern Virginia in particular has its Southern characterisitics--and not the finest, by the way. The big houses on small pieces of property,

There are plenty of houses with those characteristics all over NY/NJ/CT suburbs. If anything, the lots in the NYC suburbs tend to be smaller than those in NoVa, unless you're way out in Greenwich or Bedford.

Originally Posted by NYNYNative

an obnoxious amount of SUVs with personalized license plates,

There are plenty of vanity plates in the NY area, particularly in New York.

Originally Posted by NYNYNative

a "good ole' boys" network in the government that is replete with nepotism,

There's far less "nepotism" in the Federal Government and the support industries in NoVa than there is on Wall Street, where family, school and/or religious affiliations often land someone an entry-level job. Either Vinnie knew Tony from Bay Ridge, or Herschel knew Josh from synagogue, or Megan knew Beth from Dartmouth.

Originally Posted by NYNYNative

government consultants who wear those horrible khaki pleated pants and have semi-Southern accents,

Maybe so. This wasn't always the case, but a result of the California/Silicon Valley influence at work, due to so many high-tech companies setting up shop here in the 90s. Too bad we didn't try to keep the NYC/Gordon Gekko look alive.

Originally Posted by NYNYNative

the small town feel of everyone knowing everyone, the SLOW pace of everything--by the way I've never been in a Northern City that had a thousand signs on their subway system telling people where to go, where to step, where to place their garbage, perhaps a small specter of Southern gentility.

I'm good with that. I do wish we had a 24-hour subway like NYC, but it's not a bad thing that, in comparison to the NYC system where visitors wander around completely lost, we actually try to provide directions. I wasn't aware that the city governments in other countries with subway systems that have clear directions were trying to demonstrate their "Southern gentility."

Originally Posted by NYNYNative

I never really liked the South because I found people concentrated much too much on being nice to your face in order to preserve that air of being polite and civilized, but then rip you to shreds behind your back. We may a bit rough around the edges in PA, NY, NJ and other Northern states, but at least you know where you stand and if you become friends with us, we'll be your friends for life.

I miss the bluntness and humor of people from NY/NJ, but I also found that quite a few Northerners were adept at both being obnoxious in person and then working overtime to rip you to shreds behind your back.

Originally Posted by NYNYNative

I'm leaving here as soon as I can transfer jobs back home to NY. I can't imagine raising kids in the South--whether it's the watered-down version or not...

Different strokes - have fun at Carvel's with Budgie the Whale.

[EuroExpat]

NYNYNative, good luck with your move. Can't imagine the good feeling you get when you get to move to a place you absolutely love. I feel very neutral about your post, since I neither love nor hate it here. Would move to where I really want to be in an instant though.. Will you miss anything from here?

[Denton56]

>>>the small town feel of everyone knowing everyone, the SLOW pace of everything<<<

That's exactly why I thought Vienna was the PERFECT place to raise children! We loved the small town feel where we all knew each other and everyone looked out for all the children, and pets. I can't imagine raising kids in a town where no one knew them or care about them.

[normie]

Originally Posted by NYNYNative

As a Native New Yorker who has lived in DC for a few years, I can tell you that this is not the North. No, it's not the Deep South either, but it is the Upland South.

??? Never heard "Upland South" applied to Nova before, usually that's for places like Greenville SC. "Upland" means "an elevated region or the higher ground of a region." Kind of a silly term to describe Nova, since we're not mountainous or even in the foothills--not an upland area at all. But hey, if that's what you want to call us, it's ok by me. I've been called worse. You're right that Nova is not the north, nor is it the south. If anything, the term given to this region is generally Mid Atlantic.

More importantly... since you're trying to give a geography lesson, you might want to notice that Northern Virginia is in Virginia--not DC.

[bornindc]

Originally Posted by JEB77

have fun at Carvel's with Budgie the Whale.

JEB, I'm pretty sure that it's FUDGIE the Whale. My guess is that NYNY's more of a Cookie Puss type though. And, he can get one of those around here anyway.