How often do you go to D.C. for reasons other than work? (Arlington: house, movies)

[villabella22201]

Originally Posted by DCarea

Sounds like you’re familiar with that area. Cleveland Park is lovely, but only for locals who get there from the Red Line metro.

Yes, I am convinced NoVa residents are car creatures, because freeways are lifeline of NoVa (except for Arlington residents).

In my 20's , 1980's, lived on Conn. Ave, next to the Zoo and really loved it. I grew up in NYC so I liked it for the similar atmosphere. I lived in a very interesting building, nice apt and walked to so many things without needing a car. Then, I moved into Arlington.

[mikeyo321]

This is an interesting topic to me because it points out the geography of different lifestyles that go into where we live and why. So much of who we are and where we live is wrapped up in our environment in ways we're not even aware of.

I'm an unusual person in that I comfortably live in the suburbs (Northern Virginia, Fairfax County) but comfortably go into the city pretty regularly. I don't mind the traffic (which isn't as bad on the weekends), and I'm used to the street parking. I enjoy going hiking in Rock Creek Park, one of the premier urban parks in the country. I enjoy walking through the dense, interesting and historic neighborhoods, eating at many of the restaurants and I love the world class Kennedy Center. There are many venues of various sizes to catch a live music concert (from cramped dive bars for 20-30 people with small stages to the 20,000+ seat Verizon Center and everything in between), a decent sized art gallery scene (Smithsonian, Phillips, Renwick to multiple smaller galleries), lots of independent bookstores like Politics and Prose and Kramerbooks along with the smaller ones that often serve as de facto community centers with book clubs, author appearances and signings and small shows. One of the best benefits of living around the Nation's Capital are the embassies which often host lectures, movies, concerts and other events open to the public as well as multiple historical organizations and trade organizations, especially in the sciences like the National Geographic. There are cultural and architectural gems like the National Cathedral and the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on the campus of Catholic University. And I haven't even really mentioned the Smithsonian, perhaps the greatest FREE treasure trove of artifacts, displays and exhibitions available to check out anywhere in the world with constantly updating new shows. Really, it's an embarrassment of riches.

When I was growing up in the Northern Virginia suburbs in the 1980s and 90s, I really only went to DC for field trips, forced family trips to the Smithsonian, a couple times to the zoo, and a few preseason Redskin games at RFK (because back then, regular season games were IMPOSSIBLE to find unless you knew people). From my comfortably nestled suburban perspective, DC was a scary bad ol' town with a famously corrupt "mayor for life", Marion Barry, and as far as I knew the only reason white suburban kids who looked like me would ever go to downtown DC would be to score drugs (or hookers) and maybe go to the old 9:30 Club or other underground venues to hear punk bands. I was fed so much racism and classism on so many levels by the surrounding society that I couldn't have imagined ever wanting to go there voluntarily other than to see a sporting event or something. When I started attending college in the city in the late 90s, the city had started to "clean up", to gentrify and the pace of change over the past 20-25 years has been dizzying and disorienting. It really IS a different city, a city I couldn't have imagined when I was younger. After living in DC for a while in my 20s, I eventually moved back out to Northern Virginia, where my job and family and comfort is. Still, DC often draws me back in like a moth to a flame. Healthy, vibrant cities have the character of possibility, dynamism, serendipity, of mixing and creation that just isn't possible in the suburbs. Suburbs are all about stability, order, calm and privacy; wonderful and important attributes for raising families (their primary design purpose) and a good place for introverts like me to recharge. However, cities and their design and density promote experiences you just don't have in the suburbs, at least not as often.

With the pandemic, much of what made DC so perpetually fascinating to me closed down or was curtailed to varying degrees. I still have enjoyed taking outdoor walks around town when the weather's been agreeable and Rock Creek Park, along with several other large parks around town, are still wonderful resources, especially for urban areas. When and if the pandemic finally eases and subsides (I guess each person has their own standards about what constitutes some new version of "normalcy") I look forward to engaging with the city again more fully. It's my hometown.

[DCarea]

Originally Posted by mikeyo321

This is an interesting topic to me because it points out the geography of different lifestyles that go into where we live and why. So much of who we are and where we live is wrapped up in our environment in ways we're not even aware of.

I'm an unusual person in that I comfortably live in the suburbs (Northern Virginia, Fairfax County) but comfortably go into the city pretty regularly. I don't mind the traffic (which isn't as bad on the weekends), and I'm used to the street parking. I enjoy going hiking in Rock Creek Park, one of the premier urban parks in the country. I enjoy walking through the dense, interesting and historic neighborhoods, eating at many of the restaurants and I love the world class Kennedy Center. There are many venues of various sizes to catch a live music concert (from cramped dive bars for 20-30 people with small stages to the 20,000+ seat Verizon Center and everything in between), a decent sized art gallery scene (Smithsonian, Phillips, Renwick to multiple smaller galleries), lots of independent bookstores like Politics and Prose and Kramerbooks along with the smaller ones that often serve as de facto community centers with book clubs, author appearances and signings and small shows. One of the best benefits of living around the Nation's Capital are the embassies which often host lectures, movies, concerts and other events open to the public as well as multiple historical organizations and trade organizations, especially in the sciences like the National Geographic. There are cultural and architectural gems like the National Cathedral and the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on the campus of Catholic University. And I haven't even really mentioned the Smithsonian, perhaps the greatest FREE treasure trove of artifacts, displays and exhibitions available to check out anywhere in the world with constantly updating new shows. Really, it's an embarrassment of riches.

When I was growing up in the Northern Virginia suburbs in the 1980s and 90s, I really only went to DC for field trips, forced family trips to the Smithsonian, a couple times to the zoo, and a few preseason Redskin games at RFK (because back then, regular season games were IMPOSSIBLE to find unless you knew people). From my comfortably nestled suburban perspective, DC was a scary bad ol' town with a famously corrupt "mayor for life", Marion Barry, and as far as I knew the only reason white suburban kids who looked like me would ever go to downtown DC would be to score drugs (or hookers) and maybe go to the old 9:30 Club or other underground venues to hear punk bands. I was fed so much racism and classism on so many levels by the surrounding society that I couldn't have imagined ever wanting to go there voluntarily other than to see a sporting event or something. When I started attending college in the city in the late 90s, the city had started to "clean up", to gentrify and the pace of change over the past 20-25 years has been dizzying and disorienting. It really IS a different city, a city I couldn't have imagined when I was younger. After living in DC for a while in my 20s, I eventually moved back out to Northern Virginia, where my job and family and comfort is. Still, DC often draws me back in like a moth to a flame. Healthy, vibrant cities have the character of possibility, dynamism, serendipity, of mixing and creation that just isn't possible in the suburbs. Suburbs are all about stability, order, calm and privacy; wonderful and important attributes for raising families (their primary design purpose) and a good place for introverts like me to recharge. However, cities and their design and density promote experiences you just don't have in the suburbs, at least not as often.

With the pandemic, much of what made DC so perpetually fascinating to me closed down or was curtailed to varying degrees. I still have enjoyed taking outdoor walks around town when the weather's been agreeable and Rock Creek Park, along with several other large parks around town, are still wonderful resources, especially for urban areas. When and if the pandemic finally eases and subsides (I guess each person has their own standards about what constitutes some new version of "normalcy") I look forward to engaging with the city again more fully. It's my hometown.

Spoken like a cultured person who truly understands D.C.

Did you graduate from Georgetown U?

[oneasterisk]

I go maybe 1-2x a year, mainly when family is visiting the area and want to go sightseeing. Other than that, no real interest.

[jpdivola]

As other posters have mentioned. Alexandria and Arlington are basically cities in their own right so you can find walkable areas with nightlife and restaurants without going into the District.

The other thing is DC doesn't really have a traditional downtown that draws people in the way cities like Chicago or SF do. There is no big Michagan Ave with destination shopping that draws people for Christmas shopping or big theater/entertainment districts, Little Italy/Chinatown type areas.

[leighland]

Originally Posted by jpdivola

As other posters have mentioned. Alexandria and Arlington are basically cities in their own right so you can find walkable areas with nightlife and restaurants without going into the District.

The other thing is DC doesn't really have a traditional downtown that draws people in the way cities like Chicago or SF do. There is no big Michagan Ave with destination shopping that draws people for Christmas shopping or big theater/entertainment districts, Little Italy/Chinatown type areas.

all 2020 from Census.gov

Chicago (City only), 2,683,091 million population (3rd largest city is US by Population) ave neighborhood density for CSA is over 10,000/sqmile but parts of city have much lower densities.

Washington DC 712,185 population (Denver and Boston are similar) Density is 11.280/sq which puts its census derived density in the top 15 in USA with parts of NJ, MA, NY, RI etc

pop density ave for USA is 93/sq mile

[sprklcl]

Use to be more often when decades ago lived in Annandale inside the beltway, even biked all the way a couple of times early Saturday 8amish when cherry blossoms in full bloom, getting exercise and beating the tourists and traffic and poor parking. Now in the Dulles Airport region, last time there in DC December, 2019. On occasion, went to Nationals baseball or something at RFK, but that was before Metrorail's downhill spiral around 2015. Use to go to the Mall for big events when younger in the 1990s and before, but that was before 911, which since then too much time waiting in line through security checkpoints.

[Pinkvelvet87]

Originally Posted by rural & red

Central/Southside Va. resident here:

With the vaccine and mask mandates in place, I will never step foot in that cesspool again.

I don’t blame you or anyone from feeling that way. People are so brainwashed.

[DCarea]

Originally Posted by Pinkvelvet87

I don’t blame you or anyone from feeling that way. People are so brainwashed.

Thanks for staying away from DC.

[oneasterisk]

According to the poll, most people are staying out of DC for various reasons.