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I have read extensive negative press on the DC since I started using this forum. I visited the city recently and was a bit skeptical about what my experience would be liked as a result of these posts. I must say, I am now leaving after a couple of days here and this is my favorite city besides Seattle. The beautiful aesthetics, cultural diversity, amenities, and the education that comes with being in the nations capital is not to be matched anywhere. It was refreshing to see such a younger populace in Adams Morgan/DuPont/U Street/etc. The row homes are beautiful and most the streets are well landscaped. What is there to complain about?
I am under the assumption that those who speak negatively about this place have been chewed up in the job market and/or have had difficultly making friends. These are obviously personal qualms and should not interfere with people's perceptions of DC. I personally love this place and would move here after Seattle. What is your opinion about the constant complaining about this place?
High housing prices, Bad Metro service-forget using the metro if you have to make regularly scheduled meetings on the orange line, Marion Barry, and AA youth gangs attacking bikers on bike trails. There is four off the top of my head. Visiting and living are two different things
I have read extensive negative press on the DC since I started using this forum. I visited the city recently and was a bit skeptical about what my experience would be liked as a result of these posts. I must say, I am now leaving after a couple of days here and this is my favorite city besides Seattle. The beautiful aesthetics, cultural diversity, amenities, and the education that comes with being in the nations capital is not to be matched anywhere. It was refreshing to see such a younger populace in Adams Morgan/DuPont/U Street/etc. The row homes are beautiful and most the streets are well landscaped. What is there to complain about?
I am under the assumption that those who speak negatively about this place have been chewed up in the job market and/or have had difficultly making friends. These are obviously personal qualms and should not interfere with people's perceptions of DC. I personally love this place and would move here after Seattle. What is your opinion about the constant complaining about this place?
It's much different being a resident in DC and being a tourist.
Even as an undergrad, I loved DC and thought it was this amazing and perfect place but being a real resident here has definitely rubbed a bit of the rose out of my DC glasses.
Personally, the problems I have are:
1. DC is too expensive. The metro costs a ton and food is expensive (especially if you want it to taste good). The rent is too damn high and you don't get alot for what you pay for unless you're incredibly lucky or good at house-hunting. I tend to be neither, so.
2. Socializing and making real friends is mad hard here. You go places and try to strike up a conversation and it's like everyone wants to network or one-up everyone else. So if you don't have a job that at least sounds cool or that isn't attached a prominent name, people don't really want to talk to you. Also, people front about their financial situations like crazy, which can be really alienating when you're poor (me), know that you're poor (me), never pretend to be anything but poor (me) and are okay living within your means (me). I've met some cool and down to earth people through meetups and mutual friends and such, but if you want real friendships (like the kind of friends who will spend a whole weekend with you eating pizza and watching all the seasons of Game of Thrones and laughing about your slothfulness) better bring a friend in your backpack.
3. It can be a little boring. People always talk about how there's so much to do in DC, but I personally find it to be a challenge to find fun things that aren't really expensive and that don't involve going to a bar or a club. I manage, especially by branching out into MD and VA, but it takes work.
4. The metro (and the people on it) get on my damn nerves. Move your bikes out of the damn doorway!!
5. Dating is hard. This is probably true everywhere and granted, I'm never the prettiest girl in the room, but it seemed a little easier in NYC (where I'm from) to meet people.
6. People cannot drive. They will practically mow you down and then yell at you for putting your stupid squishy human body in the way of their sleek metal death machines, even though you definitely had the light.
7. Food is not good. There are some decent places, but if you want something really delicious, you better go home and get your Julia Childs on. I was especially put out to discover that there is no good Chinese food here. Like none. It's a tough place for pizza too.
With all that said, I still think DC is pretty okay. I already know I don't want to live here for the rest of my life, but I think it's a good place in some respects. And I got a job here as a recent grad in my field when I couldn't do it anywhere else (including New York), so regardless of what is not right with this place, I think I will always love it on some level for that reason alone.
it's one of the roughest and meanest cities in america,
minus all the archictecture, memorials and historic
symbolism. the locals are always so calm, but they
rarely make conversation with new faces. it's an
extremely exclusive place on all social levels.
90% of the really negative posts about DC come from maybe 10 people on this forum. Most of the people are pretty honest about the plusses and minuses and identify both, but there is a big volume of posts coming from that handful of people who complain over and over and over.
90% of the really negative posts about DC come from maybe 10 people on this forum. Most of the people are pretty honest about the plusses and minuses and identify both, but there is a big volume of posts coming from that handful of people who complain over and over and over.
I have read extensive negative press on the DC since I started using this forum. I visited the city recently and was a bit skeptical about what my experience would be liked as a result of these posts. I must say, I am now leaving after a couple of days here and this is my favorite city besides Seattle. The beautiful aesthetics, cultural diversity, amenities, and the education that comes with being in the nations capital is not to be matched anywhere. It was refreshing to see such a younger populace in Adams Morgan/DuPont/U Street/etc. The row homes are beautiful and most the streets are well landscaped. What is there to complain about?
I am under the assumption that those who speak negatively about this place have been chewed up in the job market and/or have had difficultly making friends. These are obviously personal qualms and should not interfere with people's perceptions of DC. I personally love this place and would move here after Seattle. What is your opinion about the constant complaining about this place?
What do you think about the two cities' own Capitol Hills?
D.C. isn't Disney World by any means and there's a lot to dislike about it. Nowhere is perfect but DC lacks a lot of things that cities farther north have for my liking.
And, the negative posters are definitely showing their true blood in this post. Interesting.
Coming from a person who's hometown is DC and one that has traveled and lived in many parts of the US and world, DC has a lot going for it. It's future is bright, negative nancies be darned.
I don't aspire to move to a "better" city and have never had that problem. I choose to be a part of a city who's future is bright and exciting - and this is DC.
DC will claim its place amongst the best of the best of world cities, and I'm happy to live my life as a DC native knowing in my heart that it will and can happen.
I found that sometimes people just hate to hate. It sounds like an unfortunate personal problem.
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