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I'm a 34 y.o. woman and my husband and I moved here last summer from Brooklyn. Try as I might I CANNOT get into this area... at all. I really want to like DC as we moved back to be close to family, but it might have been the wrong move. We live in Alexandria and try to spend as much time in the district as possible - H St, Dupont, Gtown, Adams Morgan, Cap Hill/8th St, Columbia Heights, U St...but I've found myself underwhelmed and unimpressed with what we've done so far. I am so missing the vibrancy and creativity that defines a great city. Even the more lively neighborhoods feel like small towns and seem overpopulated by obnoxious ex fratboys. Am I missing the cool? I don't want to give up on DC! Please help!
You left a burrough increasingly overwhelmed by obnoxious hipsters from Ohio. Perhaps your perspective of what is "cool" just got thrown out of whack while living there.
This is a common gripe but I don't know what you mean by cool to really help you with specifics. DC's primarily a government city. It's not New York or Chicago or Dayton. It's DC. You're not going to run into artists painting windswept landscapes ironically and calling it groundbreaking. There's a much more homogenous mold here, which is not necessarily a good thing, but it's the reality. You're going to run into a lot of highly educated people with multiple degrees who, yes, may have been in a frat or sorority at some point but tend to provide pretty interesting conversations about world affairs. Their goal in life isn't to be cool, and DC's fundamentally not structured to be cool. Once you realize that and appreciate it for what it is, you might avoid being another obnoxious New Yorker who won't shut up about her 24-hour dry cleaner. We've all been out with that person and have all spent a lot of time in New York ourselves and, frankly, many of us aren't convinced all that excess with such longer subway rides and limited open space would make us happier. Maybe it just takes more travel to get some perspective if you really think there are any small towns that resemble U Street or Dupont. Alexandria's nightlife can feel rather quaint, though.
If you have a solid day job engaged in some sort of national or international affair here and you just want to blow off steam Thurs-Sat, this city's nightlife and cultural offerings are not lacking. If you want the latest DJ spinning until 6am on a Thursday or the hottest fashion shows and gallery openings, this definitely isn't your city.
I'm a 34 y.o. woman and my husband and I moved here last summer from Brooklyn. Try as I might I CANNOT get into this area... at all. I really want to like DC as we moved back to be close to family, but it might have been the wrong move. We live in Alexandria and try to spend as much time in the district as possible - H St, Dupont, Gtown, Adams Morgan, Cap Hill/8th St, Columbia Heights, U St...but I've found myself underwhelmed and unimpressed with what we've done so far. I am so missing the vibrancy and creativity that defines a great city. Even the more lively neighborhoods feel like small towns and seem overpopulated by obnoxious ex fratboys. Am I missing the cool? I don't want to give up on DC! Please help!
You hit all the right spots. If you're not getting vibrancy or creativity out of any of those, then I'm sorry to say it's a lost cause.
The obnoxious ex-fratboys tend to populate the really popular bars of the moment. Maybe try hitting up some of the quieter more neighborhood bars rather than the raging spots. Just avoid Adams Morgan entirely on weekend nights.
But honestly if I had to commute back to Alexandria on DC on a Friday or Saturday night, I'd hate it too. You either have to drive and not drink, pay A LOT of money for a cab, or spend an hour plus on the metro hoping to avoid the 20-minute waits that are all too common late at night these days.
Bluefly is 100 percent correct. Look, it sounds like you miss the 24-7 vibrancy and the amazing music & art culture of NYC. In this sense, you demoted yourself by moving from NYC to DC. Washington is a preppy town that falls between pinstripe Jos Bank suits and khaki pants from JCrew. Women wears lots of Ann Taylor here--boring and unsexy from a dude's perspective. Yep, fashion doesn't go far here. The quality of music bands is so-so here and coming from Brooklyn, you would notice the difference. The late-night dance clubs don't bounce much except for Saturdays. You won't find as many "beautiful" (i.e. models, actors, professional musicians) people here either.
Try this: if you are looking for real urban adventures that resemble Brooklyn in appearance, culture and nightlife, why not try Philly? Philly has grit & grime, authentic ethnic neighborhoods, art galleries tucked away in Old City, hidden gems for live music experiences, great restaurants all over Center City. There are TALL buildings that you make feel like that you are in a major city. Plus, you are only a 2.5 hour drive from your family in the DC area if you move to Philadelphia, but you are also close enough to NYC if you need a place to party for the weekend.
Over the past decade, many artists, young professionals and musicians were priced out of NYC and they settled in Philly. The adjustment was fairly easy for these people because of the advantages I described above. That's my Philly plug for tonight.
Other than Philly, you might wanna try Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans or maybe San Francisco if you are looking for a "cool" mecca.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AJoy77
I'm a 34 y.o. woman and my husband and I moved here last summer from Brooklyn. Try as I might I CANNOT get into this area... at all. I really want to like DC as we moved back to be close to family, but it might have been the wrong move. We live in Alexandria and try to spend as much time in the district as possible - H St, Dupont, Gtown, Adams Morgan, Cap Hill/8th St, Columbia Heights, U St...but I've found myself underwhelmed and unimpressed with what we've done so far. I am so missing the vibrancy and creativity that defines a great city. Even the more lively neighborhoods feel like small towns and seem overpopulated by obnoxious ex fratboys. Am I missing the cool? I don't want to give up on DC! Please help!
DC is what it is. It's not everyones cup of tea and it certainly isn't hipster-central which is what it sounds like you're looking for from your post. I mean you're coming from Brooklyn, which is the hipster capital of America, and in the biggest city in America - of course everywhere you go will feel like a "downgrade" in coolness.
Why does everyone assume that the original poster misses hipsters and 24-hour dry cleaners? Maybe she has a point. I am far from cool or creative, yet I can appreciate what makes a great city. DC just feels off to me. It does have a lot of nice neighborhoods and amenities, and I can see why some people like it, but for some reason, it just doesn't feel like it has much character. Other Northeastern cities: Philadelphia, Boston, and even Baltimore, have more character and a great sense of place.
^I made that assumption based off of her "ex-frat boy" comment. Because on the internet if you are discussing young adults (under 40), they either have to be yuppie frat/sorority types or hipsters. It's a law of some kind.
i hear you. it sounds like dc makes you uncomfortable. i
don't know how you can fix that tho. sorry. it's just a
snooty town, but actually it's very sophisticated, so
maybe you should keep that in mind and stay positive.
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