Differences between DC/MD and west coast? (Washington: school, university)

[Bluefly]

1. People honk in big cities in every corner of the world.

2. A lot of people love DC, but it is best suited to the advanced degree "what school did you go to?" crowd. If you're not into that, then you'll probably hate it.

[movedoften]

I live in NOVA now after time in California, Colorado, Arizona, North Carolina to name a few. My observation is that people here are not sinister in their unfriendly behavior.
I do think it is a function of insane amounts of time in traffic, obsession with work and generally not finding a balance of recreating and leisure. My experiences in San Diego, Denver, Phoenix and Raleigh is that people there tended to work to live instead of live to work. There are lots of bright people here, many academic types and intellectuals. People of that nature are usually less likely to be socially outgoing and friendly, especially with people they don't know. It sometimes makes this area feel very souless until you realize it is nothing personal. I have heard less laughter and seen fewer smiles this past year living here than any other year in my life. Before anyone does the usual "then why don't you leave" presentation, remember these are simply observations and if I decide I don't like it here, I will leave without any influence from a message forum.
Cheers

[LasVegan2008]

I've lived both in southern California and in the DC area for a long time, as well as other places.

No doubt, people in the DC Metro area are not as outgoing or as friendly to strangers as people in California. This is a huge, palpable difference. You are dead-on correct in your observations.

In general, the DC-area white urban "professional" set -- we're talking all ages here, and this pretty much constitutes MOST of white people inside the Beltway (remember, the DC Metro area is #1 in the nation as far as people being educated) -- seem more aloof and less friendly than in Cali. The best way to describe it, I think, is "vaguely snobby".

They probably are not fully conscious of this, which lets them PARTLY off the hook.

You think people in LA are playing roles, what with the place being so influenced by the movie industry?

People in DC are even more into playing roles -- projecting a "professional" facade based on their careers and status. A lot of this involves NOT being spontaneous, and being more deliberate and measured and unemotional in one's interpersonal interactions, especially with people one doesn't know.

As for driving habits, you're EXACTLY right again. I always used to say that in DC, most people drive like their on a "mission to save the world". Driving tends to be very aggressive and goal-oriented or "mission-critical". People want to get from Point A to Point B as quickly as possible. Lots of this, I think, has to do with a far, far higher percentage of the population in the DC-Metro area holding jobs that are "extremely important" -- at least, as seen by the job-holders! Whereas a comparatively bigger proportion of people in Southern California have jobs which allow them to be much more laid-back. And this translates directly into their driving habits.

As an example: In Metro DC, when 2 or more cars approach Stop signs at an intersection at around the same time, every driver tends to think he/she has the right of way, and everyone will try to game the other drivers so that he/she can go first. Whereas in SoCal, it's much more common, I found, for drivers in such a situation to wave someone else ahead, and let them go first.

Perhaps a generality, but a useful one, and a valid one!

Hope this helps you cope...

[LasVegan2008]

Originally Posted by Bluefly

1. People honk in big cities in every corner of the world.

2. A lot of people love DC, but it is best suited to the advanced degree "what school did you go to?" crowd. If you're not into that, then you'll probably hate it.

I always say that to remain competitive in the DC area job market, you have to go back to school and get another Master's Degree every three years or so. And there are quite literally a lot of people who actually do that.

[Bluefly]

Yeah. Well, advanced degrees are pretty important in professional careers that require intellectual acuity.

You make all this sound like it's a bad thing that people are motivated by their work and don't live laid back beach lifestyles. Sure people take themselves seriously in DC. When you're involved - on any level - in international relations involving terrorists or unstable governments, or in major domestic policy decisions that influence millions of people or acres of land - you might find yourself taking life seriously too.

I was in a Hollywood movie filming in the DC area once. We all thought it was comical how seriously and intensely they took themselves over silly entertainment. They clearly were accustomed to being the "important" people in a town where making hour-and-a-half distractions is considered important. DC people kind of laughed at them. I guess that's arrogant, and I do love movies, but this was a stupid comedy that sucked, so in this case it was also kind of accurate.

[The_Fairfaxian]

Originally Posted by hpfanatic888

I live in the DC burbs. It's really not just DC, it's the east coast...mainly the northeast, especially around that boston and NY area. We're just so uptight and somewhat arrogant, that when I visited both California and Arizona, I was like...woah. People are far more laid back on the west coast, I would think. And they are far nicer too, but I feel like a lot of that niceness is somewhat superficial. Nevertheless, I did like California a lot, but don't get me wrong...while we appear to be so uptight and uber-ambitious on the outside, once you get to know us, we treat you like family. It's just that the pace of life here is much, much faster. Like I said, especially in the northeast. When you get down to the southeast, you're gonna find more laid-back people, but probably not as laid back as the west.

You're pretty much right on except for the part in bold, more like "if (we allow the opportunity) for you get to know us." As for people treating you like "family" once a person gets over initial suspicion, that's more fitting for those in the Midwest. I've been a native of DC and I've noticed the deep social cliquishness along with out-right pretentiousness and self-entitlement that defines the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic this area. Now I don't have a problem with educated and hard-working people, in fact, I would like to be around more of them. But from what I've seen, many people who've (recently) moved to the DC area and love the place aren't intellectually stimulated, overachieving workaholics who want to work for the government to change the world, but are spoiled brats landing some job at a special interest firm that they got through "connections" and are living off of their parents' money. As for the attitudes, I do stress that living in a place like DC would be very stressful for various reasons, creating a result of knee-jerk habits that would be seen as "rude," which is what I notice in places that I can tolerate like Northern VA. But when intentional and consistent haughtiness, arrogance, and overinflated egos and materialism - the likes one would expect in Los Angeles and SoCal - are dominate, there's definitely a problem.

As for the elitist yuppies who are just going to spout "GTFO," I'm planning to graduate as late as July of this year, and I am doing internships with several companies, sprucing up my resume so that I can land a good job in a place that I want to live in, a place that's (not exactly, but) more like where the OP came from.

[JimGriffith]

The self-important outnumber the truly important by about 1,000,000 to 1 here.

Sorry but these legislative correspondents on the hill, telecom lobbyists, corporate lawyers, labor union activists and government accountants are not saving the world, and yes they should apologize for slamming into my cart at Harris Teeter.

There absolutely is something wrong with taking your work seriously when you think it gives you license to behave like a jackass.

[Bluefly]

^
Yeah. absolutely true. I wasn't defending rude behavior or pretentious people. I was just trying to offer an explanation of why they might be that way.

[mmposting]

well, I was born and raised in New Mexico and spent five years in D.C. and several months in NYC after college.

Basically, the thing about DC is most people are career driven. They pretty much just care about their careers and their families and don't have time for anything else. "Laid back" is not in the vocabulary.

As for the traffic, well I didn't think DC was anything abnormal. Try NYC, that's quite different.

Basically people on the East Coast are in their own little worlds.

I like NYC better than DC, I found it was easier to make friends there. The DC people seemed snobbish and uninteresting to me.

[coldbliss]

The people up in Philly and NYC are far more friendlier than in DC. I swear this region gets the biggest collection of Type A, power-lusting, arrogant people on the planet.

Only in DC will you get these two kind of questions:

1. Where did you go to school? Because after all, anyone who doesn't graduate from an Ivy League School, Duke, Michigan, Stanford and UVA is a loser.

2. What do you do? Peoples eyes light up when you say attorney, lobbyist, World Bank economist, public relations executive, corporate recruiter etc. This is usually followed by a business card exchange and a "call me" promise for a job opportunity for more $$$$.

DC is a terrible place for single men by the way. The women want to date a resume and job connection as opposed to a smart guy who doesn't want the corporate/policy-wonk rat race. The city is by far the most depressing place for singles.

Anyway, you past the test if you answer with the right college and right professional track. If not...Looooooooooser. I can't wait to get out of here.