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I am relocated from washington state to DC. I have been there before. So i am pretty familiar with some issues. My fiance - who just got a position at the Pentagon and our son have not been there. I need a list of place near Crystal City to visit with them, maybe a playdate group for toddlers, just some safe good family centered types of places.
the people on the east coast are so much more different than over here. We all are kind of laid back and just go with the flow, over all pretty nice to one another. and race is not as big of an issue over here either. all i hear are these bad stories about how the people in DC hate white people. it's something i don't understand i guess. maybe it's b.c i grew up in a place where you don't treat another person badly because of what color they are. are there any "tips" to make friends a bit easier...? over here everyone loves everyone....so it's easy , but im a bit nervous about moving to a place where i'm looked down upon just b.c i am white. i really want some good old morally driven friends , i don't care what race they are.
any suggestions for both parts would be GREATLY appreciated!!
Are you being serious? I suspect you're getting your information from some very biased sources who probably haven't actually ventured into DC proper for quite some time.
First of all, there's hardly anyone but white and Asian people in the Pacific Northwest, so let's step down off the "everybody loves each other" pedestal. It's easy to love people who look just like you.
Secondly, DC's actually one of the most progressive, open-minded cities you'll ever encounter. The only place I could imagine you encountering the problems of which you speak is in Southeast, which is essentially the poor, black region of the city. I doubt you'll have much reason to go there.
Other than that, DC's full of people from all over the world who have all different colors of skin and speak different languages and have different sexual preferences ... DC's renown for a place that accepts everybody since most everybody comes from somewhere else anyway.
Good luck in your move. Your fears are completely unfounded.
btw - that lack of laid back attitude isn't really an 'east coast' thing so much as just something that happens in the major epicenters of power, such as New York, Los Angeles, DC... People are just driven. You'll either love that or hate it.
I'm going to ditto Bluefly's "Are you being serious? I suspect you're getting your information from some very biased sources who probably haven't actually ventured into DC proper for quite some time."
I never heard that "people in DC hate white people", and have definitely not experienced it. I have experienced "reverse racism" in the past, but none of it was here, and it was often more understated than "you're white, I hate you". You won't be looked down upon because you're white unless you act in such a way that attracts that sort of attention. If you want to make friends, be friendly. You may not have all your neighbors coming over with a basket of cookies on your first day, but if you just try talking to people you shouldn't have a problem.
As for where to look, I personally never found Crystal City to be that appealing. It's a lot of offices and hotels, with little character. You could try looking in the Del Ray neighborhood of Alexandria. It has a more "small-town" feel and I always see families walking around. Other areas of Alexandria are also pretty family-friendly, as is North Arlington and Fairfax. Without more information on your budget, desired lifestyle, or commute, it's hard to be specific, but there are plenty of options.
I'm going to ditto Bluefly's "Are you being serious? I suspect you're getting your information from some very biased sources who probably haven't actually ventured into DC proper for quite some time."
I never heard that "people in DC hate white people", and have definitely not experienced it. I have experienced "reverse racism" in the past, but none of it was here, and it was often more understated than "you're white, I hate you". You won't be looked down upon because you're white unless you act in such a way that attracts that sort of attention. If you want to make friends, be friendly. You may not have all your neighbors coming over with a basket of cookies on your first day, but if you just try talking to people you shouldn't have a problem.
As for where to look, I personally never found Crystal City to be that appealing. It's a lot of offices and hotels, with little character. You could try looking in the Del Ray neighborhood of Alexandria. It has a more "small-town" feel and I always see families walking around. Other areas of Alexandria are also pretty family-friendly, as is North Arlington and Fairfax. Without more information on your budget, desired lifestyle, or commute, it's hard to be specific, but there are plenty of options.
This is definitely the case. As for the critics you may hear ranting about how people in DC "hate" white people, the only white people who face excessive hatred, specifically from minorities, are those who give out the "holier-than-thou/preppy-gone-yuppie/trust-fund baby" vibes and personalities. The irony is that I find these kind of people to be very racist towards non-model minorities, no matter if the Latino or Black person is as rich, affluent, or educated as them. The unfortunate thing is we have a lot of these kind of people in the DC area (usually in the yuppie scene in their twenties) who have this mentality, but if you avoid the hipster & uber-yuppie parts of the DC area (along with avoiding the impoverished neighborhoods), you should be fine.
This is definitely the case. As for the critics you may hear ranting about how people in DC "hate" white people, the only white people who face excessive hatred, specifically from minorities, are those who give out the "holier-than-thou/preppy-gone-yuppie/trust-fund baby" vibes and personalities. The irony is that I find these kind of people to be very racist towards non-model minorities, no matter if the Latino or Black person is as rich, affluent, or educated as them. The unfortunate thing is we have a lot of these kind of people in the DC area (usually in the yuppie scene in their twenties) who have this mentality, but if you avoid the hipster & uber-yuppie parts of the DC area (along with avoiding the impoverished neighborhoods), you should be fine.
and that's not so much a race thing as much as it is a class/power/prestige thing. some wealthy people look down on less affluent people, some people in power or with aspirations of power have no time for you if you don't have connections that'll help them, the conservatives vs. the liberals. When I lived in Old Town Alexandria, I had one neighbor (only one though) who would not say hi when he passed you on the street because he looked down on me and my boyfriend because we were the only renters on the block. When my boyfriend had a huge ass yard sale, he thought he could run it out of Old Town, thinking it must be against the city code to have such a common thing as a yard sale in Old Town, and he called the cops. He about had a heart attack when the cops came. saw we were doing nothing wrong, and starting buying things from our sale. You could smell the burn of his sneers after that event.
Just get used to paying a lot more in rent, god awful summer humidity, and spending a lot of time in traffic. DC has the second-worst traffic in the country, after the traffic we have here in LA. But it's different traffic. LA is congested. DC gets jammed.
as far as things to do with the kids? two words-- smithsonian institution. all their museums, including the zoo are free, the monuments and memorials are free too. the area is rich in history starting from colonial times (Geo Washington is from Northern VA), through the civil war, and it is the seat of our national government. once you get out of the traffic, you can be in the "country" rather quickly in either maryland or in virginia.
the one sort of drawback is the people are very transient, you get to be friends with people then they move away, heck even I moved in and out, but that took 17 years. i miss it though, but I'm giving LA and southern CA a chance, keeping an open mind, embracing the differences, learning new things.
in the end, it seems the more I see people that are different the more I see we're all the same.
First of all, there's hardly anyone but white and Asian people in the Pacific Northwest, so let's step down off the "everybody loves each other" pedestal. It's easy to love people who look just like you.
I chuckled at the last sentence in your first paragraph. But anyways, the original poster's views of the DC and its Metro Area are quite uncalled for. The DC Metro Area is just as cosmopolitan, if not more, as the major cities on the West Coast. Issues with race are quite unheard of in both the District and the Metro Area.
And with regards to the 'laid back' comment: life in the NE megalopolis (Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington DC) is generally fast-paced. There is a reason for the high use of public transit in the NE corridor.
'morally driven friends'? that depends solely on the individuals whom you make friends with. If you want to live in a city where many people enjoy political/current news discussion, then DC is the right city for you!
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I am relocated from washington state to DC. I have been there before. So i am pretty familiar with some issues. My fiance - who just got a position at the Pentagon and our son have not been there. I need a list of place near Crystal City to visit with them, maybe a playdate group for toddlers, just some safe good family centered types of places. 
