I hate NOVA/DC and I am blowing this joint!!! (Fairfax: real estate, apartment complex)

[summertime24]

I have lived here for almost 2 years now and I absolutely hate dc. The weather here sucks. It is so hot and humid in the summer and seems to rain nonstop. Winters are terrible. It snows and is freezing. Fall and spring can be nice but the 70 degree days are few and far between. And regardless of the temperature, the sun does not shine here!!! And don't even get me started on the traffic here..

Also, I find that people are just rude and dull in DC. All they care about is work. It's all about working from 6:00am to 7:00pm, what you do, who you know, ect. Way to many workaholics. And people aren't very open to making new friends. There's no hospitality in this city, for sure. Sure, if you went to UVA or VA tech, you've got tons of friends here. But all of those people don't want to branch out and make new friends. And then you have the transients. People who move here for a job (because let's face it, why else do people move to dc) work for a couple years, and then leave in search of greener pastures. So they aren't trying to make new friends either.

So, after giving DC a fair shot for 2 years, I've decided that I'm blowing this joint and moving to Sunny San Diego!!! I'm getting a job transfer and am going to be loving life very soon. This will be my last cold and nasty winter ever!!!!!!

[dullnboring]

As a Northern Virginia native, I tend to agree with your analysis of people and life in the DC area. Too many workaholics, rude people, transients not interested in setting down roots, and horrific traffic. These are some of the many reasons I have for leaving the area as well in three months or so.

I have to say though, the weather doesn't really bother me all that much. It's fairly similar to the weather in much of the Northeast (NYC, Philadelphia, Baltimore, etc.) and the Midwest (Cincinnati, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Kansas City, etc.) and doesn't seem too extreme to me on any end. Where are you from originally? That may be the issue, since if you're from a hot and/or sunny climate, it can be very difficult to adjust to. I'm actually really enjoying the weather at the moment. This time of year, from around mid-September to mid-October I think is gorgeous. In general, I like the four seasons. I always thought that I didn't but when I lived out in Los Angeles, I found myself surprised by just how much I missed the occasional cold, snowy or gray and rainy day. With that said, I still would prefer a bit of a shorter Winter and a bit of a longer Spring and Fall, and for more sunny days.

I'm not sure where I'm going to move. I prefer the people, lifestyle and layout of the Northeast, but the climate of the West. Maybe someplace in between is the ticket for me. Denver perhaps? Although I have a bit of an aversion to settling anywhere far from the coasts. I'm not sure why that is considering I rarely go to the beach, but there's some sort of deep-seeded aversion I have to settling in the middle of the country. I need to live near the coast in case the King takes over again and I need to make a quick escape

Anyways, best of luck in San Diego summertime. It sounds like it fits a lot of the criteria of what you're looking for in a place. And if it doesn't, well, hey, at least it's easier to be miserable in a place where it's sunny and 70 every day

[VT Hokie 2007]

Good. Less traffic for me. I'll just take our top-ranked schools, our amazing job market, and our intelligent and cosmopolitan people.

[summertime24]

VT = automatically built in friends in DC. Why don't you try branching out for a change?

Besides VT, it's not like you have a chance to enjoy your cosmopolitan friends. You will be slaving away at your job 70+ hours a week and then fighting traffic to finally get anywhere after work. BTW I heard DC is one of the most stressfull cities to live in with one of the highest suicide rates. Don't know if this is true, but it wouldn't surprise me.

I know Cali isn't perfect. Things are just as expensive as DC and the traffic can be worse, especially near L.A. But the weather is unbeatable and the job market is good, in fact, San Diego has the leading bio tech jobs in the nation and lots of DoD jobs. And there are a lot more beautiful and healthy people out there. Not like here where everyone is holed up in an office or cubicle all day. But come on now, if you had to pay an arm and a leg to live somewhere, wouldn't you rather do it in beautiful, sunny San Diego.

[pkoons]

As a lifelong DC resident & supporter, I still give the nod to San Diego anyday. Safer, nicer weather, nicer people, better beaches, etc etc. But you won't be escaping traffic

This area's saving grace can mostly be found in waterfront Anne Arundel & western Howard Counties (MD) and western Loudoun County (VA). Basically, rewarding people who can deal with hour+ commutes. Hopefully those areas won't be spoiled by crazy growth... some of us like it just fine the way it is...

[VT Hokie 2007]

[moderator cut, personal attack] almost all of my DC friends are non-VT people. I'm an appraiser, but my roommate has a 5 minute commute to work. I LIVE comfortably off of $20,000/year. Also, of all the people I know, not ONE of them works more than 50 hours/week. This 70+ hour stuff I always hear is total exaggeration--only investment bankers, some doctors, and partners in law and accounting firms work that many hours and those professions exist many places.

Traffic is rarely an issue for me, money isn't an issue, and friends aren't an issue. When it comes down to it, life, like anything else, is what you make of it and geography isn't going to change your self-actualizatoin. [moderator cut, personal attack] Maybe you should try San Diego. [moderator cut, personal attack]

[Mike from back east]

....I'll shut it down in a heartbeat....and probably take punitive action on the flamer(s). Back to facts & opinions, politely stated.

s/Mike
Moderator

[summertime24]

I have friends in this city, and surprise, none of them are from DC originally. But it has taken me a long time to make these friends. People here just aren't friendly. No one stops to say hi or talk in the halls of my apartment complex. I do not know one of my neighbors. I am originally from the south and things are not this cold down there. I heard people are much friendlier out west too. VT, I agree with your statement "life, like anything else, is what you make of it and geography isn't going to change your self-actualizatoin." but I can still have an opinion about DC. And I am hardly a failure. I have a high paying job that is going to tansfer me across the country b/c I requested to do so. [moderator cut] People here do work 70+ hours. Most of my clients do, which means I end up having to. And why else does rush hour here last until 8:00pm? It coudn't be because everyone gets off at 5:00, could it?

[The Dissenter]

boy i totally feel ya. i'm movin outta dc as soon as i graduate. i dont agree bout the weather. it rarely rains in west alex city. my main problem is its just too darn expensive. i'm going south as opposed to west.

[Mike from back east]

Sounds like you've come to the same conclusion that I did a long time ago. In my case, I had my "golden handcuffs" on, had to await my 30 years with Uncle Sam before I could retire and leave DC.

Despite the many good things about DC, there are many rough edges that make it dreadful, only took a very small percentage of people to make it that way, but that's all it ever takes. I'm talking about:
-The drivers who will stoop to any level to get one more car-length ahead, butt in line for exits, weave in and out, speed and tailgate agressively, run red lights, drive up the on ramps to get ahead of 10 more guys before cutting back in, on and on it went....
- The tiny slice of jerks that run flat out through the subway stations, sprint up the escalators two steps at a time, pushing people out of the way, block access to subway cars by standing right in the doorway of the car rather than moving to the center, spread their crap out across both seats so no one can sit next to them....
- Pinheads that walk 3-4 abreast down the sidewalk, leaving no room for anyone else walking in the opposing direction....
- General lack of friendly people, it seemed. If you said something nice to someone, whether on the street, in the subway, elevator or market, they thought you were up to something, or some sort of scammer or criminal. There reaction made it clear that they didn't want to talk to you, it was immediately clear they wanted nothing to do with anyone but themselves.

Seen it all, on a daily basis....the list goes on...the outrageous price of real estate, the unbelievable gridlock of Northern Virginia, especially Fairfax County, the summer humidity and bugs, the lack of culture in the VA suburbs, the list goes on.

As soon as our golden handcuffs were off, we got out of town and came to Colorado. What a paradise. NONE of the problems of DC, none of the arrogant behavior of DC types, and so much variety and things to do and places to see and great food at reasonable prices, and a dream house for half what it costs back in the DC area.....

I hope San Diego is equally great for you, if not, come here, my hand is always out for nice folks.

s/Mike from back east, and I ain't going back