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I've never really understood the whole "people not from here" complaint about DC. This city was built for no other purpose than to be a transient city that houses the federal government. For better or worse, any cultures or traditions or economies that have sprung up beyond that are really justifiably secondary to that primary purpose.
The gripe about gentrification always confuses me as well. This city used to be a very stable mix of races and income levels before the 1960s. Perhaps it's going overboard, but it seems to just be re-balancing itself after decades of imbalance that drained the tax base.
For part of college I went to a predominantly white college in a predominantly white rural area and we faced the same types of issues mentioned above that HU students face. I think, frankly, it's just a class issue. There's a major divide between urban / rural working class and poor, and anyone going to college at a place as renown as Howard.
Anyway - if it's not obvious from my posts, I love it here. I just love wandering the city.
I love that it is so close for me. Not Many people are lucky to have a major world renowned city close to them. I love the architecture. The density. It has a subway! And the museums are amazing!
Some things I dislike are pretentious people, traffic, cost of living, clueless tourists, and the amount of homeless. I think it is so hypocritical for the nations capital to have so many homeless, and blocks from the White House too! It's shameful and sad.
Location: Standing outside of heaven, wating for God to come and get me.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GaBison2007
As an Alumni, MOST people who go to HU are NOT stuck up and let me tell you about a typical day for howard students and what we put up with by so called "dc natives" and why most of us are just exasperated with the neighborhood/area by the time we graduate. We're not stuck up towards y'all...just tired of the B.S. we get.
...imagine a freshman girl being prank called on her dorm phone ALL NIGHT LONG on her first day day by D.C. natives telling her to come downstairs and get f**ked, or having D.C. natives stand right outside her dorm on move-in day and locals(with some much older guys) feeling her up and cat-calling her...
Imagine going to class or trying to go get something to eat from mcdonalds or Howard China and getting cat-calls from locals or getting asked for a dollar from various homeless people every 10 steps...
Imagine D.C. locals coming on campus EVERYDAY pretending to be students just so they can talk/flirt/harass you on a constant basis...
...Imagine being called "stuck-up" by people who don't even know you day in and day out and when you DO try to help the community they look at you like a space alien. Volunteering? Helping the community BESIDES giving money?? what is that??
Heck everytime I talked to a local in that area they feel I have some personal vendetta when all I wanted to do was get my education...Us HU students just want to go to school in peace like the other white schools. Such a simple thing I SWEAR....If the school/connections weren't so good I would have BEEN transferred....
And to be honest, Howard doesn't owe the area/neighborhood a god-dang thing but we still try to help the community even when y'all treat the students there like utter crap. But I hope that cleared some things up about "stuck-upness" ...maybe if people would come at us with respect when we move in and take classes/live in the neighborhood we'd treat y'all with respect as well. I swear some locals in D.C. act like Samuel L. Jackson's character in School Daze over us HU students and that was d**n near 20 years ago.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNOfAFUT4xU
Anyways to the OP-Love/Hate relationship. I'm moving out of D.C. but I love my neighborhood. It's been a great learning experience and wouldn't trade it for the world.
Not a local and my gf is an HU alum.. Yall Bisons can be a little arrogant though. I love yall though and HU does have an impressive Alumni list. I admire the HU fam a lot and I am thinking about getting my PHD from there.
Like:
Historic architecture
National Mall & monuments
International flair
Density
Large educated class
Metro (for the most part)
Tourists (I know...they grow on me)
Dislike:
Long time locals who feel DC should stay the way it was in the 70's & 80's
thug culture from east of the river (mainly) that like to raise hell for everyone else
weather (too hot in summer, too cold in winter)
traffic
retail/service sector employees
I really enjoy living in the DC area. I think it's one of the best cities in the U.S. - actually the 2nd best after NYC. It's also an underrated city. Even many locals who've lived here for decades often don't realize the vast array of things that DC offers. When I read some people's posts praising many other cities for their supposedly unique qualities, I usually find myself thinking - wait a minute, the DC area and nearby places have all of those things and so much more and it's getting better all the time!
Definately love/hate. I love the fact that the Disctrict helped me get my house, and that I get to work and live here. This is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever been to.
I hate the us vs them attitude here. Everybody seems to want the same thing, but somehow it manages to get broken down on racial lines. Not class, culture or education. Everybody is angry with DYRS, or how the District has failed these children that roam the streets robbing, beating and killing citizens. No one holds the kids or parents accountable. If this could be fixed, the city would change immensely.
1. Strong, steady economy thanks to recession-proof federal government.
2. Cosmopolitan and Diverse. Lots of international residents here.
3. Intelligent population loaded with PhDs, JDs, MSs, and MDs.
4. Lots of museums and theaters.
5. Weather in April-May and September-October.
6. Close proximity to the ocean-side beaches to the East and recreational fun in the mountains to the West.
7. Easy transportation connections to the Northeast Hub cities such as Baltimore, Philly, NYC and Boston.
8. DC is the place for you if you like politics, foreign affairs, national security issues and journalism.
9. Metro...when the trains and buses are working and they are running on time.
10. Washington Capitals hockey.
Real Super-Sucky DC:
1. Embarrassing level of class and racial inequality. Whites are prosperous and blacks are mired in the ghetto. What else is new.
2. Cost of living for lower and middle-income residents is overwhelming. Housing rents are ridiculous and commercial leasing rates in some sections of DC are higher than Manhattan or San Francisco.
3. Gentrification killed Chocolate City and anyone who makes a middle-class salary under $100,000. Yuppies rule the city now.
4. DC attracts the arrogant, perfectionist, type-A personality types. They infest law firms, trade associations, government agencies, Capitol Hill staff positions, public relations firms. think-tanks and more. They make life miserable for any human being who has a soul.
5. Restaurants are awful here.
6. WMATA train system is falling apart before our very eyes.
7. Weak local entrepreneurship. National chain eateries and retail shops have a far greater presence here compared to other major US cities.
8. Weather from June-August. Hell on Earth.
9. Every professional sports franchise except for the NHL Capitals.
10. Heavy traffic that creates long commutes and frayed nerves.
I give DC a thumbs down overall. If a job opportunity comes up some place else...I am outta here.
Born, bred, and bound. I love D.C. and will always have a residence here.
"Let me get some mambo sauce on that chicken and fried rice."
No, the new thing is mambo sauce and ketchup mixed together!
I was born here and love my home. I don't have a love/hate relationship. It is what it is. The 2 main things I don't like is the cost of living and the weather. I hate how cold it has been the last 3 winters. IT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE THIS COLD!!! And the humidity in the summer always makes me wish I lived somewhere else.
Honestly, if DC was not my home and if I didn't have so much family and friends here I probably would have considered living somewhere else.
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As an Alumni, MOST people who go to HU are NOT stuck up and let me tell you about a typical day for howard students and what we put up with by so called "dc natives" and why most of us are just exasperated with the neighborhood/area by the time we graduate. We're not stuck up towards y'all...just tired of the B.S. we get. 
...maybe if people would come at us with respect when we move in and take classes/live in the neighborhood we'd treat y'all with respect as well. I swear some locals in D.C. act like Samuel L. Jackson's character in School Daze over us HU students and that was d**n near 20 years ago.....
I love yall though and HU does have an impressive Alumni list. I admire the HU fam a lot and I am thinking about getting my PHD from there.
