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I don't think the problem is the city itself. It's an incredibly unique and wonderful city.
I think it's the choice you made to live way out and commute 2 hours everyday rather than live in or near the city. When you can walk or jump on the Metro home, you have peace of mind to enjoy the wonderful neighborhoods and events. I've never bought the line that one can't afford to live closer, especially considering that most of the population living in DC probably makes less than you.
The problem might be that you have an idea of the American Dream - big house, big yard - that isn't feasible there. It's like Europe in that sense. There's plenty of wonderful, affordable brownstones in Northeast, Southwest, or the eastern part of Northwest, even in Maryland just outside the city. Living in the city or the immediate surrounding 'burbs is so important to the quality of life. LIving out where you do, you get all the negatives with few of the positives.
I was used to traffic coming from Houston, but I was stunned at the layout of the streets and the lack of freeway expansion which seems to exacerbate the problems.
C.
PLEASE stop buying into the myth that more highways alleviates traffic. Study after study has found that the more highway lanes added, the more traffic is drawn.
The neighborhoods back a few decades fought a massive highway planned to be built right through Dupont Circle and the heart of the city. Today, those neighborhoods are the heart, soul, and economic vitality of the city. If "freeway expansion" had destroyed DC as it destroyed cities like Detroit, Houston, etc..., then DC would be an unlivable disaster today. Mass transit, baby!
Location: The land of sugar... previously Houston and Austin
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bluefly
...If "freeway expansion" had destroyed DC as it destroyed cities like Detroit, Houston, etc..., then DC would be an unlivable disaster today...
Houston is nothing like Detroit as far as the migration out of downtown and urban decay... the last several years have seen major revitalization of downtown Houston in fact.
Houston is nothing like Detroit as far as the migration out of downtown and urban decay... the last several years have seen major revitalization of downtown Houston in fact.
Yes, that's absolutely true. Houston's downtown has exploded in rebirth over the past decade - unbelievably so. It's quite a nice downtown. It did go through a similar abandonment that Detroit's did. That's all I meant. Sorry.
Everything is so expensive in the DC area, although I must admit that San Francisco (which I visited two weeks ago on business) manages to outdo it.
I don’t want an urban lifestyle. I want a bit of a yard, and I don't want trash thrown in it and drunks and druggies p**ing and using in it. I want to not worry all the time about crime to my home, car, or person. I want nice summer weather that isn’t (literally) stinkingly hot and humid. I want city services (such as libraries, ambulances, water, and, if I had kids, schools) that are good. I want a local history of sports teams, food, etc., that is distinctive to a place. I don’t like not being able to go shopping for what I need (and I am not a big consumer) except by driving out to the suburbs or paying too much in boutiquey shops. I want more courtesy in public behavior, whether on the roads or in a customer service position. I feel like I have none of those things in DC. And I'm tired of being ripped off.
JMHO from someone who feels misplaced here.
... The neighborhoods back a few decades fought a massive highway planned to be built right through...the heart of the city. Today, those neighborhoods are the heart, soul, and...vitality of the city. If "freeway expansion" had destroyed DC as it destroyed cities like Detroit, Houston, etc..., then DC would be an unlivable disaster today. Mass transit, baby!
This is why I-395 (I-95 in the District) dissolves and fades into an inglorious end at New York Avenue NW. Can you imagine what the city and it's NE Maryland suburbs would be like today had I-95 been built continuous and running straight through them?
The only people that I knew that felt DC was "cool" came from such hotbeds as Rochester, Des Moines, and Akron. If you compare DC to the other cities in the area (NY, Boston, Providence, Philly)....it is so hopelessly lame it hurts. Face it...when lobbyists and politicos trump culture...you know it smells.
I want more courtesy in public behavior, whether on the roads or in a customer service position. I feel like I have none of those things in DC.
This is one of the many things that drives me batty around this area. Customer service in most places around here is MISERABLE. To most store workers, you're made to feel like an imposition on their time, rather than a customer that they're serving. In just the most recent example of many, my wife got a full eyeroll from some burrito jockey just for asking her to put fewer beans on her burrito! If this were an isolated incident from one person, that'd be one thing, but it really does seem to be the rule rather than the exception. I don't know why it's worse here, but it does seem to be so.
The only people that I knew that felt DC was "cool" came from such hotbeds as Rochester, Des Moines, and Akron. If you compare DC to the other cities in the area (NY, Boston, Providence, Philly)....it is so hopelessly lame it hurts. Face it...when lobbyists and politicos trump culture...you know it smells.
Yeah, and silly me, I thought the political influence would make it a cool, interesting place. Instead, it just adds to the grime and slime ...
What matters is the fact that there's more jobs in this area than any of other metropolitan places. If one doesn't like living in DC, a move is possible to the neighboring cities in MD or VA.
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