Anyone from NY who has moved to DC and really likes it? (house, unemployed)
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^ just like u don't like nyc, some don't like
dc and others don't like either. it's not a
big deal. life goes on.
Its not that I don't like NYC, its that I get so tired of hearing about how its better than everywhere else. You are right, though. Its not a big deal.
^ me too. nothing worse than an over-opinionated
new yorker living in another state talking about ny
every time you see them lol. they sux, and this
is coming from a native. no one cares, especially
a person not from there.
I made this move long ago when I was young and broke after having lived in the the NYC area just briefly, so it's hard to fairly compare experiences. But NY struck me as oddly provincial-- and I'm from the South. I also never got used to the quality of housing most middle class people live in there and the constant pursuit of the latest hip that, the latest "must-see" this. Some of that mentality is surely creeping into the new DC however.
The biggest initial drawback was how small "urban" DC seemed, even compared to just Manhattan which is what, 1/3rd the physical size of DC? You could always find something new to explore in the NY area, just between Manhattan. Brooklyn and maybe close-in Queens. If transplants are still in their youthful "explorer" phases, DC is quick to exhaust and can get boring. Most also miss the variety and quality of reasonably priced food you can get all over NY. For my tastes NY can keep it nightlife, over-commercialization, flaunted wealth and grime.
The biggest initial drawback was how small "urban" DC seemed, even compared to just Manhattan which is what, 1/3rd the physical size of DC? You could always find something new to explore in the NY area, just between Manhattan. Brooklyn and maybe close-in Queens. If transplants are still in their youthful "explorer" phases, DC is quick to exhaust and can get boring. Most also miss the variety and quality of reasonably priced food you can get all over NY..
How along ago did you move to DC? I haven't found this to be the case at all. There are TONS of food options-- Vietnamese, Ethiopian, Latin, Thai, Chinese, new American, regular American, French, Brazilian, chicken wings, Mediterranean, organic grocery, and a taco stand in about a three block radius of my current location. Oh yeah, and fast food. Yes, DC is physically much smaller, but that can be a plus. Who wants to spend all day sitting on a dirty train or in a stopped taxi?
How along ago did you move to DC? I haven't found this to be the case at all. There are TONS of food options-- Vietnamese, Ethiopian, Latin, Thai, Chinese, new American, regular American, French, Brazilian, chicken wings, Mediterranean, organic grocery, and a taco stand in about a three block radius of my current location. Oh yeah, and fast food. Yes, DC is physically much smaller, but that can be a plus. Who wants to spend all day sitting on a dirty train or in a stopped taxi?
I moved to the DC area in early the 90s. I'm no obnoxious foodie, but I do agree that the restaurants and the food scene in DC has definitely gotten better and more innovative over the years. But I still find it hard to just stumble upon good cheap eat places, many of which are in the far flung suburbs. Also there still just aren't enough diners, breakfast joints, delis and good Chinese places in DC. I lived on the upper east side for a while while in NY--hardly a hotbed of the culinary scene-- but with so much competition, there were a lot of such everyday go-to places there.
obsessive foodie culture anywhere though I just find annoying--- endless arguments about the best pizza and such...give it a rest!
Uhhh..I am not going to freak out over this, because I think its another case of "Everything Is Better Just Because I Am So Hip That I Live In NYC" but I have to refute the claim of "preppy, sterile and boring." DC is amazingly diverse, highly educated and packs in a lot of options for a city of its size. Maybe NYC has better "vibe"-- whatever that is. Personally I think its shorthand for "I am jaded and want to live among people who are just as jaded". I often see "vibe" cited as a reason for loving NYC above all else. I am not a fan of NYC in general due to the sort of elitist attitude expressed above. "DC is not for me, maybe its okay for YOU (read: you prole). Its okay, but what I really mean to say is that its boring, preppy and sterile (and if you possibly dispute this, you, by extension are boring, preppy and sterile. Won't come out and say it, but that's the case.)"
I have had several transplant friends from NYC and they generally fall into two categories:
1. They go back to NYC. They have convinced themselves that even paradise will pale in comparison to the great gotham and they can't live anywhere else. Everything is better, they are better because they are associated with NYC, and you should probably never suggest otherwise, even if they give up a good job to go back.
2. They stick around, giving the place a chance, and get hooked by things like free museums, clean metro stations, beautiful spring times with trees blooming everywhere, job opportunities, less crowding, generally lower cost of living, etc. Often, exposure to a new place can be a jumping off point for a perspective change. DC might get you thinking that there are other cities out there, BESIDES NYC to explore. New places might begin to beckon. Just a thought.
I always giggle when someone says DC is diverse. You mean like blacks in PG and SE, and whites in SW and VA? Or do you mean like Lawyers on K street, and non profit in Dupont Circle. There are HUNDREDS of threads that complain about this in the DC forum. DC is probably OVERALL the most sterile place Ive ever been, (and Ive been to lots of cities). NYC defines diverse, and this is coming from a DC native. Tell me when you see a whole city block of Hasidic Jews, or a REAL Panamanian (not just hispanic) neighbhorhood in DC.
There will be lots lost when you move from NYC, and the most prevelant will be the community, opportunity and integration. I very specifically use the word lost when moving from NYC. When you move from NYC to Chicago, things are "different" same when you move from Seattle to San Fran, when you move from NYC to DC that is an absolute step down.
The good news is that you can find a job here, because DC is practically recession proof (for those with govvie jobs).
I always giggle when someone says DC is diverse. You mean like blacks in PG and SE, and whites in SW and VA? Or do you mean like Lawyers on K street, and non profit in Dupont Circle. There are HUNDREDS of threads that complain about this in the DC forum. DC is probably OVERALL the most sterile place Ive ever been, (and Ive been to lots of cities). NYC defines diverse, and this is coming from a DC native. Tell me when you see a whole city block of Hasidic Jews, or a REAL Panamanian (not just hispanic) neighbhorhood in DC.
There will be lots lost when you move from NYC, and the most prevelant will be the community, opportunity and integration. I very specifically use the word lost when moving from NYC. When you move from NYC to Chicago, things are "different" same when you move from Seattle to San Fran, when you move from NYC to DC that is an absolute step down.
The good news is that you can find a job here, because DC is practically recession proof (for those with govvie jobs).
It's funny how different perspective can be. I moved to DC because (in part) of how diverse it is... To me, it's the most diverse melting pot in the US. On my block alone, i can think of one spanish couple, a south african lady married to an englishman, two germans, a gay asian couple, two frenchman....I grew up in DC with friends from all over: new Zealand, zimbabwe, Portugal, etc. Heck there was even one kid from Fiji. Its the only place in this US where I can regularly hear a half dozen languages spoken at the park; it truly is an international melting pot... If that's not diverse I'm not sure what is.
It's funny how different perspective can be. I moved to DC because (in part) of how diverse it is... To me, it's the most diverse melting pot in the US. On my block alone, i can think of one spanish couple, a south african lady married to an englishman, two germans, a gay asian couple, two frenchman....I grew up in DC with friends from all over: new Zealand, zimbabwe, Portugal, etc. Heck there was even one kid from Fiji. Its the only place in this US where I can regularly hear a half dozen languages spoken at the park; it truly is an international melting pot... If that's not diverse I'm not sure what is.
I agree, I think its all a matter of perspective. DC is definitly a world class city (because of movies and politics) so many will come here. IMO -- I think Chicago is much more diverse than DC, Chicago is just not as integrated (and while DC is no shining star, Chicago sets the bar on "zones"). Example: Chicago has a PR neighbhorhood.....not a hispanic neighborhood, but a bonafide PR neighborhood, I am unaware of a PR neighborhood in DC. And in Chicago, here is the downside if someone from PR was living in the Loop they would get all the funny stares in the world, but south loop or Hyde Park they are fine....
I think DC metro is extremely segregated, less so in the district but its still there. I think there is the melting pot aspect, but you cannot ignore the zoned areas for white and black. That is an ugly mark on DC, that is well hidden outside of the metro area.
Ask anyone not from Chicago where blacks live in Chicago, and its "South side?" ask, anyone not from DC where blacks live, and its like "what do you mean, I thought all people lived together like NYC".
it just seems like people don't
get along well in dc.
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