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I suppose this will read like an open diary but for me, I am in a really tough spot. I am sensitive socially and mainly it’s due to naturally who I am, where I have been culturally, and also my formal training. I have a hard time separating work and my personal life here in this area. But if we are going to have a conversation about "Would you really live in Washington, DC if it weren't for your job", then its only right we discuss what DC would offer a person on various cultural levels besides the job opportunities. And when I say DC, I am referring to mostly the city center itself and not so much the outskirts.
I have finally put my finger on it in regards to me- I personally can't relate DC to DC itself (except for some parts in SE and bordering maryland). When I was in Miami, and even though it was heavily influenced by Latinos, I could relate the feel to the city because there was synergy between the people and the city texture. I simply can't associate DC with anything and I have been here 1 year. Of 7 countries and multiple states, this is the first time. It's really odd for me because I envisioned it prior to coming as I do always when moving. Now living here, I simply can't call it home or see myself here. But it's not that I don't want to see myself here but because it hasn't happened naturally yet as it has in all other places I lived in. And in most cases, I did not want to leave those places and extended up to 2-3 years longer. But when I have traveled to other cities up and down the east coast since moving to DC, I get a sense of identity in other cities and with a type of energy I don't get here in DC. It’s a sense of belonging everyone has that I don't feel from people here. And it’s not in my mind. I have been doing this since 1997.
As far as career and living, I have more opportunities here (for now) than I would anywhere else. So I have to say I am here for the time being only because of my job. It’s also easier living in the nearby suburbs to raise a family in my opinion than up north (NY/NJ where I am originally from) or even Miami in terms of peacefulness, transportation, accessibility, and home life. But outside of that and on a SOCIAL LEVEL, I find myself constantly comparing DC to other major cities for some reason. When I lived in other countries or states, I never did so. I accepted each location for what it was. Living in 3rd world countries with just a few night spots and cable channels without internet, I enjoyed the simple life and hung out with the same people every week- even in my early to mid-20s. Even while living in Missouri, all my peers hated it because there was nothing to do and the nearest mall being 45 min away but I absolutely loved the country side and peacefulness and day to day living.
When it comes to being social and relating, I am the type of person to literally walk up to a person just based off their accents-it’s my knack. I ask Latin Americans where they are from just to strike up conversations with the possibilities I may have lived in their country. I can tell the difference between many Latin American region dialects, most NY borough accents, Asians, know distinction between North and South Jersey accents, Caribbean, and distinguish many European languages. So when I walk into a place or on the metro here in DC, all faces look familiar because I have the ability to remember facial structures and patterns. To me, the DC metro area has very few facial structure patterns for a city that is "supposed" to be multi-cultural comparable to a NY, Miami, Philly, and even parts of Boston. (But people don't go as in depth as I do and so the small details won't be noticed by most) Many will call DC transient but you will also find articles going out of their way to dispute it. Whether transient or not, it’s the fact that there are those along with many articles that need to argue the matter.
From the first day I moved to this area from Miami and drove around DC, I noticed how people were just average looking, not too many hustlers, plenty of the same faces on the metro, women dressed the same, flat shoes, flip flops, no varying accents or skin tones (other than a few central Americans and Africans), and especially minimal varying ethnic groups in the city center aside from tourists. Within an hour, I got the city down to S/SE Asians, middle eastern, very few Europeans, blacks, Africans, whites, and of course Central Americans. And every single social question I had, I did research on the net and as you could imagine, there were tons of the same articles to include CD threads dealing with the negative social aspects of DC being a poor dating city, having no soul, being bland, why everyone hates DC, DC not being hip or cool, not really having any real club life, not having as many musical artists as other major cities, not having as much style or a true fashion district, being very yuppy, and the list goes on. I even went to a BeBe store at the pentagon city mall and asked why most women from DC didn't dress with the cool items they carried and the attendant said they were changing their line to be more professional college friendly. At the time, mostly european/asians shopped for those items. These small details most people don't really think or question but as soon as I bring it up, now everyone becomes an expert at attention to detail. But it doesn't work that way. It is similar to women wearing the same type of high heeled boots during winter. You can walk into a mall and nearly every woman had the same style boot. But the only reason why these things stick out is because in other places, i don't find these issues elsewhere. I don't have to compare to other cities. People generally have their OWN different styles and don't look the same. And if they do, it’s in a city where its probably a culture thing and is generally accepted. But for some reason, DC can't get away from it.
So now, it’s a daily challenge to separate my work life from the day to day comparisons and the constant bashings I read regularly about DC. But what is also affecting this is the constant need in this town in wanting to become “world class”. I find it bizarre that the world class phrase is used so often to describe what DC is “going to become”. It’s something that I have picked up- DC is always getting trashed for not being cool. But now that it is making so much effort to have world class water fronts, shopping city centers near city center, MGM casinos nearby Maryland, and so one can only ask, how mentally ready is DC for all this new look and feel. I get it and I understand it's totally needed. However, the hustler and creative mentality wasn’t here, the ethnic enclaves aren’t here mixing creative innovations, the cultural parades aren’t here, and so what will change? The answer is nothing. The structures will go up but the mentality and people will be likely even more of the stereo typical "button downed"/type A's as everyone mentions and the bashing will continue because it wan't organically grown. It was forced. When it comes to city center, everyone only talks about name brand stores and apartments being rented out but nobody speaks of the other forms of entertainment for the under 40.
Living in Miami, I would go to the hard rock café and unlike the national harbor, it was immediately a place for all ages. From several nightclubs, tattoo parlors, to outside beer bars, pool halls, comedy theatre, restaurants, Latin clubs, steak houses, etc. You could go to bayside, ft Lauderdale, downtown Miami, south beach, etc. National harbor is – I can’t even begin to describe it but it has so much potential. But the problem that I have is that people will get upset and tell me that DC is not meant for that and it is not miami, ny, la, Boston, and it is unique. At the same time, there is this movement to make DC “on par” with other major cities to include its own world class water front. And that is what gets me; you ask where it is, DC is unique. But then you turn around and DC is trying to fit in and erase the “button downed” political stereo types. So I find that aspect very bizarre but most people do not pay attention to that. They say they do but they don’t. I myself have never encountered any of this anywhere else. And this is why it is hard to separate my work with the outside because DC is on this path to world class whereas the other places I have been, they were either already established and nightlife/social activities were beyond reproach or things were simple and accepted. Here, it’s stuck in the middle and DC is trying to find its way but with the mentality of the over 40 group.
But if I was offered a position to another city that had some kind of stable cultural identity with either more ethnic enclaves within the immediate city center, or one recognized local community group, I would move in a heartbeat. I like this area but it’s changing too rapidly structurally without the human touch and it has no identity as to WHAT I AM USED TO but it doesn't make it a bad place to live and raise a family necessarily.
Last edited by halfamazing; 04-30-2014 at 11:19 AM..
I suppose this will read like an open diary but for me, I am in a really tough spot. I am sensitive socially and mainly it’s due to naturally who I am, where I have been culturally, and also my formal training. I have a hard time separating work and my personal life here in this area. But if we are going to have a conversation about "Would you really live in Washington, DC if it weren't for your job", then its only right we discuss what DC would offer a person on various cultural levels besides the job opportunities. And when I say DC, I am referring to mostly the city center itself and not so much the outskirts.
I have finally put my finger on it in regards to me- I personally can't relate DC to DC itself (except for some parts in SE and bordering maryland). When I was in Miami, and even though it was heavily influenced by Latinos, I could relate the feel to the city because there was synergy between the people and the city texture. I simply can't associate DC with anything and I have been here 1 year. Of 7 countries and multiple states, this is the first time. It's really odd for me because I envisioned it prior to coming as I do always when moving. Now living here, I simply can't call it home or see myself here. But it's not that I don't want to see myself here but because it hasn't happened naturally yet as it has in all other places I lived in. And in most cases, I did not want to leave those places and extended up to 2-3 years longer. But when I have traveled to other cities up and down the east coast since moving to DC, I get a sense of identity in other cities and with a type of energy I don't get here in DC. It’s a sense of belonging everyone has that I don't feel from people here. And it’s not in my mind. I have been doing this since 1997.
As far as career and living, I have more opportunities here (for now) than I would anywhere else. So I have to say I am here for the time being only because of my job. It’s also easier living in the nearby suburbs to raise a family in my opinion than up north (NY/NJ where I am originally from) or even Miami in terms of peacefulness, transportation, accessibility, and home life. But outside of that and on a SOCIAL LEVEL, I find myself constantly comparing DC to other major cities for some reason. When I lived in other countries or states, I never did so. I accepted each location for what it was. Living in 3rd world countries with just a few night spots and cable channels without internet, I enjoyed the simple life and hung out with the same people every week- even in my early to mid-20s. Even while living in Missouri, all my peers hated it because there was nothing to do and the nearest mall being 45 min away but I absolutely loved the country side and peacefulness and day to day living.
When it comes to being social and relating, I am the type of person to literally walk up to a person just based off their accents-it’s my knack. I ask Latin Americans where they are from just to strike up conversations with the possibilities I may have lived in their country. I can tell the difference between many Latin American region dialects, most NY borough accents, Asians, know distinction between North and South Jersey accents, Caribbean, and distinguish many European languages. So when I walk into a place or on the metro here in DC, all faces look familiar because I have the ability to remember facial structures and patterns. To me, the DC metro area has very few facial structure patterns for a city that is "supposed" to be multi-cultural comparable to a NY, Miami, Philly, and even parts of Boston. (But people don't go as in depth as I do and so the small details won't be noticed by most) Many will call DC transient but you will also find articles going out of their way to dispute it. Whether transient or not, it’s the fact that there are those along with many articles that need to argue the matter.
From the first day I moved to this area from Miami and drove around DC, I noticed how people were just average looking, not too many hustlers, plenty of the same faces on the metro, women dressed the same, flat shoes, flip flops, no varying accents or skin tones (other than a few central Americans and Africans), and especially minimal varying ethnic groups in the city center aside from tourists. Within an hour, I got the city down to S/SE Asians, middle eastern, very few Europeans, blacks, Africans, whites, and of course Central Americans. And every single social question I had, I did research on the net and as you could imagine, there were tons of the same articles to include CD threads dealing with the negative social aspects of DC being a poor dating city, having no soul, being bland, why everyone hates DC, DC not being hip or cool, not really having any real club life, not having as many musical artists as other major cities, not having as much style or a true fashion district, being very yuppy, and the list goes on. I even went to a BeBe store at the pentagon city mall and asked why most women from DC didn't dress with the cool items they carried and the attendant said they were changing their line to be more professional college friendly. At the time, mostly european/asians shopped for those items. These small details most people don't really think or question but as soon as I bring it up, now everyone becomes an expert at attention to detail. But it doesn't work that way. It is similar to women wearing the same type of high heeled boots during winter. You can walk into a mall and nearly every woman had the same style boot. But the only reason why these things stick out is because in other places, i don't find these issues elsewhere. I don't have to compare to other cities. People generally have their OWN different styles and don't look the same. And if they do, it’s in a city where its probably a culture thing and is generally accepted. But for some reason, DC can't get away from it.
So now, it’s a daily challenge to separate my work life from the day to day comparisons and the constant bashings I read regularly about DC. But what is also affecting this is the constant need in this town in wanting to become “world class”. I find it bizarre that the world class phrase is used so often to describe what DC is “going to become”. It’s something that I have picked up- DC is always getting trashed for not being cool. But now that it is making so much effort to have world class water fronts, shopping city centers near city center, MGM casinos nearby Maryland, and so one can only ask, how mentally ready is DC for all this new look and feel. I get it and I understand it's totally needed. However, the hustler and creative mentality wasn’t here, the ethnic enclaves aren’t here mixing creative innovations, the cultural parades aren’t here, and so what will change? The answer is nothing. The structures will go up but the mentality and people will be likely even more of the stereo typical "button downed"/type A's as everyone mentions and the bashing will continue because it wan't organically grown. It was forced. When it comes to city center, everyone only talks about name brand stores and apartments being rented out but nobody speaks of the other forms of entertainment for the under 40.
Living in Miami, I would go to the hard rock café and unlike the national harbor, it was immediately a place for all ages. From several nightclubs, tattoo parlors, to outside beer bars, pool halls, comedy theatre, restaurants, Latin clubs, steak houses, etc. You could go to bayside, ft Lauderdale, downtown Miami, south beach, etc. National harbor is – I can’t even begin to describe it but it has so much potential. But the problem that I have is that people will get upset and tell me that DC is not meant for that and it is not miami, ny, la, Boston, and it is unique. At the same time, there is this movement to make DC “on par” with other major cities to include its own world class water front. And that is what gets me; you ask where it is, DC is unique. But then you turn around and DC is trying to fit in and erase the “button downed” political stereo types. So I find that aspect very bizarre but most people do not pay attention to that. They say they do but they don’t. I myself have never encountered any of this anywhere else. And this is why it is hard to separate my work with the outside because DC is on this path to world class whereas the other places I have been, they were either already established and nightlife/social activities were beyond reproach or things were simple and accepted. Here, it’s stuck in the middle and DC is trying to find its way but with the mentality of the over 40 group.
But if I was offered a position to another city that had some kind of stable cultural identity with either more ethnic enclaves within the immediate city center, or one recognized local community group, I would move in a heartbeat. I like this area but it’s changing too rapidly structurally without the human touch and it has no identity as to WHAT I AM USED TO but it doesn't make it a bad place to live and raise a family necessarily.
Your opinion is a sharp one and always interesting whether we all agree or not I will admit, but I only have one small issue. You really don't think DC doesn't have any cultural parades? That's a first I've heard someone say....I think DC has a nice plethora of cultural parades appropriate for its size, I wish the Carnival would come back though, would've loved to have seen it in person.
I have finally put my finger on it in regards to me- I personally can't relate DC to DC itself (except for some parts in SE and bordering maryland). When I was in Miami, and even though it was heavily influenced by Latinos, I could relate the feel to the city because there was synergy between the people and the city texture. I simply can't associate DC with anything and I have been here 1 year.
Man, 1 year is way too short a time to get a feel for DC. I've been living in this area for 40+ years and I still find many things about this city and metro area that I didn't see or know about before. On top of that, it is continuously changing.
Having said that, I can understand that living in DC isn't for everyone or everyone's cup of tea. I certainly agree with you on that.
Soon people will not have a choice as it is becoming to pricy for certain professions, mainly the service industry and teaching jobs. I am a teacher, I live an honest life, but I can not afford to live here for too much longer.
Quote:
Originally Posted by G50
It seems like every single person I talk to here doesn't particularly like it and has an exit plan.
Because it is becoming unbearably costly. It is not that a lot of people don't like it, persay, but just that it is too expensive and from a practical standpoint, you have to have an exit plan!
It seems like every single person I talk to here doesn't particularly like it and has an exit plan. And if it weren't for their career they would much rather live somewhere like New York City or California, but can't because they are tied down to their govt. job. It seems like people don't live here out of choice...even the President will flee town once he's done.
Do you live here by choice or do you want to move?
If it wasn't for my job, I would probably choose to relocate to CA (due to the great weather). In all honesty, If I could get a job transfer, I would relocate to a warmer climate, but I have kind of learned to just accept the DC metro area, because it has become home.
Soon people will not have a choice as it is becoming to pricy for certain professions, mainly the service industry and teaching jobs. I am a teacher, I live an honest life, but I can not afford to live here for too much longer.
Because it is becoming unbearably costly. It is not that a lot of people don't like it, persay, but just that it is too expensive and from a practical standpoint, you have to have an exit plan!
Exactly. I grew up here, been here for most of my life. I'm now 35. The cost of living is just simply outrageous at least for being single and for a rental. I see older 1br condos going for over 200k. I mostly like it here. Love the seasons and convenience to outdoor activities, but you're right, it's just not very practical financially. The problem is that it can be alleviated through building more and more (which the whole area is doing right now in beast mode), but that also comes with the added crowding. Long story short, I think it's a comfortable place to live if you earn enough. Otherwise, you end up bouncing around from place to place.
I have to admit, I was confused by your original post and agree with a lot of what stateofnature said. One reason I don't want to move out of the Adams Morgan area is because it's so incredibly convenient (pretty much anything I need is within a 15-20 minute walk: supermarkets, smaller groceries, local shops, hardware stores, pharmacies, restaurants, coffee shops, bars, parks, running/walking trails, vets, dentists, gyms, yoga studios, etc). Right now the only thing I truly need to drive to is Petsmart, and even that is only because I'm picky about the cat food and litter that I buy.
That said, I totally understand not wanting to get rid of your car. Parking isn't the best around here, I'll admit that, but if you're not driving to work it's really not that bad. I and many of my neighbors have our cars here and park on the street. I use my car maybe once a week, but really it's easy for me to go several weeks without using it if I wanted to. There are certain times when the parking is pretty rough, but otherwise it's not a big deal. If you don't need your car on a daily basis and don't mind leaving it on the street (or renting a parking spot somewhere), then it's not really that bad. The only thing I'd definitely recommend is getting a Bumper Bully or some other similar protection.
Fair enough. I think for me, I would just rather live in a place like Bethesda where you can walk everywhere, but still feel like you're not living on top of each other as opposed to Adams Morgan. To me, it's just a little too dense there. I don't need my car everyday, but I do like having more elbow room. It's why I moved out of Manhattan. While I like walkability to an extent, AdMo is a bit much. It feels too concrete when I'm driving through those tightly packed streets. I like outdoors and nature too much. In fact, I spend a lot of time driving to different mountain bike trails, parks, basketball courts, and things like that. Bethesda works better for me because of the easy access in and out of town, even though it's not as diverse.
Fair enough. I think for me, I would just rather live in a place like Bethesda where you can walk everywhere, but still feel like you're not living on top of each other as opposed to Adams Morgan. To me, it's just a little too dense there. I don't need my car everyday, but I do like having more elbow room. It's why I moved out of Manhattan. While I like walkability to an extent, AdMo is a bit much. It feels too concrete when I'm driving through those tightly packed streets. I like outdoors and nature too much. In fact, I spend a lot of time driving to different mountain bike trails, parks, basketball courts, and things like that. Bethesda works better for me because of the easy access in and out of town, even though it's not as diverse.
Adams Morgan is right next to the almost 2,000 acre Rock Creek Park, the biggest urban National Park in the country with wild forest landscapes. I'd say it has better access to nature than Bethesda.
Adams Morgan is right next to the almost 2,000 acre Rock Creek Park, the biggest urban National Park in the country with wild forest landscapes. I'd say it has better access to nature than Bethesda.
Bluefly and I rarely agree, but the proximity to Rock Creek Park in Adams Morgan/Mount Pleasant is great for those needing to commune with nature, go on a nice run, or have a mini-cookout.
Last edited by JD984; 05-15-2014 at 01:39 PM..
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