In my last post I divulged some things I’ll miss now that we no longer live in Washington, D.C. But the city has plenty of quirks and annoyances that I’m very glad to leave behind. I had a love-hate relationship with some things, so they made it on both lists.
1. Lack of Parking
Spending 25 or 30 minutes looking for a parking spot is never fun.
2. The Metro (Subway)
While I’ll miss the easy commute to work, I’m happy to leave behind the Metro’s constant delays, overcrowded-ness, and rising fares.
3. Rude People
As Kimberly pointed out when gushing about Minnesota Nice, people in D.C. can be very unfriendly.
4. Politics
I love the political atmosphere and buzz in D.C., but only to a point. Too many people are too consumed with politics to care about anything else. I think this contributes to the rude personalities.
5. High Cost of Living
D.C. is extremely expensive. It’s not quite as expensive as New York, but with so many people living on nonprofit salaries, it’s pretty pricey. (And in New York you can find street-corner vendors and $2 falafel sandwiches. In D.C., the only thing cheaper than a $5 Potbelly sandwich is a $1.50 half smoke.)
6. Transient Nature
In part because of the changing politics and to high cost of living, moving seems like the only constant in D.C. If you’re not from D.C. and/or you don’t have family there, chances are you arrive, stay for maybe 3 or 4 years, and move away. It’s sad when so many friends have left that you can’t keep track.
photo credit: beej55
7. D.C. USPS/UPS/FedEx
Numerous pieces of my mail and packages were lost or returned to sender — even though the address was correct. At first I thought this was just my bad luck, but it turns out lots of people in D.C. have this problem.
8. Safety Issues
Most parts of D.C. are safe — despite the tourists who clutch their purses to their chests like any one of their fellow metro passengers might rip them away — but it’s very much a checkerboard. And you know a city isn’t totally safe when USPS/UPS/FedEx refuses to leave packages on stoops in the city as they may get stolen.
9. Bureaucracy
Whether it’s getting your car inspected by the DMV or simply getting a parking permit for a moving truck, the stereotypical government bureaucracy runs rampant in the city.
10. Impossible to Escape
If you live almost anywhere within the city itself, you’ll find that there are few major roads that allow you to quickly and easily get out of or around the city. It shouldn’t take 30 minutes to drive the 4 miles from Capitol Hill to Georgetown in no traffic, but it always does.
D.C — You were good to me the last four years and I’ll think back fondly of you while munching on empanadas in Argentina, but there are some things I won’t ever miss.
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{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
The transient nature is always what bothered me the most. It seems as soon as you met someone and became close to them, either they or you were off to somewhere else. I also think it inhibits any real sense of “community.”
I was really surprised to find #2 on your list, complaining about the metro system.
In your “about” section, you describe yourself and your co-founder as “committed to reducing [your] environmental impact”. The public transportation that is so accessible in major cities is a gift to people with this mission! We are able to get around the city with relative ease, anywhere from New Carrolton to Vienna without driving in a gas-guzzling car. Yes, it’s gettin more expensive, I definitely agree. And is it fun to be crammed in a subway car with a bunch of other people at 5:05pm who all want to get home from work? Nah. I agree. However, I’m just really surprised that you would complain about a fully functioning and really successful public transportation system when your site is all about green travel. Would you rather live in a city or suburb where you HAD to drive your car everywhere? Not me.
And 30 minutes from Capitol Hill to Georgetown without traffic? No way. In traffic, sure. But no traffic? That’s a total exaggeration. You’re misrepresenting the city to people who don’t know it.
Lastly, I’m not sure why you’re driving around looking for parking for 30 minutes if you live IN the city (you seem to live in the city since you complain about steep rent prices). Why are you driving? Why aren’t you taking the bus or metroing?
I’m so confused! Is this a site about green travel, or about people who own cars in a city that has a great public transportation system and use them to drive because they are too lazy to walk 10 minutes to the closest station?
We all need to be more appreciative for the great luxuries we have in our first world lives.
@Cristina – Thanks for your feedback. You´ll notice that the Metro is on my list of things I will miss abut DC too. (http://gogreentravelgreen.com/green-recreation/10-things-ill-miss-about-washington-dc/ )
The Metro is a true love-hate relationship! Of course I´ll miss the public transportation, but I don´t miss the delays and crowdedness. Also, having a car was necessary for us because we have a dog and needed to be able to take her to the vet and kennel. (She was old couldn´t walk all the way to the vet). We drove it only a few times a month.
How did you find a photo of my moving truck? We totally moved…with trucks packed to the brim like Sanford and Son… every year of the 6 years we lived in the DC area. I don’t miss it at all, and I think you touched on all the “issues” that bugged me while I lived there.
And I HATED the metro, hated being packed into it like a can of sardines, hated when someone would take over half of my seat, but now that we are in Seattle I would kill for such public transportation.
I think it is perfectly sensible to complain about the metro system. It does a poor job at what it should be doing. Is it better we have it than, not having anything? Yes. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t deserve complaints. I want to support mass transit (and do, I take it to work) but that doesn’t mean I like the experience they have provided. And I am much happier when I telecommute and avoid it altogether.
Frankly, the DC you describe is just that of a “transient” resident who never bothered to dig too deep.
@Andy – I spent nearly four years in DC and truly enjoyed it. If you had read my 10 Things I’ll Miss about Washington DC post http://gogreentravelgreen.com/green-recreation/10-things-ill-miss-about-washington-dc/ you’d see just that. The positives of the city outweigh the negatives.
@john hunter et al. you have clearly never lived in a different u.s. city with such an extensive subway system if you think d.c.’s “does a poor job at what it should be doing.” i’ve lived in and visited all of the u.s. and the d.c. subway system is probably simultaneously the cleanest, most efficient, most on-time, fastest and, frankly, least crowded. the fact is that it services a lot less people than most systems that extensive do. this doesn’t mean there aren’t room for complaints, but your statement is hyperbolic. i would venture to say it’s almost as good as some of the more efficient european systems.
Hey – liked your list. As a born and bred DCer, I see a lot of reasonable things. The worst thing for me is the way people here take themselves too seriously. Lighten up, DC!
I agree with you about the Washington dc area.I moved to North carolina and I lived there for 3 years and I am sorry I moved back here.I cant afford to live on my own so I am forced to live with my mother.Traffic is terrible and people are so rude. No one around here has a sence of humor.When my friends from North Carolina they were shocked at how rude people were.They couldnt wait to leave.I have no desire to stay here.
My goal is to move back to North Carolina and I will never have anything to do with the Washington dc area again.
What a great post on Hybrid Car Negatives! Seriously, some of your best work. I can’t argue with one word of it, and I just subscribed to your feed. In the future, how about a post on ANCHOR_TEXT%? Cheers!