I Heart DC

TNG is taking a much needed break from Dec 19-Jan 4. TNG will return with new content on Jan 5. Until then, please enjoy this post from the past year. Original publish date: 6/26/08.

A recent commenter complained that "most people connect one of two ways: watching TV or complaining" and invited TNG to describe why we choose to stay in DC instead of providing reasons why we aren't moving to NYC. I lived in DC for 12 years before moving to Northern California for grad school. At the end of my 5-semester program, and with no interest in staying on the left coast, I was presented with a unique question: do I move back to DC or move to New York City. I choose DC. As such, I feel that I am in a unique position to explain to people why DC rocks.

Neighborhoods galore.
DC is truly a city of neighborhoods. And what great, diverse neighborhoods they are. Despite their diversity, however, most of DC's neighborhoods have one thing in common: pedestrian scale. They were all developed around the street car, before the dominance of the automobile. As such, these neighborhoods consist of densely packed, street-oriented restaurants and storefronts that promote walkability and make for generally "pleasant" places. From Mt. Pleasant to Cleveland Park, Eastern Market to Brookland, you'll find clusters of retail establishments that give you something to look at as you wander by. And the residential streets are equally pleasant: so many of our streets consist of small houses with tiny front yards that overflow with greenery and flowers. Heck, I even walked past an apple tree last autumn that was bending over with the weight of its apples, which were delicious. The design of these neighborhoods really do a lot to make our streets pleasant places to walk, to be.

Transit that works.
The New York Subway is awesome. It goes everywhere, often, and runs 24x7. I know, I know. How cool would it be to have a subway system in DC that provided that amount of spatial and temporal coverage? Very. But that's never gonna happen. We aren't a large enough city to support so much high-quality transit. (See below.) But that transit system that we do have is pretty damn good. The Metrorail system is probably one of the best rail transit systems in the country, despite all of the challenges we've been facing lately. And those that take the time to figure out the (admittedly) complicated bus system in DC find that you can get lots of places without setting foot into the Metrorail system. I'm lucky enough to live in a neighborhood serviced by 3 major bus lines that can take me to downtown, U. St., Eastern Market, Capitol Hill, Columbia Heights, and upper Northwest. Sure, the bus system could be better. It could run more frequently and be easier to use, but those things will only happen if more people start riding the bus. Without too much extra effort, I live in DC without a car and get around just fine on foot, by bike, or via bus or rail. And for those longer trips off the transit network, there's always zipcar.

Green, green, green.
After spending time in other cities, I've really come to appreciate how very green DC is. There are street trees everywhere that provide beautiful flowers (and sometime beautiful smells) in the springtime, shade from the harsh summer sun in the summer, and (sometimes) beautiful displays of color in the autumn. The District is also blessed with innumerable city and National parks, including the Rock Creek Park, a natural-growth forest double the size of Central Park. It's filled with hiking trails and wildlife, including deer and coyote. Just look at a satellite photo of DC to appreciate how very green it is here, and compare it with NYC or San Francisco. (Just make sure the photos weren't taken in winter.)

Not too big, not too small, just right.
Often people complain that DC feels too small, but that's just because they don't get out of their own neighborhood enough to realize that there are whole other groups of people whose lives center around other dynamic areas of the city. DC has a whole variety of neighborhoods to explore (see above) and new ones coming along now and again. Unfortunately, most of the region's ethnic neighborhoods are located outside of the District and not accessible by Metro. While it would be great to get authentic Thai, South Indian or Vietnamese food any time I want it, the fact that I have to rent a zipcar to get to my favorites makes it all the more amazing when it happens. And the wealth of Ethiopian restaurants keeps me happy. DC will never be New York, but I'm perfectly happy with that. I like the smaller-town feeling that the building height limit produces. While that results in lower densities and less need for high-quality mass transit (see above), it allows for a more relaxed feeling to the streets I navigate every day.

Lefty bent.
Regardless of which political party has the majority in the House or Senate... Regardless of what party's candidate won the most recent presidential election... Regardless of how many conservative interns flood the city every summer with their khaki slacks and blue blazers... Regardless of the political nature of this city, there will always be a thriving undercurrent of liberal, lefty subculture thriving here. Between the DC hardcore scene and indie-pop scene that evolved around TeenBeat/Unrest and Slumberland Records, there has been a long history of independent music and the fun, alcohol-soaked (or straight-edge), tattooed scene that generally accompanies it here in the District and the close-in suburbs. Many a TNG reader has had the opportunity to appreciate aspects of this scene, from a show at the 930 Club to a dance party at the Black Cat or DC9. These venues, as well as newer ones, provide great opportunities to get off the beaten path and avoid the hill staffers and interns who generally (not you, Parker) give DC a reputation for stuffiness and snobbery.

So, there you have it. Five reasons that I love DC. Let the DC-bashing begin.