I’d forgotten that just slightly over a year ago, I started a thread here asking people for input on my pending relocation to the DC area. I’ve been re-reading my thoughts and the advice given in the thread and comparing them to what my experience has been like over the last 10 months. It’s both mundane and pointless, but I felt like sharing.
First, a few generalities:
[ul]
[li]Mexican food has been every bit the travesty I was warned it would be. [/li]In my original thread, I made this bold prediction: “Something else will likely replace the Mexican void in my east coast life. I’m a fan of a lot of other cuisines, so we’ll just wing it.” So, that was utter bullshit. Boy do we miss Mexican food. We’ve eaten at several “Mexican” restaurants that have been varying levels of decent, but as others had noted but I failed to absorb, most “Mexican” restaurants are run by Salvadoreans. I like Salvadorean food, but they are very different cuisines. In looking back, I am seeing that some Dopers made recommendations for specific Mexican restaurants (La Fondita came up, in particular), and it’s long past time we started hitting these places up.
[li]I loved my first winter (except for the blizzard). [/li]jsgoddess can attest to the fact that I was like a little kid during my first (and second, and several subsequent) snow events. I drove in it a few times and didn’t find it to be all that dire, though I had a hard time getting out of my neighborhood on one occasion because it’s a bit of an uphill climb, and the roads were icy. Still, I managed to avert driving disaster. I did not, however, enjoy being stuck in my house for four days during the blizzard because we were last on the priority list to get plowed. Also, snow shoveling sucks.
[li]Spring was amazing, though short. [/li]After winter, seeing the leaves grow back and all of the colors I’d never seen before was spectacular. The cherry blossoms were gorgeous. It was all gorgeous. Loved it. And I’m still constantly pleased by how green things are in general compared to living in the desert.
[li]WTF with the Metro? [/li]I’d heard complaints about the Red Line before I got here, but all this nonsense with the fires and shut downs and such…damn. This morning, I ended up walking to work (near the soon-to-be Trump Hotel) from NoMa after being suddenly kicked off the train due to some unspecified mechanical failure. I am really, really not looking forward to the three weeks in August where part of the Red Line will be shut down, and I’ll be working from home as much as possible during that time. And, even when it’s working properly, I’m spending over $15/day commuting. It’s kind of insane.
[li]I walk far more than I ever thought I would. [/li]During the winter and spring (not so much yet during the summer), I really enjoyed getting out of the office on my lunch break and just walking around the District. Some of that I’d probably find interesting in any new city, but I really find the varying architecture combined with the monuments and the greenery to be pleasant. Walking is just pleasurable for me, now. That being said, however…
[li]I now hate tourists. [/li]I always thought of LA as a big tourist city, but I spent most of my time in downtown LA, and there aren’t many tourists hanging out there. DC? Now that’s a tourist city. I had no idea how obnoxious it would get when you’re trying to cross a street and have to negotiate through a crowd of 20 people ambling toward you, not having any idea where they’re going and not paying the slightest bit of attention to anything around them. And now that schools are getting out, it can only get worse.
[/ul]
Now, some nods to specific folks. Jcwoman noted that one of the reasons traffic is so bad out here is the lack of a grid system and alternate routes. It is beyond stupid to me that the most direct route from my home to downtown is to take city streets for 45 minutes, even though I don’t live all that far from access to interstates. Roads that I think I should be able to use as shortcuts don’t go where I think they ought to go. They just curve back onto themselves or head off into random directions. I would be dead in the water without GPS, even in my own neighborhood.
Omar Little recommended Hard Times Cafe. While we don’t eat there super often, I am always very, VERY happy when we do. That is just good (and oh-so-very heavy) food. And I don’t know if we’re lucky or what, but we’ve never had a wait or had it be particularly crowded when we’ve gone.
NAF1138 pointed out that I’d have a hard time following west coast baseball from here. Suffice to say that’s been true. Most nights, I wake up somewhere between 3-4am, go to the bathroom, check the Dodger score on my phone, and go back to bed. On the plus side, while the Dodgers and Indians are still far and away my favorite teams, we’ve started following and enjoying the Orioles. Love, love, love Camden Yards. Oh, and NAF1138—I’m planning on making a short trip to Philly when the Dodgers are up there in August, so if you’re still offering a cheesesteak, I’m in.
P-man noted that people don’t like to use turn signals out here. I mean, I see that everywhere, but yes, it seems particularly pronounced out here. What the hell, people? Also, people here seem to drive the larger suburban streets the way people in LA drive the freeways: “Why are you only driving 15 miles over the speed limit? Get out of my way!” Tailgating is real, here. On the other hand, people here don’t seem to have a clue when it comes to merging onto highways and interstates. It should not take you two miles to get up to speed, folks.
oft wears hats mentioned Astro’s Fried Chicken & Donuts. I stumbled on it one day because it’s not far from my office. GOOD fried chicken. But the donuts did not impress me. In fact, nothing about any donut I’ve had so far in DC has impressed me. Granted, in LA, there’s a donut shop on every corner, and I’m probably far better off not having easy access to good donuts. But damn, every once in a while, I’d really like a good fried cake donut with the white frosting and the sprinkles, and I haven’t any seen one out here.
Wendell Wagner mentioned Nando’s. Very tasty stuff. Possibly one of my wife’s favorites since we’ve been here. We don’t make it often enough.
Finally, I’d just like to point out that several people in that thread suggested it was time for a DC Dopefest. So…when is the DC Dopefest?
And I’m a little embarrassed to say that I haven’t had dim sum out here, yet. But that’s really a group activity, and I’ve yet to acquire a group!
