Aside from 4 years of college in Philly, I’ve spent my entire life in Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. To be more specific, after being born in Alexandria Hospital, I’ve spent my years in Springfield, Kingstowne, Fairfax Station, Leesburg and Ashburn. The more eagle-eyed among you will have noticed that’s all in Northern Virginia, but decidedly outside the Beltway. Anyone familiar with the area knows just how… consistent… my experience has been.
30 years is a long time. Naturally, I’ve had plenty of opportunity to develop a love/hate relationship with the city (and surrounding area) and develop one I did. As my time winds down in the area and I spent my last Thanksgiving as a resident of the east coast, I’m slowly coming to the conclusion there are a bunch of things I will and will not miss. What are these things? I’m glad you asked! Here are five of each (in no particular order) that come to mind when I think about what I’m leaving behind. Note this isn’t about missing my friends or that great sushi place we love, but rather the things that seem so uniquely D.C.
5 Things I Won’t Miss
- The oppressive summer weather
- The Washington Redskins, their fans and their crappy fight song
- Traffic, especially the Beltway
- Taxes – WA has no state income or property tax (smaller excise tax on cars) and real estate is lower
- Staying up until midnight to watch Sunday and Monday Night Football
5 Things I Will Miss
- How snow is a huge deal and everyone freaks out
- Attending events at big name places like Ford’s Theatre and Library of Congress
- The Shenandoah Mountains
- Driving by the National Christmas tree on the way to Caps games
- Bob Ryan
So it’s a bit of a weird list, but they are the things that have come to me. The big ones are pretty obvious; it’s the smaller things that really start to add up and become a cause for sentiment. Regardless, it feels like a lifetime of experiences. I bet I’ll have more after some time on the left coast, so maybe I’ll write an update about “differences.” Until then, cheers D.C.!
Bonus Thing I Will Miss – The ceiling of some Metro stations.