Where did you move from?
California
How long ago did you move here?
1998
Where do you live and what do you like about the area?
I live on Capitol Hill now, and have for 7 years. Before that, three years in Dupont Circle and one on Upper Conn. NW. Lots to love about this city. What I love most is showing guests my Hill neighborhood, surprising them with the trees, friendly neighbors, walkability, cafes, etc.
Why I moved to the DC Area
I moved here from the West Coast a) because the coin I flipped came up heads (tails would have been Boston) and b) because I wanted to live closer to my family (in CT and NY). I moved by myself, at the end of a long relationship that had run its course. DC is so manageable on foot and by Metro, filled with live music, world-class museums and wonderful neighborhoods. I also found it easy to meet people--on the Metro, in the hallway, at the party--in part because so many of us have come here from elsewhere. There's always a new contingent arriving, whether you are a single 20-something or a mom with kids.
What my biggest challenges have been
Hmm. The very thing that makes DC so interesting--the constant influx of new people--has a flip side, and that is that your close friends may well move away on you :-). This just happened again in my life, so it's hit a nerve. But when I think of the range of people from all over the world I've come to know through my work and social lives, I still say it's worth it even when people go. My family and I are probably lifers here, though.
Advice
- Newcomers to DC should explore everything: the restaurants, the galleries, the most random Metro stops. There are gems everywhere, from the Spanish Steps in Dupont Circle to the German restaurant/grocer near the Presbyterian church where Lincoln once worshiped.
- Realize that Capitol Hill is not just a bunch of pols arguing over picayune details in bills. Real people who have nothing to do with Congress live here! It is a village within the city, filled with trees, the Library of Congress (a museum unto itself and all open to the public), Eastern Market (which always makes me feel like I am shopping in Europe), etc
