New York has ruined me

[dragojustine]

So I'm looking for someplace to live in DC over the summer, and it's tough. The problem, basically, is that a commute of longer than 45 minutes seems completely inhumane to me. Plus, it seems inconceivable to live someplace that doesn't have, with a roughly five-block radius, a subway stop, at least three different kinds of restaurants (at least one 24-hour delivery), two bars, a drugstore, and a basic grocery store (also 24 hours). And this is a bare minimum, you understand, much less than where I'm living now. Plus, I keep looking at possible addresses in google maps satellite view, and it turns out that seeing expanses of parking lots now makes me a little bit sick to my stomach.

I have reached the somewhat distressing conclusion: I can never, ever, move away from New York. In less than nine months, this city has ruined me. I mean, this is DC I'm trying to move to, it's not like I'm going back to Texas or something. But still. Parking lots everywhere. That's just... terrible.

Comments

[hilarytamar]

Having parking lots everywhere is an offense against everything right and true and decent and human. They're just soul-sucking, and the tiny desperate trees they always plant, stranded in their islands, just make things worse.

And DC is bristling with the damned things, too: why, my cousin lived in DC for years, and she had to put up with living first in a place in the middle of a national park with a tree-shaded rooftop terrace and then barely a block from 16th & U, and can you believe I actually know somebody who has to choose between having Ethiopian food and Turkish food delivered to her apartment on Friday nights? Or else walk a couple minutes to the three blocks of bars or one of the three grocery stores, or else pick up something from the Target on top of the Metro station on the way home from work, but what a drag, you know? And she has to trudge down the Mall all the way from the Capitol to the White House whenever she wants to stretch her legs after work, and there's this garden show or something coming up.

It's brave of you to come to DC, truly it is. I'll do my best to shelter you from the riff-raff of parking lots.

ETA a shorter version: I won't blame NYC for Newark if you don't blame DC for suburban Rockville.

[fakymcfakerson]

You. Are. Adorable.

There are cities out there other than NYC that have what you desire. DC, yes. Chicago, perhaps, kind of. Perhaps even San Francisco to some extent. Philly may come close. There's also the international set- Toronto, London, Paris, Berlin, Kyoto (and perhaps Tokyo again soon enough)... etc. You're not trapped.

You are correct to be sickened by parking lots. I know it doesn't help, per se, but sometimes it quells the nausea if you say "it's permeable pavement and being used as a park and ride. it's ok, it'll be ok. there's transit nearby." even if that is a blatant lie. kind of like "this rollercoaster ride will not kill me" or "i'm sure this place passed its last health inspection with flying colors and is perfectly legit."

[rusty_halo]

I am so totally with you.