Sunday, January 16, 2011

Missing Washington, DC


Last week I wrote about the crazy energy I felt returning to Washington, DC for a visit. And I know that I've written a lot over the past few months about all the wonderful things about moving to Salt Lake City and the things that I do not miss from my life in Washington, DC. I don't mean to sound negative when I write about those things. Washington was my home for a very long time, and in some ways it will always be a home to me, and there are a lot of wonderful things about the place.

The other day a colleague asked me if I missed anything about DC. My response was "only my friends." It is true that the thing I miss the most is all of the people I love who live there. However, having just spent a few days hanging out in DC, I was reminded of many other things I do miss about the place:

  • My friends - former colleagues, old friends, newer friends, friends of friends, family. Living in a place for like Washington, DC for 20 years, where people come and go and return, I have created many networks and groups of friends. I love and miss all of them. This will always be the number one thing I miss.
  • The Potomac river, Roosevelt Island and the C&O Canal. Hiking in these places. Seeing the change of the seasons.
  • Driving through Rock Creek Park. For six years I drove to work through RCP. Commuting was not fun, but if you have to do it, that was a good route to drive. 
  • Walking across the Memorial Bridge. 
  • Driving from VA to DC across any of the bridges and seeing the moon rise up over the city, huge and low to the sky.
  • The architecture. I miss looking at all the beautiful houses in the different neighborhoods.
  • Chopt. Best salads ever. I miss you all the time. Please come to Salt Lake City! Please come to the west coast.
  • Driving by all the monuments - day or night.
  • The international flavor of the city and the fact that there are always interesting and fun things going on.
  • Happy hours in Dupont Circle.
  • Axis - my hair salon for many, many years.
  • The African taxi drivers.
  • Going out to dinner at the enormous number of excellent restaurants.
  • Neighborhoods - there are some places (bars, restaurants, coffee shops, stores) and things I love and miss about all of them: Dupont, downtown, Georgetown, U Street, Logan Circle, H Street, Capitol Hill, etc.
  • Being able to walk the city.
This list is not exhaustive...just what comes to mind at the moment.

If you lived in Washington, DC and moved, what things do you miss about the place and the life that you lived there?

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