I hope my faithful readers will accept my apologies; I have added no blog entries in the last few days. I had grand plans to do a few interesting things, but the weather was uncooperative, and my time was mostly spent on the computer job-hunting and sending out resumes and cover letters. While these activities were clearly vital, they are not terribly interesting to read about.
But, since I am a vastly intelligent and incredibly considerate blogger (please hold the laughter), I have saved a few topics for dry spells (or wet weather spells) such as these.
Without further ado, here are my Top 10 Reasons for Moving to the DC Area:
10) For some reason, over the last few years, I've developed a desire to live in or near a big city, use mass transportation, and just generally enjoy some of the advantages a big city offers.
9) The economy in the DC area isn't expected to suffer as much as it is in other areas. Many jobs here depend directly or indirectly on the federal government, and the government - last time I checked - is not going away. I've read that they expect the economy here to grow by 2.5% by the end of 2010.
8) As noted in one of my previous entries (Link HERE), this is a truly international city. Every day I am amazed at the diversity of people, cultures, languages, etc.
7) As someone who grew up camping, but has gotten away from it in recent years, I like the proximity to the mountains and other outdoor recreation. I am seventy-six miles from the northern end of Skyline Drive and the Shenandoah National Park, and there are countless other parks, lakes, rivers, ski areas and biking trails within reasonable driving distance.
6) I am intrigued by the cultural opportunities here. There is certainly no shortage of museums, concerts, sporting events, etc. For a town its size, Gainesville had a nice offering of cultural experiences, but, seriously, can anyplace compare to the DC museums?
5) As noted in one of my previous entries (Link HERE), the history and mystery here are unmatched. Sometimes it seems like every street and building has some story to tell or some secret to hide.
4) The challenge of being in a new place and being forced to think, improvise and adapt is very appealing. Living in the same town for twenty-seven years has its advantages, but, in my case, portions of my brain went into hibernation.
3) There is a lifetime worth of Civil War exploring to be done here. There is much to learn just about the city itself during the war - political as well as military events. By the war's end, Washington DC was surrounded by more than thirty-seven miles of fortified lines, including no fewer than sixty-eight forts, over twenty miles of rifle pits, four picket stations and ninety-three separate batteries of artillery containing over 1,500 guns. Even now, the names of the parks and neighborhoods trace their origins to the war: Ft. Slocum Park, Ft. Davis Park, Ft. Reno Park, Ft. Bayard Park, Battery Kemble Park, Ft. Washington, Ft. Myer Heights, Stronghold, and more. Even the area around the Metro station where I sometimes change trains is called Ft. Totten.
That's just IN the city. Once you get out into Maryland and Virginia... holy cow. It is said that there were 10,000 Civil War battles or skirmishes, and it has been estimated that 60% of them occurred in Virginia. On top of that, the chair in which I now sit is seventy-one miles from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It is fifty-eight miles from Sharpsburg, Maryland (Antietam). And it is forty-one miles from Harper's Ferry, West Virginia. You get the picture...
2) As much as I like reflecting on history, here I have the opportunity to witness history in the making. With President Obama in office, and the political climate changing (I hope), it seems like these will be interesting times to live in the nation's capital.
1) And the number one reason for moving to this area... (drum roll)... being over thirty-five and single in Gainesville sucks.
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