as it turns out i'm packing up and taking leave from the great city of chicago to take a job at the university of maryland. i went there for an interview, but flew in and out in one day only seeing the airport and the office... so for all intensive purpose - i've never been there. i'm looking to live in the maryland side of the metro-area. from what i understand there are some crazy areas in the dc metro area that should be avoided, however i don't know where those areas are exactly. any helpful hints or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
DC-Metro Area, Anyone?
i could write a whole bunch of stuff, but it's late and i'm beat, so i'll just say that while there are pros and cons to living in this area, just like any other, the cons outweigh the pros, in my opinion. not the least of which is that the weather is often really fucking terrible....boiling hot summers and very cold winters. also, the cost of living, as ben mentioned, is pretty high.
i'm going to be moving back to the west coast, hopefully within the next five years.
Yeah, the summers were pretty fucking awful. So incredibly muggy. "Oppressive heat" was the phrase that always came to mind.
I wouldn't call the winters "very cold," though. (I grew up/currently reside in the lower Great Lakes area, so you know...it gets pretty fucking cold here.) If you're moving from Chicago, I'm sure the mid-Atlantic winter will seem pleasant.
thanks for all your feedback. i found a place yesterday. i'm going to live in silver spring, maryland for the same rent i'm currently paying in chicago. seems pretty nice there. but yeah... weather was disgustingly hot, but i grew up in florida, so i'm hoping i can stomach it.
Here's my opinion, take it however you like:
I lived in Baltimore for about two years, and spent a fair amount of time in DC during that time. Have you ever thought about living in Baltimore and commuting to DC? Lots of folks do it — College Park is pretty accessible via the MARC and MTA, from what I remember, and not only is Baltimore a WAY more affordable place to live, it just always struck me as a way more "real" town, if you catch my drift. Just my two cents.