The City of Cold
Washington's View
All the Washingtonians are going to hate me for this one. And yes, I will admit UP FRONT that I think NYC is way better than DC. I would even place money there 
Nonetheless, urban sociologists (one of my many side careers) have to investigate their surroundings, and take impressions from what they can actually experience.
Two days ago, I was walking to go get my eyebrows waxed. All good stories start like that. I get them done once every three weeks at Bliss Spa in the W Hotel. Fancy Shmancy. In Washington, this location is right across the street from the Department of the Treasury and the White House. To get to it, you have to walk straight through the heart of Northwest Washington. From my office, you can take a route that passes both the World Bank and IMF, and a number of embassies. Yesterday was one of those days where you appreciated the weather more than if it were 85 degrees and sunny. It was awesome, and as I walked and changed the songs on my iPhone every two seconds, I started missing New York.
BOO HOO I know. But seriously, there is something about Washington that makes me feel shut out. The buildings give off the impression that the people within them aren’t ready to come out – ever – and interact with those around them. They can watch you, but you can’t even SEE them without government security clearance.
This city has always represented power in the eyes of many people worldwide, and is obviously a place where powerful decisions are made. You only need to walk past the White House to figure out that power is a really big part of what Washington is about. The lawns are manicured by a team of expert gardeners, and you can’t really get that close. Ever.
Since moving to DC, I have been less than thrilled about the city. It has been fine for its’ purpose of providing a different perspective outside of New York (which I definitely agree), but there’s no warmth for me. There’s no fire and it’s just a place where we live, work, eat, drink, and run.
Recently, I put an end date in my mind to my time here, and it made me think about why DC hasn’t connected with me. Is it really just the buildings that give off the vibe? Why is it that the physical space affects our perception of a place so much?
Cities | Beth Oppenheim March 18, 2010
1 Comment to “The City of Cold”
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By Mehnaz, March 18, 2010 @ 3:53 pm
I totally agree that buildings give off a certain vibe. Some cities are just rush rush rush and big and dominating. Others, like mine, have a city by the sea vibe, which most days keeps you from wanting to play in traffic.
Physical space I think, contributes to our mindset easily. That’s what those visualization exercises are for. We are often a tablet of our environments. They write on us. Waking up on a sunny day is so much easier than waking up on a snowy one!