If New York and DC Were Classmates

I have been especially nostalgic lately. Being sick and home bound has intensified my retrospective journeys. This time it's DC. The city is truly fascinating. After moving there in August of 2002 I was in disbelief for quite some months that I actually lived in such a gorgeous and prominent city. The history and the architectural beauty of DC is pervasive, and I was overwhelmed not only that I had daily access to all of it's museums, monuments, and political institutions - but that I was a part of it.

When I first arrived in DC I was a little intimidated by the grandness of it all. Sure, New York is an even bigger city but DC is less anonymous and more grandiose in a "you had better behave yourself" sort of way.

The breathtakingly gorgeous streets of the city that made me feel like I was a little girl in a museum. I had a similar feeling when visiting colleges(Rory Gilmore at Harvard). The combination of the well manicured quads and distinct academic buildings, students toting copies of Kant, Herodotus, and Whitman the same feeling watching people in DC reading pages of pending legislation, Washington Post editorials, foreign policy research.

Not only because it it smaller, but because it has more conservative professionals (not necessarily in the Republican sense) who make time to read the Washington Post, the Hill, Roll Call, and the Wall Street Journal, before work. I was delighted that like me, most DC residents watched the Sunday morning talk shows, knew the name of the Secretary of Agrilcuture and the

James Carville and Mary Matlin
knew about pending legislation



If New York and DC were fellow school pupils


. it is brainier, bright-eyed, a rules city that does it's homework, is prepared for pop quizzes, works late and gets us early.



I lived just minutes from the Pentagon and the large windows in my living room faced out toward Reagan National Airport. I loved it, every part of living here. The elegant federal buildings, beautiful parks, monuments, and memorials. It was one thing to absorb the fact that had direct access to all of the amazing destinations in the city that so many tourists flock to throughout the year. But for me it was equally exciting to know that such and such political advisor lived in my neighborhood, that the gaggle of DC restaurants routinely served all of the city's political minds and strategists.


I would hear stories about a certain political reporter ate at a particular restaurant, political ad visors and aides frequented specific bars, some even according depending on their party affiliation.