You’re lucky if you live in Washington DC. There are so many wonderful museums and sights to visit and you can even find inexpensive Washington National Airport parking every time you need to travel.
But it’s also possible that when you leave the DC area, you’ll miss a lot of sights that you took for granted. So, here are some of the things that may have you feeling homesick:
- The multicultural vibe. Washington is extremely multicultural and in this aspect, it rivals even NYC. When the population of a city is extremely diverse, you enjoy a sense of open-mindedness and tolerance while cultural differences are actually celebrated. That’s not always the prevalent atmosphere in many other areas of the world.
- The fantastic cuisine.Washington DC is a foodie’s city, and again that’s because of multiculturalism. With people coming from so many different cultures, you can try out various cuisines from all over the world. That includes Ethiopian food, as the city is actually one of the major enclaves of Ethiopians outside of Africa itself. Here you can enjoy Afghani kebabs served from food trucks, and the curry dishes are wonderfully authentic. Then of course if you’re away from Washington you’ll eventually the large spicy hotdog covered in spicy chili.
- The formality of streetwear.At first you may actually want to leave a city where everyone seems to wear a suit day in and day out. It’s fun to go somewhere else where people dress more casually. But then after a while, you’ll miss that DC vibe where everyone seems to dress smartly. When you’re in a tourist spot where people don’t seem to care what you wear, it can get sartorially tiresome after a while.
- The free cultural events.When you get to the UK or to Continental Europe, many of the museums and centers for culture and arts may require an entrance fee. That’s in stark contrast to Washington DC. At the DC Smithsonian museums, it’s free admission. At the Kennedy Center you can also enjoy plenty of free concerts. You also just pay what you can at the Wooly Mammoth Theater.
- The reliable efficiency of getting things done.In DC, a lot of the people are what you’d call “Type A” personalities. They’re all ambitious and competitive. So just about everything works very quickly, and things get done. It can be a very jarring experience when you’re in another city where the bureaucracy works at a snail’s pace, and where people expect bribes simply for them to do their jobs. In some countries, getting a visa can be a paperwork nightmare.
- It’s easier to get around in Washington.The layout of the capital city makes a lot of sense, especially when you compare it to the haphazard ways other cities can be set up. In Washington, it’s a lot easier to get around even if you’re a newbie to the city, as the alphabetical and numerical streets cross one another. You have the Washington Metro, which is not bad at all.
So yes, it’s true that Washington DC doesn’t have a fantastic beach, and there are no castles here with centuries of history either. But then you may get to a beach somewhere, and sooner rather than later you’ll just want to get back home to good old Washington.
