+- Madison Motorsports (https://forum.mmsports.org)
+-- Forum: Madison Motorsports (https://forum.mmsports.org/forumdisplay.php?fid=3)
+--- Forum: Lounge (https://forum.mmsports.org/forumdisplay.php?fid=6)
+--- Thread: Great article on the terribleness of DC area driving (/showthread.php?tid=10599)
Re: Great article on the terribleness of DC area driving - premiershine9 - 02-27-2014
WRXtranceformed Wrote:HAULN-SS Wrote:I don't doubt that you can find good incomes in different places, but how many options do you get? I think RJ was referencing golden handcuffs talking about being hooked into a certain income level, but it's some other, shittier kind of handcuff where you're making OK money but don't have too many options to change jobs, etc.:lol: There are other thriving metro areas with plenty of good jobs outside of the DC bubble you know.
Most of the people asking the questions in this thread are pretty young, so I would encourage you to rent for a bit wherever you feel comfortable in the DC area and if your job / life allows you to travel to other places in the US then do it. Go with a friend if you have to if you aren't adventurous. I promise you there is a huge likelihood that you will find another city that you would prefer to "put down roots" in.
For those of us that have left and been successful in doing so, I think I can speak for everyone when I say that you don't realize how much the DC area is not super fun to live in until you are gone and experience something better.
^^^^^^^^^
Thank you, Lee.
I packed up from northern NJ and now live in in Mechanicsville. I absolutely love the change, couldn't have made a better decision. Yea, sure, I probably gave up a big salary cut.....then again I didn't want to struggle and just get by for the first 12 years because of the insanely high cost of living in the area I grew up in. Parents gave me 3 months to get out after graduation....thanks mom and dad, I'll gladly get the hell out of NJ.
As for putting roots in... i haven't found that place quite yet, but I know I will.... and it won't be anywhere north of VA that's for sure.
Re: Great article on the terribleness of DC area driving - Jake - 02-28-2014
premiershine9 Wrote:As for putting roots in... i haven't found that place quite yet, but I know I will.... and it won't be anywhere north of VA that's for sure.
Yeah, I don't know where I really want to "end up" yet. I'm enjoying NoVA for now, but do I want to stay right here, where I grew up, etc etc? Probably not.
For those who were asking about commute times, here's an example of how arbitrary they can be. My normal drive from my house to the Vienna metro takes ~25 minutes on Route 29. Today, it took 40. No accidents, no police cars out, no nothing. Just a fuel tanker truck in the right lane (of two lanes) and everyone scared shitless to actually pass him.
Re: Great article on the terribleness of DC area driving - SlimKlim - 02-28-2014
Samantha Wrote:SlimKlim Wrote:I like the idea of living in Lexington
I'm from there. It's good and it's bad growing up there. Prepare for a huge decrease in conveniences. Shopping is literally an all-day (and sometimes overnight) excursion for us. But at the same time, if you do it for family reasons I guess it's pretty awesome. Your kids (if you have/plan to have them) could play outside for days without supervision and no one would nab them. Plus, I made it through 13 years in the public education system there without once being offered drugs or alcohol (but then again, I was a total nerd). I live on 175+ acres of farmland and I have to admit it is amazing being able to step outside at night into total silence (save for the crickets) and be able to clearly see the stars.
Yeah I grew up in Bedford/Roanoke, I know all about being out in the sticks. Walmart is 15 whole minutes from my parent's house, and the good grocery store is a solid 30. You have to actually plan your meals a week in advance because you don't drive by 4 stores and two dozen restaurants on the way home.
When we visit my parents Lauren and I will sit out on the back porch after they've gone to sleep just so she can stare at the stars. She grew up in Fburg and has never really seen them without any light pollution blocking the view.
At any rate, I'm not sure I want to fully commit to the sticks again, I'd like to have a decent sized yard, but still be in a neighborhood. I like the idea of a historic home in Lexington but that's about an hour from Lauren's new company, Charlottesville is 45 minutes which is doable but still on the long side, so we might end up living 15 minutes west of Cville somewhere. Hburg is only 20 minutes, but for some reason I have an aversion to settling down in my own college town. Dunno why.
Re: Great article on the terribleness of DC area driving - ScottyB - 02-28-2014
SlimKlim Wrote:Yeah I grew up in Bedford/Roanoke,
no kidding? yeah you were in the hills, man. my bro-in-law has some relatives out that way that live in a huge beautiful cabin (both his family and mine are in roanoke) and we sat out on the porch at night one time just screwing around, telling stories. heard this bizarre shuffling noise, flipped a light on, and found out that flying squirrels were landing on the bird feeders. i had never seen one in the wild in my life. that's when i knew we were freakin' out there.
SlimKlim Wrote:I'd like to have a decent sized yard, but still be in a neighborhood
this is what we want....its tough to find without spending $texas. people either want no yard to take care of, or if they have property they fill it with a mcmansion.
Re: Great article on the terribleness of DC area driving - SlimKlim - 02-28-2014
ScottyB Wrote:SlimKlim Wrote:Yeah I grew up in Bedford/Roanoke,
no kidding? yeah you were in the hills, man. my bro-in-law has some relatives out that way that live in a huge beautiful cabin (both his family and mine are in roanoke) and we sat out on the porch at night one time just screwing around, telling stories. heard this bizarre shuffling noise, flipped a light on, and found out that flying squirrels were landing on the bird feeders. i had never seen one in the wild in my life. that's when i knew we were freakin' out there.
SlimKlim Wrote:I'd like to have a decent sized yard, but still be in a neighborhood
this is what we want....its tough to find without spending $texas. people either want no yard to take care of, or if they have property they fill it with a mcmansion.
Yessir.
My dad took this standing on our side porch:
![[Image: 1375306_10201608234961628_632659678_n.jpg]](https://scontent-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/t1/1375306_10201608234961628_632659678_n.jpg)
We have 25 acres, five fully fenced pastures, the original 110 year old farmhouse that came with the property and the new one we built in 2003. It is an unreal amount of property maintenance. If my dad isn't at work or doing paperwork, there is a 95% chance he's mowing, trimming or fixing something.
I like the idea of a decent sized house with lots of garage space and maybe an acre of land. I wouldn't mind spending my saturday mornings out mowing and trimming, but I don't want to tie myself to tons of land to try and keep up with.
Re: Great article on the terribleness of DC area driving - Steve85 - 02-28-2014
I commute from Winchester to Chantilly about 3 days a week. Winchester has been a great place to raise our family, with enough to do and easy access to mountains, rivers, parks, etc. For the price of a NOVA townhouse we got a 4 BR house with (previous owner built) in ground pool on an acre in a neighborhood. There are six of us and two dogs so a TH wasn't going to cut it.
The commute is pretty easy for the first 50 minutes - route 50 through horse and wine country and then sucks for the last 20-25 through South Riding / Chantilly. They are widening 50 so it should get better. With all the media available these days it's easy to add value to that time. Heck, it's a nice break in the day where nothing is expected from me, a rarity with where our family is, two older girls and two young boys involved in various activities including a few hours of homework every night.
I get an incredible sense of relief when I hit the merge to one lane on 50 going west. Where it goes from 3 to 2 lanes is fun too, minivans drag race to win the commute - #onecarahead. Our friends here are great, just got hand drawn thank you notes from two of the kids' friends we took skiing a couple weeks ago. That's the sort of sense of community and family we get and give. It's interesting too, most of folks here with "money" are doctors, they aren't the ultra-competitive types.
I'm not saying it's good for single recent college grads, but for us, it checks a lot of boxes while still providing access to the job market in DC. One of those boxes is proximity to aging family members. And owning a fun car out here, is fun. You have try to find an unfun road. Taking the vette to get groceries is fun, taking it to Home Despit is fun...I'd take it to Wal-Mart but I do not have rear window louvers and a lasso on it. Like Evan, I drive it to work on nice days and the traffic in town is just a small part of the drive so no big deal.
I don't think I'd be happy having more time to spend in NOVA as the result of a shorter commute.
Re: Great article on the terribleness of DC area driving - Jewels - 02-28-2014
Having grown up in Winchester. I agree with all that you are saying Steve. When I was a teenager I thought it was the end of it all. My adult life has been spent away from there, but since my parents and brother still live in town, I still get to enjoy the atmosphere. I still enjoy going to the Apple Blossom Parades and hanging with my friends who live or have parents who live along the route. I love the newish downtown scene that when I was growing up just didn't exist.
Re: Great article on the terribleness of DC area driving - SlimKlim - 02-28-2014
Jewels Wrote:When I was a teenager I thought it was the end of it all.
Every kid I went to high school with in Roanoke was filled with existential angst about where they lived. Just this awful little town "in the middle of nowhere" with "nothing to do."
Coming from a farm in Bedford I had no idea what they were bitching about.
Re: Great article on the terribleness of DC area driving - *insertusernamehere* - 02-28-2014
SlimKlim Wrote:
I feel like it must smell awesome out there. My mind created the most awesome natural, clean, fresh, green farm-ey smell as soon as i saw the pic haha. Thats my favorite thing about the country.
Re: Great article on the terribleness of DC area driving - Mike - 02-28-2014
I think what can be summarized here is that a high paying job isn't everything. You definitely want to see something else before you die. The grass might just be greener somewhere else despite your yearly salary not being as high. Live for you. Fuck work. It is the asshole who live to work and own that McMansion that ruin it for the rest of us. Maybe, just maybe, you'll be a lucky dickbag like me and you'll get to take your DC paying job with you
I'm not a proponent of living in the boonies while still working in town. Commuting time is an absolute waste of your life. I did the math once. You couldn't pay me enough to willingly increase my commute.Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go ride my bike from this coffee shop to this exact bench below, work another hour or two, bike home, and chill.
![[Image: View-From-Mt-Tabor-Park.jpg]](http://www.exclusiveportlandrealestate.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/View-From-Mt-Tabor-Park.jpg)
Re: Great article on the terribleness of DC area driving - *insertusernamehere* - 02-28-2014
Goodbye Virginia. When do I graduate?
Mike, what is car culture like on the other side of this continent? In the places that aren't California.
Re: Great article on the terribleness of DC area driving - Ken - 02-28-2014
Mike Wrote:Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go ride my bike from this coffee shop to this exact bench below, work another hour or two, bike home, and chill.
Fuck. I've never had one sentence/image make me want to move more than that.
Re: Great article on the terribleness of DC area driving - .RJ - 02-28-2014
HEY GUYS HAVE YOU HEARD HOW AWESOME PORTLAND IS?!?!?!
Re: Great article on the terribleness of DC area driving - JPolen01 - 02-28-2014
This thread has derailed and has no plans to return to the original course.
Re: Great article on the terribleness of DC area driving - Goodspeed - 02-28-2014
*insertusernamehere* Wrote:Goodbye Virginia. When do I graduate?
Mike, what is car culture like on the other side of this continent? In the places that aren't California.
Re - car culture, I'm sure he or Apoc can chime in, but from what I see there is lots. Half the awesome pics I see from C&C type events seem to come from that area (google Exotics at RTC), there are several tracks (Pacific Raceways, ORP, The Ridge) and on and on. Plus, insanely scenic roads.
Re: Great article on the terribleness of DC area driving - Apoc - 02-28-2014
Goodspeed Wrote:*insertusernamehere* Wrote:Goodbye Virginia. When do I graduate?
Mike, what is car culture like on the other side of this continent? In the places that aren't California.
Re - car culture, I'm sure he or Apoc can chime in, but from what I see there is lots. Half the awesome pics I see from C&C type events seem to come from that area (google Exotics at RTC), there are several tracks (Pacific Raceways, ORP, The Ridge) and on and on. Plus, insanely scenic roads.
I'd say it's not a feverish as DC, but I think part of that is because people are laid back and not feverish about anything. :lol:
That said, there are a couple race tracks within a few hours drive of me... with the closest (Pacific Raceways) being under and hour. There are many, many groups out here so it's just a matter of finding your niche.
Video from a drive around here: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRtbz_4dWxM">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRtbz_4dWxM</a><!-- m -->
Some pics:
![[Image: 1379572_10151615987101744_1357868465_n.jpg]](https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/t1/q73/s720x720/1379572_10151615987101744_1357868465_n.jpg)
![[Image: 966863_10151410415596744_368254867_o.jpg]](https://scontent-a-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/t31/q81/s720x720/966863_10151410415596744_368254867_o.jpg)
![[Image: 921462_10151352066726744_386211644_o.jpg]](https://scontent-a-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/t31/p180x540/921462_10151352066726744_386211644_o.jpg)
![[Image: 407139_10151341455056744_1166553705_n.jpg]](https://scontent-b-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/t1/407139_10151341455056744_1166553705_n.jpg)
Re: Great article on the terribleness of DC area driving - Mike - 02-28-2014
I made it!
![[Image: 1888650_10152292968104396_1870577492_n.jpg]](https://scontent-a-sjc.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/t1/p526x296/1888650_10152292968104396_1870577492_n.jpg)
RJ, don't be bitter.
Car culture is definitely different here. Less high-end shit and more passion I'd say. Volvos, VWs, old trucks, crawling. Lots of classic stuff. The driving is incredible. Even the highways are a dream except for that ruts created by studded tires (WHY!?). The 2.5 hour trip to Seattle is infinitely more bearable than 1.5 to Richmond from DC. And then if you head east or west? 101 or wide open mountains. Your pick.
When Portland stops being better than the amazeballs I thought it would be, I'll pipe down.
Re: Great article on the terribleness of DC area driving - .RJ - 02-28-2014
For the record, the 'you're still an asshole' comment was a joke. Its a night & day difference with Chris moving to the west coast with the attitude & outlook on things - Chris is much less abrasive and confrontational about, well, everything. I dont know how much of it is a change the type of environment, i.e. going from Assburn where there isnt anything to do to living/working in a city where there's tons to do nearby, but part of it I'm sure is the location. I've worked with a lot of people on the west coast, and they generally tend to have a much better work/life balance, far less rushed to get things done at work RIGHT NOW, have much more flexible work arrangements (dress code, hours, dogs on the office, etc) and no one seems to care when you want to fuck off and leave the office at 3pm because its nice outside. East coast people have a real hard time dealing with all of that, I've noticed.
Re: Great article on the terribleness of DC area driving - Mike - 02-28-2014
I just realized I'm on the bench next to that bench I said I was going to work from. S'ok though because some hottie is sitting on that one. Extra s'ok because she's with her husband and my ring is really shiny on this rare sunny February day.
Re: Great article on the terribleness of DC area driving - Mike - 02-28-2014
One thing worth mentioning is jobs. There are only so many cities in the US where you might not be screwed if you suddenly find yourself looking. I'd caution anyone from looking at any place not within reasonable commuting distance of a major city. That is unless you freelance or something. Then move to Montana or Wyoming because it is silly there.