I live here in Washington, DC. I've been here for six years, came for school and never left. I recently imported my younger sister, rescuing her from the thudding monotony of Central Ohio, the only other place I've ever lived. My hometown, Newark, is a part of that disappearing breed: it's a town, not a suburb or a blink and miss it crossroads. I make fun of it a lot, as a self defense against fools who confuse Ohio with Iowa and Idaho, and ask me about corn and potatoes. I tell them, hey, central Ohio's hip. It's a great place. To be from.

DC is beautiful right now, not completely miasmic yet and relatively tourist free (not that there's anything wrong with swamps and tourists...well...) I live in a great part of the city, full of amazing old rowhouses which are being renovated slowly, under the somewhat watchful eye of a neighborhood council that doesn't want to displace lower income people in the neighborhood who have lived there for ages. I work part time in an "Irish" pub, which is where I hear live music. My dad has always loved folk music, world music, and especially Irish music, and I'm finally sufficiently post-adolescent that I don't have to pretend to hate it anymore. There are a few good places to hear music and have a jar here, and contrary to popular belief DC is a great town. Not too big, not too small, beautiful and friendly and full of stuff to do. But we still don't get a commemorative coin, or real representation in Congress, although we do get taxed to all hell and used and abused by damn commuters from Virginia and Maryland.

This is my own version of thread creep, where I start talking about DC's good points and end up ranting about people who don't live in the city messing it up for those who do. Pay me no mind, and come visit and we'll have a drink.