>1. What is the biggest difference between living in DC vs visiting DC?

As a DC resident, you have no representation in Congress. That's a pretty big deal.

>2. I'd love to be able to not own a car. How doable is that?

Entirely doable. The DC Metro system is not as reliable as the NY Subway, but it works. There are buses all over, too. You can basically go anywhere within the city or the adjoining suburbs using mass transit, and there are plentiful bike lanes if you are a risk taker.

>3. For people who are familiar with both cities, how would you compare DC vs NYC?

People here are less considerate. It's less convenient for commerce because almost nothing it open 24-7 anymore.

2. Very doable without a car! 40% of DC households are car-free. There is a good growing protected cycle infrastructure. Many neighborhoods have everything you need within walking distance. Stay within a 15 minute walk of a metro and a nearby grocery and you’re good.

I haven't had a car since 2019, it's pretty easy. Main thing I miss is being able to go to all the good spots in the burbs for food.

You don't have to deal with hill people if you don't want to.

I don't know what visiting DC is like.

Vs NYC you will have a harder time getting cheap food from various cuisines INSIDE the city (our chinatown isn't comparable whatsoever, no trini roti shops unless you wanna pay like 17 bucks in brighwood park), but there are tons of options in the burbs. Trains don't run as often, and the stations are more spread out. Our bars close earlier.

Definitely doable to live in DC without a car. I own a car and love the freedom to easily range far beyond the city, but even in my neighborhood where the nearest Metro station is not convenient, I easily rode the bus to work this morning.

I think you can ask yourself what the difference between visiting NYC versus living there is and you’ll have the answer to that question.

Personally NYC has that sort of dirty, seedy feeling all over whereas in DC that’s more concentrated and otherwise it’s easy to determine what areas you are comfortable living or walking in.

[deleted]

I got rid of my car when I moved here! Never thought I would but the metro is fantastic. Definitely make sure you're in walking distance to a metro stop.

Development professional here. Yes, ample job opportunities.

I find Baltimore a bit easier to live in...more affordable, less traffic, less I AM THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON IN THE WORLD vibe.

It has fewer funky neighborhoods and shops, but other than that, it's not terribly different. I moved from SF and found DC very livable, although that was when things were a lot cheaper in terms of housing.

[deleted]

[deleted]

We’re considering the opp - leaving DC for NYC, even though it would be slightly more expensive for us. I usually spend a few weeks out of the year in Brooklyn the last few years

1. Living vs visiting - the humidity is disgusting in the summer time. And the mosquitoes are a different breed. Air is noticeably cleaner here than NYC.

But it’s like any place you make home, you can find stuff to do every single night of the week or not! Less concrete jungle and calmer - much easier to go hiking/ biking/ SUP if you want on weekends. Free museums whenever. Or you can easily bar hop.

Groceries aren’t taxed but juices/ soda and prepared food are (which I think is similar to NYC if I remember right.)

Taxes in DC are slightly lower than NY (7% vs 9% roughly if I recall)

It’s so hard to find a good slice of pizza! And to be at the right location. Andy’s, wiseguys, etc just do not compare to any of the slices you can get so easily in NY. (My current fav slice is table 87)

I think food scene in DC isn’t great. Suburbs food scene isn’t as fancy, but it is good. I honestly found DC more expensive while NY is much easier to have a satisfactory meal at the same price point. Some solid choices around but not as much as NY. Eating out here is 10% tax.

2. definitely doable to live here without a car.

• only upside to getting a car is being able to go to suburbs/ specialty stores/ wineries/ friends who live there. Or medical appointments not close to a station.
• get capital bike share. (If you get a bike, have two bike locks, but don’t expect to leave it alone for long. Keep it in apt, never bike room. Will likely get stolen.)
• between buses, circulator, bikeshade and metro you should be mostly fine.
• while metro is much cleaner than NY, the constant delays and work make it frustrating to take. The delays/ weekend work in Brooklyn were like nothing compared to what goes on here.
• while you can easily walk to another stop within like 10 min in most places in NY, here stops are more spread out. Try to live near a metro stop

DC is a quieter/ smaller/ calmer version of a major city. You get all the benefits of being in a big city but still have it feel like a small town. While NYC has way more going on and different boroughs you can go to, DC instead has VA and MD. Depends on what kind of life you want to have. I think in/ around DC you meet a lot more ppl who have hobbies outside of work… while in NY ppl I knew/ met, were very focused on the grind. You’ll still have ppl who are only about work/ networking tho so ymmv here.

Most of my friend groups don’t really talk about work even tho we’re all either govt, nonprofit or govt adjacent - You’ll learn govt acronyms real fast tho bc those do come up a lot at least when meeting new ppl or someone complaining shot something that happened. Instead of meeting someone who worked at some fancy design agency or tech start up for example, you might meet someone who works on the hill or lobbying. You’re more likely to meet a consultant that works at any 3 letter agency or a fed.

I think you tend to be more in the know with what happens in politics/ govt just by living here. Some sort of program or event will impact someone you know somehow