I was born and I grew up here, in the city. D.C. has always been subdued type of place. Whenever I fly back to D.C. it starts even at the airport. I see mostly people who are stressed, and appear self-isolated. Compared to say Los Angeles, Atlanta, Miami, or even NYC, where I might have flow in from, I notice the clothing right away; it’s dark and bland, so perfectly expressing an introverted, depressed state of mind.
I was born and I grew up here, in the city. D.C. has always been subdued type of place.
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I too was born, lived, and worked in DC for a total of 68 years. The week I retired I sold my home and headed for a recently purchased farm in the mountains 150 miles to the west. But it never occurred to me that D.C. was an overly subdued type of place, so I find your perspective fascinating!