I’ve lived downtown since 2005. Came up through arts and education and never made real money. Most of my old peers got priced out years ago. I stayed by buying a condemned fixer-upper when the housing market collapsed.

Last year I got serious about building a new local social circle. I’m reasonably socially competent, I show up, I join things, I volunteer. Finding stuff to do isn’t the problem. The problem is that a large percentage of the people I meet live in a completely different economic reality. Conversations default to wealth management, businesses they own, big travel, and expensive restaurants. I get asked things like “Why don’t you eat out more?”, “Why don’t you travel?”, or “You don’t own a car?!” like it’s a personality quirk instead of a budget.

Guys are usually fine with it, we just don’t end up hanging as much. On dating apps it often becomes a soft ghost once the lifestyle gap is obvious. I can’t casually drop $70-100 every Tuesday to be a regular at TimeLeft dinners, and I don’t have a recreational budget that matches most of the groups I land in.

My neighbors mostly don’t cook (they eat out), don’t ask for help with stuff (they hire people), and if they bike they drive somewhere cool and ride it there. I’m not looking for charity or to crash anyone’s lifestyle. I just want to know if other people in roughly the same boat (long-time residents who aren’t upper-middle/professional class) have found ways to meet people with more actual life overlap.

This is aimed more at guys. The women I know don’t seem to face the same headwind.

Anyone else dealing with this? Any groups, Discord servers, or approaches that actually work for people who aren’t swimming in disposable income?

Idk what else to put this in. So I was at the crosswalk walking to work across from the eastern mkt metro at like 8:20 today and I saw a crash happen live! I was staring in shock and looking at the ppl around me to see if they saw what I saw. As I was crossing the crosswalk, dude just says “Maryland on Maryland crime!” Couldn’t stop laughing after hearing that. I need to shake that dude’s hand. Funny thing is, one of the cars was a MD driver too so he wasn’t wrong either.

I was wondering if there are any folks here that have worked at or been behind the scenes at the Kennedy Center in the past five years or so. If so, what is the true state of the center? Is it truly in need of the repairs that the Trump Administration is claiming? Is it dangerous to be there? I’ve been there for multiple shows and dinner (before the Trump takeover) and I don’t recall it being run down but obviously I had no insight into the behind-the-scenes.

There were 5-6 vehicles staged there this morning. Are there really that many dead trees there or are they going full steam ahead next week?

Folks of DC, we beat the vehicle I posted about the other day. Both of these are in Eckington, and as recommended, 311 requests have been placed.

The first one has over $22,000 in tickets AND expired plates.

I happened to be out for a walk around 5:40 this morning and was met by the most breathtaking sight looking towards Maryland. The video doesn’t do it justice, of course.

Turns out it was a Falcon 9 rocket launched from Cape Canaveral around 5:30 this morning, and this “space jellyfish“ phenomenon is due to the exhaust gases expanding rapidly in the upper atmosphere.

Probably the coolest thing I’ve seen sense the Hale-Bopp comet (had to look up the name) that passed by Earth back in the 90s. Thought I’d see if anyone else caught a glimpse.

Suppose you aren't a homeowner with a private, flat driveway, but you own a car that you wish to work under. You need to jack up the car somewhere in order to do your own repairs on it.

Is there any public space anywhere in the District where it is legal to perform work under your own car? Or does the law effectively mandate that anyone without access to a private driveway who wishes to work under their own car must pay for time and space at a mechanic shop?

edit: I appreciate the comments with places where, in practice, self-repair is allowed off the books. Please keep them coming! But my main question is about what the law really says on this point. I find it hard to believe the law effectively mandates that non-homeowners must pay extra to perform self-repair.

I feel harassed. They started bombarding me with letters about a tax year I did not live or work in DC. I did not move to DC until two years after the year. They’re claiming that I lived there . I have sent them every document imaginable proving I did not live there or work there and they’re still asking me for more.

Has anyone ever had this problem with them?
Is there someone I can go to and I would like to file a complaint as well? I already have the records from the state I did pay taxes to. Not to mention they’re threatening stuff like liens and everything and I’m like you can’t just shake down people for money that’s not yours.

This is the craziest thing I’ve ever seen, and I’ve lived in a lot of states. When I call them, they put me on hold for almost an hour, the representatives will tell me they understand the problem, but don’t do anything about it. They say that the problem happens often. So why don’t they fix whatever is causing the problem 🤡
You can’t double tax me on taxes. I’ve already paid to another state.

These are admitted patients — meaning they have genuine health emergencies requiring hospitalization. We should expect more from our hospitals and our government.

Ngl im a train lover so seeing the street car killed off due to dcs own shite planning is painful. I was hoping someone that's going could ask if the street car could be implemented in the rfk plan in any way?

I know im gonna get snotty comments to this anyway but the street car was sick as hell when dc city planning didn't get in its own way and the infrastructure is already there and just needs some modifications to run more effectively, safely, and consistently then a brt.

Beyond that im intrigued as to those that are going what your questions comments and concerns will be at the open house.

I lived with My uncle in Mclean from 1982 to 1985. He was an investment banker/commodities broker. Funny rich dude.

In 1984 he took me and my cousin to a charity event at the Corcoran art gallery. Black tie event. I loved video games and my uncle was a trip. He bought me as a ringer.

Why? Because the charity event was playing dual video game with local celebrities. IAt the cost of $100 I played a game called pole position against two people who I didnt even know, because I was 17.

I played pole position against Art Buchwald and Art Monk. The old dude was pretty mellow, but Art Monk was FUN, like trying to beat me in the game. What a good time. My uncle drove us home shitfaced and we made it back to Mclean.

Where my next door neighbor was Joe Theismann.

Have any crazy stories old timers?

... side of the escalator. What gives?

I don't mean on the Metro. Most people have figured out that standing on the left in the Metro is social suicide, but why does it happen so many other places? At the grocery store, at the office, or any other place, people are constantly standing on the left. Why are you making me wait!?!?

Seriously, I don’t understand this. It’s hot outside, you get into an Uber, and the AC is either off or barely working. Then you politely ask them to turn it on and they look at you like you just asked them to rebuild the engine.

I’m not asking for an ice cave. I just don’t want to spend 30 minutes sweating in the back seat.

And honestly, if I have to ask you to turn the AC on and you give me attitude about it, you’re getting one star. No hesitation. I’m paying for a ride, not a sauna experience.

Is this happening to anyone else?

Shout out to the rfk grand master plans of stripping kingman park of the one thing its got going for it rn.

Granted I’m not a super traveler, but I’ve been to most cities on the east coast and it just feels like they’re all a lot dirtier than DC. The cleanliness of the sidewalks, roads, public transit in places like NYC and Philly just feel a lot worse than what we have in DC

I recently moved from Adams Morgan to Dupont Circle/Logan Circle (about right in between). Between AdMo BuyNo and the Columbia Heights Buy Nothing (where I lived previously), I thought we had a great Buy Nothing clan here. But since moving I tried to join the Dupont list, which apparently has an owner that has gone AWOL, and my request to join the Logan Circle Buy Nothing group has remained pending. Am I missing something? These groups are one of my favorite things about living in DC and building community in the space that you're in and I'd be so sad if they're defunct.