the ‘burbs don’t bite, I promise

When I lived on the Hill, the last thing I wanted to do was leave the District. In fact, the only trip I would willingly make outside of the District was to Pentagon City (and not just when I worked at the Gap there). I justified it by telling myself that it was ok because Pentagon City has the only metro-accessible DSW in the metropolitan area. Occasionally, when my friend Dave would host his OC viewing parties, I would trek out to VA Square and then hurry home. The less time I spent in the suburbs, the better. It was like the ‘burbs had cooties and I certainly didn’t want cooties from the ‘burbs.

In fact, when my friend Roo Roos lived here, we both were quite the DC snobs. “There’s nothing like living in the city” we’d say time and time again to our poor friend Dave. Dave would make every effort to convince us that life outside the city wasn’t so bad, but Roo Roos and I wouldn’t hear any of it. We were convinced that being in DC was too awesome and that the suburbs were just not good enough for us.

Fast forward to two years ago when I met Jesse. Jesse, who at the time lived in Clifton (which is in Fairfax County if you’ve never heard of it), started his own campaign to prove to me that life outside of the city wasn’t so bad. He’d take me to restaurants I’ve never been (and had never heard of). He’d drive me through the woods (I love how this area has got a whole lot of forests…it reminds me of Redding). He’d take me to the various strip malls and shopping malls that Fairfax has to offer (the boy knows that I love to shop). Still, it wasn’t enough to make me love the suburbs, let alone willingly leave the city for suburban living.

And then Jesse bought the condo in Arlington. It was so nice to have him just a few metro stops away as opposed to a 45 minute metro ride plus a 30 minute car ride. By that time, I had already been spending most of my free time with Jesse in the ‘burbs, so it wasn’t that hard for me to decide to leave the city. I had the opportunity to live with Jesse! Surely I could withstand suburban living to be with the man that I love. Right?

I have to admit, it was hard at first. And to be honest, there was some crying involved. I missed the city. I missed the cute little rowhouse I lived in. I missed walking over to Schnieder’s to get my spirits for the weekend. I missed the convenience of being within a 5 minute walk to Eastern Market. I missed calling the Bistro Italiano when I didn’t feel like making another sandwich for dinner.

While I was doing all of this “missing,” I began to look past the Arlington stereotype. It’s not as sterile as all the brand new condo buildings (that keep popping up like weeds) suggest. (Dare I say it?) Arlington actually has some diversity. It has its charm. I love how there are a million and one places to get some good Peruvian chicken (pollo a la brasa). I love that Salvadoreans have businesses everywhere (restaurants, grocery stores, etc.). I love that the Asian shopping center off of Wilson has those big gaudy arches over the entrance. I love that I finally found authentic Mexican food (in Arlington of all places) at Guajillo. I had the chicken enchiladas with mole there and I thought I was going to cry—they were that good and authentic. I also hate that older buildings are getting bought out and demolished to make way for more cookie cutter condos. With every new condo building, I feel that a bit of Arlington charm is sacrificed.

If you don’t like the suburbs, I totally understand. But have you really spent time in the suburbs? It’s ok. Just venture outside of the DC Bubble. I promise it won’t hurt. If you keep an open mind, you might be surprised to find that you actually kinda like it (even just a little bit). I’ll probably always miss living in the city, but living in the ‘burbs really isn’t that bad.

Really, it’s not.

I swear.

This one’s for you, D. Leaving me the silliest, little comment on my birthday dinner Evite inspired me to write this post.