Seven

I moved to DC seven months ago last weekend. In honor of that momentous anniversary, here's seven things I love about DC, in no particular order:
1. Free museums. The Met can't be beat and I miss it terribly, but the Smithsonian's breadth is amazing, and it's all free.
2. The architecture: DC in general, and my neighborhood in particular, is full of interesting buildings, neat details, and, of course, major historical sites. I love just walking around looking at things here. And it's all human-scaled which makes it much easier to see. (I've been told by several people that the reason is that nothing can be higher than the Capitol, so I googled to check, and that's actually wrong. Nothing can be more than 20 feet higher than the the width of the street it's on. Interesting!)
3. I love how green DC is. The City of Trees is definitely the greenest city I've ever lived in.
4. Weekly dinners with Hilary.
5. Regular get-togethers with Kristen and Frank, and getting to see Nico grow up.
6. I still can't quite get over the fact I go by the White House every single day. I run by there in the morning, pass it on the bus to and from work, frequently cut through the park in front if I walk home, and shop at the Thursday Farmer's Market just outside the gates. How cool is that?
7. The small town/big city vibe: it's small enough that I run into people I know on a regular basis, and small enough to feel homey, but big enough that there's always something going on, lots of places to go, and many, many fascinating people to talk to.

And, to be even: seven things I hate about DC:
1. The Metro
2. Our lack of representation in Congress. (Yup, surprise surprise, I'm already an ardent supporter of DC's voting rights.) This is what taxation without representation looks like.
3. The protesters and tourists who drop in, take up tons of space (and spew their hate), and forget that people actually live here.
4. The disparities in the city. I don't think the wealth disparities here are greater than they are in NYC, but it's much more segregated out into rich and poor neighborhoods, and overall the disparities here are pretty appalling.
5. The schools (related to 4). Even though I don't have kids, it still bothers me how bad the educational system can be.
6. The humidity. It's inhuman.
7. The drivers. It feels like I'm putting my life at risk every time I cross the street.