dc

Last month I celebrated my year anniversary of being a Washingtonian. Over the year I’ve observed a lot of people from every educational, socio-economic, experiential and professional background. Of each of them, I’ve wondered what brought them to Washington. Do people actually set out to create a life here? With the less than stellar prospect of homeownership, crime and corruption, the District is less than desirable to those of us who find the bureaucracy beyond boring. As such, I've frequently brushed Washington off as a minor player in the game of the most sought after cities.

But within the last month, D.C. has been illuminated. It’s literally an empty canvas for fashion, cinema, literature, and music (This is the birthplace of Duke Ellington). My thoughts were confirmed when I found a great description of Washington that I had never imagined someone had articulated. Dr. Richard Florida, an amazing pop economist, said that D.C. is “that ultimate creative center.” Hollywood has celebrity. Boston has education. New York has money. Washington, D.C. possesses all three. It combines influence with power, intellect with imagination, art with ambition (Brewing Culture).

Here I’ve been, living in an eight mile by eight mile area carved out of Maryland and Virginia, and I had no idea that amongst these five million people is a congested, Club-bearing, flow of creative traffic.