10 Things I "Dislike" About Washington, D.C.

OK - I think I've narrowing this down to the top 10, although I can think of many, many more!

1. Politics - I hate them, and that's that.
2. Traffic - The beltway is a mess, the roads in downtown DC, with all those horrid traffic "squares" makes me avoid driving in DC at all cost!
3. Terror Target - The fact that every terrorist in the world would like to obliterate our government and that I live so close to that target, well it's a bit unnerving. I look at it this way - if someone launches a "dirty bomb" it's likely to miss the target by say 20 miles or so and hit my house. At least I won't have to live through the aftermath!
4. Expensive Cost of Living - I'd have to say this is the one area of the country where the median income is well below the cost of living - I might be wrong, but that's how it feels!!
5. Urban Sprawl - It's everywhere, and the farms of the past are just that! Not to mention, every new development has "bigger and better" homes that are starting to look more like monstrosities!
6. Roads - This is the number one reason why my mom dislikes this area - everywhere you go you must get on a road with exits. There are few neighborhood feeling routes to anything and the drivers around here...
7. The Way People Drive - Get that cell phone off your ear!! Of course, it's even worse than that. Due to the issue mentioned above, simple traffic rules, which people around here rarely encounter, become baffling. I find myself sometimes sitting at a four way stop stuck due to the fact that there is rarely any order to this process. Here's how you do it, Marylanders - the person to your right goes first, then the person to his right, his right, etc. It's really not that hard!
8. Unmarked Police Cars - Now, I can't say this has been a problem for me, but I will say I've learned that just about any car at all may be an unmarked police officer. For the benefit of catching all those reckless drivers out there, it's worth it. But being a woman who often travels alone, I still haven't figured out what to do should one of these pull me over - with so many criminals impersonating officers. I think this is extremely creepy!!
9. The Allergy Factor - Can we say "Pollen Count - Out the Roof"! If that was on the scale, we'd be there every day!
10. No Beaches! - The closest real beach is 3 hours away. Enough said.

Now you see why Maryland is just not the place for me. The truth is, T's been holding me here against my will - someone please save me!! (We aren't at all dramatic in this house!)