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Are Tats Taboo?
NY Times: We Take It Back: Washington, D.C. Actually Lame
Hope Floats
Young, Rich People In D.C. Feel Guilty About Youth, Riches
Dirty Diana
WashPo's "Weddings And Relationships": Newest Best Guilty Pleasure
Hollywood On The Potomac: Brad Pitt Visits The Hill
Underemployed D.C. Douchebags Are Depressed By Recession
Tuesday, 9:07am
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BearDownCBears
12/11/09

In reply to NY Times: We Take It Back: Washington, D.C. Actually Lame
I'd wager a good portion of the growth in the past ten years was due to the war(s). Northern Virginia basically consists of defense contractors. When the wars dwindle (and c'mon, you guys, they will), I wonder if the job market will stay buoyant around here.
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CuriousSue
12/10/09

In reply to Are Tats Taboo?
ew, i hope they stay out of the mainstream for the sake of my eyes.
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Ms Meghan is Reppin' the Triforce
12/10/09

@CuriousSue: I'm pretty sure tattoos are more mainstream than you think. Also way to be super judgemental.
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CuriousSue
12/11/09

@Ms Meghan: It's not about being judgmental. I'm allowed to find them unattractive just as you find them attractive.
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Snizzy-Snazz Bullets
12/10/09

In reply to Are Tats Taboo?

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Snizzy-Snazz Bullets
12/10/09

In reply to Are Tats Taboo?
I'm a tattoo artist. I know a lot of you find tattoos disgusting, which is a shame. Please understand, there is a ton of talent out there. The one above is by Rachi Brains.
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Edited by Snizzy-Snazz Bullets at 12/10/09 6:14 PM

Snizzy-Snazz Bullets
12/10/09

@Snizzy-Snazz Bullets: And this is by my friend Scott.
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RipCurl
12/10/09

In reply to NY Times: We Take It Back: Washington, D.C. Actually Lame
As a DC area native, many things about this article ring true. A typical social interaction begins something like this:

"Hi, my name's Jane."

"Hi, I'm John."

"Nice to meet you, John. So, what do you do?"

Jane doesn't mean "What do you like to do for fun?" or "What do you when you go out on weekends?" She means, "What's your job?" When she asks what your job is, she's really asking "How ambitious are you?" And ambition in this town means seeking political power. Money and fame are nice perks, too, but aren't necessary for success in DC.
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Clare116
12/10/09

@RipCurl: Totally true that it's a common question, but I don't think people are always quite so mercenary in their reasons.

Because DC is such a company town, there's an excellent chance that you'll have some tiny degree of separation with almost anyone, and you can chat about people/issues/whatever that you might have in common. It's like going to a college party and asking someone what his major is, or asking "Bride or groom?" at a wedding. Not the most original question, but not necessarily a power play.

Certainly there are people who ask the question and then do a mental calculation of where you stand, and those people suck. But some people are just making conversation.

I lived in DC for many years and I've since moved away but frequently visit. I have an oddball, one-of-a-kind job now, and it's hilarious to have a DC person ask the "What do you do?" question and then watch my weirdo answer short-circuit their brains. Some people are THRILLED to talk about non-government stuff; other people just do not know what to say next.
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RipCurl
12/11/09

@Clare116: Ha ha - yes, you're right. Maybe I just need a new job!
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Gavagirl
12/10/09

In reply to Are Tats Taboo?
I've been saying for years that I'm going to get a Waldo tattoo. But I ain't sayin' where. :-)
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Dorilys
12/10/09

In reply to Are Tats Taboo?
Awwww.... I was hoping people would put up pics of their tats so I could appreciate them.

Also, I am a tatted up scientist.
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Edited by Dorilys at 12/10/09 5:14 PM Dorilys was starred Dorilys was unstarred

cirocco
12/10/09

@Dorilys: Snizzy-snazz just posted a couple of beauts upthread. I'm loving the Carmen Miranda giraffe.
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hollygirl
12/10/09

In reply to Are Tats Taboo?
The hospital where I work has a "no visible tatoos" HR policy. It seems so retrograde, I kind of can't believe they can get away with it.
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Flackette Goes Retro
12/10/09

In reply to Are Tats Taboo?
My 97 year old great-grandfather has what is supposed to be a naked lady on his forearm, done when he was 16, in a barn, by a buddy who had borrowed some tattoo equipment. All I know is that nearly a century of working outdoors as a farmer has been rough on the ole gal. Her boobs aren't what they used to be.

Lesson: Do not someone tattoo you in a barn with vintage 1928 equipment.
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PaintedTrollop
12/10/09

In reply to Are Tats Taboo?
I worked in a nursing home when I was 16, and saw all kinds of saggy old Naval tattoos that had run together. Not pretty on saggy old guys. I never wanted a tattoo. My daughter has a few. I made her wait till she was 18, which made her grumpy, but she got over it. Tattoos and piercings are like long hair and hippie clothes were for my generation. It will be interesting to see what's next.
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MoonCat82
12/10/09

@PaintedTrollop: i really like the saggy tattoos for some reason. it kind of reminds me they were younger and wilder once.
my grandkids will know i wasn't always the cookies-baking, sweater-kitting white haired grandma they know!
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Tequila Cinco
12/10/09

In reply to NY Times: We Take It Back: Washington, D.C. Actually Lame
You out of town Jezzies are welcome to visit to further research, but for the love of baby jeebus, plz to stand to the right.
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Thus Spake KATE!
12/10/09

@Tequila Cinco: seriously. no one likes an escaleftor.
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emfish55
12/10/09

In reply to NY Times: We Take It Back: Washington, D.C. Actually Lame
I love how half the stories about D.C. "nightlife" will profile embassy events or Capital Hill bars and assume that represents D.C.'s social scene. I go out 5 or 6 times a week in D.C. I've never been to an embassy party, my friends don't own brownstones in Georgetown, and I hit a bar on Capital Hill maybe 2 or 3 times a year.

The problem is, when the NYT wants to profile our fair city, they talk to D.C. "stars", who tend to be politicians and government fixtures. D.C. is unlike NY or LA in this way. The vast majority of real, permanent residents in no way aspire to live like or mingle with Ben Bernanke or the Clintons. You might mention if you have a "celebrity" siting, but the percentage of the population that either lives in that world or actively seeks to live in that world is pretty small. And dull.

It's just incredibly foreign to the NYT to think that I could work 10 blocks from the White House every day and not be angling for invites to Rahm's place or trying to become friends with a Hill staffer who could get me in good with Nancy Pelosi. One of the things I love about D.C. is how people aspire to something more interesting than fame, power, or riches. Most people I know aspire to have adventures, meet interesting people, do something meaningful, and learn new things. I'm not saying such people don't exist in NY. I'm saying that such people don't work for the NYT.
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ronniedobbs
12/10/09

@emfish55: I like this comment very much.
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yeahisaidit
12/10/09

@emfish55: Agreed -- though I'd add that L.A. has a similar inaccurate image. I've lived in L.A. most of my life and the vast majority of residents are not trying to be or live like celebrities or stalk them in nightclubs. It's a massive city with unlimited cultural resources, but the media makes it out like it's just Hollywood and beach (and those are also more interesting than the image allows).
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emfish55
12/10/09

@yeahisaidit: Very true. I actually love Los Angeles, and have seriously considered moving there (the main issue being that the job market in my industry is much better on the East coast). But whenever I say I love L.A., people act shocked. I do think it makes a difference, in L.A., if you have a support network in place. I have family there and a group of my friends moved there after high school and have stayed. So when I'm there, I always have people with whom to go out and experience the great food and culture. But I think a lot of people's interaction with L.A. is visiting on business or vacation, not knowing anyone, and finding it hard to get around and hard to know where the "good" stuff is. In a way, D.C. has the same problem. Because much of the population is pretty transient, and D.C. is such a tourist destination, many people who come here never see the "real" city.

Of course, the same is true of NY -- it took me years of visiting before I felt like I was starting to experience the city the way it's meant to be. Not that it keeps the NYT from acting like the arbiter of all things urban and good.
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BuffySummers
12/10/09

In reply to Are Tats Taboo?
I once saw a question on Yelp that was, paraphrasing: "Where can I go in Chicago to meet guys with tattoos?"

Someone said, "Everywhere?"

I think that about sums it up.
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amowls
12/10/09

In reply to NY Times: We Take It Back: Washington, D.C. Actually Lame
No, DC sucks and here's a good example:
Vice recently put out a guide to DC/Richmond and 3/4s of the guide was dedicated to Richmond. DC has so few cool places to hang out, I dread going back for the holidays.
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LaFemme
12/10/09

@amowls: Yeah, that was one of my gripes. You can definitely be someone who doesn't go out downtown or in Georgetown and still be bored as shit of all the places on U. St./14th/Columbia Heights/H St because...there are just not that many bars/restaurants/lounges that are cool. There are some decent places. But like, 2 weeks worth.
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amowls
12/10/09

@LaFemme: And even if a new bar opens up and starts out cool, it gets over run with frat bros/guys who used to be in frats and work on the hill but still have the frat mentality.
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LaFemme
12/10/09

@amowls: Cafe St. Ex anyone?
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Thus Spake KATE!
12/10/09

@LaFemme: you're best bet is to get away from the bar districts and try to find neighborhood joints.
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LaFemme
12/10/09

@KATE!: Yeah...that's kind of a bitch though when you live in like...Logan Circle. How bad do you want it, you know?
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Thus Spake KATE!
12/10/09

@LaFemme: hahah. i feel that.

the liquor store i always buy my kegs from is in logan circle. you should just always have a keg-at-hand and then you'll have no need to go to bar, ever.
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mysterygirl
12/10/09

In reply to NY Times: We Take It Back: Washington, D.C. Actually Lame
I'd like to echo anyone below who's stood up for DC-- I'm a firm believer that if you're bored in DC, then you're boring, because there are always bands to hear, art to see, museums to explore, readings and talks to attend, sporting events to watch (whether professional or local) or participate in, and bars and coffee shops and restaurants featuring a wide variety of cuisine. There are tons of businesses and even entire neighborhoods that aren't laden with obnoxious, status-hungry political drones. I have lived in DC for five years and in the surrounding area for two years before that, and I've actually only ever met one person who works on the Hill; all of my friends are involved in the arts or work for non-profits. Tons of smart, interesting people, many of whom care about making a difference, converge on the city, so it's easy to find an interesting conversation. I don't look like I fell out of an Ann Taylor Loft, and neither do my friends and colleagues. This town, like any other town, is all about the places you seek out and the opportunities you take advantage of. You could live in New York and not take advantage of all it has to offer; the same is true --on a smaller scale, of course-- of DC.
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Edited by mysterygirl at 12/10/09 3:49 PM mysterygirl was starred mysterygirl was unstarred

subpolka
12/10/09

@mysterygirl: I completely agree. I've lived in or immediately outside of the city for every one of my thirty years and have yet to find DC "boring" or "culturally conservative".

Then again, I wasn't one of the attendees at the state dinner on the Hill where these "insights" were culled.
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mysterygirl promoted this comment subpolka was starred subpolka was unstarred

And so had his...you know.
12/10/09

@mysterygirl: But Vice Magazine didn't have quirky, Diablo Cody-esque things to say about DC! How can this be true!
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mysterygirl promoted this comment Edited by And so had his...you know. at 12/10/09 4:59 PM

Dakota_55
12/10/09

@mysterygirl: I agree very much! I'm aDC lifer and am never 'bored'. You have to make it for yourself, that is true anywhere. And, alternately, all the stereotypes are there if you seek them out. Although the Ann Taylor-bots have GOTS to go.
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mysterygirl promoted this comment Dakota_55 was starred Dakota_55 was unstarred

the zeeba is galápagosing it up!
12/10/09

@mysterygirl: such a beautiful city. I live a short metro ride away, but god I would kill for one of those adorable townhouses. wherever you go there's free entertainment, beautiful scenery, and there's history EVERYWHERE.

plus, my idea of fun is going to the museum or the zoo.
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