"The things she loathes about the city include the weather ("unbearable"), the vibe ("people in Washington love to identify as productive"), the size ("you cannot look both ways to cross the street without seeing someone you wish to not know"), the sheer volume of other political reporters ("as if what repulses me about them is not what I see of myself in them")"
"To Nuzzi, DC is a "place where you cannot live, really," where stepping outside for some air means encountering John Kerry or Newt Gingrich and realizing that "those two are not even close to the worst people whose lives are devoted in one way or another to ensuring that they never have to leave Washington," the kinds of people that "can always get a table from Franco at Cafe Milano""
Washington D.C. is portrayed as claustrophobic, with weather described as unbearable and streets too small to avoid acquaintances. The social atmosphere emphasizes productivity and performative connections, with an abundance of political reporters and perpetual social events that begin buzzlessly. Encounters with prominent figures on the street underscore a population devoted to never leaving the city and to exclusive privileges, such as always getting a table at Cafe Milano. Ritualized greetings like 'nice to see you' substitute for 'nice to meet you,' functioning as a defensive, status-signaling salutation. The acceptance of these social uglinesses becomes rationalized as utility.
Read at Washingtonian - The website that Washington lives by.
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