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GreatWhiteNorth said:
Just went to the Holocaust Museum here in DC. Wow...no words.
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I am the biggest museum nerd, even interned at a couple museums. If I could've made a decent living doing so, I would've made a career of it. The feelings they evoke are very much real. Crazy how simple objects can tell such powerful stories.
 
It's astonishing. Horrifying. That and the photo of the mounds of human hair that were taken from Auschwitz...I think they said over 7 tons of hair? Unspeakable.
 
Also, the model of what the process looked like when they funneled everyone into the gas chamber...your mind just doesn't want to comprehend what you're seeing.
 
We lived up in DC when the Holocaust Museum opened. It took months for us to get in there. I remember that visit more clearly than just about everything else from our time up there.
 
I went when I was probably only 14 or 15 and I still don't ever remember having a sense of depression that severe in my life as I did when I walked out of that place. It was a very odd feeling for hours afterward.
 
GreatWhiteNorth said:
Just went to the Holocaust Museum here in DC. Wow...no words.
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Was that your first time? I went as a kid and couldn't really fully grasp it, but that room full of shoes hit me pretty hard for some reason. I'd like to go back.
 
GreatWhiteNorth said:
Also, the model of what the process looked like when they funneled everyone into the gas chamber...your mind just doesn't want to comprehend what you're seeing.
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As i just said, i was young so don't remember that pic, but if you've ever seen the movie "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" there's a scene where they show people being hurded into the gas chamber. It's so sad.
 
BenTenn said:
As i just said, i was young so don't remember that pic, but if you've ever seen the movie "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" there's a scene where they show people being hurded into the gas chamber. It's so sad.
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Yeah, I had never been before. And this thing was an actual 3D model...all white. Apparently there is an identical one at the memorial in Auschwitz.
 
GreatWhiteNorth said:
Pretty ashamed to admit I lived here for two years and didn't go to a lot of these museums...
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Ive been to DC twice and both times the Washington Monument was closed for renovation. I really wanted to go up there. I've done most of the other museums and monuments. My grandfather was in the Army and the Korean War and was stationed in Germany twice, they're big military history people.
 
GreatWhiteNorth said:
Pretty ashamed to admit I lived here for two years and didn't go to a lot of these museums...
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How long ago did you live there? I am currently look at grad programs and a decent amount of them would put me in D.C. What are your thoughts on the city? Anyone else that has experience there can chime in also.
 
Archer said:
How long ago did you live there? I am currently look at grad programs and a decent amount of them would put me in D.C. What are your thoughts on the city? Anyone else that has experience there can chime in also.
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Mrs Verc and I spent two years in the DC area right after we got married. Granted this was 20 years ago, but I've been back many times and it doesn't seem like much has changed. I really enjoyed living up there -- it seemed like everybody you'd sit next to in the bars had something interesting to say. Everyone was coming from somewhere else, or going somewhere else, or doing something interesting -- I mean, I like to sit in bars and talk to strangers and DC was a great place for it. There's a lot to do, most of which is free (which was great for us right out of college). The area is reasonably affordable as long as you're not trying to buy a house.

We lived in northern Virginia, which worked out great. We were in walking distance to a Metro stop and a very short drive to Old Town Alexandria, which is full of bars and restaurants. I was in grad school at American University for a year, which I didn't particularly love, but that was more my program than anything. We met a lot of people from everywhere, some of whom are still our friends; it was a great place to spend a couple of years in our early 20s. Recommended.
 
Archer said:
How long ago did you live there? I am currently look at grad programs and a decent amount of them would put me in D.C. What are your thoughts on the city? Anyone else that has experience there can chime in also.
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I lived there from 2004-2006.

DC is not for me. Big city life is not for me. The general consensus I got from most of my coworkers and other people who have been here is that it's a great place to visit, but most didn't enjoy living here. For a short term deal, it would be ok. It's just so crowded everywhere you go, and traffic is an absolute killer.

I will say that the Crystal City area where I'm staying and training is very, very nice. I lived in Springfield, VA which is as close as I could be and still afford to buy a small townhouse. Springfield wasn't bad, but the commute sucked and it just takes forever to get anywhere by car. I used to run into prisoners I had dealt with on the Metro regularly, so I wasn't crazy about using public transit.

Good luck with your decision.
 
GreatWhiteNorth said:
LOL...Verc and I had opposite experiences. Different strokes.
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Haha, yes. I like living in a city. However, I had my life arranged up in DC -- like I've subsequently always had it arranged here in Atlanta -- where traffic was anything more than an occasional nuisance, because 1) we were young enough that we weren't even thinking about buying a house, and 2) I liked taking the Metro. A crushing commute would be a deal-breaker for me too.
 
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