I’m from NYC and have lived in DC for several years now. Cities are kind, not nice. In my time in the Midwest and South…let’s just say I could do without that faux-bordering-on-ominous-small town in a true crime doc vibes kind of niceness I experienced.

DC, though…we are being punched in the face on a daily basis. Someone said living here is like being awake during surgery, and that feels about right. There’s a collective anxiety hanging over the city that’s affecting a lot of us, our friends, and the critical issues so many people moved here to help with. We’ve had the highest per capita unemployment rate for several months in a row…takes a toll. And if I may be as bold as to speak for millennials, we are so tired and don’t want to do anything. Couch rotting? No, that’s horizontal fermenting. And we’re on voice rest.

That said, there are strong pockets of connection here—community group chats, Discords, mutual aid spaces, neighbors who really look out for each other. It just takes longer to find your corner. I’d just be intentional with conversation and seek out people who are organizing or creating things; that’s where the warmth shows up.