Maryland, the New Jersey of DC

Maryland is to Washington, DC as New Jersey is to New York.

Not just that they are in proximity, more of a difference in the way of life and the people who live there.

I should qualify that statement, I've lived in both New York and New Jersey, therefore I am entitled to have an opinion on which is better.

Maryland is too close in proximity to it's northern neighbors for it's own good. There are too many similarities in government and attitudes between New Jersey and Maryland that one would hope. Not only that, there is an attitude of those who live and work in Washington that somehow Maryland is inferior to DC and Virginia.

Don't get me wrong there are some really really nice parts of Maryland and some very old and historically significant neighborhoods just outside the District. Yet when you're in Maryland there is a different feel to the atmosphere, a more "in your face" attitude and an all around disrespect for others that is less prevalent across the Potomac.

You find the same thing when you cross the Hudson from New York to New Jersey. While they are close in proximity there is a harshness about northern New Jersey that is unequaled in its neighbors to the east. Again, just like Maryland, New Jersey has some really nice neighborhoods and some very wealthy people, but the atmosphere there is also "in your face" and "I'll break your knee-caps."

Hence I will always in my mind associate the relationship of Maryland and Virginia to that of New York and New Jersey.

Facebook cleansing

They say you should wash your face everyday, but how many of us have a dirty Facebook?

I went in the other day and I had about 250 "friends," many of whom I don't know very well and some that I've never even met in person. Some of these "friends" regularly post things that I don't want to appearing on my homepage feed. Sometimes they post inappropriate comments.

So the other night I found myself going through my "friends" and removing anyone who I haven't had personal contact with since we became Facebook friends. Turns out those who remained were people I want to keep track of, mostly family a few friends and a handful of acquaintances. I cut out over 100 people!

It's amazing, all of a sudden I'm seeing the posts from people who were typically pushed off my home page by the random mass of posts from "friends."

I think that everyone should try cleaning their Facebook every now and then.

No Wireless Network

It seems that ever since I traded my Smartphone for a regular cell phone that I haven't been able to post as often. Sure my bill is $35 less a month and I don't get bothered with work related emails, but I miss the small things.

I used to sit on the train and connect to the wireless network via Bluetooth and spend the commute blogging and doing other things to occupy my time. I miss that I could open up Google Maps and it would give me an estimate of where I was, sometimes it was even close, but at least I could tell what city and state I was in and get directions home.

I must admit that without the wireless network I've been able to do a lot more iPod listening and even a bit of sleeping during my commute. But between work and taking care of the baby at home, it would be nice to be able to sit on the train and blog.

So here is my late night, nearly 3 month later post, to get something up online. Hope you enjoyed it.

The good trains

It's been two weeks since I left New York and so far I don't miss it. It always takes a while to get used to a new area and how things are done but one thing is very much the same, the trains.

Riding the train to Washington, DC is not the same as riding the train into Manhattan. For example, the conductors are never quite sure whether or not they've checked your ticket. The trains are newer and double-decker since there aren't any tunnels to go through and that means more comfortable seats with more room. So people aren't so crammed on the trains as in New York.

There is a "Quiet car" on each train where people aren't allowed to use their cell phones or talk loudly, the down side is that they don't make announcements either, so be sure you're on the correct train before you sit in the quiet car.

The station where I get on the train near my apartment doesn't have a platform so the conductors only open the doors in two places and get out with stools to allow the riders to climb up inside. There really isn't a line so people just sort of push together without touching each other. Amongst this the riders are still more courteous than New Yorkers.

When the train gets to Union Station the riders begin to line up back from the door the same as in New York only in New York all those people lining up will get off the train before you if you don't shove into the line before it starts moving. In Washington the riders in the line wait like in an airplane for those in the seats ahead of them to get out. It's nice but slows down the process if you're in a hurry. The best advice is to get in line and move as close to the door as you can and past as many rows of seats as you can.

But getting off the train quickly won't help you out unless you are in the front car. Everyone walks really slow down the platform, I can't even take a full step. Then they all squish through a couple of doors into the station and then down a single escalator to get to the Metro trains. The best thing to do is probably just sit on the train for a minute and let it all clear up.

However you do it, no matter what, it still feels more laid back then the commute to Manhattan. It makes things feel less stressful when you can leisurely commute, it adds a little bit to your day and takes a little less from your soul.

The Movers

Although we've done our fair share of moving we've only used movers twice in the past. When you hire movers there is a lot to think about, how much should you pay, do you get the extra protection coverage, etc. Both times we've used movers it was paid for by my company and we didn't get to choose, it was Allied.

They did such a good job packing us up and replacing the TV stand they broke that it was an easy decision to go with them for a third time around. This time I had to see the price though, and it was more to move us to Maryland than it cost the company to move us from Seattle to New York. I'm guessing that the company has some sort of discount program with Allied that I won't be able to use this time.

So we will foot the bill out of my signing bonus and cover any of the differences ourselves. The good news is that we won't need to worry about packing the apartment we're letting them take care of that. It's the least I could do for my wife after she takes care of the baby while I'm at work everyday.

Now all we need is for our brand new apartment to be ready on time. We are scheduled to move in May 8 but they won't guarantee anything and just say that it depends on the county inspections.

Cross your fingers for us.

Maryland, here we come!!

We've been in New York for slightly less than 2 years, of course this was our second time around in the area, but I am glad to say that I've taken a job in Washington, DC and we will be leaving in about 2 1/2 weeks.

While New York has its good points it's hard not to become calloused by the difficult circumstances of working and living in a place with so many people. It's probably one of the only cities in the world where you can be surrounded by millions of people and feel totally alone. With all of the panhandlers and people handing out fliers on the street it becomes easy to ignore everything going on, you become cynical and hardened.

I made a trip to Seattle last fall and my coworker and I couldn't figure out why people were honking at us, we were just crossing the street just like we would in Manhattan, on the "Don't Walk" signal. The drivers were freaked out that we would even attempt to cross while they were making left turns in front of us. It's a daily occurrence that a car gets within 2 inches from my foot as I cross 5th avenue, and I think nothing of stepping out in front of a car as it stops for the red light.

I'm looking forward to leaving all of this behind and beginning a new job in a new city with my wife and baby.

Dogs on the train

Every now and again you will see someone bringing a dog onto the train. Animals are generally not allowed to ride the rails but some people don’t care where they take their dogs. I’ve even seen them at the grocery store riding in the same carts where I put my produce, gives new meaning to washing your vegetables before eating them. Only occasionally do you see someone who actually has a legitimate reason to bring their dog on the train. Tonight it was a gray haired blind man.

The dog sniffed around and took him to a nearly empty seat. The dog immediately ducked under the seat and lay down next to his master’s feet. The blind man felt around and made his way into the seat. The woman across from him looked only slightly concerned that the dog had pushed passed her to lay down. But even a sleeping dog at a man’s feet was not enough to stop an overweight Italian man from attempting to get into the only other seat on the 4-seater, the man practically stepping on the poor animal’s head as he squeezed into a seat that only a child should sit.

Twenty minutes into the ride and the yellow lab guide dog is calmly sniffing the floor of the train to see if there is anything worth licking up, hoping that his master will drop one of the Fritos he’s eating. He gives up on his dream and lays his head back down patiently waiting until it’s time to get up and help his master off the train.

At the Peekskill station the dog sits there as all the people walk by. An Asian man actually stops and bends down to touch the dog, something that the dog obviously didn't expect and jerked his head backwards as if to say, "hey, what the heck!"

I couldn't help but want to take a picture of the good 'ole dog. What can I say, I'm a sucker for little girls and labs.