DC from the outside

I really enjoyed this posting on the Washington Post's Close to Home section about how journalists and readers in various parts of the country think about Washington, DC: What 'Washington, D.C.' Means to Them.

As someone who lived and worked in DC for several years (many years ago), I've seen both sides. It's a fascinating place, both for the government activities and the real life of the residents. But it's also a puzzle and an embarassment, sometimes, to Americans in the rest of the country. There are some gems here (I wish they'd gotten a Florida opinion). Among them, Brian Dickerson from Detroit:

...we think of you whenever we step onto the Detroit subway.
Hey, wait a minute. We don't have a subway!
...when those of us who've visited our nation's capital think of Washington, it's with a peculiar combination of pride and resentment, the way you might think about an especially well-turned-out deadbeat dad.
But we do think of you -- you and your spotless Metro, delivering you from the heated bowels of the center city to the suburban parking lots, where your imports wait to convey you the last mile of your commutes.
Not, as I say, that we're bitter.