Great article on the terribleness of DC area driving

[G.Irish]

Hawaii is probably one of the best places in the world to be a surf bum. Clean, doesn't get too hot, good public buses, everyone is chill, etc.

If you want a cool laid back place to live Hawaii isn't actually as expensive as one might think. Not a great place to live as an auto enthusiast though. There are some drag strips and a shitty parking lot "track" but that's about the only way you can get your automotive rocks off. I guess you can say that of almost any island though.

[Mike]

Oh crap....I'm about to start at an accounting firm in D.C.....I hope it doesn't turn me into some kinda crazy person that thinks ^^that life is acceptable.

Uhhh. I feel COB100 should prepare you for this harsh reality. I don't have any accountant friends who are particularly happy with anything other than their paychecks... And all of the guys I went to school with and still hang out with are all accountants.

[V1GiLaNtE]

Oh crap....I'm about to start at an accounting firm in D.C.....I hope it doesn't turn me into some kinda crazy person that thinks ^^that life is acceptable.

Smaller firm or did you get scooped up by one of the Big 4...?

I'll throw in my 2cent here.

I'm ready to move. Willing to take a paycut and generally spend less on my cost of living. Commute to work in the XJ isn't too bad (about 15 minutes up Gallows to Tyson's). Coming home can be a different story. I'd say on average I spend 30 minutes coming down Gallows to Dunn Loring. I've had days where it's taken my 45 minutes to go the 5 miles back home. I hate the traffic here. It's completely nonsensical due to just pure volume. While I don't deal with it as much during the week the point I have to make is the weekends. We're almost never home on the weekends and that in itself is chore taking 66 west to visit friends or escape and play in the mountains. Something about driving the XJ into Georgetown if we do a nice dinner or parking next to Range Rover at the grocery store makes me laugh. People give you some strange looks in that vehicle. Oh, and don't get me started on 95 to visit family in RVA or Fburg.

Julianne and I are about 2 years into our jobs. While we'd like to pick up and move somewhere different now, likely we'll be here another two years. Considering the amount of money we pay a month in rent I could own a bawler home in Richmond/Cville/Charlotte.

[Samantha]

Smaller firm or did you get scooped up by one of the Big 4...?

Big Four was never really my thing. I actually want work-life balance, not just the illusory promise of it. I'm interning with Tate & Tryon in the Outsourced Accounting Services practice. Tax and audit seemed a little cliche for me, so I am hoping that by choosing a service line that doesn't have a definite busy season at a firm that isn't humongoenormous, I get a little better quality of life. Less pay too...but hey, I don't eat much anyways.

[davej]

I guess you can say that of almost any island though.

the Isle of Man seems like it might be an ok place to live if you're into motorsports.

[G.Irish]

Smaller firm or did you get scooped up by one of the Big 4...?

Big Four was never really my thing. I actually want work-life balance, not just the illusory promise of it. I'm interning with Tate & Tryon in the Outsourced Accounting Services practice. Tax and audit seemed a little cliche for me, so I am hoping that by choosing a service line that doesn't have a definite busy season at a firm that isn't humongoenormous, I get a little better quality of life. Less pay too...but hey, I don't eat much anyways.

If you need any introductions I know an accountant that supervises a division for NOAA and another at Unisys. I wanna say both of them have been through 2 or 3 firms before their current positions so they can probably give you the scoop.

[BLINGMW]

I'm ready to move. Willing to take a paycut and generally spend less on my cost of living.

Move to Roanoke! :thumbup:

Every kid I went to high school with in Roanoke was filled with existential angst about where they lived. Just this awful little town "in the middle of nowhere" with "nothing to do."

I was like that too... until I moved to ATL for a few years. I would have enjoyed a big city as a single guy, but with spawn, cars, and motorbikes, I need some space.

[ScottyB]

I was like that too... until I moved to ATL for a few years. I would have enjoyed a big city as a single guy, but with spawn, cars, and motorbikes, I need some space.

heh you guys beat us back by a good few years though, dammit! the city was fun for a while but never again...especially atlanta aka Every Commute Is Race Day. i still wish i would have made it out to barber or little talladega with you.

[RawrImAMonster]

This thread makes me want to move out west. Some of my friends were already talking about moving to Portland so I might have to look into it more. I thought it would be too cold for me, but I looked up the average temperatures and it seems more mild than Harrisonburg in both hot and cold extremes. Some quick googling seems to show that it has a ton of tech companies so finding a job would probably be fairly easy too.

Mike, from what you said earlier, traffic isn't nearly as bad as the nova area?

[Mike]

This thread makes me want to move out west. Some of my friends were already talking about moving to Portland so I might have to look into it more. I thought it would be too cold for me, but I looked up the average temperatures and it seems more mild than Harrisonburg in both hot and cold extremes. Some quick googling seems to show that it has a ton of tech companies so finding a job would probably be fairly easy too.

Mike, from what you said earlier, traffic isn't nearly as bad as the nova area?

Yep, one of the most moderate climates in North America. And believe it or not, less precipitation than DC.

Traffic is pretty much non-existent. Not even in the same league as DC. I drive my wife downtown on one of the two major highways (we basically have a N to S and an E to W) every morning and I never go slower than 30mph. It's a 60mph road so it isn't wide open, but it moves. People are flocking here like crazy so I can't say there aren't problems to come, but the mass transit system is pretty good and can handle a lot more load.

There are tons of tech jobs too, but unless you're in a small startup, you may face a commute as they're mostly in "the burbs" over the west hills (Beaverton and Hillsboro). A lot of folks choose to live over there though, and they're nice little towns... Just depends on what you're looking for. We were looking for history and Portland proper.

[V1GiLaNtE]

Smaller firm or did you get scooped up by one of the Big 4...?

Big Four was never really my thing. I actually want work-life balance, not just the illusory promise of it.

Guess it depends on if your're commercial or Federal.. I'm Federal IT Audit at KPMG and have a solid W/L balance. :thumbup:

[Samantha]

If you need any introductions I know an accountant that supervises a division for NOAA and another at Unisys. I wanna say both of them have been through 2 or 3 firms before their current positions so they can probably give you the scoop.

Thanks! I'll keep it in mind!

[*insertusernamehere*]

Yep, one of the most moderate climates in North America. And believe it or not, less precipitation than DC.

Traffic is pretty much non-existent. Not even in the same league as DC. I drive my wife downtown on one of the two major highways (we basically have a N to S and an E to W) every morning and I never go slower than 30mph. It's a 60mph road so it isn't wide open, but it moves. People are flocking here like crazy so I can't say there aren't problems to come, but the mass transit system is pretty good and can handle a lot more load.

There are tons of tech jobs too, but unless you're in a small startup, you may face a commute as they're mostly in "the burbs" over the west hills (Beaverton and Hillsboro). A lot of folks choose to live over there though, and they're nice little towns... Just depends on what you're looking for. We were looking for history and Portland proper.

Tell me something you DON'T like about Portland. I want you to completely shit all over Oregon.

[Jake]

Yep, one of the most moderate climates in North America. And believe it or not, less precipitation than DC.

Traffic is pretty much non-existent. Not even in the same league as DC. I drive my wife downtown on one of the two major highways (we basically have a N to S and an E to W) every morning and I never go slower than 30mph. It's a 60mph road so it isn't wide open, but it moves. People are flocking here like crazy so I can't say there aren't problems to come, but the mass transit system is pretty good and can handle a lot more load.

There are tons of tech jobs too, but unless you're in a small startup, you may face a commute as they're mostly in "the burbs" over the west hills (Beaverton and Hillsboro). A lot of folks choose to live over there though, and they're nice little towns... Just depends on what you're looking for. We were looking for history and Portland proper.

Tell me something you DON'T like about Portland. I want you to completely shit all over Oregon.

Pfft. Mike loves everything he does and nothing ever goes wrong.

[Mike]

Yep, one of the most moderate climates in North America. And believe it or not, less precipitation than DC.

Traffic is pretty much non-existent. Not even in the same league as DC. I drive my wife downtown on one of the two major highways (we basically have a N to S and an E to W) every morning and I never go slower than 30mph. It's a 60mph road so it isn't wide open, but it moves. People are flocking here like crazy so I can't say there aren't problems to come, but the mass transit system is pretty good and can handle a lot more load.

There are tons of tech jobs too, but unless you're in a small startup, you may face a commute as they're mostly in "the burbs" over the west hills (Beaverton and Hillsboro). A lot of folks choose to live over there though, and they're nice little towns... Just depends on what you're looking for. We were looking for history and Portland proper.

Tell me something you DON'T like about Portland. I want you to completely shit all over Oregon.

Studded tires blow. The roads are rutted and noisy as hell.
The income tax is pretty high, but that is somewhat invisible and taxes feel lower due to 0% sales tax.
The closest decent city is Seattle, 2.5 hours away. It's an easy drive, but still.
Drugs and homelessness are serious problems. The city thought it would be bright to have the shelters and camps downtown, which makes downtown a place you don't really want to be at night. And people haggle you for money all the fucking time.
The city is likely the best biking city in the country, but that's only for commuting or running errands. For serious/road riding, I need to spend 30 minutes escaping the city, which is a lot of stop signs and cars and shit. When my daily ride lasts roughly an hour, it's not particularly enjoyable.
There are massive lines at the best places to eat. Want brunch on a Saturday at a halfway decent place? Plan to stand around for an hour.
Everyone drives a Subaru. It's the perfect car for here and we're shopping them, but EVERYONE drives a Subaru.
A lot of intersections have no markings/stops/signs. It's just kind of "figure it out." Drivers aren't the best here so it can be hairy. On the bright side, I've never heard a car horn. People drive slowly and badly, but everyone is patient and understanding. ZEN UP, bitches. It's a welcome change. Probably not for everyone.
There's only one cheap direct flight to DC. You need to jump on it very far in advance.

More as I think of them.

[WRXtranceformed]

Despite the drug lords having more firepower than the Mexican military, after spending the week in Punta de Mita we really just want to stay. Constant cool breeze, never gets above like 86, rains only like 30 days a year or something, doesn't get hurricanes, wonderful people. Doubtful there are good jobs here unless you are in real estate which I could do again but maybe a good place to retire. I'm sure my money would go a long way down here with the peso being worth $.076 :lol:

[ViPER1313]

My 2 cents on this issue is that I find it a lot more frustrating to own a sports car when you commute in the DC metro area than it is really worth, especially if it's a manual. I find it a lot more relaxing to drive a car I don't care about when all I am doing is trying to make it to the office in one piece. I enjoy *driving* my Mustang, not commuting in it :dunno:

... I’m sitting on the deck looking at the mountains in the peace and quiet. I get my DC money and my country peace of mind

I'm also with Kaan on this one - I enjoy living in a place where I can get home and not deal with the craziness that is Northern Virginia. Traveling 15 miles to Frederick takes me 15 minutes from my house. Traveling 5 miles in Herndon at any time takes 15 minutes, and all the while you have to avoid the mixture of A-type power brokers darting through traffic in their Audis and Camry drivers that are trying to determine how well their paint would look on your fender.