Isa Kapp Essay

One way of looking at Washington is to compare it with another important American city like New York. In her essay titled, "Living in Washington, D.C.," Isa Kapp observes Washington from a New Yorker's perspective. Ms. Kapp was not keen on moving away from the busy and cosmopolitan city of New York to "this well-organized city where almost everyone worked for the same employer" (p.43), from a "nervous city where food is bolted and conversation interrupted" (p.43) to a city where "no one can live ... very long without acquiring some education in the inner rhythm of diplomacy" (p.41). Ms. Kapp finds that because so many Washingtonians work with or for the government, they tend to live with others similar to themselves and to focus on small local issues. Washington therefore lacks the variety of New York, with its diverse employment spectrum, contrasts of rich and poor, and occasionally "boisterous street life" (p.45). Ms. Kapp laments Washington's lack of "cultural impetus" and concludes that Washington is a "middlebrow city, hostile to extremes, seeking stimulus within the bounds of safety, always keeping an indulgent eye on its own urban image" (p.45).

Having lived in both New York and London, I would include London in this comparison. Rather than having the government in one city and the business sector in another (as in the US), England combines both in London. Londoners do not view the government either as hopelessly out of touch with business (New York) or as the only business to be in (Washington). Instead, in London, business reacts to the government and vice versa.

I agree with the author that there is a different pace at which Washingtonians live their daily lives. Here, as I have noticed on frequent occasions, people are much slower than Londoners or New Yorkers at getting on and off the metro. Once, they were so slow that no one on the platform could even get onto the train before the doors closed. In DC, people take the extra time to get places and may be less efficient. A difference she does not mention is one of building height. Washington's low buildings add to its image of a suburb or a middle size town. Perhaps I am being too harsh on this somewhat southern city, having not yet explored its full potential. This city has witnessed a large amount of America's history. Because it is the seat of American government, DC also has a more diverse 'American' culture made up of people from the south, the west, and the mid-west. Washingtonians, New Yorkers, and Londoners certainly share one characteristic: they each believe their city to be the best.