Obviously the metro can and should be improved, but compared to most other cities’ public transit infrastructure it’s really good. Lots of stops, relatively clean stations and cars, and well integrated with an enormous bus system that, together, will help you get anywhere.

Also, if you include the larger metropolitan area, DC has an enormous variety of immigrant food. Beyond the well known classics like Ethiopian (everywhere) and Vietnamese in Eden Center, you can find SO many cuisines to explore - Pakistani, Caribbean, Korean, West African, Central American of all sorts, Malaysian, Laotian, Filipino, the list goes on and on.

And if you’re a cook or home chef in DC, you can find almost any ingredient or specialty kitchen tool you could possibly imagine. There are soooo many good, local farmers and ranchers in MD, VA, WV, and PA who sell in the city, meaning you can get produce and proteins that are as good as the best stuff used in Michelin-starred restaurants. Just go to the DuPont farmer’s market in the Spring if you want to see for yourself. Foraged mushrooms, incredible salad greens, 40-month aged ham that’s as good as the best ham you could import from Spain, pasture-raised duck and chicken, and award-winning bloomy rind cheeses, just to name a few. For instance, the chef at The Dabney (Michelin-started and named Washingtonian’s top restaurant in the city) and I can get produce and local meat from the same local vendors who sell at Dupont. He’s better at cooking it, but we both get to use the same amazing, high quality ingredients.