What We Learned About DC in 2022
Sahar: We can learn a lot about our city — the people who live here, the communities we build, the political forces impacting those communities — through food. And, as the industry continues to deal with fallout from the ongoing pandemic, we can all play a part in helping restaurants thrive, as Laura Hayes wrote in her last WCP column. We’ve seen some good news — like the passage of Initiative 82. But some of our favorite spots still face challenges from gentrification (like Northern Virginia favorite Eden Center, which could face displacement).
Yousif: In 2022, I was reminded once again how small of a city DC can feel. As I returned to working in the office and started biking to and from work, I passed by the same people every day and learned to enjoy familiar faces during my commute. I reconnected with friends from high school and college (which isn’t hard when all of your schooling was in Virginia) and found community in unexpected places. Trips to my local community garden and my local cookbook store fed my spirit and my stomach; writing for 730 kept me engaged with local politics and events and allowed me to get better acquainted with the District.
Abi: We saw a lot of strikes last year — Howard and AU staff fought hard for fair contracts, a Starbucks in Arlington called out union-busting as they joined the national strike, and the Washington Teachers Union continues to fight for a fair contract and better building standards after a three-year standoff with DCPS. The ongoing pandemic brought clarity for workers; we had time to unravel systemic procedures that just aren’t working anymore. It’s good to see the people of DC fighting for what they deserve. (And also…I just think this species found ONLY in DC is really cool! Wanted to highlight the tiny crustacean one more time.)
Andrew: Home Rule is younger than Roe v. Wade was. The Black-led DC we know and love is less than 50 years old. The fact that our city would not exist if it wasn’t the “Nation’s Capital” felt newly relevant in 2022 as the U.S. right plunged further into fascism. We can’t wait around for the country to finally see us as a place filled with people, not symbols. With one more anti-filibuster Dem senator and a handful of reps, closer than we’ve ever been, DC could become a stronger, booming state that models progressive urban governance. Or, if things get worse, the GOP could take everything away, trying out horrific right-wing policies on those who can’t afford to leave DC as corrupt courts let it happen. Many of us have only ever known Home Rule, but one day it may be remembered as a brief moment in time. Embracing the fragility of the status quo is the best way to secure autonomy, end homelessness, reverse displacement, fight climate change, and more, in service of making DC a safe and uplifting home for millions.
Julie: In my first full year living in DC, I gained a better grasp of how the District is mapped out and governed and who is working to build community, organize, unionize and create mutual aid networks. I learned more about DC history, how neighborhoods have changed over generations and what has survived. I learned that statehood would open up a stream of revenue and rights to better serve the people who live here. I learned what my ANC is and how to print a visitor parking pass. I learned where to experience art, music, food, coffee and nature and that there is always more exploring to do. I learned about ghost bikes and that it’s okay to ride on sidewalks, except in the Golden Triangle, and that DC traffic doesn’t have to be as dangerous as it currently is. It was disheartening to see houseless persons get evicted from encampments throughout the city this year while DCHA failed the people it should be helping. It was encouraging to see the city decide to allocate $100 a month to residents for bus and Metro rides (we hope, in 2024) and complete a Metrorail extension of the Silver Line. I learned that for all the potential that exists in DC I am happy to call it home.
Sarah: DC learned how to enjoy nature again. Our beloved Beach Drive will remain closed to cars year round, a big win for runners, bikers, that person who feeds the ducks every day, and me! Plus, I learned that people love reading about what activities my gecko Wallace recommends and he says thank you to all his fans.
Hayden: Accountability is alive. This year, consequences came due to powerful people. Mayor Bowser and business-friendly allies tried for years to evade our 2018 vote to end the tipped minimum wage, but Initiative 82 passed by an even greater margin this year than the original measure. Dan Snyder’s decades of fuckery seem destined for an ignominious close. And just this week, for the first time ever, an MPD officer was convicted for causing someone’s death on the job.
Anne: In 2022, we learned how to be in-person again. Many once-fully remote workers returned to offices, to commutes, and to lunches and happy hours and holiday parties. But even while many kept working from home, after hours we got off our laptops and into DC — to restaurants, concerts, festivals, volunteer events, and parties. The 730 team even hosted IRL events again: At 730Day & Friend Lab we got to connect with readers outside our inboxes. We remembered, revised, and adapted our social norms as distance no longer dominated our rules for interaction. And, when I returned after traveling, I learned to walk the route from the Dulles baggage claim to the Silver Line station to take the Metro home.
Gracie: I feel like I’ve lived in DC a long time now — nearly seven years. In 2022, friends who’d just moved here helped me to fight off any encroaching jadedness, pushing me to try new things and say yes more often. Many thanks to them for making me leave my apartment!
If you’re not year-end content-ed out yet:
- It’s Library Wrapped time: Here’s DC’s list — and also Fairfax County’s (scroll down), Montgomery and Prince George’s counties’, and Arlington County’s.
- DCist’s best things we ate list includes squash blossom tamales, steak and kimchi fried rice, and fancy fondue-stuffed ravioli.
- The Washington Post local team followed up with seven people they interviewed this year — from the survivor of the Lafayette Park lightning strike to an organizer of protests outside Justice Kavanaugh’s house.
- See 15 of Washington City Paper photographer Darrow Montgomery’s favorite images from 2022.
- “2022 was the year we returned to public spaces,” writes WCP arts editor Sarah Marloff in her thorough year-end culture recap — “but it was no return to ‘normal.’”
- 730DC’s Hayden Higgins asked a smattering of smart people — from Semafor’s DC bureau chief to the Depths of Wikipedia accounts — what mattered in 2022, and what didn’t.
- And finally, love-to-love-to-hate-him WaPo columnist John Kelly released this rousing digital round of DC trivia. Good luck!
