Been here since 93. The town’s culture does change with administrations.

The Clinton years were a party. DC had a warehouse club scene that has since disappeared. The city itself lacked amenities (e.g., if you needed home products you traveled to the suburbs to do shopping). Crime was high. Depending on your comfort level, if you were on Capitol Hill you didn’t explore much further than third street SE. Not sure how any of that might have been the result of the admin, though.

The Bush Jr years were… something. After the traumatic anxiety inducing 9/11 (and that’s an understatement) the tone turned “top down my way or the highway.” The city’s transformation continued apace. You might think people would find a way to blow off steam, but the former warehouse clubs disappeared to make room for Nationals Park, shuttering a big portion of nightlife and scattering queer culture across the city.

The Obama years felt promising and idealistic, attracted a youth culture and restaurant scene that had been missing. Also attracted Silicon Valley. The “NY-ification” of DC.

The Trump years reminded residents this town is the political center of the country. And a real battleground in a moment’s notice. A weird anxiety set in not for obvious reasons. More like due to the neglect that came with first contact with an admin that seemed uninterested in stepping into the role. A notable departure from prior admins: Whenever the presidential motorcade appeared in traffic it wasn’t managed like previous admins. No police clearing the way and managing pedestrian traffic. It just appeared, blasting horns and trying to blow through the streets. Not hyperbole: random uncivil crappiness was everywhere on the street. From both sides of the spectrum.

Currently: a weird idealistic culture has set in. Especially in the workplace. Best described as “everyone wants to save the world, nobody wants to do the dishes.” Net result: seems like everything is viewed through the lens of what’s in it for me and less gets done.