Hip City USA (Washington DC) Is Finally Getting Credit for Its Hipness
The Washington Post has a long and proud journalistic tradition of owning the DC Hipness beat—continuously breaking news on the young, hip vibe of our nation's capital, where conservative and liberal nerds alike can come together to act, apallingly, like children. This eagle-eyed coverage of The Hip is something of which DC—and its hip residents—can be proud. Along with the city's great selection of tapas.
Other, jealous media outlets have historically downplayed their shame at being beat on the DC hipness story by pretending that DC is not hip at all, while they guzzle mug after frosty mug of Haterade. But now that America's hippest guy, Barack Obama, has announced his choice to live in DC for four more years, it has become clear to even The Gray Lady, The Big Bad News-Paper, The New York Times, that DC hipness is a beat that they must cover in a "flood the zone" type of journalistic strategy. That big NYT magazine piece last weekend about how filthy rich DC is was just a set-up for the follow-up question: Well, what do all these wealthy young DC residents do with their wealth and youth? The New York Times—your go-to source for DC hipness news—is glad that you asked.
Long viewed as a stodgy, early-to-bed town, Washington over the past four years has become a mecca for young professionals who have been drawn to its blooming economy and its revitalized urban core. Once-neglected stretches of the city now bustle with bars, restaurants and coffee shops.
Bars, restaurants and coffee shops. What the fuck else would hip people be doing? They go to the bar, then to the restaurant, then to the coffee shop. Then back. They're drunk, overstuffed, caffeinated beyond measure—and hip.
The article notes that Barack Obama "listens to Nicki Minaj on his iPod," for some fucking reason.
Bars, restaurants, coffee shops, listening to Nicki Minaj on their iPods, building huge pre-fab condo buildings in formerly desolate blocks, eating some fucking tapas, doing yoga and shit like that, probably opening some ironic "New American Spin on Classic DC Flavors Like Mambo Sauce!" joint in a really upscale part of U Street that used to be grimy, pricing out hip hop clubs, celebrating DC's rich African-American heritage by exporting it to Maryland—and being hip. These are the things that DC is all about now. The city is worth paying attention to once again.
Keep reading the New York Times to stay abreast of the latest developments.
