Nobody really knows why or how it started, but the fact remains that there is a deep chasm of enmity between Virginia and Maryland. Everybody knows it. I'm not saying that as children our history textbooks were riddled with anti-Maryland propaganda, but that isn't too far off the mark. Somehow the offspring of every Virginia family learns that Maryland is a place of stuffy aristocrats who board horses and mispronounce "water" (wuh-ter) and have a stupid-looking flag and are Catholic. Virginia, on the other hand, is for lovers. And when I say Virginia, what I mean is Northern Virginia. It is a place of beauty and trees and driving along the countryside; a place of importance, as this the home of America's forefathers; and a lavish metropolis that we consider to be of one heart with D.C. I am not going to pretend that we are pretentiously, blind-sightedly conceited about our state (*cough--Texans) but we just grow up knowing that there is never, ever, ever a good or a real reason to find oneself across the border in Maryland. There is zero interest and not even curiosity about our neighbor. The only times I've ever consciously gone to Maryland, I wasn't even going to Maryland at all, I was going to the D.C. temple. Which doesn't even count. Because of God.
Which is why it's so troubling for me to relate my Sunday adventures. You see, I spent the entire day in Maryland. Nomadic Gnome and I allowed ourselves to be driven all over the place - from Chevy Chase to Bethesda, Silver Spring to College Park, even Takoma Park! It was a thorough tour. We went to a Mercedes Benz open house where we were given free food - a clear attempt by the state of Maryland to buy our love. There were moments when we forgot our good Virginia upbringing - moments like when we saw the American Film Institute theatre and almost begged to be let out. There were times when it appeared to our innocent eyes that Maryland wasn't so bad after all.
But not quite. As the car turned back toward the great state of Virginia, I turned my head to gaze out the window at the rain that poured in droves like a baptism from the sky. We drove a few miles in thoughtful silence.
"You can just tell we're in Maryland," Nomadic Gnome noted gravely.
"Yes," I agreed. "The rain is sadder here."
Monday, December 03, 2007
They put something in the wuh-ter
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I still don't LOVE Maryland, but maybe I can learn to tolerate it.
Is that really their flag? It reminds me of some cross between Nascar and the Vatican.
Question: Is there really a city called Chevy Chase? And is this a dumb question but is it named after the actor? I feel retarded just asking but I must know.
i am glad you asked. there is also a DC area bank called Chevy Chase, and ever since we were old enough to watch Christmas Vacation, Julie and i have wanted to meet Chevy Chase the actor at the Chevy Chase bank in Chevy Chase, Maryland. i assume that is where he lives. we were looking for him on Sunday but he was hiding from us.
the names are completely unrelated. from Wikipedia: the town in Maryland's name came from a larger area called "Cheivy Chace." (the bank is named after the town). the actor's is a family nickname and refers to an ancestor who repelled an English invasion at the Battle of "Cheviot Hills."
so random, yeah?
I agree with the instinctual disdain for the not-so-merry(Mary)land. But our stereotypes seem to have been crossed somewhere along the lines. When I thought of Murraland, I pictured the teeming slums of Baltimore, not the rolling multi-million dollar estate of the Marriotts. Selective observation is a strange thing. You always find what you're looking for, unless you're looking for your car keys.
So even before I moved to No VA, THis is what I heard, "People move from MD to VA but NOt from VA to MD." So we did not even look for houses in MD. So funny how we are about where we live.
Can't we all just get along? (Said the traitorous northern Virginian who took a job in Maryland. If it makes you feel any better, I can make sure to not enjoy it.)
You've never lived in Greenbelt (MD). Or Loudoun County (VA). Both places where I've lived which do the stereotype flip-flop Corbin mentioned. I definitely see MD as ghetto and (No)VA as uppity. Also thanks for the Chevy Chase explanation -- I've always wondered what the deal was! :)
i don't see Murraland as a place where millionaires go to die... but i do think they think of themselves that way. like they drive through their own slums with their noses in the air. hmm... we should do a more in-depth analysis. It's a crazy world out there!
I have to say, Takoma Park is a little slice of heaven.
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