Do Washington, DC, and New York City really need another writer to compare them? You'd think not, but they keep coming in regardless. I blame New Yorkers, whose hometown usually comes out on top, who can't get enough validation, while Washington doesn't have enough permanent residents to defend it, let alone take the offense and instigate a contest. Here's a comparison for you: New York love is unconditional, while Washingtonians have a special diplomatic talent for seeing all sides of an issue. And maybe we in DC realize something they don't in NYC: We're not trying to be like them.

Today in The Morning News, What Lies Beneath: New York's subway vs. the Metro.

Having read that writer Clay Risen is a newcomer to Washington and, I think, a former New Yorker, my hackles were raised before I even clicked through to the full article. It's no surprise that gritty, poetic New York wins again. But I'm happy to say that the observant Mr. Risen nails the same problems that vex me.

In the mere annoyance category, Metro stations are indistinguishable from each other. Not only do I find myself at the wrong exit from time to time; I've found myself in the wrong station.

More tellingly, the system is clearly designed for suburban commuters going in and out, and not residents going across town to visit friends and family, or buy groceries, or catch a movie. If you live here, you know this Metro problem is merely a symptom of larger ills. With no voting representation in Congress, and a taxpayer base far too tiny to support the heavy usage by suburban commuters and tourists from around the world, this whole town was designed for people who don't live here, at the expense of those who do.

Last but not least, the polarization of wealth, and the segregation between what one of my friends calls "Upper Caucasia," i.e., the thin swath of Northwest that houses most of Washington's white residents, and the rest of the city, are shameful.

But to Clay I say, if the Metro gets you down, it's time to ride the bus. Just sticking to the ones I know, you can catch the 42 downtown and ride it all the way up the hill, through Dupont Circle and Adams Morgan into the heart of Mt. Pleasant. Transfer to the H3 or H4 and cruise across the creek; if it's a school day, you'll have a lot of young company. Then hop on one of the 30's going south on Wisconsin, and ride with the rest of the riffraff straight into Georgetown, and tell me that doesn't give you some hope for our town.