Is Annandale really that bad?
Thanks to an alert reader for pointing out this You Tube video about Annandale, titled, “Welcome Home to the Shithole of Annandale, VA,” posted by FlyingOverTr0ut a couple of months ago.
The video is hilarious, although it’s pretty negative, so we were curious. Who is FlyingOverTr0ut and why does he hate Annandale so much?
In response to an email from the Annandale Blog, FlyingOverTr0ut says his real name is “Angelo Mike” and lists his occupation as “full-time dating coach and motivational speaker.”
“I have had the great misfortune of living in Annandale for the past year. I grew up nearby but was happily unaware of this city’s existence,” Angelo Mike says.
“As a man of science, I merely wished to inform possible newcomers to Annandale, VA, or deadbeat dads and felons in general who may not be aware of the city just what it has to offer,” he says. “I did the research and my video is backed by 100 percent peer-reviewed science. Anyone who disagrees with anything I said in the video is wrong and should be caned.”
“On a more existential level, I made the video because I realized (as anyone who lives in Annandale is prone to do) just how cold and indifferent the universe is to human life,” Angelo Mike continues. “It doesn’t know we’re here and wouldn’t notice if we’re not here. Annandale is merely a prism which brings this fact into focus.”
“On a psychological level, each night in Annandale,” he says, “the flesh melts off my bones and seeps through the rocks and into the ground. Yet each day I put myself back together, piece by piece. Each night I wish for death, but it never comes. Annihilation would be too good for me at this point. Her promise of release a cruel mockery of my distress. I am too much of a coward to embrace the sweet fruit of oblivion, so my fate is in this void between the finite and the infinite, an abyssal demon in the screaming agony. Though even demons know that people are unhappy in hell.”
“Then fate’s inexorable churning yielded an even worse realization; that perhaps there is a god, but that he has turned his face from me. This is the unrelenting horror of my day-to-day life which merely feels like one long day at this point, here in Annandale,” he says. “So that’s why I made the video.”
50 responses to “Is Annandale really that bad?”
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There is nothing humorous about this video. At best it is offensive and I'm disappointed that you give it play on your blog.
I'm offended you're offended.
How inane a response.
About as meaningless as your post. If you're going to trot out the OMG I'M OFFENDED mantra then I guess I get to be offended that you're such a ninny that makes life hard on the rest of us who just want to walk around wearing a tuxedo t-shirt drinking in public. Who cares if it is or isn't funny. Chill out. http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/05/28/101-being-offended/
I'm offended that you're offended that he's offended that that guy is offended.
0:53 – "come live where police wont try to find the person who emptied your checking account, but will ticket you for an expired inspection."
Those sound like some very, ah, *particular* complaints …
I have to admit, it was funny hearing Annandale being deemed the geographical font for such existential angst. I hope for the well-being of Angelo Mike that he never has to spend any appreciable time anywhere on I-95 South!
Depends on what you compare it to. It's by far the worst place in Northern Va. Its the dirtiest, most run down, least amount of food options, worst drivers, most day laborers, worst timed traffic lights, worst Kmart, place around. On the other hand it's the cheapest place to live this close in to the city. Nothing is in Annandale but it's close to everything. That is why I live here.
> worst Kmart
Every Kmart is worst Kmart.
I love living in Annandale, but the Kmart really is the worst thing about this town…
Inner Beltway Annandale is the closest affordable option for those who are priced out of Arlington. Sure, the business district looks like downtown Seoul and the schools are a joke. Even pricey Lake Barcroft frequently smells like an open sewer. Still it beats spending half your week commuting into the District from Gainesville.
I'm all for free speech, but not slander…the schools in Annandale are anything but a joke. (Unless you are referring to private schools, of which I cannot comment on as I don't have any experience with). Fairfax County Public schools in Annandale are full of students and professionals doing exceptional work, and those who care about such things know it!
Agree with you, schools definitely are not a joke, though I don't think you know what slander or free speech means. Annandale shows up decent compared to the rest of VA and US, but other districts in northern VA certainly are better. Far from a joke though.
FYI. It's impossible to "slander" a school. That's because the offending statement has to be made about a person. Evidently, you attended school in Mason District.
Ok Poindexter. "You wrote slander to refer to a school not a person" Imagine I just said that in real nerdy way. Think Urkel.
Hiding behind your keyboard… spilling coffee on your dirty, fat, Walmart stretch pants… looking at your dwarf porn, trolling local blogs… Pointing out mistakes people make on comments.
Nice one, losers
Having lived in Annandale almost 30 yrs, I have seen changes, but by volunteering and being active with many different groups I've also enjoyed the friendship of great folks…all caring about their community and willing to work to keep it that way and try to make it even better! Wonder if the creator of this video has ever been active in the Annandale area? If not, there are many groups who would welcome your help.
It's always good to know that there's even a place for a racist hipster nihilist on the Annandale blog. Ellie, you have a very big tent.
Very disappointed in your "story" content today.I thought Annandale BlogSpot was a family friendly site to check each day about our community and had never come across anything like this.I had been recommending this site to other people ,but from now on will be afraid it may contain crude content.Is someone else running the site? What happened?You only post our comments after you are sure the content is acceptable-who missed this story.Very Very not like the Annandale BlogSpot -Shame on you.
"Shame on you" – really? Who died and made you the arbiter of blog free speech? Don't like it? I'm betting you've never been on Fairfax Underground.
This video looks like a trailer for Borat.
You know Annandale's bad when…Korean friends make fun of Annandale because it's a retro throwback to 1950's Seoul – nothing but strip malls with bars…piano bars (uh-huh)…karaoke bars…techno bars…kimchee bars…Korean BBQ, gambling and prostitution, human smuggling and black-suited mafia guys who shake down Korean businesses. The fake Yup, a real family friendly kind of place.
Of course, one of the historical highlights of Annandale was the unaccredited University of Northern Virginia, which, after being closed down for visa fraud by the U.S. Government, is now the "University of Northern Virginia" in Sioux Falls, South Dakota: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Northern_Virginia. Annandale, VA – you just can't make this stuff up.
Personally, I think Angelo Mike could have done a better job of this video if he left out any bad words. I think the video overall has a message which is good but he could have done it in a way that would help make his message more powerful. I do hope he keeps the video just change the language to be more family friendly.
This is for Anonymous dated 12/1/14, 11:52 PM
You are a very talented writer and I laughed for a good 10 minutes after reading your narrative beginning with, "You know Annandale's bad… I'm not joking; you should write for a living. Perhaps you do.
What Annandale needs is more parks with bocce ball courts. Bocce ball courts build community, friendships, encourages healthy life-long physical activity without fear of brain-damaging concussions unlike many contact sports popular among Americans.
Furthermore, the assumption must be made that not only is this a slow news day in Annandale, it is a slow-news week, notwithstanding the Thanksgiving Holiday. Of course, this could be considered good or bad based on one's point of view.
Bocce ball can be dangerous. I was playing in a game where someone held onto the ball too long when going to throw it, threw it high and hit another player in the head. I still love Bocce ball though. It is a fun game, but watch out for flying balls. 😉
Bocce Ball Helmets?
What even is a bocce ball
As an apparent spiritual man suffering from great existential angst, Angelo Mike could stand to hang out somewhere other than the Safeway and bowling alley parking lots.
That guy sounds like a loser trying too hard to be funny. He's about as funny as that lame video. Yawn.
And BTW, due to the sad lack of leadership on the part of One Cent – Gross, Annandale really is that bad.
It never ceases to amaze me that nearly ever post, no matter what the content, will have some guy complaining about Penny Gross.
Penny Gross is in most post because we all reap what she sowed.
And Penny Gross is by far the worst thing that has happened to the region in the 30 years I have lived in Annandale. And I have let her and her staff know that repeatedly, but all the ignorant voters who don't know any better continue to allow her to saty in power
In Penny Gross' defense, have any of her political opponent's offered anything better? Face it, in Mason District only Democrats get elected, and has anyone challenged Ms. Gross for the Democratic nomination lately? Does anyone even want to?
I think that Angelo Mike was a little hard on Annandale. Yes Annandale hasn’t reached the pinnacle of perfection yet. Annandale still hasn’t shed its midcentury strip mall sensibilities with their rumpled tar car lots. This could be because many residents still cling to the past. Once the elation of having a Hess Express with a Dunkin donuts has subsided maybe we could move forward with a cohesive plan for a more user friendly commercial area. The central business area is largely undefined. We live in a vibrant growing multicultural metropolitan area and we need to embrace that and move forward. I also think volunteering for the community of Annandale would be a rewarding experience for this gentleman, perhaps he could be Annandale’s ambassador to Culmore.
Ah, come on. The so-called central business area is well defiined — if you happen to read korean and shop Korean and eat Korean. Let's be real — how serious is Annandale's Korean community about long range cohesive planning?
I believe I went to HS with this guy. Sad to see this is what his future held. Too bad he couldn't join us at the inner city annandale bar crawl the other night.
I think he was in AHS class of '58. This guy HATED the students in the class of '59. He wrote me a hateful letter after I had invited him to join the classes of '56, '57, '58, and '59 at an annual get together which has had as many as 135 attend. I feel sorry for people who seem so angry at the world.
Yes, it is.
I'm sure the residents of Lake Barcroft are insulted to be included in an Annandale diatribe … look up the zip code, they are trendy Falls Church!
😉
Isn't the "trendy" Falls Church zip code 22046? Lake Barcroft zip codes are 22041 and 22044 – somewhere between Annandale and the Little City. 😉
When you live in the Section 8 areas of Annandale it's even worse than the video. Come to my condos and you'll find someone dumped cat feces and litter in front of multiple houses where little children live, and no one has cleaned it up in days. Little things like that plus drug dealers standing out in the open doing their thing, trash out everyday, at any given place, and rarely bagged. Children roaming unsupervised from all ages, at all hours, saying more curse words and bullying insults to each other than many adults. People high on drugs screaming at each other. I have many stories and experiences…could go on and on.
Please go on. Are you in Wedgewood?
The Annandale Blogger loves Annandale! Yeah, it needs some improvements, but I've seen way worse shitholes. And it's not boring!
Ellie? is that you? you swear? I thought no one in broyhill crest swore!
I think this video and most of these comments need to be returned to sender………..really!
The best thing about Annandale is that we'll save enough to move to Vienna in five years!
$$$$$$ YES PLEASE
I was raised in Annandale and I am embarrased to call it home. It is filthy, the store owners/managers do not take pride in their property, trash is everywhere, buildings are not kept up. Community leaders should encourage pride in your town, forget the parades and carnaval at K-Mart. how abour organizing a pick up the trash event.Business Associations to encourage store managers to have someone sweep outside their store, pick up trash. Pay day laborers money to pick up trash, rake areas, paint. The town currently looks like what it is, a low income, ESL, armpit of Virginia.
Umm, so maybe if we didn't let so many people into the country who don't play by the rules, — do ya think just maybe we might have more people here who actually take care of the place??
I love that Mason District has Mason District Park, a dog park, Greenspring, Hidden Oaks and Ossian Hall parks and activities plus Pinecrest PUBLIC golf course & walking trails. The free cultural events at local parks are great, as are the paid events at NoVa Community College (with TWO area campuses).
The K Mart is bright, clean (inside) and convenient, and there are so many grocery options nearby. As my daughter states, we are "two miles from everything." My kids got a great education, super after-school & activity, arts and sports programming from caring teachers & staff at Fairfax Academy pre-school, the late, great Fairfax Brewster private elementary school in Culmore, Holmes Middle & Annandale High and classes at NoVa.
The ACCA child and elder care programs are wonderful, and their programs do a good job of helping the less fortunate. And the Salvation Army does a cost effective job of giving a hand up to people in a design award winning store.
We DO need to mobilize scout troops, religious congregations, businesspeople, and civic, cultural and community groups to tackle the trash problems, with paid laborers to fill in any gaps. Maybe provide free pedometers and trash bags to citizens in a contest to encourage walking and trash pick up. Empower elderly citizens to "police" bus stops and other sites where trash accumulates. Once people know someone is watching and will tell them to put their trash in a proper receptacle behavior may start to change. The enforcers could reward good behavior with stickers that say "good citizen" or "I care" along the lines of "I voted" stickers (surprisingly these work well with adults). Host monthly trash pick up days to provide protective gear, grabbers, trash bags (and Police presence or traffic cones in more dangerous locations) and award prizes or ribbons to teams that fill the most garbage bags
Enforce laws that make businesses pay taxes, keep their sites clean and well run. And more upscale (non-Korean–we have enough) restaurants, boutiques and shops vs. Title & payday loan companies please.
The FCPD Gang Task Force did a super job of reducing gang activity–we need to stay vigilant about crime though.
My toilet backed up last night
overflowed human waste into the street
I looked at the stench of filth streaming into gutters
and said, oh look, it's Annandale
Annandale isn't great, I was raised here in the 2000s and I have no idea why anyone likes it. The schools are little more than daycare centers. Most everything in inner beltway Annandale, where I grew up, is dirty, and everything that isn't dirty is crappy houses owned by antisocial people, as well as the human traffickers who lived next door to the house my family was renting – and that neighborhood was "nice." Tell that to the kids on the street having long dirt bike and gokart races at 12:00 at night, and the street racers speeding down Trammell Rd. There's also nothing but Korean food or something in Annandale, which is overrated and mostly just a bunch of chicken and appropriated Japanese food. I only had it twice. Tbf though outside the beltway Annandale is pretty nice.