It’s tough to find something unique to say near the end of a week when we’ve heard from so many other great writers about why they love DC. I could echo just about all of their reasons, from Tom’s love of the hidden wonders to Carl’s love of the people here to Brittany’s love of the cultural scene; I love it all, too. Part of loving DC is the sum total of those who have come before both here on the blog this week, and throughout our history as a nation.

But what drew me here 6 years ago was a love of politics and the sense that this town is the best place to experience the process of governing, and also see into the seedier underbelly of the system. While Profesionally I’ve pursued opportunities of a more geeky persuasion, becoming a system administrator and following other technological distractions, I try to remain engaged in local and not-so-local political happenings. In my spare time, I’ve volunteered for numerous campaigns, offered my technological know-how to political and advocacy groups, and even started a successful online grassroots political movement.

Being in DC is the perfect backdrop for such activities. The rich historical tapestry that DC presents, from the monuments to the architecture to the founding documents of our nation, mean there’s no better place to explore the history of our country, and engage in helping to shape it’s future. And that’s why I love DC.

Ben Stanfield

A decade ago, Ben Stanfield found himself at the intersection of politics and technology as he wandered nomadically around the country managing congressional races. But when he moved to DC 6 years ago, he found that the intersection had become, in the grand tradition of L’Enfant, a circle where politics and technology were joined by science, photography and a host of smaller side streets of interest. These days, he works as a Macintosh Server Administrator for a large governmental health institute in Bethesda. In his spare time, he’s an avid photographer, charter member at HacDC, and serves on the Board of Directors of the Columbia Heights Youth Club. In 2005 he founded of Draft Obama, a national grassroots movement to convince Barack Obama to run for President. Everything he writes here speaks for itself and not on behalf of any other group, organization, person, or any of his other personalities.