Inside the Beltway
Just got home today from my trip to DC. Every time I go, there's always tons of things that are different-- new buildings, new houses, new museum exhibits, and the like. After taking a red-eye (to save waking hours for more fun, interesting things-- unfortunately, the plane was packed, and there was no space for me to spread out. I remembered *why* I do not generally enjoy red-eyes!), I debarked in Atlanta, and was immediately reminded I was in the South, and not in L.A.! Fewer people who looked like they'd been placed on a rack and stretched, fewer people with obvious plastic enhancements, and definitely more people that made me feel either "normal" or "thin." Additionally, most of the restaurants focused on Southern food or had items that you don't find in L.A. Chick-fil-A, for example. Since we'd arrived earlier than scheduled, I decided to treat myself to breakfast at Paschal's-- typical heart attack meal territory. There were eggs, bacon, sausage, grits, gravy, and BBQ. Nothing like a hearty Southern breakfast, or the prospect of meat and threes, is there?
I made my connection, which was less crowded and a bit more pleasant, and arrived in DC. What struck me right away was the relative lack of humidity. With DC, you never can tell: in years past, the end of September could be anything from the last remnants of summer, to Indian Summer, to a taste of Fall. I was rewarded this trip with relatively nice temperatures, just one half-day of precipitation, and just enough humidity to remind me I was back East, but not enough to make me miserable. I have to schedule my trips out that way for the Fall more often...
After checking in at my lodgings and dumping my bags, I headed off to Gallaudet to meet a friend for lunch. This was the part of the trip where I quickly became amazed by the changes. The metro stop at NY Ave was the first surprise- years ago, when I'd lived there, the intersection of NY and Florida Avenues was, to put it mildly, seedy. Empty buildings, abandoned lots, alkies on every other corner, and two fast-food restaurants (McD's and Wendy's) that weren't about to win the "Cleanest Restaurants of the Year" award. The McDonald's actually had the worst service I've ever had in a fast-food joint: definitely fit the aphorism about DC, "Northern charm and Southern efficiency." The Wendy's was better, but not by a whole lot. I used to go to Wendy's with a friend or two in the wee hours, as a study break, and often we'd get there about the same time the whores took their evening constitutional. Some of them were halfway attractive, but definitely not dressed for a cotillion-- hip huggers, long, high-heeled boots, and skimpy, spaghetti-strap blouses that threatened to expose their complete torso every few minutes. Others were sadder-looking-- the kind of pros that were past their prime or pushing it, and you knew that in ten or so years, they'd be joining the alkies and the homeless just around the corner.
But I digress... Memories aside, what greeted me as I stepped off the platform was the view of an intersection transformed. While Wendy's was still there (and presumably, McDonald's, there were new, revitalized buildings everywhere, while in a formerly empty lot, the new federal ATF building was going up. While prosperity isn't by any stretch of the imagination exploding towards surrounding neighborhoods, it's definitely a change that will have impact on the area in the years to come. I had been in DC last about a year or two ago, and I usually go approximately once a year, either for conferences or to visit family, so it wasn't as if I'd been gone twenty years and then returned (there are people I know out here who graduated from Gallaudet fifteen or twenty or more years ago, and have not been back since. If they ever venture back, they are going to be more amazed than I am!). But even so, in the short space of time, the changes boggled my mind.
Making my way southeastward on Florida Avenue, the landscape became far more familiar after going under the rail overpass. But one change that I found interesting was the addition of timers to the pedestrian signals at the crosswalks. At the very short sidewalk just immediately after emerging from the Metro stop, the light gave me 60 seconds to cross. Just for stepping maybe two, three steps across the dinky street. Here in L.A., we have maybe five seconds to cross a street 10 times the length, like say, Santa Monica Boulevard. The 60-second interval was repeated all the way up to the intersection of Florida and 8th NE, where the crosswalk across Florida only gave me half that amount of time. Someone obviously didn't major in logic when they went to engineering school... On the way I noted the familiar gas stations, the liquor store, and other landmarks. G&G's seems to be gone, which is probably for the best; I remember my parents taking me there for lunch, and saying that someone had told them it was a nice restaurant, and students came there every so often, and all that. If only they knew the truth... *grin*
The campus has changed quite a bit-- I didn't care too much for the new signgage out front- it doesn't fit Gallaudet well (neither did the old blue signs, to tell you the truth), but I don't have a whole lot of control over it. I'd already been to the new SAC (the former Ely), but each time I pass it or go in it, it doesn't feel the same-- it's just not "my" Gallaudet. Ely Auditorium now proudly proclaims itself Foster Auditorium, and the football field is nothing like it was in my day. At HMB, a student asked me how to get to a classroom on the 2nd floor, which I found pretty funny; but I directed her, telling her she didn't need to worry about the elevators or crossing to the fourth floor (whoever redesigned HMB should have been taken out and shot: it's the most convoluted redesign or design I've ever seen, and I've been on my fair share of college campuses!). For all the money Gallaudet is pouring into capital improvements, though, they need to pay attention to the walkways. I passed quite a few that were crumbling or cracked.
After meeting my friend, we decided to lunch off campus, and headed to Eastern Market. Going down 8th, it was all familiar, until we got closer to East Capitol and 8th. The renovations and improvements have altered this part of DC. I was told one house on East Capitol recently sold for 1.2 million. Urk. The area immediately around the old Eastern Market itself is far more trendy than it used to be, and even among the familiar haunts on Pennsylvania Avenue such as the Hawk and Dove are more upscale or newer businesses. DC may still be an impoverished city in many areas, but it's definitely gentrifying at a faster pace than I thought.
After a pleasant luncheon and seeing yet another friend, I headed downtown to see my wife. I already knew that downtown has been revitalized in many areas, but it was pleasant to see the differences. One thing that really helped on Metro is that they've finally followed BART's lead and installed TV displays of expected trains, along with the routes they served and the amount of time to wait. The signage inside the stations are vastly improved-- I recall the days when I was sometimes in a hurry, and would exit on the wrong side of the platform, only to realize I needed to head in the opposite direction, which meant dashing all the way back around. Additionally, the city's added more signs and maps immediately outside Metro stops, which helps immeasurably in orienting oneself. I pride myself on finding my direction very quickly, but there were times in the past in downtown DC where I wasn't sure exactly if I should turn left, or right, walk back, or what to do. No longer is this the case.
While the streets were still pockmarked with potholes, crumbling edges, and the like, the overall appearance of the city as a whole has improved. It's definitely interesting to see the differences between places across this country though. Here in Los Angeles and California in general, dress tends to be casual, or if you're in the industry or a wannabe, chic casual. There's more emphasis on natural and enhanced fitness, image, and the like. In Atlanta, every third person (including myself!) needs a gym, or at worst, a referral to a doctor's office to assess fitness for a gastric bypass. The style of dress varied, but there were fewer people dressed in cutting-edge fashions, or contemporary colors. In DC, due to the gummint being its raison d'etre, just about everyone I passed was in a dark-colored suit, white shirt, and tie. Almost robotic... but for non-government employees, the dress style is definitely improved over the South, but not as radiant as here in the West. There's still quite a few trim people, folks who dressed stylishly and consciously, but their wardrobe and appearance was not quite as individual. It's amazing how we're all one big country, but there's so much diversity.
My days were filled with lunches, outings, and of course, quality time with a very, very special person. I did visit my old stomping grounds of Silver Spring, Maryland, though, and again, I was floored. When I lived in downtown Silver Spring a decade ago, it was a small, sleepy downtown for the most part, with some empty lots and lots of apartment buildings (rather pricey though-- the Silver Spring area for the most part is very nice, and it's within Montgomery County, which is affluent). There were a few neat stores, but there was also a sorry-looking mall, empty storefronts, and the Tastee Diner, which was a hangout of mine for a while.
Today, there are office buildings, a revitalized shopping district, chain stores like Borders, a Whole Foods, new housing, and in general a Silver Spring that resembles nothing like the suburban area I used to know.
Everytime I go to DC, I usually have the fun opportunity to see a new exhibit at one of the museums, or do something different. This trip was no exception. Last time I was in DC the "new" thing was the World War II Memorial on the National Mall. This time it was the National Museum of the American Indian, which opened last year. This museum is fascinating, and I think the curators have done a great job. Unfortunately, I didn't allow enough time to see everything, and had to leave before I could complete all the exhibits. At least this means I have something to do next time I'm in DC!
Overall, it was a great trip-- not sure I'll have the opportunity to make that kind of trip again in the near future, so it was really a trip I tried to make the most of, and I think I did. Thanks to those of you who visited with me and treated me to meals. Your company was one of the best things about the journey.
I made my connection, which was less crowded and a bit more pleasant, and arrived in DC. What struck me right away was the relative lack of humidity. With DC, you never can tell: in years past, the end of September could be anything from the last remnants of summer, to Indian Summer, to a taste of Fall. I was rewarded this trip with relatively nice temperatures, just one half-day of precipitation, and just enough humidity to remind me I was back East, but not enough to make me miserable. I have to schedule my trips out that way for the Fall more often...
After checking in at my lodgings and dumping my bags, I headed off to Gallaudet to meet a friend for lunch. This was the part of the trip where I quickly became amazed by the changes. The metro stop at NY Ave was the first surprise- years ago, when I'd lived there, the intersection of NY and Florida Avenues was, to put it mildly, seedy. Empty buildings, abandoned lots, alkies on every other corner, and two fast-food restaurants (McD's and Wendy's) that weren't about to win the "Cleanest Restaurants of the Year" award. The McDonald's actually had the worst service I've ever had in a fast-food joint: definitely fit the aphorism about DC, "Northern charm and Southern efficiency." The Wendy's was better, but not by a whole lot. I used to go to Wendy's with a friend or two in the wee hours, as a study break, and often we'd get there about the same time the whores took their evening constitutional. Some of them were halfway attractive, but definitely not dressed for a cotillion-- hip huggers, long, high-heeled boots, and skimpy, spaghetti-strap blouses that threatened to expose their complete torso every few minutes. Others were sadder-looking-- the kind of pros that were past their prime or pushing it, and you knew that in ten or so years, they'd be joining the alkies and the homeless just around the corner.
But I digress... Memories aside, what greeted me as I stepped off the platform was the view of an intersection transformed. While Wendy's was still there (and presumably, McDonald's, there were new, revitalized buildings everywhere, while in a formerly empty lot, the new federal ATF building was going up. While prosperity isn't by any stretch of the imagination exploding towards surrounding neighborhoods, it's definitely a change that will have impact on the area in the years to come. I had been in DC last about a year or two ago, and I usually go approximately once a year, either for conferences or to visit family, so it wasn't as if I'd been gone twenty years and then returned (there are people I know out here who graduated from Gallaudet fifteen or twenty or more years ago, and have not been back since. If they ever venture back, they are going to be more amazed than I am!). But even so, in the short space of time, the changes boggled my mind.
Making my way southeastward on Florida Avenue, the landscape became far more familiar after going under the rail overpass. But one change that I found interesting was the addition of timers to the pedestrian signals at the crosswalks. At the very short sidewalk just immediately after emerging from the Metro stop, the light gave me 60 seconds to cross. Just for stepping maybe two, three steps across the dinky street. Here in L.A., we have maybe five seconds to cross a street 10 times the length, like say, Santa Monica Boulevard. The 60-second interval was repeated all the way up to the intersection of Florida and 8th NE, where the crosswalk across Florida only gave me half that amount of time. Someone obviously didn't major in logic when they went to engineering school... On the way I noted the familiar gas stations, the liquor store, and other landmarks. G&G's seems to be gone, which is probably for the best; I remember my parents taking me there for lunch, and saying that someone had told them it was a nice restaurant, and students came there every so often, and all that. If only they knew the truth... *grin*
The campus has changed quite a bit-- I didn't care too much for the new signgage out front- it doesn't fit Gallaudet well (neither did the old blue signs, to tell you the truth), but I don't have a whole lot of control over it. I'd already been to the new SAC (the former Ely), but each time I pass it or go in it, it doesn't feel the same-- it's just not "my" Gallaudet. Ely Auditorium now proudly proclaims itself Foster Auditorium, and the football field is nothing like it was in my day. At HMB, a student asked me how to get to a classroom on the 2nd floor, which I found pretty funny; but I directed her, telling her she didn't need to worry about the elevators or crossing to the fourth floor (whoever redesigned HMB should have been taken out and shot: it's the most convoluted redesign or design I've ever seen, and I've been on my fair share of college campuses!). For all the money Gallaudet is pouring into capital improvements, though, they need to pay attention to the walkways. I passed quite a few that were crumbling or cracked.
After meeting my friend, we decided to lunch off campus, and headed to Eastern Market. Going down 8th, it was all familiar, until we got closer to East Capitol and 8th. The renovations and improvements have altered this part of DC. I was told one house on East Capitol recently sold for 1.2 million. Urk. The area immediately around the old Eastern Market itself is far more trendy than it used to be, and even among the familiar haunts on Pennsylvania Avenue such as the Hawk and Dove are more upscale or newer businesses. DC may still be an impoverished city in many areas, but it's definitely gentrifying at a faster pace than I thought.
After a pleasant luncheon and seeing yet another friend, I headed downtown to see my wife. I already knew that downtown has been revitalized in many areas, but it was pleasant to see the differences. One thing that really helped on Metro is that they've finally followed BART's lead and installed TV displays of expected trains, along with the routes they served and the amount of time to wait. The signage inside the stations are vastly improved-- I recall the days when I was sometimes in a hurry, and would exit on the wrong side of the platform, only to realize I needed to head in the opposite direction, which meant dashing all the way back around. Additionally, the city's added more signs and maps immediately outside Metro stops, which helps immeasurably in orienting oneself. I pride myself on finding my direction very quickly, but there were times in the past in downtown DC where I wasn't sure exactly if I should turn left, or right, walk back, or what to do. No longer is this the case.
While the streets were still pockmarked with potholes, crumbling edges, and the like, the overall appearance of the city as a whole has improved. It's definitely interesting to see the differences between places across this country though. Here in Los Angeles and California in general, dress tends to be casual, or if you're in the industry or a wannabe, chic casual. There's more emphasis on natural and enhanced fitness, image, and the like. In Atlanta, every third person (including myself!) needs a gym, or at worst, a referral to a doctor's office to assess fitness for a gastric bypass. The style of dress varied, but there were fewer people dressed in cutting-edge fashions, or contemporary colors. In DC, due to the gummint being its raison d'etre, just about everyone I passed was in a dark-colored suit, white shirt, and tie. Almost robotic... but for non-government employees, the dress style is definitely improved over the South, but not as radiant as here in the West. There's still quite a few trim people, folks who dressed stylishly and consciously, but their wardrobe and appearance was not quite as individual. It's amazing how we're all one big country, but there's so much diversity.
My days were filled with lunches, outings, and of course, quality time with a very, very special person. I did visit my old stomping grounds of Silver Spring, Maryland, though, and again, I was floored. When I lived in downtown Silver Spring a decade ago, it was a small, sleepy downtown for the most part, with some empty lots and lots of apartment buildings (rather pricey though-- the Silver Spring area for the most part is very nice, and it's within Montgomery County, which is affluent). There were a few neat stores, but there was also a sorry-looking mall, empty storefronts, and the Tastee Diner, which was a hangout of mine for a while.
Today, there are office buildings, a revitalized shopping district, chain stores like Borders, a Whole Foods, new housing, and in general a Silver Spring that resembles nothing like the suburban area I used to know.
Everytime I go to DC, I usually have the fun opportunity to see a new exhibit at one of the museums, or do something different. This trip was no exception. Last time I was in DC the "new" thing was the World War II Memorial on the National Mall. This time it was the National Museum of the American Indian, which opened last year. This museum is fascinating, and I think the curators have done a great job. Unfortunately, I didn't allow enough time to see everything, and had to leave before I could complete all the exhibits. At least this means I have something to do next time I'm in DC!
Overall, it was a great trip-- not sure I'll have the opportunity to make that kind of trip again in the near future, so it was really a trip I tried to make the most of, and I think I did. Thanks to those of you who visited with me and treated me to meals. Your company was one of the best things about the journey.
posted by Mr. Sandman | 8:35 PM
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