Washington, DC

Max

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I went out for a long walk today, it was a typical 85 degree high humidity summer day in Washington. I took a bunch of pics, tried to find some of "old" downtown DC which is quickly disappearing. There's only a few blocks here and there that have older, unrenovated buildings left on them. Most of downtown DC has been renovated and rebuilt and is office or condo space. One of the older storefronts that I found had this huge dog sleeping on the sidewalk in front of it. It's hard to tell how big this dog is from the picture, but trust me when I say he was easily 200 lbs. The last couple are pics of the Arlington, VA skyline as seen from the Georgetown waterfront in DC. Enjoy!

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excellent photos! i was in DC for a stop over last march on my way to orlando, and i wish i could have stayed longer because when i went on vacation there when i was 9 i remember thinking to myself what a great city it was, but sadly ive never been back to check it out more. to be honest im kind of scared with all the crime reports i hear of about homicieds etc in east DC...where were you on this walk?
 
Hey Patrick - I added a couple photos of the Arlington skyline for you there at the end.

Anyhow, basically I was in what's known as the northwest quadrant of the city, which is where most of the tourist things are, and which is mostly white, gentrified, and safe. Most, but certainly not all, of the crime in DC is in the other three quadrants, particularly northeast. Most of eastern dc is poor, black, and run down, though in a few places the gentrification is starting to creep east as developers look for more properties to renovate and market.

For most of the pictures I took today I was in downtown, Georgetown, and DuPont Circle, all of which are generally safe and full of people. Sometime I'll go over to Capitol Hill and take some shots over there, and if I get brave I'll head over towards some of the areas that are still pretty run down.
 
wow, three quarters of the city is crime ridden eh? that sounds like a stat i could live without, literally. still a nice city though, im sure.

thanks for those shots of arlington, my father lived there when he was young and said there were no high rises there and that he was surprised to hear there were some there now,....ill have to show him.
 
Patrick said:
wow, three quarters of the city is crime ridden eh? that sounds like a stat i could live without, literally. still a nice city though, im sure.
Crime is way down. Used to be so bad that no one went out at night except to Georgetown, and the subway didn't run weekends. All that has changed: crowded sidewalks, packed subway, plenty of nightlife and restaurants, clean streets, buildings in place of parking lots. Can't think of a U.S. city that has improved more than Washington, DC.
 
I go to DC pretty often for business. I would have to agree that its pretty hopping. The east side has some very nice looking neighborhoods, especially close to Federal Hill?. The SE is generally all black but there is some diversity. The area along Pennsylvania Avenue SE all the way to the river looks pretty upscale in some parts, there are certainly lots of expensive cars and well dressed people..
 
Maligning the East Side is a mistake. Granted the area between the Capitol and RFK stadium can become progressively more dicey and decrepit on a block by block basis, but within ten blocks toward and around Eastern Market is quite the neighborhood. My favorite in all of the DC metro. (And where This Old House is currently doing this season's project.)

http://www.easternmarket.net/

A friend of mine lived at Maryland and Second for ten years, so I spent a great deal of time there. (In fact, that's where I was on 9/11, but that's a another story for another time.) I've watched it change significantly in the many decades I have spent hanging out in DC.

Anyway, I have had some of the best food and met some of the most interesting people hanging out in NE/SE DC, as well as many other 'bad' pockets in hoods that all you frightened younguns fondly like to call 'the ghettos' (which I think is stupid nomenclature!).

Plus, everyone must get to DC soon because the renovated National Portrait Gallery and American Art Museum are about to reopen.

http://www.si.edu/museums/

And for those of you not in the know, The National Building Museum is a must for everyone, just to check out its structure.

http://www.nbm.org/

BTW--interesting pics and perspectives, Max. Love the Waffle Shop sign and the pic immediately following it of the older red building wedged against the large grey/white one--love that kind of juxtaposition.
 

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