You Know You're a Real Washingtonian If... (amusement park, condos)

[MuscogeeButterfly]

Originally Posted by BajanYankee

You partied at DC Live, Home, or the Ritz.

You've had your home or car broken into at least once.

You've been insulted by a crazy homeless person with no teeth on more than one occasion.

You've lived in a basement apartment.

You remember when $1.10 used to get you anywhere you wanted to go in the city on Metro.

You remember when Metro parking lots used to accept cash.

You've eaten Jumbo Slice or Julia's Empanada's.

You remember what existed at 13th and U before Alero (I can't remember)

You remember when you could drive past the White House

You remember biker night at Haines Point and the McDonald's near Howard

You used to be really scared to go to Southeast

You were denied admission to Dream for wearing a shirt without a collar.

You can sing the Eastern Motor's or Shoe City song verbatim.

You still quote the trailer park lady from the radio and say "Whatever Hater!!!!"

You've had a conversation with the crazy guy who walks around town dressed like a member of Parliament Funkadelic.

"Exercise Man" has bumped into you at least once while waiting to cross at an intersection.

You remember working "professionals" strolling along K Street late nights
....

Anything else?

Wow. So I'm in the Sooner State now, and you're telling me..Southeast is not scary anymore, you CAN'T drive past the WH now?????

[Lil Tunechi]

The Ward 8 part of SE is still grimey idc what any says go around certain hoods and loaf if you want to.

[coolio69]

...You slightly chuckle when you hear that "kiss my bumper!" commercial.

[14thandYou]

Originally Posted by MuscogeeButterfly

you CAN'T drive past the WH now?????

You haven't been able to do that for 16 years.

[HurricaneDC]

Originally Posted by 14thandYou

You haven't been able to do that for 16 years.

Really? I thought they only closed those roads after 9/11.

[Larry1320]

Originally Posted by Moth

Grew up 5 minutes from there and used to go to HoJos for ice cream. Also used to be a strip where Borders and Maggiano's is now located. Contained Rex Liquor, an animal hospital, and a bar with a great neon sign- The **** Robin Inn. Nobody remembers it but me and at 7 years old, its not like I ever made it inside. Also a great Mid Century Modern bank- Columbia Federal Savings.

Was the variety store, Rodman's? Their first location was there until an arsonist nailed them. They are now down the street.

Facing the stores from l-r Rex Liquor, Rodman's Discount Drugs, Brother Gus's ****-robin Inn, Washington Veterinary Clinic, Perpetual Savings & Loan

[Larry1320]

Originally Posted by LynchburgLover

I do remember Rex's and the animal hospital but not the bar. But here's one for you -- on Wisconsin, between Western and Jennifer -- where Mazza is now, there was a gas station, a vacant lot and then a restaurant -- what was the restaurant called??

And the variety store I'm remembering was on Albemarle -- 1/2 a block off Wisconsin near Sears. Maybe "Jimmie's Variety" -- something like that. Seems they had everything in there! We used to ride our bikes and get fireballs and red licorice!

How about the DC transit bus barn and Paul Brothers Oldsmobile?

Boy, that part of DC is barely recognizable.

ESSO on the corner Sinclair across the street Vacant lot , Silver Fox Supper Club where the Mazza Gallery stands.
Albermarle st had a" Joe's Variety" where I spent a lot of time looking & buying. Great candy selection and unusual toys such as "Big Bang Cannon"
Between the Car Barn and the ESSO was Tolman's Laundry.

[jrh0341]

You partied at DC Live, Home, or the Ritz. --> Hell yes. Back when DC live was called (The Spot) on Fridays. Always good for picking up a drunk college girl. Honorable mentions: The Bank, Vault, Volt, MCXXI, The Glow, Earth, Insomnia <-- (oh yeah), and of course, Lulu's Mardi Gras Club


You've lived in a basement apartment. yup

You remember when $1.10 used to get you anywhere you wanted to go in the city on Metro. check

You've eaten Jumbo Slice or Julia's Empanada's. AKA Pizza Napoli right outside Heaven&Hell on a Sat night

You remember when you could drive past the White House

You can sing the Eastern Motor's or Shoe City song verbatim. Haha. Still got the Shoe CIty song stuck in my head.

You remember working "professionals" strolling along K Street late nights
....

Anything else?

You've almost come to blows with someone from Baltimore because he called you "Yo"/You called him "young/Jo"

You order your wings with mambo sauce

You know which nights and which bars to get dollar bud lights, 10cent wings or 25 cent tacos on Penn Ave

You remember when all the clubs were run by "Masoud Productions"

You went to HFStival

You still think the Skins need to move back to RFK

You had a "Mark the Rypper" T-shirt (side note, has anybody seen his daughter? She's QB'ing for the Bmore charm lingerie team. Holy crap she's hot!"

You got let out of school for the million man march

You remember radio ads for "Legends" nightclub

Once a week you wake up and think "Iiiiiiitss FRIIIIIIIdaYYYYYYYY!!!!"

Special military only: You remember when the Hawk and Dove was your first chance last chance drunk hookup hunting ground.

[jrh0341]

Originally Posted by LynchburgLover

If you remember the corner of Wisconsin & Western Avenues had two gas stations, Woodward & Lothrop and a Howard Johnsons . And the city was safe enough that at 12 years old, you could ride your bicyle down Wisconsin Avenue to Tip Top Records, Sears, the Green Stamp redemption store!

There was also a variety store around the corner that had everything. (But I'm getting old . . . don't remember the name!)

dude. You had me at woodward and lothrop. haha. Nice one.

[jrh0341]

Originally Posted by Eugene80

Can any DC veterans describe what the nightlife was like in DC prior to 2003-04. How was Dupont Circle, the K St. area, etc.? Were there a lot of bars and people in the streets? Was security strict? How was the partying in those days?

I know that "Platinum" used to be called "The Bank", and there was also a club called Zei. How was Dream back in the day?

I gotcha. Here goes, you ready?

*Disclaimer, just a tongue in cheek explanation, nobody get offended

Bars, Hawk&Dove -meat market, Marines hunting college girls, getting fall down drunk occasionally fighting a frat kid, Politiki/Penn Ave pour hous - (dollar bud thurs), Heaven and hell/Lulus - older meat market, SPorts fans/Front Page, Rumors - Hot chicks, average hook up effort.

Clubs - The Spot (DClive) hip hop floor ok, techno floor - meh 80's floor Hell yes. The Music sucked (same bon jovi and madonna pop hits every week) but all the college hotties would stay there so..... That place was so corrupt. 10-15$ to the bouncer would get you an old-enough-to-drink wristband.

Glow - hot girls who were too busy dancing to talk to you, super hot asian girls who were too busy occupying the "cool kid" seats along the walls to talk to you. Still you could hook up if you could dance

Bank/Vault/Glow umm decent time. Not much to say.

18th and U - A little bit Bourbon Street, a little bit "Campus PD". Pretty easy to hook up.

Tons of people in the streets. Nowhere in those areas felt "unsafe" until at least 03-04.

Colleges (I said don't get offended remember)

Catholic University - Average looks, easy to take home. Minimal drama.
Marymount - Semi easy but always kind of weird
American University - Good looking, good ratio, but lots of the kind of hot, crazy basket case girls you get involved with and 2 months later which you would have just run away in the first place
Georgetown - VERY hot girls. Privileged though. Be prepared to navigate a little snobbery.
GW - cute, refreshingly normal, fond of Military guys. (Well, at least once anyways. For every GW girl that says "oo I like Marines" there's at least another that says "Oh. You're a Marine. Yeah I dated a one you guys once. Not doing that again..."