Brightwood's Moment? (Washington: apartment complex, neighborhood, new construction)
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A few weeks ago I decided to grab something for lunch in DC on my way to the office on a weekend. I started out in Columbia Heights, but there was a major "yuppie brunch" vibe, and most of the people looked like the young, affluent types who get sketched or photoshopped into pictures of every new apartment complex in any city. I'm sure they were enjoying themselves, but there was nothing about the atmosphere that made me want to stop there that day.
As a result, I kept driving around and eventually ended up in Brightwood - Georgia Avenue north of Petworth. It was clear that there'd been a lot of renovations of the single-family housing, and I ended up in a small bakery/take-out place that simultaneously seemed to be trying to appeal to long-time AA residents, Hispanics, and yuppies. Truth be told, the panini that I got wasn't the best (a bit on the greasy side), but I didn't really care, because the vibe in both the bakery and the neighborhood was so comfortable and low-key.
Is Brightwood generally recognized as a neighborhood that strikes such a nice balance? Is there a perception that it's only a matter of time before it becomes almost oppressively upscale, or does it still have a way to go? At least for families looking to live in DC, in an area that's not overwhelmingly geared toward 20-somethings, it seems like an attractive proposition, but perhaps I've not done enough research on the area's schools or safety.
I live near Brightwood and it's an OK area. It's changing just like all of Washington DC as people give up on the old model of commuter suburbs.
LOL. I live in a "commuter suburb" and the pace of teardowns and new construction has never been greater. During the period that people were allegedly "giving up" on the "old model," the absolute growth in the suburbs continued to outpace that in DC. I do like Brightwood, though.
I don't mind when people in NYC have a parochial attitude toward their city, because it's the Big Apple. When people in DC affect that attitude, it just seems small-minded. If you took the suburban workers and visitors out of DC, this city would be about as vibrant as Camden, New Jersey.
Never thought I'd see the day when Columbia Heights is described as "oppressively upscale" LOL. Have you ever been to Georgetown? Brightwood's probably on the gentrification train so if you hate young successful people so much you might want to look elsewhere.
Never thought I'd see the day when Columbia Heights is described as "oppressively upscale" LOL. Have you ever been to Georgetown? Brightwood's probably on the gentrification train so if you hate young successful people so much you might want to look elsewhere.
I've never heard of Georgetown. Where is that? Does it have an Olive Garden or a nice Au Bon Pain? If so, I'd probably love to check it out some day if I can find it!
I don't dislike young successful people, but there was something attractive that day about the mix of white, black and Hispanics of different ages in Brightwood that I wasn't sensing on that particular stretch of Columbia Heights (near 14th Street) where I'd gone looking for a place to park (horrors) and grab some take-out. I liked the fact that the particular bakery in Brightwood seemed to be trying to appeal to a variety of local residents, whereas some of the new places in Columbia Heights seemed designed to extract as much money out of your wallet as possible.
Of course, maybe you're right, and Brightwood may be too far down the path to gentrification (which no one can stop, but which many don't end up welcoming when the gentrifiers turn out to be passive-aggressive tools).
I've never heard of Georgetown. Where is that? Does it have an Olive Garden or a nice Au Bon Pain? If so, I'd probably love to check it out some day if I can find it!
No, not serious. Georgetown has changed, but to me it has a perennial appeal and there's pretty much something for everyone. But I thought your post was really kind of in-your-face confrontational. I mentioned the scene in Columbia Heights because it was background as to how I ended up in Brightwood one morning and liked what I saw.
It's kind of like deciding to go out to hear some music and stumbling into a jazz club that appealed to you after having first witnessed a Drake concert with a bunch of teenagers. It doesn't mean that you dislike teenagers, just that it's not really your scene anymore and you recognize it.
Location: YOU are NOT a Washingtonian. YOU are a GENTRIFIER from the CVS, Whole Foods, Starbucks & Condos era.
367 posts, read 642,650 times
Reputation: 148
Quote:
Originally Posted by JEB77
A few weeks ago I decided to grab something for lunch in DC on my way to the office on a weekend. I started out in Columbia Heights, but there was a major "yuppie brunch" vibe, and most of the people looked like the young, affluent types who get sketched or photoshopped into pictures of every new apartment complex in any city. I'm sure they were enjoying themselves, but there was nothing about the atmosphere that made me want to stop there that day.
I have always been a fan of marketing.
One of these days we should start a thread about some of the slick phrases they use below the pictures of the young, affluent types who get sketched or photoshopped in the pictures of every new apartment complex in any city that you just mentioned.
Location: YOU are NOT a Washingtonian. YOU are a GENTRIFIER from the CVS, Whole Foods, Starbucks & Condos era.
367 posts, read 642,650 times
Reputation: 148
Quote:
Originally Posted by JEB77
LOL. I live in a "commuter suburb" and the pace of teardowns and new construction has never been greater. During the period that people were allegedly "giving up" on the "old model," the absolute growth in the suburbs continued to outpace that in DC. I do like Brightwood, though.
I don't mind when people in NYC have a parochial attitude toward their city, because it's the Big Apple. When people in DC affect that attitude, it just seems small-minded. If you took the suburban workers and visitors out of DC, this city would be about as vibrant as Camden, New Jersey.
No, not serious. But I thought your post was really kind of in-your-face confrontational. I mentioned the scene in Columbia Heights because it was background as to how I ended up in Brightwood one morning and liked what I saw.
It's kind of like deciding to go out to hear some music and finding a jazz club that appealed to you after inadvertently stumbling into a Drake concert with a bunch of teenagers. It doesn't mean that you dislike teenagers, just that it's not really your scene anymore and you know it.
I just don't appreciate your characterization of gentrifiers as "passive-aggressive tools." There are plenty of people moving into transitional areas that want to be part of the community, not whitewash it and drive older residents out. Just because many of them are visibly different, being white, or young; and attract businesses that may be out of the norm for the neighborhood, doesn't make them tools. Their culture is just as valid as anyone else's, and there's nothing that makes your typical DC Subs/Chinese food/Chicken/Fish dump intrinsically better or more 'welcoming' than a Starbucks or brunch restaurant. You may have liked that greasy panini and felt welcome there but that business exists to make money, just like any other. A place being less swanky doesn't make it some bastion of community togetherness and diversity.
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Not sure if serious.....
