Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I will have to say that when I lived in Adams Morgan from '79 through '83, I would take off walking and often ended up in the heart of downtown because that's where I felt the true soul of the city was centered, the bad with the good, the homeless along with the small business owner, the empty or even boarded-up storefront next to the newest plaza. There was something about the grit and the potential that kept me coming back and dreaming that the derelict buildings would come back to life with vitality and more small business owners.
All over the nation there is a sameness among cities that has been created by national chains, and that sameness has crept into the hearts of many of our downtowns. Which scenario is better for a downtown - authenticity coupled with hope, or the "American brand" coupled with crowds? I'm sure the national chains are only superimposed upon a "real" downtown that still has a soul. I'm correct, aren't I? If not, it's okay for me to feel sad about it.
I love pictures of the old downtown DC.
They take me back to when I was a kid.
There were so many different places to go and things to do.
Today is the complete opposite.
I know everybody is saying DC is making a comeback but to me its just not the same.
I find a lot of the new development dull & boring.
Others have mentioned this to me as well.
How many new condos, CVS & Starbucks will they build until they finally realize it all blows?
Those pics look incredible, I only have few memories of Downtown DC back in the late 90s when I was a kid. I remember the Chinese New Year parade in Chinatown back in 1999 or 2000 though. Haven't been to another one since unfortunately.
Got anymore pictures of Downtown and other parts of DC back then?
I will have to say that when I lived in Adams Morgan from '79 through '83, I would take off walking and often ended up in the heart of downtown because that's where I felt the true soul of the city was centered, the bad with the good, the homeless along with the small business owner, the empty or even boarded-up storefront next to the newest plaza. There was something about the grit and the potential that kept me coming back and dreaming that the derelict buildings would come back to life with vitality and more small business owners.
All over the nation there is a sameness among cities that has been created by national chains, and that sameness has crept into the hearts of many of our downtowns. Which scenario is better for a downtown - authenticity coupled with hope, or the "American brand" coupled with crowds? I'm sure the national chains are only superimposed upon a "real" downtown that still has a soul. I'm correct, aren't I? If not, it's okay for me to feel sad about it.
You should check out Downtown LA if you ever decide to visit Especially Broadway and Olvera Street.
What Hope? It was a decaying city back then with a rapidly falling population and high crime rate. Many of the small businesses failed for a reason, they couldn't sustain their business is such an awful atmosphere. Having a high number of buildings boarded up is not a sign of hope, this is a sign of an unhealthy city.
Why people reminisce over widespread urban decline and blight is beyond me.
What Hope? It was a decaying city back then with a rapidly falling population and high crime rate. Many of the small businesses failed for a reason, they couldn't sustain their business is such an awful atmosphere. Having a high number of buildings boarded up is not a sign of hope, this is a sign of an unhealthy city.
Why people reminisce over widespread urban decline and blight is beyond me.
People are opening up boutique-type stores and independent restaurants in downtowns, too. I know some cities where you can't find a CVS or other national brand in the core. Whether that has necessarily been by choice or just the way it happened isn't clear to me, but I do like the uniqueness that local stores without the homogenized look bring to a downtown. I have always been one to focus on assets and to think in terms of building up from there. In a downtown with assets I've never seen boarded-up buildings as the end of the story. What has become or what becomes of boarded-up buildings in urban cores sometimes depends on the locale.
People are opening up boutique-type stores and independent restaurants in downtowns, too. I know some cities where you can't find a CVS or other national brand in the core. Whether that has necessarily been by choice or just the way it happened isn't clear to me, but I do like the uniqueness that local stores without the homogenized look bring to a downtown. I have always been one to focus on assets and to think in terms of building up from there. In a downtown with assets I've never seen boarded-up buildings as the end of the story. What has become or what becomes of boarded-up buildings in urban cores sometimes depends on the locale.
Well this is a reminder...DC was becoming a Detroit in miniature before the late 1990s. It would have continued to decline without the gentrification. Instead it is now one of the elite 5 cities and growing again. This is a reminder, reminiscing about DC is reminiscing about a crap path. The city is far different, and it's for the better.
Bullets, you would enjoy the following site which has thousands of similar pictures. //www.facebook.com/OldTimeDc It's an open site, for people to comment and reminisce about each picture. Readers continually add more pictures daily,
The photos you posted were taken around Metro Center. Photos #2 and #5 are on F Street NW, looking west toward the Treasury Dept. building. The traffic island in the center, used to have a booth selling discounted tickets to various same-day shows around town. The International Safeway grocery was there, which in the 1960s sold exotic foods long before they were sold in mainstream supermarkets. F Street used to have many department stores all clustered there, which served people of the entire metropolitan area.
Loew's Palace movie theater shown in photo #5 was in business from 1918 until it was torn down in 1979, at 1306 F Street. It was the first DC theater to offer air-conditioning, in 1926.
Around the corner, the Rolling Stones performed at the Warner Theater on June 15, 1978. No advertising was needed other than just posting the band's name on the marquee that morning, which by itself, led to all tickets completely selling out in a few hours.
Last edited by slowlane3; 01-15-2014 at 08:34 PM..
Well this is a reminder...DC was becoming a Detroit in miniature before the late 1990s. It would have continued to decline without the gentrification. Instead it is now one of the elite 5 cities and growing again. This is a reminder, reminiscing about DC is reminiscing about a crap path. The city is far different, and it's for the better.
I know some downtowns that were in the same boat, but today they are vibrant again and aren't CVS'd to the hilt. I would have to see downtown DC in person, but I'm just sayin'.
I know some downtowns that were in the same boat, but today they are vibrant again and aren't CVS'd to the hilt. I would have to see downtown DC in person, but I'm just sayin'.
In Chicago it's Walgreens. In NYC it's Duane Reed. It's not always CVS, it depends on the city. Chain pharmacies though are common in most big cities, but they are different chains. You see fewer indies in wealthier cities.
Your point is?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Especially Broadway and Olvera Street.
