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This morning there's another look by the Post at Near Southeast this time focusing on the people who have moved to the neighborhood despite the lack of amenities. No real surprises in the piece, other than its aura of a slight sense of bewilderment that people would want to live in an area without it being "finished": "That's left the 2,100 newcomers in freshly painted townhouses and high-concept buildings, with such names as Velocity and Axiom at Capitol Yards, to fend for themselves in what looks like an abandoned construction zone. [...] To outsiders, it seems crazy to pick up and move to a place where the only sit-down restaurants are Five Guys and Subway, the nearest grocery aisle is the refrigerated case at the CVS and happy-hour crowds shoehorn into the lobby bar of a Courtyard Marriott." But: "Yet for everything the Capitol Riverfront is not, it is this: jagged and textured, where so much of Washington is buttoned-down. A relative bargain in a city of pricey real estate. A convivial community happily captured inside its utopia, while more established neighborhoods can be anonymous, stuffy even."
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Evan says: (9/12/09 12:59 PM)
Oh good grief... it's not like we have a Metro station, Metrobuses, and the Circulator to connect us the rest of civilization. Many folks have cars too, and if you DO have to walk, 8th Street and Penn isn't really that far away. C'mon WP... what a load of BS.


OnyxAptGuy says: (9/12/09 7:21 PM)
Who needs a car if you have ZipCar and Chinatown 3 metro stops away. Yes I can't walk within 3 blocks and have everything I want, but at this price and the open space, I like it.


Jay says: (9/12/09 9:14 PM)
Once the boom comes back, JDLand is poised to spring forward better than any other area.

Well, that's my guess, anyway. What other hoods are in the running?


G-Man says: (9/12/09 9:34 PM)
The "boom" isn't coming back. Yes, growth will resume but at a measured pace. I figure at least 10 years before the area feels remotely "finished". That's not a bad thing though. In the meantime, folks are living in amazing apartments 5 min. from downtown for what it costs to live in an older apartment in NoVa. Not too bad.


Mary says: (9/13/09 6:21 AM)
I look forward to another WP article that provides a more historical perspective in that a new community (Capitol Riverfront) is being created within an existing community (Near Southeast). That is what makes JDLand so fascinating to read and what makes talking to Albert at Cornercopia so profound. Both provide a sense of deep and former roots in the older neighborhood while introducing new possibilities. The Post article focused only on the new residents moving in and left out those who were there at the beginning and decided to stay rooted.


Jay says: (9/13/09 8:36 AM)
Good point Mary.

It is amazing how relatively quickly things happened. I was doing some research on the site selection for what would be a new ballpark for the transferred Expos franchise. Near Southeast was not a prime candidate but towards the end, the other prospective sites wilted and someone saw potential with Near Southeast.

Then in what seemed like the blink of an eye, the new ballpark went up.









Pat says: (9/13/09 3:47 PM)
I am sick and freaking tired of hearing the whiny babies the Post interviews for these stories about Near SE. OMG, the Safeway is SO FREAKING SCARY (there's actually security guards there), I'm going to order groceries online instead. OMG, there's no vegetarian outlet. OMG, there's no AMENITIES. Barrack's Row and Penn Ave is SO FAR AWAY! I demand EVERYTHING within a three bloc radius. Jesus, it's like if you don't live on U St., nowhere else in the city is worth living. I like the cheaper rents, easy access to the Green line and the Hill, and I have my basics covered with a grocery store and liquor store within walking distance.

And the notion that this neighborhood needs a white tablecloth restaurant is about the most absurd thing I've heard all week. We need a white tablecloth restaurant like we need five liquor stores within three blocks. Nice editorializing there, Rein. Yes, an expensive restaurant that half the residents here couldn't afford to eat at. That's how you know you've made it and will start attracting more yuppies.


bruce says: (9/14/09 1:24 PM)
next time she does a piece, she should interview some folks who actually invested $$ in the homes here to gain another perspective.
She should also walk the area herself.
Barracks Row, Easter Mkt, Capitol hill.
Arew we on another planet over here?
I love the area and my neighbors help make it a real community.


JoeinDC says: (9/15/09 12:40 PM)
Ha! Seriously? What a lot of hullabaloo. O.k., yes... a lot, if not most construction has slowed to a crawl. Nevertheless, the Yards/Near S.E. will rise and rise in fantastic fashion. It will be the envy of the city when it is finished. There is nothing to poo-poo about what the future holds for us who have shrewdly decided to move to the area and for those who deciced to stay. I remember back in 1999 when I moved from Hell's Kitchen in NYC up to Harlem. Everyone thought I was nuts. Within 6 months, they all slowly started tricklng up to Harlem for the bigger apts. & lower rent. Harlem is culturally vibrant, diverse and hip. My Capitol Quarter townhouse just started framing yesterday. I am ecstatic and will have the last laugh. To all the naysayers, I will proudly say... "How do ya like me now?"

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