Yards Park Construction

I read or heard somewhere that the Yards Park/Navy Yard neighborhood is supposed to become the most populated neighborhood in DC. By looking at it you can see why. Twelve years ago when we moved to Capitol Hill nothing really existed on that end of town. Now, once you walk just past the freeway overpass there has been an explosion of development. It started with the Department of Transportation, Nationals Stadium, and a Marriott. Then came the apartment buildings, townhouses and condos. A few months ago the Whole Foods store opened and it is surrounded by three huge apartment buildings - the last one is planned to open by the end of the year. At every turn, view and angle there are cranes and construction and noise all the way down to the Anacostia River. We are certain every square inch of real estate will be taken over leaving little, if any, green space. On this side of the overpass it’s like a suburban neighborhood with low rise, very old and original structures. Which one do you prefer? High rises, modern and noisy? Or very old, quaint and closer to the Capitol? We are still trying to figure it out. 

Construction Everywhere

We are doomed. We are surrounded. Forget about finding parking. It’s bad on an average day and is even worse when the whole neighborhood is under construction. It’s a never ending nightmare that never goes away. Once the equipment, noise, and aggravation ends, it starts all over again. Not only is the street behind us and down the block being ripped up - again - the building across the street is having some major rework done. The equipment alone blocks up sorely needed street parking spaces. Aside from those projects that have nothing to do with us, there is now an extensive water mediation French drain renovation surrounding our building. Every morning I am awakened by tapping and drilling and feeling like we live in a fishbowl because the workers are right in our windows. Access to the courtyard is limited, our patio is destroyed, and it’s taking a very long time. Hopefully it will accomplish what is necessary to maintain and protect our 1890’s building. This is one time being retired and living at home during the day can test your patience. We could leave the neighborhood for errands, but we will never find a place to park on our return. We won’t have a choice sooner or later. I will never get used to it even after living here twelve years. 

Rock ‘n Roll Marathon, Construction, and Parking Nightmare

I hate trying to find parking around here. In the Midwest we had a two car garage, a very long driveway, and street parking. I really miss it! When we moved to DC that was a convenience we had to give up. Our 1890’s condo building doesn’t have underground facilities. So parking is always bad, but now it is even worse. For more than a month the entire street behind our building has been blocked off for utility work - although no one seems to know what it really is all about. It was supposed to end by February. Now the signs say the end of April. On top of that the ridiculous Rock ‘n ‘Roll marathon was yesterday. We were not only trapped in our house because of street closures until two in the afternoon, you also had to find parking that was not along the scheduled route - or you would be ticketed and have your car towed. It used to be you wouldn’t be able to move your car, now it would be moved away for you whether you liked it or not. I am not against marathons but this one needlessly disrupts every DC quadrant. We oftentimes decide when we go somewhere based on events in the neighborhood and time of day if we plan to take the car. It is a real pain in the neck but we are not yet willing to give up our vehicle. The only bright spot is we have a circle drive that takes you right to the front door to unload groceries, etc. but when someone decides to use the drive for a parking space - forget it! 

Driving Through Chicago - the Car GPS Leads Us Astray Again

I don't trust the car GPS. And it was proven once again last week when we drove to Milwaukee from DC. I usually set google maps on my phone as well as use the car GPS, but my head was down when we were passing out of Indiana and in to Illinois. Rather than take the usual bypass, we ended up heading straight in to downtown. We haven't been that way since the last time we made that mistake twenty years ago. We always paid close attention to the confusing signs that first take you west to Iowa, then north to Milwaukee. So we cursed a bit, but then just sat back for the ride. After driving past the rusty bridges and landscape of Gary, the Chicago White Sox stadium, and the Sears Tower, we saw our usual exits like Ohio Street, where we would frequent Reza's Persian Restaurant and Michigan Avenue. We spent a lot of time in Chicago over the thirty years we lived in Milwaukee, including Christmas time weekends when my husband was attending medical meetings or we just did Christmas shopping and enjoyed the sounds and sights of the holiday season. I suppose it was a nice reminder of all those things, but it did delay our arrival time by quite a bit. Would we have preferred taking the bypass? Probably. Did we enjoy the ride? Yes. 

Eastern Market Construction Art

There is a huge construction project going on at Eastern Market. It's been going on for quite some time and there is certainly a lot more to go. It will eventually become an apartment complex with a Trader Joe's. I've heard the penthouse will rent for $10,000 a month. My hair stylist is happy about it all because it means more business to this already packed area. To make the construction site as appealing as possible, covered walkways have been built around the perimeter so pedestrians have a safer place to walk. But it's what is inside the walkways that is so colorful and interesting. There is something about art created by children. And based on how it is organized and displayed makes it even more whimsical and fun to see. As we were returning home from our morning walk we passed through the eastern market weekend vendors area. The artwork could not be missed and for whatever reason looked so remarkable this time. Maybe it was just the colors, or I simply was paying more attention to the detail. I can just imagine the teachers making the request of the students to come up with something. They really delivered. 

Capitol Riverfront, Anacostia, and Construction

Rather than walk to the Mall, we turned south toward the Anacostia riverfront. The construction and noise is overwhelming. The sidewalks are being replaced to brick from concrete, the Virginia Avenue train renovation is handily underway, and the high rises are fast appearing just about everywhere. We started at the fountains near the river, then headed west towards Nationals Stadium. The cranes, concrete and glass are not is short supply. The hoards of workers in yellow safety vests are taking breaks at the old fashioned food trucks. When we first moved here ten years ago, none of these structures were in existence. We wouldn't want to live in the huge steel and glass buildongs, much preferring the traditional Capitol Hill neighborhood with all the issues of living in very old buildings - although it would be great to have a parking space and our own heating and air conditioning unit. It all looks much better from a distance, and taking a walk through it every once in a while is all we need.