The first trip I made to Southeast Washington, DC happened in the late summer of 1992. It was a bit of tumultuous time in my life, so I'm not sure my impressions were entirely warranted, but the overall feel was one of rowdy desperation. The storefronts seemed to be a repeating pattern of strip club, liquor store, gas station, pawn shop, liquor store, pawn shop, strip club, etc.
That is not the environment that is prevalent in the area today. Southeast has changed. It has been a bit of a hard slog, but the grittiness and crime in the area has been replaced with high end office buildings, a town center like atmosphere, some wonderful parks, and the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail. The Nationals have built a new stadium, and trendy restaurants abound. There's even a wading pool and an ice rink during the winter.
Several major government activities moved into the area including the Department of Transportation and an increase in presence of the United States Navy at the Washington Navy Yard.
The transformation this area of the city has undergone over the last twenty years of so is truly amazing. That change involved vision and tenacity and hard work. It also involved investment, planning, and hard headed dedication.
There I am...the guy on the street in a neon yellow shirt...reflected in the surface of an oversized baseball decorating Nationals Park, Southeast Washington, DC.
That is not the environment that is prevalent in the area today. Southeast has changed. It has been a bit of a hard slog, but the grittiness and crime in the area has been replaced with high end office buildings, a town center like atmosphere, some wonderful parks, and the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail. The Nationals have built a new stadium, and trendy restaurants abound. There's even a wading pool and an ice rink during the winter.
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| Department of Transportation Ocean and Air Transportation sculpture |
Several major government activities moved into the area including the Department of Transportation and an increase in presence of the United States Navy at the Washington Navy Yard.
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| Closer view of the Ocean and Air Transportation Sculpture |
The transformation this area of the city has undergone over the last twenty years of so is truly amazing. That change involved vision and tenacity and hard work. It also involved investment, planning, and hard headed dedication.
Seeing the results of all that effort is a great reminder that although change is hard, it is often worth the work required to see it through. Change is also inevitable, so more often than not it's just better to get on with it.
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| Reflecting on Baseball |
There I am...the guy on the street in a neon yellow shirt...reflected in the surface of an oversized baseball decorating Nationals Park, Southeast Washington, DC.
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