The Goat Pen

The Observatory? Mass Ave? Kalarama? Wisconsin Ave? I worked at 9th and J (NW), a block from the MCI center and Chinatown (such as it is), which I would say is about the "worst" part of NW that I can remember. In fact, I'm hard pressed to think of any section of NW that wasn't what I'd call "nice". I guess Adam's Morgan was a little "edgy", but in a Walt Disney sorta way. And the area immediately around Union Station was a little skunky I guess. But I would be comfortable sleeping on the sidewalk pretty much anywhere in NW. SE, OTOH...

Heh, the MCI Center was constructed in like '95 or '96. I'm talking '91 through about '94, before the Green Line extension was built and gentrification came on strong. I know a few people that were robbed in Kalorama...and one dude (Luis, he survived but missed a semester) I went to school with got shot over there after a party. The early 90s in DC was pretty rough. Even Adams Morgan wasn't a place to take lightly back in the day.

DC has changed a lot over the years. U Street wasn't developed. Hookers ruled downtown. They would basically walk around naked. It was a different city.

I remember cruising thru some hooker-infested area after a late '80s Dead show and marveled at the ratio of gigantic hooker ass to the thin rayon clothing attempting to cover it.

what about Eastern Market where Vennum lived? that seemed like it could take a nasty turn every now and then. Still, DC seemed a lot like SF in that there were, for the most parts, just good and bad blocks instead of neighborhoods. the exception in SF is the Tenderloin and Hunter's Point-Bayview but you have to take a car to get to the latter. in DC, it was that horrid area past RFK on that road that went to the Cap Centre.

That's all east side, brah!

I guess things have changed. Same with NYC. I unfortunately never hung out much in NYC during the glory days of plentiful street drugs on the lower east side, cardboard box city in Thompkin's Square and hookers and porn in Times Square. But I wish I had. Last time I was in NYC, we strolled around Tribeca, it was like Disney World. Middle aged yuppies pushing baby carriages everywhere. Blah. The MIF loved it. I hated it...

I lived in Alphabet City briefly in the early aughts. Hard to believe that that area used to look like the bad areas of Beruit, where A, B, C and D streets were fondly (or something) referred to by locals as Assault, Battery, Crime and Death....

Saint wrote:Still, DC seemed a lot like SF in that there were, for the most parts, just good and bad blocks instead of neighborhoods.

Yep, exactly.

I swear, there was one block up 14th street where the sun never shined. Literally, on the sunniest of days the block stayed dark and gray. It was like a wonder of physics. It was next to a block with a notorious project (Clifton Terrace) where a police car and an ambulance were stationed 24/7. Now, they turned Clifton into a condo.

I did not come to NYC until '98, so Guiliani had already started the process (building on Dinkins' start) to sanitize parts of the city and build up the police force. All my memories are from visiting as a kid and I don't really remember too tough what the City was like. I basically just remember the inside of my aunt's apartment.

you guys describe a differen DC then what I knew.
we flew in from panama and drove from reagen int or whatever it was called back then through town to walter reed and must have missed a turn or two
I felt like cleavon little trying to find my way back

Yeah, I remember when Bush Sr. gave a speech from his office and pulled out about a pound bag of cocaine that he claimed was purchased in Lafayette Square (directly across from the White House for those who aren't familiar with DC) and that he was now going to get really tough on drugs. Sadly, that was about 4 days before my sentencing. Bad timing...

OK, it wasn't a pound of cocaine, but it was about 4 crack rocks that, if the size of the 20's Stu used to get in SF are any indication, these puppies would be selling for about $1000 each. Can't say I've ever seen rocks this size anywhere, ever...

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Dr. Jimenez is a sick motherfucker. That pumpkin has no epidural.

Don't they give those in the spine? Plus, I don't think one would help anyway when giving birth to Doc.

Anacostia is the area on the way to the Cap Centre. Nothing good has ever happened there.

Very true.

I saw the movie, That was some snake.

I did one fucking porn movie and dammit to hell!!!!

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WTF?

When it's your time, it's your time.