So I have heard Niketown is opening in Georgetown in August

[Wes_Tiny_Abe_]

Who would you rather make an appearance at their grand opening?

Kevin Durant or Lebron James?

Other than expensive overpriced footwear has Nike really contributed anything worthwhile to professional Basketball?

All of the legendary professional team issued basketball gear from back in the day was made by Spalding, Champion, MacGregor, Rawlings etc...

The Bullets during their existence never wore anything made by Nike.

ok so? it's not supposed to specialize in just NBA gear or anything so what's your point?

My point is all they have contributed to professional basketball is expensive overpriced footwear and thats it.

MacGregor > Nike

Recently they acquired the NFL license and now they have raised the prices of NFL team merchandise.

A basic NFL team t shirt now sells for $25+

[fishercob]

This is a great piece. I actually thought of WTA. http://m.theatlanticcities.com/politics ... n-dc/2914/

[jmrosenth]

That was a really good read. I lived on U Street from 99-2003. I guess I didn't really realize I was a pioneer at the time. Truth be told it was closer to the Adams Morgan side of U Street, and we didn't really venture past 16th Street (except for visit's to Ben's, Republic Gardens/State of the Union, or 9:30 Club), but still, there was a crack house on my block when I moved in that was later condemned and converted into, surprise, condos.

[C-Droppa]

Who would you rather make an appearance at their grand opening?

Kevin Durant or Lebron James?

Other than expensive overpriced footwear has Nike really contributed anything worthwhile to professional Basketball?

All of the legendary professional team issued basketball gear from back in the day was made by Spalding, Champion, MacGregor, Rawlings etc...

The Bullets during their existence never wore anything made by Nike.

ok so? it's not supposed to specialize in just NBA gear or anything so what's your point?

My point is all they have contributed to professional basketball is expensive overpriced footwear and thats it.

MacGregor > Nike

Recently they acquired the NFL license and now they have raised the prices of NFL team merchandise.

A basic NFL team t shirt now sells for $25+

I think your view on NIKE may be a little bit blown out of proportion and maybe even a little biased. To say they haven't contributed anything to professional is a little far-fetched. I mean just recently who do you think designed those team USA jerseys that were so proudly worn to represent in the Olympics. Or what about those NIKE basketball camps such as the Nike Hoops Summit which displays top young talent for the NBA future. Not only that probably more than 60% of NBA players wear Nikes on there feet...from Jordans, Lebrons, Kobes, Pennys, Huraches, Hyperflights, Hyperdunks, etc...etc..etc. Nike also is a leading contributor when it comes to technological advancements in shoes...You have to admit, while maybe being overpriced, the ability to be able to track things such as your vertical, distance you ran, steps per second and other crap due to sensors in your shoes (Nike +) is kind of cool.

By no means do I work or Nike or anything like that, but I have a nice little collection of sneakers probably around 100 pair. I can't stand the way prices have risen but thats life. The hottest sneakers like retro jordans and such, get snatched up by resellers and re-sold on ebay for twice the amount. It's just the way our country is. I remember when gas was .99 and now I pay 4-5 dollars a gallon...but I can't say gas didn't contribute to cars. Remember when you could by a phone for 100 dollars and now phones going for 500+..crazy and over priced. But I can't say companies like Apple and Samsung haven't contributed anything.

[Wes_Tiny_Abe_]

This is a great piece. I actually thought of WTA. http://m.theatlanticcities.com/politics ... n-dc/2914/

Gentrifiers are the lowest level of human life form on the planet. They are scum. They are the gum stuck on the bottom of my shoes. They are disgusting. Everybody hates them. I am just more vocal about it than others.

[Wes_Tiny_Abe_]

That was a really good read. I lived on U Street from 99-2003. I guess I didn't really realize I was a pioneer at the time. Truth be told it was closer to the Adams Morgan side of U Street, and we didn't really venture past 16th Street (except for visit's to Ben's, Republic Gardens/State of the Union, or 9:30 Club), but still, there was a crack house on my block when I moved in that was later condemned and converted into, surprise, condos.

I am a pioneer too.
Back in the day when I was in elementary school...
I used to ride bicycles.
I used to snowball fight.
I used to listen to record albums.
I used to walk my dog.
I used to play kick ball.
I used Apple computers (at school)

ADULT transplant, wanna-be urban, attention seeking, inflated rent paying, urban pioneers in 2012 are at least 25 years behind me and all of my friends from elementary school.

[Wes_Tiny_Abe_]

I think your view on NIKE may be a little bit blown out of proportion and maybe even a little biased. To say they haven't contributed anything to professional is a little far-fetched. I mean just recently who do you think designed those team USA jerseys that were so proudly worn to represent in the Olympics. Or what about those NIKE basketball camps such as the Nike Hoops Summit which displays top young talent for the NBA future. Not only that probably more than 60% of NBA players wear Nikes on there feet...from Jordans, Lebrons, Kobes, Pennys, Huraches, Hyperflights, Hyperdunks, etc...etc..etc. Nike also is a leading contributor when it comes to technological advancements in shoes...You have to admit, while maybe being overpriced, the ability to be able to track things such as your vertical, distance you ran, steps per second and other crap due to sensors in your shoes (Nike +) is kind of cool.

By no means do I work or Nike or anything like that, but I have a nice little collection of sneakers probably around 100 pair. I can't stand the way prices have risen but thats life. The hottest sneakers like retro jordans and such, get snatched up by resellers and re-sold on ebay for twice the amount. It's just the way our country is. I remember when gas was .99 and now I pay 4-5 dollars a gallon...but I can't say gas didn't contribute to cars. Remember when you could by a phone for 100 dollars and now phones going for 500+..crazy and over priced. But I can't say companies like Apple and Samsung haven't contributed anything.

Yes I know this I used to buy Air Jordans in the 1990s.
The ORIGINAL Jordans.
Not the fake RETRO Jordans that are being sold in the stores today.

[fishercob]

This is a great piece. I actually thought of WTA. http://m.theatlanticcities.com/politics ... n-dc/2914/

Gentrifiers are the lowest level of human life form on the planet. They are scum. They are the gum stuck on the bottom of my shoes. They are disgusting. Everybody hates them. I am just more vocal about it than others.

Out of curiosity, did you read the piece?

Gentrification goes hand in hand with development. What's better -- "sanitized" urban neighborhoods, or drug and crime infested ones? I'm not arguing for one or the other, I'm curious as to your take.

[jmrosenth]

WTA, I know you want to back to the good old days when DC was the murder capital of the world that had a mayor who was caught on videotape getting high, but those days are long gone. You are very much in the minority of folks who want to "keep it real". you should read the article that fishercob posted, seriously, and may also want to look at history from a wider perspective than the last 25 years. It wasn't until the late 60s that DC's demographics changed dramatically. My grandparents and many of their friends lived and owned businesses in Southeast DC.

[Zonkerbl]

I'm considered an urban pioneer for being a white guy living in Anacostia and I object to being labeled as wanna-be urban and attention-seeking. I'm a govt employee paying child support -- I can either live in Anacostia or Gainesville. The "rent" I'm paying is a ton lower than I would have to pay living in an all-white enclave.

I get that obliterating a neighborhood's existing culture and replacing it with an obnoxious white culture would be sad. And I get that white people are usually jerks. I get that when rents go up, people who rent rather than own can get driven out of a neighborhood involuntarily. Well, maybe that's not all bad, if you believe what was in that article.

Diversity is good, though. Trick is to finish off the whole "emerging from decades of economic stagnation" stage with a diverse, strongly knit community full of people who take care of each other. That would take the sting out of the higher rents.

[Wes_Tiny_Abe_]

This is a great piece. I actually thought of WTA. http://m.theatlanticcities.com/politics ... n-dc/2914/

Gentrifiers are the lowest level of human life form on the planet. They are scum. They are the gum stuck on the bottom of my shoes. They are disgusting. Everybody hates them. I am just more vocal about it than others.

Out of curiosity, did you read the piece?

Gentrification goes hand in hand with development. What's better -- "sanitized" urban neighborhoods, or drug and crime infested ones? I'm not arguing for one or the other, I'm curious as to your take.

An elderly relative of mine (who I have not seen in quite some time) was commenting the other day on how the DC streets are much safer but complained about how now there is nothing but restaurants and bars, CVS and Starbucks.

One day this past summer I decided to take a walk around Downtown DC just for old times sake and it was revolting in every sense of the word.
I even voiced my opinion to one of the guys wearing those red "Downtown DC" jackets/vests...

"When compared to the downtown DC of my childhood and my youth this new Downtown DC Sucks!
It blows."

Oddly enough, he nodded his head and agreed with me. "It sure does." He said.

[Wes_Tiny_Abe_]

WTA, I know you want to back to the good old days when DC was the murder capital of the world that had a mayor who was caught on videotape getting high, but those days are long gone. You are very much in the minority of folks who want to "keep it real". you should read the article that fishercob posted, seriously, and may also want to look at history from a wider perspective than the last 25 years. It wasn't until the late 60s that DC's demographics changed dramatically. My grandparents and many of their friends lived and owned businesses in Southeast DC.

I am well aware of the history of DC prior to the past 25 years. I am also well aware of the many family owned businesses that used to exist in DC proper and in the surrounding areas too.

I only used 25 years as an example so I could include myself being involved in childish activites.
Activities I last participated in decades ago, but for some reason these activities are now being celebrated because they are being participated in by pasty, nasal voiced, flip flop wearing, inflated rent paying, ADULT transplants.

Kickball, walking dogs, snowball fighting, riding bicycles, wearing no pants on the subway, seeking out attention towards one's self etc...

^ BEEN THERE AND DONE THAT BACK WHEN I WAS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL!

[Wes_Tiny_Abe_]

I'm considered an urban pioneer for being a white guy living in Anacostia and I object to being labeled as wanna-be urban and attention-seeking. I'm a govt employee paying child support -- I can either live in Anacostia or Gainesville. The "rent" I'm paying is a ton lower than I would have to pay living in an all-white enclave.

I get that obliterating a neighborhood's existing culture and replacing it with an obnoxious white culture would be sad. And I get that white people are usually jerks. I get that when rents go up, people who rent rather than own can get driven out of a neighborhood involuntarily. Well, maybe that's not all bad, if you believe what was in that article.

Diversity is good, though. Trick is to finish off the whole "emerging from decades of economic stagnation" stage with a diverse, strongly knit community full of people who take care of each other. That would take the sting out of the higher rents.

This has nothing to do with race. But there clearly is a divide. Tensions are definitely rising.

Does "emerging from decades of economic stagnation" in 2012 mean we must have a CVS and a Starbucks on nearly every city block?

Soon there will be no diversity.

Hopefully by then I will be on a beach somewhere (Gulf of Mexico) wearing my authentic Bullets jersey in December while sitting underneath a palm tree with my very own power boat docked nearby.

[payitforward]

I love this thread. And I'm enjoying the show WTA is putting on here -- being more or less a newbie, I'm seeing posts by you for the first time, WTA.

Of course there are a lot of elements here! The time 25 years ago, which you remember so fondly, I was already looking at and mind wandering back to a time 25 years earlier! I was thinking "the '80s have ruined everything." To prefer the time when you were young... it's inescapable.

Someone in this thread mentioned remembering when gas was 99 cents a gallon. I remember when it was 25 cents a gallon! And you got a free carton of cigarettes w/ a fill-up! Then again, I remember one late '60s day in Chicago when I left my apartment, walked halfway up the block, and then headed back home. The air was so polluted that it was near impossible to breathe.

Not all change is bad, and a high price for gasoline is fine if it means you can breathe the air!

[Induveca]

DC has undergone massive change since I moved away 7 years ago.

Honestly, I prefer the 1998 version of DC. The Starbucks/CVS vibe really is over the top. I stayed next to the Verizon Center my last visit in December. The city, at this point in time, feels forced and ungenuine. It's as if a suburban strip mall infected downtown.

[fishercob]

DC has undergone massive change since I moved away 7 years ago.

Honestly, I prefer the 1998 version of DC. The Starbucks/CVS vibe really is over the top. I stayed next to the Verizon Center my last visit in December. The city, at this point in time, feels forced and ungenuine. It's as if a suburban strip mall infected downtown.

You need to know where to go. Go to Shaw/Blagden Alley. Go to 11th Street in Columbia Heights. Check out Eckington/Bloomingdale. Go to the newly opened Union Market. Go to Chinito's Burritos on FLorida Avenue across from Galludet. Check out the new Yards Park on the Southeast Waterfront.

As some neighborhoods get developed and the national chains move in, others develop character and flavor with a more authentic feel. We all just need to get out and explore a little bit.

[Zonkerbl]

Are dollar stores, liquor stores with bullet proof glass, and walled off, unused storefronts better though? That's what Good Hope Road looks like now. There's an art gallery there now, and around the corner someone tried to open a cafe, "Big Chair Cafe," that didn't take off, and across the street they opened Uniontown Bar and Grill, and we've been campaigning to get Busboys and Poets to open up a franchise there (it would occupy a currently vacant space). The currently vacant warehouse where they had the Anacostia art fair might become the home of a theater group. Anacostia is filled with nice people who deserve for their neighborhood to improve enough to provide jobs and other opportunities for them.

And if that neighborhood takes off, yeah, there'll be some cvs's, and there might be a starbucks. There's a starbucks on 8th st SE, and a Chipotle's, and probably a cvs somewhere, but there's also Ted's Bulletin, a cuban joint, a thai place, the most upscale liquor store I've EVER seen and tons of people walking around having fun on the weekend.

Yeah, I got dropped into downtown DC in 2009. I didn't grow up here. I'm just looking at historic Anacostia NOW. I think what people are trying to do there would be good for Anacostia if they succeeded. Unemployment in Anacostia is what, 20%? 25%? I look at U st NW and H and 12th st NE and 8th st SE and I see locally owned businesses providing jobs and opportunities -- that's why the rents are going up. I'd like to see the same thing happen in Anacostia. Is that so wrong?

[Zonkerbl]

DC has undergone massive change since I moved away 7 years ago.

Honestly, I prefer the 1998 version of DC. The Starbucks/CVS vibe really is over the top. I stayed next to the Verizon Center my last visit in December. The city, at this point in time, feels forced and ungenuine. It's as if a suburban strip mall infected downtown.

You need to know where to go. Go to Shaw/Blagden Alley. Go to 11th Street in Columbia Heights. Check out Eckington/Bloomingdale. Go to the newly opened Union Market. Go to Chinito's Burritos on FLorida Avenue across from Galludet. Check out the new Yards Park on the Southeast Waterfront.

As some neighborhoods get developed and the national chains move in, others develop character and flavor with a more authentic feel. We all just need to get out and explore a little bit.

Amen bro. Eckington rawks. Check out Red Apron butchery at the Union Market. Southeast Waterfront rawks - I bikeshare by there every morning on the way to work.

You know what I'd really like that I know is gone forever -- a good vinyl store with house and trance and techno. I suppose I could open a shop like that in Anacostia out of my basement but it wouldn't be the same.

[fishercob]

Zonk, it's coming to Anacostia. Not as quickly as you like, but there's a lot of momentum behind developing St. E's -- and the recent Microsoft announcement will be the engine of some positive growth. There's going to be a ton of additional retail at the Sky;and Wal-mart as well.

Retail rents are pretty strong and vacancy is low in both the Giant and Safeway centers. That IHOP does extremely well. I have a couple of clients that have kicked some tires, but are still leery of the low incomes that show up on the demographic reports.

The Uniontown thing is a real shame -- a really wasted opportunity by that woman. I have heard -- and this is total hearsay -- that Andy Shallal (the BB&P guy) isn't interested for whatever reason. But it would seem to me that someone will be able to take advantage of that situation -- there's so much investment that has already been done in that building.

[Zonkerbl]

Plus the DHS headquarters being built at St E's should bring a lot of folks to the area. I talked to some DHS employees on the prospects of moving there and they were not happy about it at all. From the inside looking out it sounds like thinly disguised racism to me. I get it though -- from 1999 to 2009 I lived in the burbs because the public schools in Montgomery Co. give you lots of opportunities to get private school quality education for free -- if you can get your kids into the magnet schools. DC, you have to pay out the nose to live there and on top of that, apparently the schools still suck. That's a non-starter. I don't really know though -- maybe there's ways to game the system in DC just like you can in MD.

I think the tipping point is finishing off the local bridge connecting Anacostia to the Navy Yard. I'm not expecting any entrepreneurial experiments to really work until then.