Interesting! It reminds me of reading some interesting stuff about taking blighted former housing in detroit and knocking it down to make green spaces — but that was all, like, little gardens for food and urban biodiversity. Not making a central plaza….. it seems like if the plaza isn’t already there, it’s kind of hard to retrofit in an urban setting where potential price per square foot is high (and housing stock low, as I think is the case in general in the US?)
Apr 15, 2022·edited Apr 15, 2022Liked by Alex Bloom
I have so many thoughts on this great piece!
1. May I suggest another contributing factor to the higher % of Europeans (or maybe better-said: non-Americans) being outside in parks: there is so little multi-generational housing in the US, that people kind of like being at home. Unlike in some countries where people are piled on top of their parents or grannies or grandkids and can't wait to get the hell out of there for some space, Americans tend to be in more nuclear living arrangements, so there's less pent-up demand to be less pent-up.
2. The Truist Plaza situation is an endless source of voyeuristic entertainment for those of us who regularly read the Adams Morgan listserv ... and a source of eye-rolling for those of us who agree that its stasis as a barren, shitty DMZ because "if I can't win then nobody can" is bullshit.
2a. PEDANTIC NOTE ALERT: Kalorama Park is in "Kalorama Triangle" which IS *technically* part of Adams Morgan (KT is bounded by Calvert to the north, Connecticut/RCP to the west, and Columbia to the east) ... and it's definitely part of the AdMo scene, being just a block away from Mintwood Place, the Amsterdam Falafel joint on 18th etc.. For what it's worth, the fancy part of Kalorama which is west of Connecticut Ave is referred to as "Kalorama Sheridan" and they have a park called Mitchell Park but that's definitely not convenient.
3. Re the title, we saw comedian Mike Birbiglia last night and he had an apt laugh line: "I love pizza. I mean, I love it so much that I get excited when I see the word 'plaza.'"
Interesting! It reminds me of reading some interesting stuff about taking blighted former housing in detroit and knocking it down to make green spaces — but that was all, like, little gardens for food and urban biodiversity. Not making a central plaza….. it seems like if the plaza isn’t already there, it’s kind of hard to retrofit in an urban setting where potential price per square foot is high (and housing stock low, as I think is the case in general in the US?)
I have so many thoughts on this great piece!
1. May I suggest another contributing factor to the higher % of Europeans (or maybe better-said: non-Americans) being outside in parks: there is so little multi-generational housing in the US, that people kind of like being at home. Unlike in some countries where people are piled on top of their parents or grannies or grandkids and can't wait to get the hell out of there for some space, Americans tend to be in more nuclear living arrangements, so there's less pent-up demand to be less pent-up.
2. The Truist Plaza situation is an endless source of voyeuristic entertainment for those of us who regularly read the Adams Morgan listserv ... and a source of eye-rolling for those of us who agree that its stasis as a barren, shitty DMZ because "if I can't win then nobody can" is bullshit.
2a. PEDANTIC NOTE ALERT: Kalorama Park is in "Kalorama Triangle" which IS *technically* part of Adams Morgan (KT is bounded by Calvert to the north, Connecticut/RCP to the west, and Columbia to the east) ... and it's definitely part of the AdMo scene, being just a block away from Mintwood Place, the Amsterdam Falafel joint on 18th etc.. For what it's worth, the fancy part of Kalorama which is west of Connecticut Ave is referred to as "Kalorama Sheridan" and they have a park called Mitchell Park but that's definitely not convenient.
3. Re the title, we saw comedian Mike Birbiglia last night and he had an apt laugh line: "I love pizza. I mean, I love it so much that I get excited when I see the word 'plaza.'"