Clarendon
The first time that I walked down Wilson Blvd. in the Clarendon neighborhood of Arlington, it was the end of 1992 and Wilson was lined with body shops, used-car lots, luggage stores and the random Vietnamese restaurant. And near Filmore and Wilson was a Sears. It wasn’t a wealthy place, and for someone like me from suburban California, it might have even provoked some anxiety. But it had character.
There are still some echoes on Wilson’s past in 2012. Maybe a body shop or car lot here and there. The place where we take our cars to be worked on is thriving, for all intents and purposes, though it’s more in the Ballston neighborhood than Clarendon. But its character is gone, or maybe just changed. Where the Sears once stood is a Crate & Barrel and Williams Sonoma, where the luggage shops once stood are a host of indistinguishable wine bars, and central to all is the indispensable Whole Foods.
Is the neighborhood better off for all the changes? At least in terms of property values, there’s no doubt. If you owned a house in the neighborhood in 1992 and still owned it in 2012, even after the real estate crash, you are definitely house-rich. And the amount of tax money infusing the county coffers must be staggering.
But it’s no longer a particularly interesting place to be.
NJ: No Longer the Final Frontier
NASA’s changing priorities can have a major economic impact on communities, but it’s not always a bad thing. [my recent column]
Uphill Climb
In my attempt in training to climb Mt. Rainier in Washington next summer, I’ve been running and working out at the gym. Major problem: It’s tiring, and with working so many hours each week, it’s hard to keep up. It’s fun, though, and at the worst, I’ll be in good shape.
Apollo 12 Anniversary
