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MY GOD HOW HARD CAN IT BE TO CHECK A MAP OR TO DO A GOOGLE SEARCH?!
I really have to blame the local media. Inaccurate reporting has really left a lot of people living and working in the metro area with no concept of where neighborhoods or wards are even located. It is almost as if East of the River might as well be another country the way people have a total lack of understanding of the basic geography.
Post title and excerpt for the Marginal Revolution blog:
Why are there so few cheap restaurants in Anacostia?I love bloggers --I'm a blogger--but we get no free pass either. This was just really sloppy. Apologizes are in order.
had lunch there lately, in the new and excellent Ray's the Steaks, Anacostia edition (superb chili, fried chicken, mac and cheese; recommended). Yet I drove around the general area for about forty minutes and hardly saw any other restaurants to speak of. The five or six other times I've been to Anacostia I had similar impressions, even more than in other "ghetto" areas I have visited.
What might be possible explanations?
1. Poverty: Yet there are other retail establishments and per capita income there is surely not so low. Plenty of poor countries have plenty of restaurants.
2. Risk and crime: Yet you will see other cash-intensive retail businesses in Anacostia. Is it so hard to hire a guard?
3. Traffic: It is easy to get in and out of Anacostia, so perhaps residents drive to eat out elsewhere.
4. Diversity: Perhaps it is the demand for different kinds of food which increases the number of restaurants; yet Anacostia is not so ethnically diverse, as it is heavily African-American.
5. Labor supply: Cheap restaurants rely on low-wage laborers who do not have cars, and it is actually fairly hard to get to, and get around, Anacostia.
6. Proximity to business lunch demand. Not so much.
7. Fast food: You will find McDonald's and Subway in Anacostia. Since they serve high volumes, maybe that lowers the total number of restaurants needed. This is related to #4.
8. Foot traffic: Not so much, although the suburbs deal with this problem just fine.
What do you think are the major factors? What have I failed to list?
Pardon me MR but perhaps things would get better in "Anacostia" actually learned where the hell it is located! Perhaps if people stopped lumping all the bad things that happen everywhere else in the East of the River universe to Anacostia (and the rest of our EotR neighborhoods) then people will learn more about our communities (like their names), visit them and invest in them. I am sure your faux pas was not on purpose but those of us who live, work and yes, blog East of the River are left to deal with the constant ramifications of mistakes like this post.
NOW GET A MAP!
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5 Comments:
There is a right way and a wrong way to word a criticism like this. Unfortunately, you chose the wrong way.
Even as someone who agrees with you, the tone of this post is aggravating.
"Perhaps if people stopped lumping all the bad things that happen everywhere else in the East of the River universe to Anacostia (and the rest of our EotR neighborhoods) then people will learn more about our communities (like their names), visit them and invest in them."
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This is a great point. I have corrected my friends several times when they refer to everything in SE as Anacostia. When this happens, as you point out, anything bad that ever happens in SE is imagined to be in Anacostia, and all the neighborhoods become stigmatized. If people took some time to learn about their city, they would see the pride that residents of Anacostia and other SE neighborhoods have in their communities. This blog is a good way to start making that change.
Amen! But have you seen the August Washingontonian Magazine? I'm glad I spotted your blog today, because I intended to e-mail you and "And Now Anacostia" blog. Nice article, but the repeatedly state that Ray's the Steaks is in Anacostia.
Hi Advoc8te... came here from MR. I thought your posts were erudite and heartfelt.
Honestly, though, I can't figure out whether you are defending Anacostia (properly defined) or trying to distance yourself from it. The comment about not being able to get a taxi to take you home, because drivers think that they're being asked to go to "Anacostia," suggests the latter. That is what I don't understand... it sounds like you're saying "Don't worry, we're not Anacostia." But surely that propagates the stereotypes you're trying to eradicate!
I'm curious about whether you agree with Tyler's original premise--that there aren't a lot of restaurants in Anacostia (substitute some other nearby neighborhood's name here if you like) compared to the other side of the river. Is that true? If so, why might that be?
Incidentally, I think your point that "East of the River might as well be another country," while meant ironically, is probably closer to the mark than you'd like to think. What do you think--is "East of the River" culture different from "West of the River" culture? For example, do we watch the same movies? (Data from NetFlix suggest not.) Listen to the same music? (Yes and no.) Follow the same sports teams? (I suspect there are many more Cowboys fans EotR, for shameful historical reasons that I'm sure you know.) I've often wondered about these things. It would be refreshing for me to hear another viewpoint.
You can live just a few miles away from someone and yet operate in a completely different, parallel universe. Is that something we want to see continue? We both probably have many neighbors who would say yes and many neighbors who would say no. How do we grow together and still remain distinct, without becoming separate but equal?
Respectfully,
-Rich.
As long as people are packing into NW and avoiding SE, people have a shot at reasonable housing in SE. Use the stereotypes to take advantage of properties you might not find in other areas like NW.
Why do trained media folks label an entire area, or simply get it wrong in 2010, when this doesn't seem to be the practice in NW?
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