Brunch in Adams Morgan...Hood Refections

On a recent trip to Washington DC I got to meet one of my oldest and dearest childhood friends for brunch in a chic artsy little neighborhood called Adams Morgan

The name Adams Morgan came from the names of two, formerly segregated area elementary schools which were desegregated in 1955. The Adams-Morgan Community Council, comprising both Adams and Morgan schools and the neighborhoods they served, was formed in 1958. I really liked the row buildings and eclectic feel...a bit different to the rest of DC I had seen. I tried to imagine the kinds of people who lived in these row houses when they were first created. Apparently this area of DC has always been a center for immigrants, mainly African American and Latino. Once thriving with families, its now gentrified with hipsters and a boisterous nightlife. Sounds like many chic neighborhoods in cities across the US. Is this good or bad? Sides could be seen for both I suppose. Families pushed out to the suburbs, prices rise and single workaholics snatch up the property in trade for a shorter commute and access to the city.

The brunch spot was a dive bar that happened to serve good brunch, it was called Asylum ... check it out if you're in the area. Visiting this gentrified hood made me think of my own little enclave here in LA. There are lots of ruffled feathers on my block here in Los Angeles in the Miracle Mile area. I live on a nice quiet street called Alandele and some developers want to take an empty lot and make a mixed-use 5 story apartment building with retail shops at the bottom. Apparently this building would provide much needed housing for staff of the nearby hospital, which is basically a crock since there are plenty of rentals in the area. This building would change the parking zones and make our street very busy. None of us want that. We resist the change. I think we have enough buildings and Id like to see the empty lot turned into a dog park, since just about everyone in a 5 block radiace has a dog and there are no "official" dog parks within 10 miles of us. But that's just me.

I feel like "the man" will win this round, no matter how many petitions we sign. If the building does go through, I just hope they put in a Coffee Bean.