Post #100!!!!

If I had a Facebook page, my status would read...

"Big Fred is cised, not only because he made it to 100 posts on his blog...but cuz the District might actually be redoing his sidewalk."

You know you live in a city when these types of things excite you.

You know what it is...it's sort of like why I want to rehab another house on my block. I know after going through it once, I not only know how the process works (so hopefully things would go MUCH smoother), but I also know what I would do differently. More importantly, I have an idea of what it would look like and want to see if its as good/functional as I picture it.

Back to the sidewalk. First off, the District and commercial real estate developers are alike in saying that they're going to do a project and many times they don't get it done until 3 to 5 years later (if at all). Now, I had heard rumors that they were going to redo the streetscape along my street, but I never fully bought in. Furthermore, if they did, I wouldn't have been surprised if they only did the other side of the street as that side is the C-M (commercial/industrial) zoned side and has the "future" Uline Arena development. My side was the R-4 (residential) zoned side with the uninspiring small row houses.

Still, I bought into the neighborhood cause I felt that one day it'll happen (whether I'm still here when it happens is another story altogether). I have this idea of what it would look like when finished and redoing the streetscape is the first of MANY things that need to take place before my vision could take hold. I've seen what its done to other areas nearby (see the first phase of the H Street redevelopment--north side of H between 3rd and 7th NE), and am eager to see what a new streetscape would do to my block...and how right I was as to how the look would look.

Anyways, I wake this morning to the sounds of MORE and LOUDER construction work than normal (mind you, one block to the south, there are not one but 2 mid-rise residential projects going up and the train/metro tracks are one block to the west). I leave the house to go on my jog and lo and behold, they are tearing up the sidewalk across the street. I held my excitement throughout the jog and upon returning (very winded, mind you), I approached one of the workers and asked what was going on. He told me that they were doing the whole of the west side sidewalk (opposite side) and that *fingers crossed* they were going to be replacing certain (older?) portions of the sidewalk on my side of the street. I asked how long it was going to take and they said they'd have it done by today. Yeah right I thought. Got home at around midnight and sure enough, about 3/4 of the sidewalk on that side was done...and the Bobcat was parked at the end of my side of the block.

Who knows, I may just get a chance to see my vision of a revamped streetscape more "concretely"...pun very much intended.

Cheers.