What's That You Say?
Today we continue a new feature highlighting our favorite reader comments. Thanks guys, and keep 'em coming! This week: lots of griping about the government and skepticism toward all manner of development. Also, panda porn fluffers and public urination. DCist is one classy joint!
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>> Lots of readers were shocked to learn Warehouse is facing closure due to skyrocketing property taxes. Steve Goldenberg said,
I love this town, but it's really sad that there is so little sense of community here. Everytime a unique place is "found" by the general public it winds up getting replaced by a suburban-strip-mall in disguise. I'm fully a capitalist but there must be a better way to balance the economic interests of the city and its developers and the unique nature of our neighborhoods. Doesn't anyone with any money or power value these cultural icons enough to help them survive?
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>> After we closed our eyes and typed the words "panda" and "porn" together in a post, sarahlucy increased our cringe threat level to High:
God, how I would NOT want to be a fluffer on the set of one of those films.
Photo by Flickr user DottieboBottie.
>> When talking about the relative futility of D.C.'s bike registration policy, many folks expressed their annoyance at the law. Tmacman said:
Unregistered bikes? What about the unregistered cars? The cars with the permanent "temporary" tags? The beat up cars with the MD plates that never seem to move from my street? The car I saw the other day with a North Carolina tag on the back, a DC tag on the front, and a current VA inspection sticker on the windshield?
A guy on my block was driving a nice Escalade with dealer plates, so one night as we passed each other I said hello and introduced myself and he did the same. Trying to make conversation I asked which dealership he worked for...he just laughed.
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>> Reader dcRat strongly objected to the proposed entrance fee for the Smithsonian's new Butterfly Pavilion.
I don't like it. This is letting the camel's nose into the tent. Didn't a member of Congress propose a $1 fee for entrance? This thing will snowball even though many of the endowments for these museums was conditioned on them being free. One of the great things about DC is that so many treasures are free and a person of modest means can bring their family to the nation's capital and see almost everything without having to spend a fortune. Supposed they charges a buck to see Butterstick, sure it would raise a lot of money, but the cost, in my opinion would be too high.
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>> After Thursday's post on a litany of Metro frauds, fedguy wasn't surprised.
The GAO only found out just now that people have been selling their metrochecks?? I have been working for the fed. government for 2 years and I thought it was common knowledge that people were doing this unchecked for a while now. It's definitely illegal, they make you sign a form that says it's illegal to sell them. But I've never once heard of anyone getting busted for it so of course people are going to sell the things.
Anyways, just some minimal enforcement of that would probably at least scare a bunch of people, so I hope they do something. It makes the rest of us look stupid when people take advantage of such a great program like that.
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>> Reader aj wasn't on board with our support of the proposed Metro Center/Gallery Place tunnel, suggesting other options to teeming masses of commuters under the city.
If Metro would just allow free above-ground transfers between the Farragut stations or Metro Center and Gallery Place/Chinatown, then the multi-million cost of underground tunnels could be avoided altogether. Ask anyone from Houston what a downtown tunnel system does to urban street life. I can tell you: it decimates it. do you really want everyone scurrying around underground? How much would it cost to get Smartrip cards to recognize these transfers - and from bus to rail for that matter?
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>> Many of us were dismayed by Monday's Eastern Market fire. Shelley summed up the shopping experience nicely.
I feel for you guys Caitlan. That was one of my first reactions when I saw this. most hill residents took a lot of pride in eastern market and spending their money in the neighborhood. it wasn't a perfect place, it was crowded, chaotic and bit gritty, and finding a quick exit from the building was always a fun game of lets see what's behind door number 2. but it was a great place to get fresh meat, a quick bite to eat, knick knacks for the house or just to hang out on a nice summer day. Most of the vendors were super friendly and the prices were reasonable for DC. I stopped by there just yesterday to get one of those gargantuan apple fritters from the bakery.
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>> In response to Eli's rather personal admission, several other people came out of the closet. Anonymouspee..er took a woman's perspective.
Once, after I drank too many *ahem* cokes... I had to pee so badly, and was too far away from my house, so I popped a squat over some wood chips in a tree planter, behind a concrete, security barrier right next to Cannon House. Keep in mind, I am usually a very clean, polite, female professional. I still can't believe, two years later, that I had resorted to nature peeing right on the Hill. I still feel a little guilty inside... and a little un-patriotic.
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>> Finally, though Heather tried to review artDC, it seems that all commenters as well as DCist staff could talk about was artist Adrian Parson's self circumcision. Let us never speak of this again.