For as long as the U Street corridor has been described as "up and coming" or "rapidly developing" or "almost totally gentrified," there's been hand wringing among neighborhood groups over whether it might ultimately turn into something as unwieldy as Adams Morgan's 18th Street. Everyone wants the area around where U and 14th streets NW intersect to be a vibrant business district, but hardly anyone wants drunk college students spilling off the sidewalks every weekend. And over the last five years, U Street has by any measure inched closer toward that reality. At the same time, there's still plenty of yet to be developed storefronts in the neighborhood, and local entrepreneurs are understandably drawn to the area's increasing density and commercial viability. more ›

Earlier this week Matthew Yglesias took us to task for referring to a "Mid-City" part of town when discussing a campaign for a new Trader Joe's near U Street. Matt is actually quite wrong to suggest "shady real estate cabals" are the architects of the term Mid-City, but the fault for his misinformation is likely ours. You see, last winter we ran a post mocking the MidCity Business Association's moniker, basically accusing them of trying... more ›

FRIDAY: more ›

We first heard the name "midtown" used to refer to a neighborhood in D.C. by a friend who occasionally frequented the clubs along Connecticut Avenue between Farragut Square and Dupont Circle. Other friends have frowned on the term, arguing the name was simply lifted from New York. We're split on the term: it can be a useful descriptor, though we tend to shy away from the New York-D.C. comparisons the word invites. Do you think D.C. has a "midtown"? more ›