The District is often compared to our behemoth neighbor of a city to the north, New York. And as much as we hate the comparison — and the resulting argument — we may be moving in New York’s direction, figuratively speaking.
As it turns out, certain folks see a bit of Manhattan moving down south, resulting in a so-called “Manhattanization” of the District. Bloomberg yesterday expounded on this issue in an article titled, “D.C., Once ‘Graveyard After Dark,’ Adds Manhattan Glitz, Prices.”
Citing familiar Manhattan restaurants and bars like Rosa Mexicano as well as hotels and department stores that are now popping up in the city and added to real estate prices that are flying high (so much that the cost of office space has now surpassed Manhattan levels), the Bloomberg article ascertains that we are indeed changing and becoming more like Manhattan. It paints our fair city as having moved on from what the article quotes as “a marble graveyard after dark.”
With the redevelopment of certain parts of the city such as the U Street corridor and Gallery Place/Chinatown (which some call our own Times Square) alongside the falling crime numbers in the past few years, the District most certainly has come a long way. We’re pretty proud to call this spiffed-up place home, and anxious to see in which direction it will head in the years to come.
Of course, we may gain some of Manhattan’s charateristics, but there are still those intrinsic differences that may never be overcome. The Bloomberg article quotes native New Yorker Joseph McHale as saying, “D.C. is never going to be Manhattan, but it’s going to be a great city with a great flavor.” Giving some credence to D.C.’s unique coolness factor, he states, “I’m from New York, but this is where I want to be.”
With our 69 square miles versus Manhattan’s 23, we open this up to you: are we being Manhattanized? Is the District’s flavor being overruled by NYC staples, or are the right ones popping up at the right places? What helps to comprise the unique character that is our city? And, more importantly, do we want to become more and more like Manhattan?
