Wadda place to retire

[donheff]

Hey, I just learned I am retiring in place in one of the top ten neighborhoods in the country. Or at least according to the American Planning Association's Great Places in America Awards. My piece of heaven is the Eastern Market area of DC's Capitol Hill. I am two blocks from the market. Actually, one block from the temporary market standing in until the original is restored to its glory after a fire.

 

[haha]

My place is there too, but I live a mile away, not 2 blocks. Pike Place Market. To live in or very near the market has become incredibly expensive. As in $1mm plus condos.

BTW, not everyone around here is happy about the transformation of Pike Place Market from mostly a working market to mostly a tourist attraction. Though I have found that some vendors will give me a "locals" special price after I have shopped with them a few times.

Don, hope this is not a distraction from your thread.

Ha

 

[donheff]

My place is there too, but I live a mile away, not 2 blocks. Pike Place Market. To live in or very near the market has become incredibly expensive. As in $1mm plus condos.

BTW, not everyone around here is happy about the transformation of Pike Place Market from mostly a working market to mostly a tourist attraction. Though I have found that some vendors will give me a "locals" special price after I have shopped with them a few times.

Don, hope this is not a distraction from your thread.

Ha

Not at all. I hoped to spur a "what makes a good place to live" conversation. We both obviously like living in central cities. A lot of people would flee neighborhoods like ours to get a bit of open space. Luckily, Eastern Market has remained a working market. It only becomes a tourist destination on weekends -- and they are local area "tourists" not out-of-towners like Pike Place. We too have seen the prices go through the roof this decade. But the whole metro area sky-rocketed.

 

[CuppaJoe]

I, too, live near one of the neighborhoods mentioned; I walk or commute through it on my way to work. Last time I moved, I seriously looked in the named area but the available apts. were the pits; and real estate people told me it was unsafe. Posters to our local newspaper today are complaining that there is absolutely no parking, there are too many tourists, not to mention too many folks from the suburbs in on the weekends, and it was so much better 10, 15 or 30 years ago. Yes and the very best Italian restaurant, Little Joe’s, has moved to a less desirable area but well worth the trip through the needles and pros.

 

[OldAgePensioner]

Yeah, North Beach is a bit intimidating at 2-3AM. Way too many street types with serious issues. Love the nudey bars though.

But Little Joe's goat cheese lasagna is worth stepping over a few people and their needle's to get into the Pickwick.

Aaaaahhhh, SF. I miss it.

 

[CuppaJoe]

Yeah, North Beach is a bit intimidating at 2-3AM. Way too many street types with serious issues. Love the nudey bars though.

But Little Joe's goat cheese lasagna is worth stepping over a few people and their needle's to get into the Pickwick.

Aaaaahhhh, SF. I miss it.

Google tells me that Little Joe's has moved to a more accessible location on 5th and Mission; I'm celebrating because SO will go there after shopping or theater but would not be dragged into the Tenderloin. I really miss Franco and his staff; for a while they were on Van Ness and Broadway and later re-emerged in a tourist hotel on Van Ness and Filbert where no restaurants can survive; we went into deep mourning when they left there. Franco is a moving target, perhaps on the run from (?) but then I watch too much "Law and Order."

Maybe I was a little too hard on North Beach in my other post but really when neighborhoods get frozen in time, they lose a lot; consider The Haight. Some people wrote to the newspaper website saying the Inner Richmond would be a better choice; yeah, I lived there from '75-'94 and it was a real neighborhood in flux, really dynamic. I miss it.

 

[OldAgePensioner]

Cuppajoe,
Luckily they moved to 5th cause one street up at 6th and Mission it turns almost Tenderloinish. But Little Joe's is in a nice building. But look out for 6th, the Salvation Army soup kitchen is there. I was going to volunteer till I saw the diners. Geesh.

Yeah, Franco's probably been watching the Sopranos cause I got my body guard thru Franco when I lived just down the street on 3rd/Mission in the Paramount. Kiddin. But I did have a big Street Dawg guy who knew me cause I forked over protection money everyday, like a kid handing over his school money.

I used to see Al Gore all the time coming in and out of the St. Regis. His condo fees alone were $20,000 (not per year, per month). Had 3 Yukons full of SS agents and he's supposed to be a Global Warming champ. Ha.

Gosh, I do miss SF. Nothing like it.

 

[CuppaJoe]

... But look out for 6th, the Salvation Army soup kitchen is there. I was going to volunteer till I saw the diners. Geesh.

Ah, city life! There goes the plans of mega numbers of future retirees: to work 10-15 years and then volunteer; guess they'll just have to fall back on plan two: travel.

 

[OldAgePensioner]

Cuppajoe,
someone very politely asked me to change my avatar so I did. That me in the Navy uniform voluteering to inspect the crew.

Hey, I'm donating my time willingly in the service of that navy.

 

[CuppaJoe]

Cuppajoe,
someone very politely asked me to change my avatar so I did. That me in the Navy uniform voluteering to inspect the crew.

Hey, I'm donating my time willingly in the service of that navy.

I'll have to figure out how to enlarge that. Could it be? I know the Blue Angels are in town, but.... Ah, yes, the many faces of volunteering.

Edit to acknowledge new (banned) avatar: Bye Bye, angels.

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

the new york times once wrote up my neighborhood as being gayberry rfd. almost went to have lunch earlier on one of the greatest streets, ocean drive on miami beach, but it started raining and i just washed the car.

my gayborhood has seen much change over the years. it was pretty run down when i got here but now it is active with restaurants and bars and pedestrians until 3 in the morning, almost every day. there are probably at least 6 gay bars and three thai restaurants within five blocks of my house. who could ask for anything more?

having recently been to donheff's neighborhood, i can vouch for the veracity of the article. the burned marketplace was on my cousin's tour of the area. the next day i biked in and out of the streets there. if you like city living, that's is a wonderful place to live.

 

[OldAgePensioner]

6 gay bars and three thai restaurants within five blocks of my house. who could ask for anything more?

Uh, I can think of one thing.

6 nudey bars and 3 Thai massage parlors! Just sayin

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

Uh, I can think of one thing.

6 nudey bars and 3 Thai massage parlors! Just sayin

we have those too but i don't think it's what you had in mind.