"I've got a pocket full of pretty green
"I'm gonna give it to the man behind the counter
He's gonna give me food and water
I'm gonna eat that and look for more
"And they didn't teach me that in school
"It's something that I learnt on my own
That power is measured by the pound or the fist
It's as clear as this oh...
<All images: The Reckoner>
Whenever you're traveling anywhere, it's always a good idea to check your money, and see where you stand. That definitely typified my trip last month to the East Coast, where I spent most of my time in our nation's capital, Washington, D.C. So late one night, I rolled out my cash along the floor, and proceeded accordingly: I'd call this shot "Still Life With Money."
It's day two, I think, so I still just had shy of $500 -- which isn't as bad as it sounds, since I got some help with the actual travel costs. Even so, I had to be careful: we're talking about a town where $2.19 was the going rate for two-liter pops (that you can typically score for $1 to $1.35 back home depending on what kind of sale is running).
Want an impressive high-rise view? D.C.'s got plenty of them, like this building at 3039 16th St. As my business partner told me, Columbia Heights, where I was staying, is going through a major building boom, which is a 180-degree change from the '80s, when it had a reputation for all sorts of inner city iniquity (mostly drug-related). Nowadays, though, it's a far different game, with the gentrifiers doing what they do in any big city -- treating it like a giant Monopoly board. For a sampling of the prices, read the link below, and try to keep your eyes from popping out.
Here's another impressive high rise view, looking down Newton Avenue NW and 16th Street. This is a side view of the Yorkshire Arms, whose array of amenities -- per Zillow -- includes 24-hour maintenance (with live-in staff), and a solar hot water system. "When you live at The Yorkshire, you'll find yourself at the new center of urban living," its description boasts. Judging by my cursory online research, rents for a one-bathroom, 475-square-foot studio start at $1,399 per month. Utilities are included, though. At that price, they'd better be, right?
One distinctive feature of D.C.: fences and gates are really big here. Here's a boxed-in view of a side yard along 16th Street and Park Road NW. Are they trying to keep the (real or imagined) riffraff out, or merely boxing themselves in? You can play that chicken-versus-egg parlor game all day long, I imagine. As for me, I settled for a couple art shots, like this one below...
...along 16th Street, not far from where I was staying. The second shot shows what this floral display looks like from the side, where it's not fenced in. So, depending on how you look at it, it's either confined, or freer than you might imagine...from a distance.
A box of free clothing that someone put out on 16th Street and Park.... that was on a Tuesday, and by the next day, virtually empty. Depending on how look at it, it's either a case of six degrees of desperation, or opportunity. All in the eye of the beholder, right?
The prayer board: one of the most distinctive features of St. Stephen of the Incarnation Episcopal Church, where I stayed during my week in D.C. People put down who (or what, in some cases) they want to pray for, and they'll take it from there on Sunday, I imagine. My own shadow's down below. I liked the effect, so I didn't crop it out.
We've already heard frequent comparisons to the Trump presidency as a dumpster fire in the making, so I figured...might as well get that evidence down before the first match is lit. But, seriously...I'm going for another art shot in front of St. Stephen's side entrance. You tell me how well I captured it.
I encountered this gent in front of Giant's 24-hour supermarket at 1345 Park Road NW. He had his bike lit like a Christmas tree -- you can't tell from the photo, but he an array of lights that he could switch off and on at all, controlling them from the handlebars, I believe, while a small, yet souped-up boombox under the seat pumped out a Michael Jackson tune. "Mind if I take your picture?" I asked. "I think you're worth having a look at, more than once!
As you can see, he didn't mind. Not one bit. --The Reckoner
Links To Go (Hurry,
Before These Housing Prices
Leave You Pushing A Shopping Cart):
WTOP: Columbia Heights Is Now
One Of D.C.'s Priciest Housing Markets
https://wtop.com/business-finance/2017/05/columbia-heights-now-one-dcs-priciest-housing-markets/
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