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D.C. was murder capital back in the 90's so imagine that.
All of DC east of Rock Creek Park was filled with hoods.
Logan Circle? Hood!
U street? Hood!
Dupont Circle? Sketchy!
Columbia Heights? HOOD!!
Eastern Market? Ghetto!!
All of Gerogia Ave? Hood!
All of 14th street? Hood!
DC was a city filled with nothing but drug dealers, bootleggers, hustlers, runners, dudes shooting at anything with a New York license plate, ya mean, old school DC.
A lot of housing projects have been torn down as well.....
I was there for Georgia Ave day when this happened back in high school. This was the last Georgia Ave day back in 2001. The fire marshall said there were too many people and they shut it down right after backyard (gogo band) started playing. I think they only played about 10 minutes. I knew once they shut backyard down early like that something was going to happen. Somebody started shooting in the air first and the whole crowd fell because there were so many people. I remember being able to see people below me and on top of me. It was that packed. This video doesn't show the part right after the first shots. Everyone had scattered by the time this video was shot.
D.C. was a much different place back then and I can't say that I miss that era. D.C. is much safer now and people are living much better now. It's becoming way more urban and dense with major cities ammenities the city lacked for decades. I'm still amazed how much the city has changed. I think it's better for everyone even though many long time residents don't realize it. How do you miss late night guns shots and crack heads on every corner?
Every young generation in DC seems to think the one before was somehow more "real" or authentic then the one they're in. I remember being at AU in the late 90s and many people were yearning for the DC of the '60s and '70s back then. Though there's been real and tangible changes in the town in terms of crime and demographics over the past 20 years from a cultural standpoint I think a lot of the hype about gentrification is overblown. There's still plenty of poor people in Columbia Heights and what's now called "Noma" despite all the development. And not to be rude but I'm not sure how much of a lasting or transformative cultural impact most of these young, transient 20somethings living in a "hip" neighborhood really have. What happens when many of these folks turn 30, get married and have kids, move to Fairfax or Loudoun County or out of the area completely? If they decide to stay and put down roots for several years maybe I'll start to believe this great change that's constantly being talked about is lasting. Of course, if you want the more positive elements of DC in the '90s (more small, locally owned businesses, greater community feel, better music/arts scene, etc.) then patronize the local businesses that are around now, enjoy the clubs and theaters sprouting up all over town, create your own little community so that you'll have a "glory days" of your own to refer to as you get older.
Ok, the DC I remember was QUITE different from what I remember today. For one, I know in Adams Morgan there were a lot of blacks and hispanics that lived in the neighborhood. Of course, there were whites then but more like once you crossed north side of Columbia Rd. I played with children of all races at Kalorama and Walter Pierce Park. Now more whites have moved in and more hispanic than ever. Same with Mt Pleasant Bye bye black folks! I recall H st NW was all BLACK, not a white person in sight. Now there are lots of restaurants there and plenty of whites. Georgetown still had Uno's and Barnes and Noble, not to mention FAO Swartz toy store was in Georgetown Park which was awesome back then as well. Of course as my blog brings out.. ...Chocolate City has indeed become Cookies and Cream.
I have always been infatuated with New York City during the 1990's and the entire decade in general for quite a long while, and now I am curious to know what D.C. was like during the 90's. The oldest I was when the 90's ended was 7 and some of my memories of The City back in those days were school trips to the National Zoo and the museums, especially the Natural History one. In fact, I remember 90's Forestville, Suitland, Temple Hills, Landover, and Tyson's Corner Galleria more so than 90's D.C., no lie!
So without further ado, I would love for those who have clearer and crispier memories of 90's D.C. to share your thoughts and memories of what things were like in D.C. during the Marion Barry Era, like the nightlife, entertainment, music scene, culture (obviously it was better in this regard since this was before gentrification went into FULL swing), crime (I already know that D.C. was murda capital back then, but I would still like to hear insight), shopping, streetlife, housing quality, cost of living, the state/nature of the neighborhoods, the local economy, etc.
There was a lot of people selling fake Oakleys and Rolexs at major tourist destinations.
There was a lot of people selling fake Oakleys and Rolexs at major tourist destinations.
Yea I went thru 2-3 Boakleys and Bolexes a yr. Glad tcave360 is finally admitting DC's music scene died in the 90s, the realtor's paycheck telling him to pretend DC is a hotspot must've bounced lol. Yea DC was nasty back then, going to the 9:30 Club was way sketchy in the 90s, my friends and I would all be carrying knives.
Well, I think DC was more socio-economically diverse in the pre-gentrification era. Graduate students could afford their own studios or one-bedroom apartments in sketchy neighborhoods along the 14th and 16th Street corridors. Black families with modest incomes could still afford to rent their own apartments and pay mortgages on their homes East of the Rock Creek. New immigrants coming from El Salvador were renting apartments in Adams Morgan for a couple or small family. No need to have six people sharing a one-bedroom apartment back then. A young single professional working on a GS federal payroll could swing her own apartment near DuPont Circle without much problem.
Today...the graduate students, middle-class families, non-skilled immigrants and the 20-something federal government worker cannot EVEN come close to affording 2013 rental rates. Some college students attending Georgetown, GWU or AU are leasing their own apartments in upscale neighborhoods but that's because Rich Daddy is helping out with the bills.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 11KAP
Dc had a lot more diversity back then in most of the neighborhoods that are being redeveloped now.
I remember Georgetown Leather, Mr. Henry's, hanging in Adams Morgan all night, 9:30 club, Paragon I and 2 in Georgetown, Foxtrapp, hanging at the wharf, happy hours at Phillips, H street before the trolly cars and all things now trendy and urban when then it was urban and grimy. Murray's and DMV satellite office on H now becoming a Whole Foods, no National Harbor or Tangers Outlet or Cirque du Soleli, just Oxon Hill, lol. Going up to Tech and sitting in the bleechers to watch the fireworks, or parking on 395 and watching, going to V street and watching the guys race cars, colonel brooks tavern in Brookland etc. I miss my old hometown.
Dc had a lot more diversity back then in most of the neighborhoods that ars e being redeveloped now.
If by diverse you mean less white and more black then yes. However if you look at DC demographics it was 95% white and black in the 70s and 80s. Now it is only 90% with higher Hispanic, Asian, native American, and other categories. So DC is actually more diverse now than it has ever been before.
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for quite a long while, and now I am curious to know what D.C. was like during the 90's. The oldest I was when the 90's ended was 7 and some of my memories of The City back in those days were school trips to the National Zoo and the museums, especially the Natural History one. In fact, I remember 90's Forestville, Suitland, Temple Hills, Landover, and Tyson's Corner Galleria more so than 90's D.C., no lie! 
