Capicostia?!

by Mel Dyer

A 'Capicostia' blog? Again?

Kinda trying this on. Feeling it out.

Capitol Hill + Anacostia = Capicostia?!

I think River East needs a blog that speaks to the frustration and quiet hysteria of what it's like to live here, but, sometimes, feel some small part of you might belong on the other side of the river, ..where political intrigue and urbanity slink down the sidewalks, stopping for the occasional latte or imported beer.

Mmmm...I'll cop to the angst. Even if you won't.

There's something about living here, ..in Penn Branch, Fairfax Village, Pope Branch, Dupont Park, Twining, Hillcrest, the Randall Highlands and probably Fairlawn, too, ..that's different than living in other parts of River East, and the culture-angst is something only we can understand. When you think about it the only thing separating us from Capitol Hill and everything the Hill represents--sophistication, culture, history, relevance, style--is a stupid bridge and a river, and, while it seems rather inconsequential, we all know it isn't. Not in D.C. and, especially, not over there, ..West-of-river.

Capitol Hill. Georgetown. Downtown. No'Ma. Adam's Morgan.

There's a fleeting anxiety among some of us, who live in the neighborhoods along Pennsylvania Avenue, that we're unfairly characterized as less intellectually sophisticated, less cultured (appreciative of history and the arts), less relevant and less stylish than our Capitol Hill. I would dare say some of us feel unfairly lumped in with the neighborhoods bordering ours, where crime, drugs and other inner city problems regularly make the six o'clock news, ..much to our collective embarassment.

It's something that creeps into your psyche, when we're tooling around Barracks Row or shopping the Harris Teeter grocery on Potomac Avenue or unwinding at Trusty's Bar, this angst, I'm talking about, ..when we find ourselves comparing our GORGEOUS, hilly, tree-lined roosts to the stately old cobble-stoned streets of historic Capitol Hill, where the important people carry on.

When we try on a sidewalk cafe like a shoe we might be buying, ..and finding it fits very well, indeed. Maybe, better than Fairfax Village?

Then, we think about those same crowded streets, with parking meters everywhere and no off-street parking, and we laugh out loud! Sucky parking! What a lucky stiff I am in Penn Branch! East-of-the-River ..from Barney Circle straight out to Ward Nine.

In Capicostia.

Capicostia is a state of mind.

[Third Edition]