Theresa on Moving Back to DC for Her Son

“I moved to Capitol Hill when I graduated from college. I loved it here. It was so exciting. But, I got married and had kids and moved to the big house in the suburbs of Annapolis. It was in one of these Mysteria Lane type neighborhoods. My husband and I raised the kids there, but I was always yearning to come back.

“When my second son decided that he loved music and wanted to go to the Duke Ellington School for the Arts in Georgetown, he commuted for two years from Annapolis. It was one and a half hours each way. That is how much he loved the school. After two years of that, we decided to get an apartment in Capitol Hill and eventually bought a house here not far from my first apartment in Capitol Hill.

“Another thing is that my son is gay and so, the city is so much nicer for him. It is so much friendlier and more accepting. This is where he needs to be. I think that’s what makes us the most happy here, too. Here, our neighbors are a gay couple with a child. So, my son feels very at home and more himself.

“We initially came for our son, but stayed for us. We love our Saturdays here. We walk the dog, go to Eastern Market, sit at Marvelous Market with a coffee and watch the parade of people. It is a great place to be. We had nothing like that in Annapolis as we had to drive everywhere. Annapolis is such a different lifestyle. My husband is not a big city guy, but he is starting to like it here now."

Theresa is pictured with Tilly.

Derek on Being the Stereotype

"I'm the stereotype of what all of you white folks think of black men in the ghetto. I'm 32, have five children who don't live with me and served time for selling drugs. Don't you judge me, though, because living here is hard as shit. I grew up in the projects of Southeast. Coming up in DC is fucking hard. There is a lot of racism and a lot of injustice. There's a lot of fucked up shit going on, period. This is a political city and politicians need to care more about the people here and less about money. That's how I feel. 

"I ain't justifying my actions, but unless you live this and spend every day on these streets, you can't have no idea of what we deal with: drugs, police brutality, bad schools, no opportunities. That ain't no way to live. People here become a product of their environment. You grow into what you see. It is hard for kids here to think that being a doctor, a lawyer or an entrepreneur is possible. The closest many people will get to success here is being a teenage mom or a drug dealer. That's it.

"Every day is tough. If you're not caught up in the loop, which is politics, you out of the game unless you want to sell drugs or get a lame-ass job that pays you nothing. You certainly not going to get nowhere if you play by the rules here.  If you have setbacks and get into trouble, you really ain't going to get nowhere. After jail, you are looked upon as if you can't do nothing and there is no use for you other than being locked up again or out here selling drugs. I been in jail twice, first time when I was 20 for selling drugs. But now, I have a job and am trying to make right. 

"People in DC need to care about what is happening on these streets and in these projects. For all of you in other neighborhoods, especially the white folks in Northwest, there ain't no difference between us. It's what's in your heart that matters." 

This post is part of a weekly series of People's District on the Prince of Petworth, check it out here. 

Marlon on Documenting Environmental Damage in Anacostia

"I was always the photographer on family vacations. It was great, but I am, like, in none of my family photos. When I heard about the photography class at the ARCH Training Center in Anacostia, I signed up and kept on going with it. Now, I received my GED through ARCH and am helping other young people learn about photography. My high school in Northeast near Stadium Armory didn't have an art program so I learned everything here.

"It has been a wonderful experience and I met a lot of artists and big photographers from all over the world. Since enrolling, my work has been displayed in a number of student shows, two professional shows and even one show in Paris. Now, I work with students at the Art Training Center at ARCH and am curating a show for young photographers about the environmental changes in Anacostia. Our show, Eco-Action-Reaction, is opening on November 7th.

"In my own photography, I try and bring out the beauty in DC, whether through landscapes or nature. In Anacostia, I try and bring out the good and the bad in the neighborhood. My photos try and show what man is doing to the environment here and my pictures will be, like, birds with the polluted water in the background. Some of the pictures can be really powerful and give a perspective on what's really going on with the environment here."

See and read about Marlon's photography here. Support ARCH, including donating old cameras, here.

Steve on Writing Your Senator

"I grew up in a small town in Southern Missouri. Sometime during the early years of high school, I decided that foreign service was what I wanted to do. I didn't know much about it and there was no Internet then so I asked my Mom what to do. She said, 'Well, write your Senator.' So, I wrote to Senator Stuart Symington, the senior Senator of Missouri. He was a very influential and powerful man and was in the Senate for ages. I received a very nice letter back answering my questions and saying that he was interested in people who wanted to serve their country. He told me to 'stay in touch.' Well, as a young, innocent, poor boy off the farm, I took that very literally. During high school and through undergraduate, I sent a letter once or twice a year to the Senator telling him what was happening in my life. Each time, I got a very nice response and answers to my questions.

"As I was looking at graduate schools, I was very interested in George Washington University. I wrote to the Senator asking for a letter of recommendation for financial support. I received a nice letter back saying, 'Dear Steve, I won't be able to do that, but if you do get accepted, I would be glad to give you a job on my staff.' I got accepted and became a doorman in the Senate gallery. It was a patronage job.

"Arriving in DC in January 1967 was very dramatic for me. It took me two days on a Greyhound bus to get here. I got off at the old bus station on New York Avenue with a guitar in one hand and a suitcase in the other. It was 5 a.m. and the Senator's office expected me at work that day. I walked over to Pennsylvania Avenue and turned left and there was the Capitol. I was just stunned. I thought, I have now made it in the world. As I walked down the street, I was thinking that life couldn't get any better than this!

"When I got to the Senator's office in the old S.O.B., the old Senate Office Building, it was still closed as it was still 6:30 or 7 a.m. I sat outside of his door on my suitcase and pulled out my guitar and started playing, waiting for someone to come. The first person to show up and see my playing was his legislative assistant. She said, 'Can I help you?' I told her that I was Steve McDonald reporting for my first day of work. She took me to the Senator's bathroom to wash up and shave. I met the Senator later that morning. I found out several months later that the Senator's personal aide, not the Senator, had been the one to see and respond to my letters. She probably signed the letters for the Senator, too. She tracked my progress over the years and told the Senator to hire me.

"At that time, I was amazed by the caliber of Senators, especially the great Republicans: Everett Dirksen, Clinton Anderson, Margaret Chase Smith, and Mark Hatfield. Even though I was working for a Democrat, I really said to myself that these are people of the nation and not all about this partisan nonsense like we have today. In fact, I ended up registering as an Independent, which didn't make my office very happy. But, I was so impressed by both the great Democrats and Republicans of the time. I used to think that our nation was in such good hands, a feeling I don't have anymore. But, it is from those early experiences where I draw my optimism in our nation and its people."

Grace on Appreciating How Good We Have Things Here

"I've lived in DC since 2006.  Before that, I lived in a wide variety of places including Korea, China and the former Yugoslavia. Compared to those places, this city seems like a small friendly village. To go from one end of town to the other in Beijing or Seoul, you needed at least an hour. DC is really quaint in comparison. So, it is nice to settle back into a place like this where this is a large international contingency, but a smaller town manageability. Before Asia, I was in the former Yugoslavia both during and after the war. Trust me, this city is great in comparison. Sometimes we don't appreciate how good we have things here. 

"DC has world class museums and the restaurants are great.  I have come upon the best of a lot of worlds here and I would not have appreciated it as much had I not lived in these other places.  In DC it is so much easier to deal with things.  You know, it is my own country so that helps. But otherwise, the ease of life here is incredible in comparison. I am not a DC native so I was not sure how much I would like it when I got here, but it has exceeded my expectations. I would like to keep a base here and continue to travel abroad, but I always want to come home here."

Francisco on Halloween in Capitol Hill

"We've been in our house on the Hill for eight years. My wife grew up around here so coming back was a nice homecoming for her. And, we are raising our kids here, too. We got a house right before, like, the market went berserk. At the time, the area was hot. There was a corner spot where kids were doing shit. Every now and then, there would be a shooting. Still, we were happy to be in the city, but we were just more alert. Especially with kids, you got to be alert. People come to DC and want it to be a small town, but it is a city. You need to behave like it is a city because shit goes down.

"Things started to change a couple of years after we moved when they closed the projects, the Kentucky Courts. It turns out that they closed it because there was an old lady who had lived there forever and one day her ceiling collapsed from all of the pigeon shit that accumulated on her roof. The city had never addressed the pigeon shit and the structural problems the shit caused. The city didn't want to deal with the lawsuits that were forthcoming so they just closed the projects and moved them. They tore that down and turned it into a mixed-income area and then the expensive houses starting going up. Houses in excess on a million dollars right next to mine.

"It's funny when you start to see the neighborhood change and people walking their dogs after nine p.m. That never happened before. In the past, that kind of person was just fucking crazy. Now, people walk around at all hours, even if they don't have dogs. Now, I see Senators living on my block. My property taxes have gone up. True, my value has gone up, but my little old house still has a lot of issues. There is no way that I could afford to sell it and move to another house on my block, things are too expensive.

"Still, I love this neighborhood and want to stay. Sadly, I know all of my old neighbors, but none of my new ones. I do know one of my new neighbors because he gives out brussels sprouts on Halloween. He's a trip. My kids are like what the hell is wrong with this guy. But, that is his thing, I guess. Halloween is crazy here now because people descend on Eastern Market and Capitol Hill. I have seen pickups from Maryland and Virginia drop off, like, eight kids here to go trick or treating. Before the neighborhood turned over, it was a real trip on Halloween. I used to get this crazy sixty-year-old woman who would knock on my door three times a night every Halloween. She was always smoking a cigarette with no kind of costume or child and sticking her bag out for candy. I mean, at least say trick or treat or put on a costume or something. Now, we get tens of thousands of kids coming here and people create these elaborate Halloween decorations and dress their houses up. It's really amazing how everything has changed so much in this neighborhood, especially Halloween."

Read more about the history of the Capitol Hill neighborhood here.

Will on His Granddaughter, Nia

“I’ve lived in DC for about 50 years. I came here, alone, at 15 to live with my sister and to attend Cardozo High School. I spent my career here as a police officer. Now, I am retired and get to spend all of my time with my granddaughter, Nia. She is my first grandchild and we have a very special relationship.

“Every day, we go out walking in the city. We leave home at 8:15 a.m. and go out walking until about 12:30 p.m. We go to the zoo and spend time looking at birds and plants. I just love to be with her and let her know that she has someone close to her. Today, we are going to read together about birds.

“Nia loves DC, too. This is such a diverse city, much different than the DC I grew up in, so that is what I am showing her. We enjoy walking and talking with all kinds of people and waving at them and getting to know different folks.

“I remember my close relationship with my great-grandmother. She lived to be 117-years-old. This was in Georgia on the Chattahoochee River. It was wonderful down there. It was like a different world. Everything was fresh and nice, there was no pollution. You could drink water from the streams and eat the wild fruit that grew everywhere. 

"My great-grandmother was wonderful and she always took care of all of us. She was the matriarch of the whole area and the midwife for me when I was born. She used to sit outside of the sycamore tree in her front yard and watch all of the kids play. She always taught me to the do the best I can and don’t worry about nothing else. I am trying to do the same for Nia.”

Dave on Being a Regular

"I recognize that there is a lot of gentrification in DC, but what causes me more stress is how transient this city is. Even where it is not transient, people who come from the outside act like it is. Many of them don't involve themselves locally, which seems disastrous to me. I make an effort to know everyone in my neighborhood.

"I had a friend in from out of town recently and we were in my neighborhood, Mt. Pleasant. A lot of people I knew were out on the street and many came up to me to say hello. Some of them didn't know my name, but had nicknames for me because I am always out and around. One guy calls me Pee Wee. Another guy calls me Dorothy because he says my bike looks like it is from The Wizard of Oz and another guy calls me Hat Man. We stopped about every 15 feet to talk to people. My friend looked at me and asked if I was running for office here. You know, DC is a nice community and it is easy to know a lot of people here.

"I am someone who thinks about my own funeral and how many people will show up. I think if we throw a good buffet, we could get a couple of hundred people from my neighborhood. Even without a buffet, we could probably get at least a couple of dozen. Considering that I don't own anything here: no house, no business and I can't really do anything for anyone here, I found it pretty easy to make inroads into this community by being humane to people here. I also hang out in the same places and order the same things. It makes me a regular and makes life easy for the wait staff. At Tryst, I get double espressos all the time. At the Diner, I get a BLT sandwich with home fries instead of french fries. They don't even ask me anymore. For me, DC is an interesting place. It is a very local place, a very neighborhoody place."

Wellesley on Undercompensating on a Vespa

“I was born in Falls Church, then moved all over the country and then overseas and came back here for law school. I grew up around motorcycles. My Mom owns a Harley and I spent a lot of time around motorcycle clubs. When I was 16, I was living in Germany as an exchange student and went to Italy on a field trip. I was at the Spanish Steps in Rome and there was an attractive woman sitting on a Vespa. She is sort of a blur, but I remember the scooter. I guess that’s a bad sign! It was an early 1960’s burgundy Vespa with eight-inch wheels. It had a leopard print seat cover. From that point on, I wanted to get a Vespa.

“When I was in law school, I decided that DC would be a great place to have a scooter and I tracked down my first project, a 1985 Vespa. Within four months, I had six Vespas. Within a few years, I had 22. I would restore them and sell them to help pay for law school. I really love things with two wheels, that’s why I opened Modern Classics. The most important thing about Modern Classics is that we’re four people who are really passionate about scooters and motorcycles. We are the only full-service shop in Washington, DC, so you can buy or fix bikes with us. Might as well keep the business in the city.

“One of the things that I have noticed about being involved with scooters in DC is that a lot of the Vespa riders here seem to be more educated about scooters than in most other cities. DC is very white collar even though there are those of us, like me, who are blue collar by choice or circumstance. We have a lot of customers from places like The World Bank, people at embassies, and students. But, ridership in this city is really growing. I am constantly amazed by the people coming into my shop these days to buy scooters. I mean, big macho dudes like rugby and football players. You never would have seen that in DC fifteen years ago.

“Still, there’s been lots of times here when I have heard, ‘Get a real bike, you fag.’ But, I can tell you that if I take my motorcycle and go park it somewhere versus taking my Vespa out, the women love the Vespas. It draws a crowd. That’s not why I ride in DC, but it helps. Women tend to view it as metrosexual and guys who are insecure view it as homosexual. Sure, a Vespa doesn’t have the same testosterone level as a burly guy on a Harley, but some of us have to overcompensate and some of us under-compensate. But, I still think that it is really acceptable for anyone to ride a scooter in DC and people won’t judge you."

Read more about motorcycles in DC from Kim.

This post is part of a weekly series of People's District stories on the Prince of Petworth, check it out here.

Shaniqua Jones on the Drag Race

"I came to the drag race tonight with a bunch of friends. I've never raced before so when my friends asked me, I said, 'Sure, why not? I might as well try it.' I think that this parade loosens up the city and makes everything a bit lighter. It shows that we have a sense of humor. It is the one time of the year when everyone can just be themselves. I wish that people could live like this every day here. There is a bit of the drag race in every day life in DC, but it is more racing to get to the top. I have been conditioning a lot for the race because I am a paramedic and firefighter so I have to keep in shape. So, I think that in addition to looking good, I may just win the race, too." 

See more of my photos from the Drag Race here. 

Charlie on Equality in the Emergency Room

"I've been in DC now for four years. I grew up right outside of town. I left for about ten years and then came back for my residency in emergency medicine at George Washington University Hospital. Because I work bizarre hours, I get to meet people like me who celebrate a side of DC that isn't the veneer that is written about. One thing that I really love is the horticulture club at Dumbarton Oaks. I volunteer my time there. I really think that place is wonderful. The fixed gear bicycle polo club is another example of a brilliant, DC gone wild kind of scene. I play a little bit, but I'm not very good.

"One of the things that makes the Emergency Department here interesting is that you get diplomats lying right next to homeless people. All people are treated equally once they are on the operating table. I will say that working here, I get a much better sense of the spirit of the people and the city that you don't see in a lot of Northwest. We get a lot of indigent folks from Southeast and Southwest DC. There were a number of hospitals that closed down there, so a bunch of that traffic is brought here. Meeting those people and hearing those stories gives me a better perspective of this city. This job has inspired me to get more involved with community activism and advocate for an affordable and safer Southeast and Southwest."

Joanne on Dog Walking

"I've walked dogs in DC for a long time, since 1992. I started walking dogs because I was laid off from my job. I used to work for a law firm and my neighbor was a full-time dog walker, and she suggested that I start doing this when I was looking for work. So, she promoted me around the neighborhood by putting a small sign up in Marion Park advertising my services. The funny thing is that I was afraid of dogs as a younger person. As I got older, I realized that dogs are more your friend than your enemy.

"To be a good dog walker, the first thing that you have to know is that the dogs can feel if you love them or not. This has never really been a problem with me because I love all animals. Each dog has its own personality and can be a lot like a person. Actually, they are more like infants because they never talk.

"You know, when I was in the workplace, I really didn't know my neighborhood like I do know. At that time, I was either in the office or at home. But this way, I have gotten to meet all of the neighbors, including those who have lived here since the 1930's, and the police department. I help the police with suspicious packages and other things. I've seen a lot of kids grow up here, too, because I am always out, walking around. I have really learned a lot about many things in my neighborhood. I think that many people in Capitol Hill are so fascinated by living in DC that they don't take advantage of the wealth of information in their older neighbors who have been here forever.

"This job, also, is great exercise and keeps me in great shape. There is no stress in my work or queen bee attitudes. At the end of the day, my feet are tired, but I always say it was worth it. You feel so much better about yourself and your life when you are making a contribution and serving people. This job is so rewarding."

Joanne is pictured with Highway.

Javier, Elizabeth and Margaret on Insects and Orange Ice Cream

Elizabeth – "I’m six–years-old, but I am turning seven on February 4th. I am in the first grade at Capitol Hill Day School. I like living in Washington because I like my house and the flat screen TV in my Mom and Dad’s bedroom. I go to school and I am learning how to read and learning about insects.”

Javier - "I’m seven. My birthday is August 30th. I like Washington because I like my home and because we are learning about insects in school. In the spring, we get to play with frogs. If we catch them, we can bring them to class. If not, our teacher brings in frogs that we can take home and play with. And, one time, I caught a frog near my house and it was supposed to be only be an inch, but now it is, like, five or six inches. I am going to bring it to class because it is way big. The park right next to our school has a lot of insects. We just found a stink bug a few days ago, but it didn’t stink.”

Margaret – “I am five-years-old. I like Washington because in school I’m learning about family and friends and how to read. I’m in Kindergarten at Capitol Hill Day School. I’m eating orange ice cream, it’s my favorite.”

Javier – “Mine, too!”

Elizabeth – “Me, too!”

From left to right, Javier, Elizabeth and Margaret.

Joel on DC Being Contagious

“I first came up to DC in the fourth or fifth grade. At that point, I was on a class field trip and with, like, all of my buddies. And I could have cared less about where we were going and what we were seeing. I was just happy to be 900 miles from my parents and in a hotel with other 12-year-olds. I really had no idea about how great DC was at that age. But, several years ago, I came back up to visit with a friend. It was at that point when I realized the sheer history of where I was. DC was just, like, contagious. I wanted to get more of DC and got back up here as fast as I could. I have a background in political science so DC was not that hard of a choice for me.

"DC has an energy about it and when you are driving in, you can feel. You have a variety of cultures here and with that, you are exposed to new ideas that really challenge you to think differently and figure out what it is exactly that you believe, which I think is something we all should do. For me, I believe that when you are exposed to so many new and different things that maybe you hadn’t been introduced to prior, it really makes you appreciate other people’s opinions. I think that goes a long way in business and relationships in general. So, it is a neat area to live.”

Svetlana on Brightest Young Things

“When I got to DC, I knew no one. At the time, I had a boyfriend who lived in LA, such a bad idea. I spent a year traveling back and forth and not giving DC a chance at all, just meeting a person here and there. Then, I broke up with my boyfriend and I decided to focus and really like DC and make it mine. I always used to take pictures and write stories on MySpace, basically narrating what was going on around town. My site really grew and I started getting 500 people a day or so checking out my photos. And, all of these people would come up to me and say, “Hey, you’re that girl who does those pictures.”

“So, my friend, Jason, suggested that we put the website out into the larger world. In 2006, we converted my site into a shitty blog and called it Brightest Young Things. I always wanted to call the blog that after Evelyn Waugh's novel, Vile Bodies. I wanted the name to be funny. The book talks about all of these kids running through London in the 1920's and they have nothing, but partying and live a very superficial life. In the book, they call those kids bright young things. Some people get the joke and some people don’t.

“Right now, our traffic is about 100,000 visitors a month. Sometimes, upwards of 10,000 a day. Now, we have 30 photographers, 60 contributors, and it’s a tight group of friends. So, we just went full-time in July. In the future, we are going to do more festivals and things that take over whole neighborhoods, especially parts of the city that many people don’t normally think of.

“I think that the parties we throw couldn’t happen in any place but DC. DC is an exceptionally smart city and its, like, a conquerable city so there is a sense of familiarity and everyone knows everyone. If you give people a chance to have fun and do something different and creative here, of course everyone is going to jump at it. To think that I needed something to do to avoid thinking about my breakup and now I have BYT, it’s pretty awesome. “

Brightest Young Things is organizing The Bentzen Ball, a comedy festival, this weekend. Get tickets here.