As for Charlottesville - the town is amazing, and after only a little while it's clear why this is consistently rated one of the best places to live in the country. The gem of the city is the Downtown Mall, a six-block stretch of street closed off to cars and lined with restaurants, shops and theatres. I was called "crazy" when I said that College Park could look like Charlottesville one day, and maybe I am, but it's inspiring to see what a real college town looks like.
2 comments:
No, you're not crazy. I nearly shed a tear when I heard they're getting a Ruth's Chris Steakhouse.
College Park has languished for too long, and I mostly blame their elected officials. Hopefully new hotel development on US-1 and the East Campus Initiative will bring new business. I won't hold my breath for a dedicated city police force, though.
Charlottesville has the benefit of being comparatively isolated. It's is a true college town. College Park, by contrast, is embedded in an urban/suburban area with a lot of other industries/influences beyond the University. That said, Route 1 could use a LOT of improvement. Things are certainly better than when I went to UMd (early 80's), when the road was a stretch of beer drenched bars, late night food places, the Book Exchange, and a High's. Ok, there were a few other businesses, but not many and it was certainly not a picturesque series of blocks.
I don't have much room to talk, though, as I was adding to the beer puddles on the floor of the Cellar and Vous, dining at Club LT, enjoying a slice of pizza that was seasoned with a whiff of pepper spray, and buying snacks at the High's and Seven-Eleven. (I still LOVE Marathon Deli, but Bentley's has gone from a place to take visiting parents to drinking place that sells so-so food.)
There are more shops now, but the area could use a bit of sort of the county and state attention that downtown Silver Spring has received. With comparatively modest investments, both College Park and Hyattsville could make a leap forward.
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