The other side of the fence looks a little greener. But not by much.
My good friend Jonathan dropped by last night and we did our occasional comparison of neighborhoods. Jon bought his house a few months before I purchased mine in a slightly improving area called Colmar Manor, MD 20744. Yet the rate of improvement hasn’t been as fast as Shaw, so his tales give me some perspective.
Now a little about Colmar Manor as I know it. It is a small blue collar town with a Shopper’s Food Warehouse and a IHOP. There is a bike trail that runs along it and a small park where wild blackberries grow. It is just across the border from the NE DC neighborhood of Fort Lincoln and runs along Bladensburg road. There is no metro station.
Jon bought his house for about $89,000 over three years ago. It is a 2 bedroom 1 bath 1930s bungalow with a sizable backyard with a southern exposure that he ignores, sloping floors, no AC, gutters that need replacing, and a big stone fireplace that needs servicing. Also it is quiet. Except for the occasional dog barking in the night it is a quiet neighborhood where neighbors know each other.
Sadly Colmar Manor has a bunch of bored kids. They don’t stand on the street corner looking menacing like they do here. No they travel around. Then there is gunfire. Kids are blamed.
Like my part of Shaw, Colmar Manor is benefiting from the positive changes happening in neighboring areas. Ever drive up Rt 1 (Rhode Island Ave/Baltimore Ave) around Mt. Rainier? Notice the new construction around that annoying traffic circle (lines people, would it have killed them to paint lines in the circle?)? Mt. Rainier, home of THE GLUT, is a 15 minute walk from Jon’s house. That area is trying to be some kind of arts center and hopefully it will reflect the funky crunchy flavor that is Mt. Rainier.
So when Jon and I compare we both are a little jealous of each other. I would love to have his backyard for gardening, walls of my own, a greasy IHOP and unhealthy MickyD’s, THE GLUT, as well as a bike path. He would like my metro and near by theaters. *sigh*