Toto We're Not in Kansas Anymore

Or the old DC for that matter. 22 West ain't cheap and it's not stodgy. Bob Dole would feel out of place. (He would stay put at the Watergate.)


The Story:

95 Units, 1, 2 and 3 bdrms, $800K to $3.8 mil, 900 sf to 3500 sf

Zinc and glass facade,

Many units with 2 parking spaces, balconies

Rooftop pool overlooking Exxon station (yikes!)

The Scoop:

22 West literally is being built around the Exxon station, which will be covered, hidden by a grass-covered canopy.

The West End used to be no man's land. Close to G'town for those who can't afford it. Now its taken on its own identity: close to G-Town and downtown but quieter with better retail (Trader Joes, more greenery.)

Are DC condo prices on the rise? Or is there just more super high-end supply that has masked post-bubble decline in prices? Could be both.

Frat Boy Culture Sinking Adams Morgan

At least, that's what Alan Popovsky, owner of Felix at 2406 18th St. believes. "We have to look toward the future," says Alan Popovsky, "and Adams Morgan is not the future," he told the WaPo. Plus there are too many Pizza joints etc.

We agree a little. Adams Morgan has lost some of its off-beat character. Most of the Salvadorean restaurants are gone. There are more bars for suburbans on the prowl. But The Dinner and Design Within Reach show how the neighborhood can grow.

As for Popovsky, the West End is where Popovsky sees potential: bustle and affluence. "It's the next hot residential neighborhood," so he is taking over the David Greggory restaurant (2030 M St. NW) and turning the location into an all-day "contemporary American brasserie" called Hudson. (Eric Ripert of La Bernardin, NYC, also is looking at the West End, says Metrocurean.)

It is odd, though, hearing a bar owner complain about bars.