I am in a mood that for a Sunday is very somber yet hopeful for the future of DC and it's cultural life. The old myth that you can't beat a dead horse but restaurateur as well as music aficionados constantly do so. I was passing through 'H' Street NE home of 'DC's Horace & Dickey, 'Tony's Carryout' Atlas Theater now Atlas Cultural & Arts Center 'Hechinger's Mall' all just names with no real meanings to people that visit this area of Washington DC. If you are a resident of Washington this may well bring a tear to the eyes because the long ,lost memories of a time when people talked to each other ,you knew your neighbors whereabouts and their families,you may even eat over at their homes occasionally. These times are all gone now in a puff of the Developers' Dream and of course the Magic Pill 'Gentrification'. I can't begin to elaborate on what the next man may feel is a better place or better environment for a neighborhood. What I can elaborate on is a people's sense of home and a people's sense of cultural being also continuity. There appears to be very little now in this part of the city as it has changed to fit another's sense of culture,tradition, it is likened to the times when history books actually stated that to take a people's culture and tradition and give them another to adopt or to become accustomed to has it's set-backs and difficulties. People sometimes don't always adjust as you might think they should under some situations whether it's a forced change or an agreed upon change. The residents of the 'H' Street corridor basically didn't have choices for this new culture because they had no real input or money to put into development projects that were started here. I do say that the opportunities that presented themselves to the developers and buyers that converged upon this somewhat virgin territory didn't have much to buy the natives with ' colored beads or costume jewelry' could be utilized for this buy. What was done was the lack of legal directions and assistance from legal professional that were privy to any rebuttals that residents could use to to help them secure or keep their property. These were similar to take over tactics and they got what they came for plenty of commercial properties as well as residential. The entrepreneur and others that set their sights upon 'H' Street saw nothing but hotels and businesses that benefited them ,their pockets and the masses of tourist and other consumers that they knew would flock to the 'Hard Rock' Hotels, yoga dens, cultural areas,museums, and the 'coffee houses/ internet cafe's',places where the average suburban mothers with kids in tow can come and get services for reasonable amounts of their hard won barter.The alternate business/ Internet integrated Cafe's that dot the corridors along 'H' Street are places that professionals congregate and watch the activities that go on on the widened streets of 'H'Street NE. Don't get it wrong there is nothing sweeter than the taste of development in a distressed area because reportedly it was supposed to bring money and revenue back to a part of the city that allegedly didn't have much in the way of jobs and cultural aspects to be enjoyed. The enjoyment for many African -American however wouldn't be the 'Irish' cultural experiences and other European -oriented restaurants that are in these areas, $8.00 beers that dominates the bars and restaurants whereas as they used to be a place that you could sit with your friends and enjoy the daily talk about community and what has happened or transpired during your day at work. The prominent conversations that are perhaps permeating through the bars with customers may be the next show at the Hard Rock or HR52, a jazz bar at the far end of 'H' Street or how about the goings on at 'Kahn's' maybe the Argonaut Bar at the Maryland Ave. NE, politicians manuevers and ready projects for investment opps. The newest restaurant where Cathy Hughes used to be the WOL Radio Station is now a beautifully made up New Orleans Restaurant equipped with trellises and New Orleans flavored cuisine. Ms. Hughes who has since gone on to be a successful millionaire developer & radio station and television station owner had her humble beginnings on 'H' Street too. There are so many different experiences there on 'H' Street for everyone, but the people that created it, breathed air into it and watched it grow into the now new and improved Atlas District don't have much to look back on except the memories of it. The many hundreds of people who walk up and down the corridors not realizing that people of all ilks actually walked here like famous boxers, Ernie Shavers,Johnnie Gant, of the early 70's, athletes & celebrities alike at the 'Coco Club' ,you might see 'Billy Stewart, a popular singer of the 60's, Ohio Bar & Grill' La Domingo Bar and Grill , 'Five Point Bar & Grill' many Chinese stores that were like the mom and pops stores of old that fed many hundreds of families whether the cuisine was healthy or not as we now know from stats and analysis of calories, nevertheless they fed us:) The riots after the Kennedy Assassination where 'H' Street corridor was burned down and buildings tore up unless you had 'SOUL BROTHER' written on the exterior.The memories that are not lost as long as there is someone that can remember is the main objective of this story, just know that the cultures that are built upon these that are but memories are even that much more precious to those of us that know that culture is still present even though 'YOU' can't see it!
Ms. Cherie Vollin couln't have said it more eloquently when her young son said this to followers that he tweets to:
My 16 year old son, Kameron Vollin, a budding musician feels that there is a lot
more character to H Street than meets the eye. Look more closely. He texted his
friends & relatives this message Friday night: Here I am playing out on H
street on a Friday night w/ the legendary street & club musician Mitch on guitar
& Butch Jackson who used 2 play percussion w/ War, Mandrill, & Gil Scott Heron.
It was so cool. He feels further that there is something both old & bluesy yet
new & funky about the feel & smell if u will of H street. It has a character
all it's own he remarks. Playing on the streets with these great musicians,
having to ad lib, & improvise 4 the people watching is something u can"t learn
in school. Please write about the street musicians on H Street. They work hard!
Sent from my iPhone
I add- Can this feeling be said anymore clearer than that!!!!
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