Downtown Bethesda: Where did it all go wrong?

[Anonymous]

Bethesda has lots of parking beneath the condo building that is opposite to Paul's and Silver. I always wonder why people don't use that huge underground parking space. It's still as near to all the restaurants etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The nightlife around Cordell has really stepped up the last few months. There's at least 6 bars on the 2-block stretch, some open until 2am.

Wow. I was just out last Friday night and was so disappointed that we could not enjoy drinks on a restaurant’s patio much past 10 PM.

Were you in the streetery? That may be a county regulation. You can drink late on the outdoor patios at Tommy Joe's, Caddie's, Momo for example. I did it last Saturday night.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bethesda and MoCo need to take after the Mainline in PA, and towns like West Chester that have actual main streets with shops/restaurants etc, and towns where you can travel to by train. We have the metro that allows people to travel to each town.

MoCo and local govts just love taxing businesses to death, and local/county govt has inordinate amounts of red tape that discourage new businesses from forming. Then factor in insane rental costs, and all you get are crappy chains and subpar food from establishments that have big investor groups backing them. You never get the organically grown, family run places that have their own recipes they're using for home cooking tasting food or that provide very unique flavors. The only places that can survive are the places that serve $35 plates of food.

But yea...travel to West Chester, Media, Rosemont, Wayne, Villanova,......the Mainline in PA is a role model for how the area should strive to be.

Bethesda can never be as cool as WC. Too many other factors to even count. It happens somewhat organically. Plus the people are so much cooler and less uptight in west Chester. Can’t wait to move back when my kids are grown!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bethesda has never been interesting so...

When I moved to DC in 1995 my friend who lived in Bethesda described it as a soulless concrete jungle. So by that measure it has improved immensely.

But people who live there are pretty sterile and not interesting. That’s the vibe people are getting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bethesda has never been interesting so...

When I moved to DC in 1995 my friend who lived in Bethesda described it as a soulless concrete jungle. So by that measure it has improved immensely.

But people who live there are pretty sterile and not interesting. That’s the vibe people are getting.

I was on a Supershuttle (shared van from the airport) a few years ago and mine was the first stop. The other woman in the vehicle lived in Gaithersburg and said when they go out to have a good time, they go to Bethesda, DC was too far for them. It's funny, as when I was younger in Bethesda, I'd always go to DC!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bethesda has never been interesting so...

When I moved to DC in 1995 my friend who lived in Bethesda described it as a soulless concrete jungle. So by that measure it has improved immensely.

But people who live there are pretty sterile and not interesting. That’s the vibe people are getting.

You sound so jealous!

[Anonymous]

The Haagen Dax is closing. Sad

And is the Bethesda row theater ever reopening?

[Anonymous]

The Landmark is opening in August. Although it is far now to a big movie house - with both the one on Wisconsin closing several years ago, and now the one in Friendship Heights is gone.

Hands down, Bethesda is the most walkable suburb of the DMV - and it has great, diverse (especially for strong DMV schools) schools.

It is boring, not a ton even for kids to do. No bowling alley, no ice skating rink in the winter, no aracades. We do have a couple great theaters. Really don't understand how a brewery can't afford it(agree with other poster that RCB is horrible). So many of the "craft" breweries are owned by corporations. A brewery with an outdoor space with games etc would make so much money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Haagen Dax is closing. Sad

And is the Bethesda row theater ever reopening?

I didn’t even know there was a haagan das. There’s still a Baskin Robbins, jenni’s, Henry’s sweets, lillit has gelato, plus there are two more I’m forgetting the name of for other frozen creamy treats.
Movie theaters are a tough business outside of malls and turn over pretty frequently as technology upgrades. It’s been that way since at least the 80s.

[Anonymous]

Multiple $35 parking tickets did it for me only 5 minutes over the expiration. Gave up going.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Landmark is opening in August. Although it is far now to a big movie house - with both the one on Wisconsin closing several years ago, and now the one in Friendship Heights is gone.

Hands down, Bethesda is the most walkable suburb of the DMV - and it has great, diverse (especially for strong DMV schools) schools.

It is boring, not a ton even for kids to do. No bowling alley, no ice skating rink in the winter, no aracades. We do have a couple great theaters. Really don't understand how a brewery can't afford it(agree with other poster that RCB is horrible). So many of the "craft" breweries are owned by corporations. A brewery with an outdoor space with games etc would make so much money.

There’s the pinball place and comic store. And the paint your own pottery place. And the two bike trails. I agree a few more activities other than eating or shopping would be nice.
I think one issue is all the construction on Wisconsin which really breaks up the neighborhood. But we were down at the triangle Saturday night walking around and it was so pleasant—a jazz trio was playing at the Norfolk streetery, lots of families were eating outside and some kids were playing frisbee along one of the closed streets. And in a one mile walk, we passed two sushi places, two Indian restaurants, several Italian restaurants. A thrift store, two furniture stores, an Ethiopian restaurant, a Cuban restaurant, a couple bars, a casual pizza place, a fancy pizza place, a Korean restaurant, two Spanish restaurants….I mean, it’s hard to complain about the variety of at least casual or mid-range restaurants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Multiple $35 parking tickets did it for me only 5 minutes over the expiration. Gave up going.

There’s a ton of free parking especially on the weekends. The county lots are all basically $1/hour.

[Anonymous]

I’m not sure of either the pinball place or the comic book plce survived the pandemic? But generally agree it is a very walkable with lots of restaurant options, plus the library, farmers market, live theater and the movie theater (but there are some gaps— I wish the Bethesda dinner theater wasn’t such an odd cross of things).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Multiple $35 parking tickets did it for me only 5 minutes over the expiration. Gave up going.

It's hilarious that you blame someone else for this. Speaks volumes about your mindset, and personality (none of it good).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m not sure of either the pinball place or the comic book plce survived the pandemic? But generally agree it is a very walkable with lots of restaurant options, plus the library, farmers market, live theater and the movie theater (but there are some gaps— I wish the Bethesda dinner theater wasn’t such an odd cross of things).

Vuk (the pinball/pizza place) has closed, but not because of the pandemic: the building is getting torn down and replaced by a high-rise. The paint-your-own-pottery place did not survive the pandemic. And judging by its extremely irregular hours -- closed Sunday-Tuesday, limited hours the other days -- the comic book store is hanging on by a thread.