What’s happening to Bethesda, Montgomery Mall, etc.?

[Anonymous]

It’s Bethesda. What do you expect? Most people outside of DMV has never even heard of it.

[Anonymous]

When I go down at 8 or 9 to the bethesda tow area it still seems impossible to find parking and crowded. Agree by 10 it is totally dead but that’s suburban living I think.

The Woodmont area is more challenging—other than the strip by Spanish diner, it is very disjointed because of the combo or old buildings, new buildings and buildings under reno. I don’t like my teens walking around that area because there is too much dead space.

[Anonymous]

Bethesda row is full and healthy. Restaurants are always busy. Hard to get a table at Woodmont grill or salt line. Aventino very busy. It’s the suburbs and things close at 10. Same as in VA neighborhoods like Del Ray.

Montgomery Mall, the stores listed are old and in decline. BR must be close to bankruptcy. The mall is busy and full of stores and parking is hard to find. I do not think there is any issue other than some strange need to make one.

White flint, that’s another issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op, it sounds like you’re at the stage of your life where you want it to be an extension of your college days. Bethesda is not for you. Bethesda is for people who have jobs with responsibility that require them to be up early in the morning, plus family responsibilities that also require early mornings. Bethesda has never catered to the college-aged crowd that just wants to drink themselves into oblivion every weekend.

I’m 52 and have lived and worked within a couple miles of Bethesda my whole life except for college, and back in my 20s it was fun and there was a late night scene. Some PPs have mentioned a few of the many bars there used to be - Tommy Joe’s, Nantucket Landing, Montgomery’s Grille, TBones, BlackFinn, Caddies, Uncle Jed’s, Chatters, Villain & Saint, Flanagan’s, many more I can’t recall. In the 90s/early 00s, Bethesda was doing a pretty good job catering to the slightly older than college-aged crowd that wants to drink every weekend. My company of 250+ employees was mostly comprised of people like this, they moved into DC years ago and now plan to move into Virginia.

[Anonymous]

[b]

Anonymous wrote:They need a new downtown Bethesda planning committee and get all developers off the committee. They need artists/ performers/ culture - not more bland buildings and shops.

Even the tree lights look devoid of imagination - tightly wrapped around tree trunks:like robotic springs -/ Iin Alexandria they are whimsically draped loosely around the branches to much better affect.

The office shops and apartment buildings are generic and need colorful murals/ graffiti paintings on walls that face public spaces.

They should partner with Smithsonian folk festival and Glen Echo Park to host interesting satellite cultural events and diverse musicians in Bethesda.

We need cool shops such as book stores, music stores, board game stores, costume stores, thrift stores, fair trade gift shops. and idiosyncratic hobby stores. They should give discounts to such store owners to encourage interesting stores to come back.

Better planning and valuing more cultural and artistic ambience could help Bethesda to better reflect the human wealth in the area.

People only window shop at those stores and buy online.

[Anonymous]

The master plan for the mall is to turn it inside out. It will look more like Pike & Rose but they keep changing ownership delaying that.

I have lived in Bethesda most of my life, it has never had a big nightlife. A few late night places and those all seem to be on Cordell now. Bethesda Ave, ROW and Elm are places people go early and after 9 it is dead.

The thing is, the people that live there do not mind it, the people who come there form other areas seem bothered by it.

I also think the county council and the progressives care more about the things nobody cares about and the other areas have passed them by. Clarendon, Tyson's etc did a great job. Bethesda was a small town that had/has a lot of potential but the high rent is what kills any chance of it becoming like the other areas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op, it sounds like you’re at the stage of your life where you want it to be an extension of your college days. Bethesda is not for you. Bethesda is for people who have jobs with responsibility that require them to be up early in the morning, plus family responsibilities that also require early mornings. Bethesda has never catered to the college-aged crowd that just wants to drink themselves into oblivion every weekend.

I’m 52 and have lived and worked within a couple miles of Bethesda my whole life except for college, and back in my 20s it was fun and there was a late night scene. Some PPs have mentioned a few of the many bars there used to be - Tommy Joe’s, Nantucket Landing, Montgomery’s Grille, TBones, BlackFinn, Caddies, Uncle Jed’s, Chatters, Villain & Saint, Flanagan’s, many more I can’t recall. In the 90s/early 00s, Bethesda was doing a pretty good job catering to the slightly older than college-aged crowd that wants to drink every weekend. My company of 250+ employees was mostly comprised of people like this, they moved into DC years ago and now plan to move into Virginia.

I'm past the age where I go out late at night, but Caddie's and Tommy Joe's are still alive and well (Tommy Joe's is not in the old location, but in a much bigger location now). Some of the others may be also. There are also some newer late night spots on Cordell and that area whose names escape me because, again, that's not my scene anymore. If you want to party late at night, there are certainly venues to do so -- but by and large, the recent college graduates who want to party all the time choose Clarendon. And as a Bethesda resident, that's perfectly fine with me because Clarendon now has a ton of issues. It's possible to have late-night hangouts (as Bethesda does) without turning into a scene full of drunk 20-somethings who cause constant crime and noise.

I actually wonder if OP has ventured to the older part of downtown Bethesda (where Caddie's and Tommy Joe's are located), or only goes to the newer part of Bethesda. The older part of downtown Bethesda likely has what OP is looking for.

Some of the places you mentioned are kind of strange. Montgomery Grille was sleepy and definitely not a late night party place, and really it was just a truly mediocre restaurant all around. Villain and Saint was not in Bethesda 30 years ago -- it was in Bethesda for four years around 2015. So you're mixing up bars from lots of time periods and saying that they all existed 20-30 years ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op, it sounds like you’re at the stage of your life where you want it to be an extension of your college days. Bethesda is not for you. Bethesda is for people who have jobs with responsibility that require them to be up early in the morning, plus family responsibilities that also require early mornings. Bethesda has never catered to the college-aged crowd that just wants to drink themselves into oblivion every weekend.

I’m 52 and have lived and worked within a couple miles of Bethesda my whole life except for college, and back in my 20s it was fun and there was a late night scene. Some PPs have mentioned a few of the many bars there used to be - Tommy Joe’s, Nantucket Landing, Montgomery’s Grille, TBones, BlackFinn, Caddies, Uncle Jed’s, Chatters, Villain & Saint, Flanagan’s, many more I can’t recall. In the 90s/early 00s, Bethesda was doing a pretty good job catering to the slightly older than college-aged crowd that wants to drink every weekend. My company of 250+ employees was mostly comprised of people like this, they moved into DC years ago and now plan
to move into Virginia.

^^ this. Bethesda used to be fun. Now it’s a bunch of mediocre restaurants and retail and constant construction.

[Anonymous]

I worked in DT Bethesda 20 years ago, fresh out of college. It was never fun. There were a few places to gather for happy hour, but by and large, we always partied in DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The master plan for the mall is to turn it inside out. It will look more like Pike & Rose but they keep changing ownership delaying that.

I have lived in Bethesda most of my life, it has never had a big nightlife. A few late night places and those all seem to be on Cordell now. Bethesda Ave, ROW and Elm are places people go early and after 9 it is dead.

The thing is, the people that live there do not mind it, the people who come there form other areas seem bothered by it.

I also think the county council and the progressives care more about the things nobody cares about and the other areas have passed them by. Clarendon, Tyson's etc did a great job. Bethesda was a small town that had/has a lot of potential but the high rent is what kills any chance of it becoming like the other areas.

100% They aren't getting the message, though, which is why we have Trump (whom I loathe with every fiber of my being).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op, it sounds like you’re at the stage of your life where you want it to be an extension of your college days. Bethesda is not for you. Bethesda is for people who have jobs with responsibility that require them to be up early in the morning, plus family responsibilities that also require early mornings. Bethesda has never catered to the college-aged crowd that just wants to drink themselves into oblivion every weekend.

OP here. LOL … I wish I was in the stage of my life where I want my nightlife to be an extension of my college days! Funny, even in those days I was never one to “go out at all hours”.
No, I’m a boring professional with a family who grew up in Montgomery County and still live here. I’m asking about Bethesda and Montgomery Mall, etc. because I have noticed a decline in even this more affluent area of Montgomery County (where modest houses cost 2M+) and wondering if others have a better feel for what’s going on.
I’m not looking for a nightlife filled with bars, but the last two times we had dinner in Bethesda it felt desolate by 8 or 9. I mean there was literally no one besides us on some main streets (including the main intersection where Anthropologie is located) It wasn’t alway like this.
And then while holiday shopping this past month to find so many stores permanently closed made me almost scared… why are retailers moving out of Montgomery County’s only major mall (besides Wheaton Plaza)? Why is Bethesda a once vibrant area and still filled with its share of restaurants desolate by 8 or 9?
Home prices in this area continues to rise, so I assume people still want to live here, but is something happening in this area, in our county, that is causing this decline?
If you live here would you move here again or perhaps more telling, would recommend your adult children move here and raise their children here?

Definitely not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op, it sounds like you’re at the stage of your life where you want it to be an extension of your college days. Bethesda is not for you. Bethesda is for people who have jobs with responsibility that require them to be up early in the morning, plus family responsibilities that also require early mornings. Bethesda has never catered to the college-aged crowd that just wants to drink themselves into oblivion every weekend.

I’m 52 and have lived and worked within a couple miles of Bethesda my whole life except for college, and back in my 20s it was fun and there was a late night scene. Some PPs have mentioned a few of the many bars there used to be - Tommy Joe’s, Nantucket Landing, Montgomery’s Grille, TBones, BlackFinn, Caddies, Uncle Jed’s, Chatters, Villain & Saint, Flanagan’s, many more I can’t recall. In the 90s/early 00s, Bethesda was doing a pretty good job catering to the slightly older than college-aged crowd that wants to drink every weekend. My company of 250+ employees was mostly comprised of people like this, they moved into DC years ago and now plan to move into Virginia.

Sad

[Anonymous]

I’ve lived in Bethesda my entire life and now one of my adult children (with their kids) lives here also. I would definitely recommend it to anyone. All of my kids went to top 25 schools after graduating from BCC, and my grandkids are also doing well in the public schools. We like downtown Bethesda and go there all the time, and it’s always full of families on the weekends. The new playground near the Giant is also nice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op, it sounds like you’re at the stage of your life where you want it to be an extension of your college days. Bethesda is not for you. Bethesda is for people who have jobs with responsibility that require them to be up early in the morning, plus family responsibilities that also require early mornings. Bethesda has never catered to the college-aged crowd that just wants to drink themselves into oblivion every weekend.

I’m 52 and have lived and worked within a couple miles of Bethesda my whole life except for college, and back in my 20s it was fun and there was a late night scene. Some PPs have mentioned a few of the many bars there used to be - Tommy Joe’s, Nantucket Landing, Montgomery’s Grille, TBones, BlackFinn, Caddies, Uncle Jed’s, Chatters, Villain & Saint, Flanagan’s, many more I can’t recall. In the 90s/early 00s, Bethesda was doing a pretty good job catering to the slightly older than college-aged crowd that wants to drink every weekend. My company of 250+ employees was mostly comprised of people like this, they moved into DC years ago and now plan to move into Virginia.

Sad

Actually I’m really happy and have a great life. Sorry you’re sad.

[Anonymous]

Other than maybe Tysons what mall hasn't been dying for the past decade??

If Bethesda suddenly got the ethnic restaurants of say Silver Spring or Takoma Crossing people would inevitably complain even more about made up crime because others might be eating there. Bethesda has exactly the retail and dining options people in Bethesda want. It might not be my personal cup of tea but it's hard to argue it isn't working exactly like the people who live there intended.

Old Town is very cute but let's be clear that most of the restaurants are mediocre. There are better restaurants in parts of Fairfax but the maze of driving and parking is a nightmare.

Lots of people here want the benefits of city living without going into Chocolate City and so they've created mini cities (Bethesda, Arlington, Tysons) designed for their exact taste in soulless dining and shopping be it for rich white older folks, young college students working in consulting, or rich newer to the area families.