Working Near Union Station - What's the Good, Bad and Ugly?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^SEC and Kaiser are adjacent to US.

Don't forget the Anerican Chemistry Association (or something like that)!

American Psychological Association

No, the sign on the building lists (along with SEC and Kaiser) American Chemistry Council.

Huh! I work closer to the Hall of States. Never knew!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:While there are some things to walk to, the problem with this neighborhood is that there's not much room for improvement. Union station is always going to be there. The postal museum (which is a full city block with no ground floor retail) will always be there. The semi circle and then blocks of parks in front of union station will always be there. The congressional parking lots will always be there. So while buildings can pop up here and there, this neighborhood will never really fill in the way gallery place did in the late 90s. Note that I'm excluding the development along mass ave west of union station from this, because it's really not "union station" and admittedly that neighborhood is filling in quite nicely. But if you work "at" union station, you'll never be close enough to that mass stretch to use it for lunches, etc.

Would you really want them to tear down the Postal Museum and Union Station to put up a condo building with retail??

I don't work near Union Station but I do commute out of there, and every time I walk in I enjoy the beautiful, stunning building, and the view of the Capitol. It would be a fine place to work; I don't really need to be next door to a TJ Maxx or have a million options for lunch (I bring my lunch). And one huge plus that may not apply to everyone is that there are a lot of possibilities to live close to the area and walk to work and maybe even send your kid to the neighborhood school, that might still be on the edge of affordable for a two-career family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:While there are some things to walk to, the problem with this neighborhood is that there's not much room for improvement. Union station is always going to be there. The postal museum (which is a full city block with no ground floor retail) will always be there. The semi circle and then blocks of parks in front of union station will always be there. The congressional parking lots will always be there. So while buildings can pop up here and there, this neighborhood will never really fill in the way gallery place did in the late 90s. Note that I'm excluding the development along mass ave west of union station from this, because it's really not "union station" and admittedly that neighborhood is filling in quite nicely. But if you work "at" union station, you'll never be close enough to that mass stretch to use it for lunches, etc.

Would you really want them to tear down the Postal Museum and Union Station to put up a condo building with retail??

I don't work near Union Station but I do commute out of there, and every time I walk in I enjoy the beautiful, stunning building, and the view of the Capitol. It would be a fine place to work; I don't really need to be next door to a TJ Maxx or have a million options for lunch (I bring my lunch). And one huge plus that may not apply to everyone is that there are a lot of possibilities to live close to the area and walk to work and maybe even send your kid to the neighborhood school, that might still be on the edge of affordable for a two-career family.

I'm not suggesting they tear down those buildings. just that it's not particularly desireable to work. You could put an office in the middle of the desert. Just because the desert is pretty doesn't mean I want to work there, nor am I suggesting they build shopping and restaurants there to accommodate me. I'm just saying I'd rather work somewhere more interesting.

Most people who work in downtown DC like to go out to lunch. it's a very social activity and helpful for making important relationships in your workplace.

And on your last point, i'm guessing you don't live in DC? Sure people can buy a house within walking distance. But any house within walking distance is going to be in unusable schools or is going to be well over $1m. So it's not a viable option for 90% of employees.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:While there are some things to walk to, the problem with this neighborhood is that there's not much room for improvement. Union station is always going to be there. The postal museum (which is a full city block with no ground floor retail) will always be there. The semi circle and then blocks of parks in front of union station will always be there. The congressional parking lots will always be there. So while buildings can pop up here and there, this neighborhood will never really fill in the way gallery place did in the late 90s. Note that I'm excluding the development along mass ave west of union station from this, because it's really not "union station" and admittedly that neighborhood is filling in quite nicely. But if you work "at" union station, you'll never be close enough to that mass stretch to use it for lunches, etc.

The Postal Museum building had a Cap City restaurant in it for years ( not sure what if anything replaced it). It also houses an actual post office and the Bureau of Labor Statistics..

[Anonymous]

Are people actually trying to counter the point that there isn't much to do in the block with the postal museum?? The postal museum is a lovely pretty building, but having a post office, defunct restaurant and government office in it does not make this an asset for people who work around here.

Also, why are people so bothered by the idea of people doing a little shopping during lunch? When I used to work at metro center, it was really common to eat at my desk and then spend 30 minutes with some friend colleagues at H&M or in the shoe department at macys for some social time in lieu of sitting down for lunch somewhere. Friday was a particularly popular day to do this. I don't see how that's any different than standing in line at DC taco for 30 minutes during one's lunch, or sitting with colleagues at the Press Building food court. Have you ever popped into one of those stores in metro center on a Friday at 1pm? They are jammed to the gills with professional women in their 20s and 30s taking a quick break from work. And there's a reason that retail outlets keep opening up downtown (Off Saks, Nordstrom Rack are the latest, Sephora coming soon, etc). And it's not for their weekend traffic, as those places are really quiet on a Saturday afternoon. They are much, much busier on weekday afternoons than they are on weekends.

Shocker: just because you sit at your desk for lunch every day, doesn't mean everyone else does too!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are a lot of people in and around US who seem to take joy on impeding of obstructing your path when you're trying to get around. People who walk SOOOO slowly in large groups who take up the entire walkway. Homeless people who enter your personal space to try to intimidate you or approach you from behind to scare you. People who know better standing on escalators so you can't pass.

Especially going into the Metro from the 1st street entrance. All the people taking MARC and VRE hug the entire right side of the walkway, the part that leads to the Metro turnstiles, so it's sometimes impossible to get into Metro without lots and lots of maneuvering. They're huffing and puffing with their rolling briefcases or whatever, taking their sweet time. Good lord.

Those are definitely amtrak people. Most people taking the MARC and VRE aren't carrying suitcases. I agree it's really frustrating to deal with though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Also, why are people so bothered by the idea of people doing a little shopping during lunch?

NP here, who happens to work in the building attached to Union Station. I don't think anybody is bothered by people shopping at lunch. I stop by the bluemercury, H&M, and Ann Taylor in US fairly regularly myself. People are reacting to the PPs who said working near US sucks because you don't have extensive shopping options at lunch. Having lots of shopping options during a work day is nice, but far from necessary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Also, why are people so bothered by the idea of people doing a little shopping during lunch?

NP here, who happens to work in the building attached to Union Station. I don't think anybody is bothered by people shopping at lunch. I stop by the bluemercury, H&M, and Ann Taylor in US fairly regularly myself. People are reacting to the PPs who said working near US sucks because you don't have extensive shopping options at lunch. Having lots of shopping options during a work day is nice, but far from necessary.

Right. And I MUCH prefer the environs of Union Station to the soul-sucking of Farragut. Shudder.