It’s a very sad decline over the past twenty years. I remember when Union Station was refurbished and it was beautiful. The station was a destination for retail, restaurants and the movies. |
Have you been there today, this weekend, this month? It’s been quite nice when I’ve been there recently. |
I have, and it was not. The upstairs is empty, the downstairs is a public urinal and the middle floor is a mix of scary and fine. If you think this is okay, you clearly haven’t been here in the past 20 years. |
+1 was there two weeks ago - absolutely not nice |
Not that nice to get a head injury and broken facial bones... |
I commute from US daily. Yes, there are a lot of homeless people there but there are also a lot of businesses and commuters like me. It's not what it was 10 years ago, but it's slowly getting back up and running. It's not the hell hole you say it is. I'm glad to have this option in order to get to work and back. |
I'm assuming this has more to do with the homeless problem in DC than it does with Union Station. They just hang out there because it's out of the elements. |
No. They hang out because Amtrak doesn't have a policy of evicting the homeless. It's been that way for a long time. |
Are you male or female? Young or older? In great physical shape? |
I just took Amtrak last week, and got off at Newark Penn Station. There, the seating area was monitored by police, and you had to show a ticket to sit. I was happy to at least have somewhere to wait. |
I'm a 45 female who is barely 5 feet. why |
I'm glad you feel safe. |
I was literally there an hour ago.
Def not as clean and interesting as it was in the mid 2000s. Removing the circular bar was a big mistake and I believe that was even pre-Covid. But its safe to go and grab lunch and its safe to commute out of. |
I don't think "homeless" has to be synonymous with violent and mentally ill or drug addicted. DMV's weak approach to public safety puts all of us at risk in public spaces. |
Getting your face beat to pieces is NOT what we call “safe”. |