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[quote=Anonymous]I wrote on a previous thread that I was disappointed in how Bethesda has turned out vs. when I moved away in 2008.

I was there for the days leading up to NYE 2023 and the NYE itself.  With my family staying in a hotel near the Metro.

The metro complex and streetscape at night feels closed down, dark, uninviting. As do the office buildings.  There was a person panhandling outside the Trader Joe's.  Wouldn't surprise me in Chicago, but not what I'd expect to see in Bethesda.

The highlight was seeing a play at the local theater.  The Tastee Diner was an oasis of cheer and a good dinner at a cheap price.  The Chinese restaurant we ate at was very mediocre.  I like bargain ethnic food but couldn't find believable good reviews of anywhere close by. It was the best we could do.  The hotel we stayed at had a couple weddings but otherwise seemed pretty empty/not cheerfully bustling.  There wasn't a First Night celebration as far as I could tell.

The streetscape along Rockville Pike is kind of a jumble of establishments - it just looks asymmetrical somehow.  I also noticed that you could still see the remains of the Claire Dratch sign on the old store - I think it looks bad when old signage lingers.  It suggests the buildings aren't rentable/aren't being maintained. In my little town, they've managed to keep buildings pretty low along the main 2 streets.  And many have been fully renovated.  I think that helps aesthetically.  Bethesda is much richer and has more costly real estate so I don't know why it should look worse.

Basically, the town seemed a bit more overgrown without positive benefits.  I saw on this site the slogan "communities not canyons" and that actually resonated with me.

I'm not a night owl, a drinker, or a young person.  It just seemed to me that things weren't quite right.  Maybe it was still the aftereffect of Covid.[/quote]

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