Reply to Union Station smells like urine, has a homeless problem, and is half deserted.

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I just walked through Union Station on my way to an appointment. While US used to be a destination/ meetup for me — anyone else remember the awesomeness that was B. Smith’s? — I wouldn’t describe it that way anymore. There were lots of closed storefronts, which I’m guessing are at least partly related to COVID.  The large store that replaced the book shop is gapingly vacant, and the cheerfulness that I remember from pre-COVID holiday seasons just wasn’t there (yet).  But I did not, at any point, feel unsafe. There was visible security— including a dog.  People lined up for their trains. People like me wove ourselves through the lines to get where we needed to go.  It was fine.  It wasn’t pretty, or festive like it has been, but it was fine.  [/quote]

Yes, I remember! That was a great place. (I get sad thinking about what happened to her though.) I haven’t been to Union Station in years, but it was a fun place to pop in especially with out of towners. Sad to hear that it is mostly vacant now. [/quote]

Its primary function is as a train station. The 'festival marketplace'/shopping mall is a secondary function.

Like the top PP, I use Union Station as a train station, and I have never felt unsafe.[/quote]

Give me a break. I never said I felt unsafe. I grew up in the Murder Capital of the World before it shared that title with DC. So many people living in the city today are just suburbanites. They aren’t really urban people.

Central stations like Union Station were built to be more than train stations. They were office buildings and retail too. And yes, they were meant to provide a positive vibe as a gateway to the city. These central stations were not solely a ticket office with a platform for those built for hopping the train in less populous areas like the Herndon station.

Fine that you just use Union Station for the trains, however, you are ignorant of the building’s larger purpose.[/quote]

Union Station DC was not also an office building. And it had little retail aside from newsstands and the Savarius Restaurant in the East Hall which was reknown for serving black patrons/travelers. It was utilized as a canteen during WWII. It wasn’t a standalone business or tourist destination. [/quote]

Should add that there was a large non-segregated lunch counter. Plus a cigar vendor and barber in the former men’s waiting lounge. The concourse was a vast open area with ticket counters located in the West Hall (later expanded to the Main Hall) to accommodate the large number of pre-war travelers. This space was carved up as part of the 1980s renovation when huge holes were cut into the Main Hall for access to the new basement food court and multiplex movie theater. [/quote]

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