Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It was Pre-9/11 before all the security at the airports and you could literally arrive at the airport and basically walk straight to your plane and board--my husband (a consultant) used to cut it as close as possible. You can't imagine what a change it was to the country post-9/11. Threat levels and the loss of innocence. And the anthrax scare on the heals of 9/11 in 2001.

We also had just 'partied like it's 1999' and made it through Y2K unscathed.

Everything felt safe. No pandemics and mass shootings/school shootings were rare and not a daily occurrence like now.

Wasn't the DC shooter shooting and killing random people from the trunk of his car?

That was 2002.

It was also in the fall, not summer. My kids were in elementary school and couldn't go outside to the playground for several weeks.

All of these are accurate. Logan Circle and Columbia Heights were pre gentrified, Gallery Place and Penn Quarter hadn’t been fixed up yet. The fun clubs were where the ball park now stands. If you were lucky you could get bar food and Heineken (unless you went to Brickskellar), this was no foodie paradise. DuPont was still cool, Adams Morgan was edgy. There were fun coffee shops (Sparky’s!) and book stores. 9:30 and Black Cat had the best shows. There was a trashy theater company called Cherry Red that was fun.

DC101 had Chilli CookOffs in May/June? Down by the Old Post Office Pavilion. I loved Georgia Browns at Tysons. It was great. I wore doc martens.

Anonymous wrote:Much like it is now, to be honest.

The center of gravity for nightlife was further west - Dupont, Georgetown, Adams Morgan. Not much east of 16th for many of us.

Quiz night at Stetson's. Boozy nights at Larry's or Fox and Hound. Brickskeller.

True story. I remember going to shows at the Black Cat in the early 2000s and there was literally nothing else there. 14th was deserted at night.

Anonymous wrote:Violent and full of gangs and drugs

prostitutes on K Street.

Oh, and Cafe Milano was THE restaurant to see celebrities.

I moved to Alexandria and the Foxchase shopping center was super shady. Had an adult movie theater and a Magrudgers.

Anonymous wrote:Omg I was hanging out at LuLu’s Club Mardi Gras😅

Pollyesters; the Big Hunt, Ha Penny Lion penny drafts, 18th Street Lounge.

Anonymous wrote:Omg I was hanging out at LuLu’s Club Mardi Gras😅

Yes! And also +1 to Front Page, Fifth Column, plus Sign of the Whale, Madhatters, Madam’s Organ, those big slices of pizza late night. I didn’t have enough money to eat at fancy restaurants, but my parents would take me to The Palm, Sam & Harry’s for special occasions.

I remember it being sultry hot as well that summer. I lived in Glover Park, and took the bus back & forth to work. Stopped at Fresh Fields on Wisconsin Avenue for salad. Movies - I think Gladiator came out that year? I remember seeing it at the Uptown theatre.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It was a few years later, but remember the Washingtonienne and her blog? 2003 ish?

I read that book.

YES!!!! She married some lawyer I think.

Anonymous wrote:Omg I was hanging out at LuLu’s Club Mardi Gras😅

Laisser les bons temps rouler…

Omg I was hanging out at LuLu’s Club Mardi Gras😅

Yes to brunch at Georgia Browns - do people still do that?

And I forgot we liked the margs and food at Lauriol plaza.

Cheap margaritas at Guapos in Tenleytown.

Huge tumblers of booze - mix it yourself - at Fox & Hounds.

Brunch at Georgia Brown's!

Mixtec after a late night in Adams' Morgan.

14th Street was still kind of sketchy.

I remember going with my boyfriend (now DH) to a super fancy dinner at I Ricchi and seeing Kay Graham!

It was complete bliss and euphoria. I had just graduated college and had my first job downtown on L street. Oops I did it Again was my favorite song at the time. DC was my playground at night. Used to go to Decades, 5th column, Platinum, Front Page, Big Hunt to name a few. Someone upthread mentioned Destiny's Child--that summer I saw them before at Nation (I think is what is was called) and Pink opened for them. It was a small stage and I could practically reach out and touch them. The following summer is seared much more into my memory as the summer before 9/11. I was living in Bethesda at the time and life was beautiful. We were obsessed with the Chandra Levy case at the time.