… starts here, on the second floor cafe of the Barnes and Noble. UD‘s outrageously high-functioning world whisked her here in a quiet elegant metro car, past Medical Center (the National Institutes of Health, where UD‘s father, an immunologist, spent his career) and then to Bethesda, in two minutes.
‘thesda’s churning with construction zones, most of which seem to be luxury condos. The twin buildings in progress directly facing her are The Darcy (named after Fitzwilliam?); the one she passed on her way to the bookstore is The Lauren (named after the designer?). Whether you choose Darcy or Lauren, you’ll get the same outrageous delights in exchange for your million dollars – servile waitstaff, excessively equipped gyms and pools with personal trainers available, spa beyond belief, etc. etc. It’s ‘thesda.
Now UD… UD goes way back (to 1962, to be precise), when ‘thesda was the Baronet movie theater and the Hot Shoppes restaurant. Maybe a few doctors’ offices.
It’s a city now, a rich city, streets jammed with happy people and fragrant tearooms.
I wanna tell you it’s a mitzvah. I wanna tell you I’ll remember you from heaven if I go up there.
An old guy at the next table speaks.
UD drinks overpriced sparkling mineral water and thinks about the remarkable wealth of this country, and the smooth lovely technology all around her. Even the construction sites seem smooth, the teeth of their cranes silently, healthily, munching down on the old townhouses (probably built five years ago) they’re collapsing.
Now she sees the white Maplewood bus. Rita Kosofsky, mother of Eve Sedgwick and David Kosofsky, lives in one of Maplewood’s upscale retirement condos. I guess every day Maplewood residents can go to ‘thesda on the bus.
It’s a peaceful postmodern life replete with pleasures.
******************
UPDATE, Instablogging: After the cafe, UD walked the Capital Crescent Trail from downtown ‘thesda to McArthur Boulevard, and then she had Mr UD rescue her because she couldn’t make it all the way back to downtown ‘thesda. With her usual absurdity, she took the trail never having looked at a map of it, so when she saw a large building in the distance she figured it must be Friendship Heights, where she could hop on the Metro. She was nowhere near Friendship Heights, but she kept walking the trail in search of it…
July 30th, 2014 at 12:19PM
In fact, most of the ‘thesdan residential construction is rental apartments in ‘mixed use’ developments, not condos. Expensive rental apartments, one assumes. Here’s a map of Bethesda development, FYI:
https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=201580855300428071629.0004c2c430a4804e28619&hl=en&ie=UTF8&t=h&ll=38.988535,-77.095056&spn=0.011675,0.018196&z=15&source=embed&dg=feature
However, the Bethesda news of the day is that there will be a Trader Joe’s in one of the mixed use developments. Don’t know if this means Bethesda will have two TJs, or whether the one we have will move.
July 30th, 2014 at 2:26PM
MattF: Thanks for that link. If there are TWO Trader Joes, Mr UD will be overcome with joy.
July 26th, 2015 at 11:48AM
[…] “Whitman.” Where for decades UD‘s ‘thesdan playmate’s mother taught. […]