In the early days (that is, the turn of the 19th century), the civic life of this nascent community centered on John Tennally’s Tavern, one of the first true local haunts in D.C. If you were hankering for the vaguely delicious-sounding “Hott diet,” you swung by Tennally’s. If your servant ran away, you asked around at Tennally’s. If you misplaced your precious surtout coat with the yellow buttons on the breast, you advertised a $2 reward in the Times and Patowmac Packet to whomever returned it…to Tennally’s. Indeed, this was Tennallytown.
Besides proximity to private schools like Sidwell Friends and Georgetown Day, Subarubian children are within walking distance to some of D.C.’s best public schools, from Murch Elementary to Wilson High.
Housing: 8If you’re looking for affordable, then Subarubia, where a single-family, 3-bedroom home can run upward of $800,000, may not be the hood for you. Housing here can be intimidating.
Eats: 4Need some kind of receptacle? Try Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, or the Container Store. Jonesing to blow some dough? Tiffany, Saks, or Gucci will gladly accept your cash. This hood is capitalism in all its glory. The choices are truly dizzying—and for some, nauseating. Especially when you have to drive around in circles searching for a parking space.
Nightlife and Culture: 1In some ways, the spirit of Subarubia is hard to pin down, but in other ways what you see is what you get: a lot of stores, a lot of exorbitantly pleasant single-family homes, a church here, a Whole Foods there. And when it comes to neighborhood lore, bickering about ugly radio towers simply doesn’t make for that tall of a tale.
Comments
7:07 pm
Pretty much nailed it.
I expected to at least know the names of my neighbors after moving to this area, but folks just seem content keeping to themselves. Its one of the urban concepts I kind of miss from more bustling areas.
2:30 pm
Golly, I don't know where the previous commentor lives. My husband and I bought our 1921 fixer-upper cottage in the section called Armesleigh Park in 1987. This is the most friendly community imaginable. We know ALL of our neighbors for blocks around. We party together, take care of each other's gardens, pets, and kids, lend a helping hand whenever necessary. We are very diverse in age and sexual orientation (but, sadly, not in race). We can walk to do all of our shopping and errends and are five minutes from Metro. Our commercial district on Wisconsin Avenue could use some improvement, but we're working on that.