BG2008

When it comes to looking for living arrangements most people prioritize: affordable place, decent neighborhood, minimize their commute to work. Most people I know go out where they live unless it's a big event (hockey/baseball/parade) or they are trying to go to a new restaraunt. Very rarely someone that lives in DC will go to VA or MD to go to a bar or on a date even with the advent of uber (which is much cheaper here than in NYC). I am very guilty of that. DC housing spans DC, VA: Arlington, Crystal City (National Landing ;D), Alexandria, MD: Silver Spring and some other MD cities that I don't know well. The general cost of renting goes up the closer you get to DC. Bus commuting in DC is pretty straight forward, less so once you go to VA/MD. If your job is not near where you live, you will look for a place near a metro. Jobs in DC are consultants, lawyers (which are really legal consultants but they hate being called that ::)), govvies, and political/non-profit. There are very few tech shops here (non-consultant tech firms) and a smorgasbord of other types of jobs but they make a very tiny fraction of jobs. If you want to figure out where someone is going to live, it's best to stratify folks by salaries and age. Loads of new (under)grads join DC area and they tend to live in apartments or row houses that have either been subdivided or they rent as a group. Grads (which tend to be lawyers and mostly in big firms) tend to live by themselves in apartments or they rent houses as a smaller group. This is a consistent trend for younger consultants, lawyers, and polotican/non-profit jobs. When people get older, get families, etc. they tend to move out to MD/VA. Govvies young/old tend to prefer to live in VA/MD just because it's much more affordable. Crack epidemic. In the 90s, you could've bought crack maybe 10-15 blocks away from the WH. Homelessness was a problem but with neighborhoods gentrifying, homeless just get pushed up north. There are still mini-campus north of Union Station (under the bridges). There are few spots where you'll find 10-15 tents one after the other. Today, DC counts about 1% of its population to be homeless. I saw there was a comment on DC being friendly to developers. I would disagree with that. NIMBY is definitely a thing. a) We have a height restriction and lots of old houses. People have been expanding their houses (building them forward and back and pop-ups) to very absurd levels and in some cases have really screwed up the appeal of some areas. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/is-this-the-ugliest-addition-to-a-row-house-in-dc-and-should-that-matter/2013/08/12/aadf3dba-0363-11e3-a07f-49ddc7417125_story.html. Because of that, building up or out became generally hard (with new laws and regulations) and your neighbors have A LOT of say and ways to stop you. For example, we are adding solar panels to our roof not because it's a good investment but because our neighbors can't build up to block them. b) There is a reason why new condo buildings in DC span the entire block. Developers have to buy out every house or get them to agree to build up. The Wharf you are referring to took 8 years to just get the necessary approvals before they broke ground in 2014. c) There is also a "historic" designation. Getting your neighborhood designated as such will make everyone's life much harder when it comes to building. Capitol Hill is one such area. Bloomingdale, Emerland street are a few others. d) Trying to build in affluent neighborhoods is extra hard. Trying to build in DuPoint, Logan circle, Georgetown something that doesn't fit is nearly impossible. Less of an issue in low-income areas. Living next to waterfront is not that big of a premium. On the west side, we have Potomac and very affluent neighborhoods with single-family homes overseeing the river. On the east side, we have Anacostia which is dirty. Neither has beaches. At best you can walk along the river in Georgetown or Navy Yard/Waterfront. maybe hike in one of the few islands that are parks that are adjacent to DC. I can only speak to DC. Online dating was alive and well pre-covid. Getting around the city on metro/uber is easy and affordable. Otherwise going out in your neighborhood bar will net you a well educated attractive person. Families tend to move out to the burbs but those that want to stay move into neighborhood-like burbs in DC (eastern market, Brookland, north DC). You'll find similar affordable start homes in those areas. I find that VT/UVA/UMD have good representation here but not as dominating as you'd think. I'd say all ACC schools are well covered. My immediate group of friends and coworkers comes from NY/CA and some mid-west. Anywhere east of Anacostia is a no-go for me and I grew up in East New York projects. East DC but west of Anacostia is barely OK with some exceptions spots. West of Union Station is basically as safe as it gets with some funny exceptions. Thank you for such an exceptional answer

Thanks everyone for your contributions I am mainly looking for ways to understand the multi-family and office markets in DC. Let's starts with some basics. 1) How does one typically look for apartments or decide where to live in DC? In NYC, there are hordes of recent college graduates that come from all over the US and the worldwide every year. You have the typical IB, law, tech, etc. They tend to live in Manhattan and within a sub 30 minute subway ride to work since they spend a lot of time in the office. Then you have the creative types, advertising, media, creatives, etc. They don't get paid as much. So they tend to move into neighborhoods that continues to gentrify. Brooklyn has been gentrifying for years now. Queens was the ugly step child that no one wanted to be caught dead in for a long time. That has changed in the last 5 years. In my 20's, if you told a date that you live out of Manhattan, that might have been a deal breaker before Uber. Because the cabbies just want to stay on Manhattan Island and drop off drunk passengers. With Uber, it has changed the game. 1) DC like many other urban cities such as NYC has gentrified rapidly in the last 20-30 years. I remember in the 90s, DC was kind of scary with lots of homeless right around the white house. What has caused this in your opinions? From a NYCer, it appears that government has gotten bigger. 2) Zoning/Nimbyism - How difficult is it to build in DC? In NYC, it is incredible difficult to bring new supply into the market. It seems like there are always large 300 apt multi-families being built in DC. There are also quite a few firms that are constantly doing projects. In NYCs, it seems like you need the clout of a Related Company or one of the old Guard NYC families like The LeFraks to get anything built. I am always super jealous that you can get new apts with much more sqft and awesome amenities in DC. In NYC, its always like a broom closet. What is it about DC zoning that allows people to build? Is it easy to get approval? 3) What are your views of living on the water in DC? Is it cool to live in the Navy Yard on the Potomac? What's it like to live in the DC Wharf (by Captain Whites). Are there more waterfront projects coming on line? Are there other potential sites for waterfront? 4) What's going through the mind of someone who is 22-30? Where do people want to live to maximize their chance of meeting attractive people? Where do families want to live? Where are the affordable starter homes? 5) What schools and regions is DC drawing from? I know a lot of UVa kids go to DC after graduation probably why I transferred out because I knew I wanted to be in NYC. 6) What are the "no go" zone. Let's not have a political fight over this. I can tell you that I don't like being in the Bronx, Brownsivlle, Brooklyn or East New York Brooklyn. These neighborhoods scare me. Thank you guys!

I think there are quite a few DC natives on this board. Can you guys help me understand the various neighborhoods in DC? I have spent some time down there. Superficially, I think that Georgetown is chic and historic. The Navy Yard and waterfront is kind of cool and new. Everything else kind of feels like a big mash pit of things. Can a native there help me understand it better? If anyone wants feedback for Queens NYC, I can provide lots of details.

Parsad, Do you mind sharing some big picture view on the decision to launch the new site? No politics is definitely a good call.

Eric, Totally separate question, are you finding any back the truck up ideas lately like you did with BAC a few years ago? I haven't been tracking all your postings, just the ones that we happen to come across. I always think that when you want to put 50-100% into a name, I should be paying attention.

People cite studies all the time. But you are the expert of your own body. No scientist will know your body as well as you do. Non-white people generally can't stomach diary. Insulin sensitivity is a big deal. What have I done with my body? Bulk to to 250 in HS to play football, slim down to 215 to wrestle 3 months later. Did this a few times in HS. Went from mostly carb heavy and tried to eat as little fat as possible up till my 30s. Felt hungry all the time and it was very hard to keep weight off. Never really felt full. I used to go on a vicious cycle of putting on weight, then deciding that I had enough of it and going full out cardio for 60 minutes, got burnt out really quickly. Then my analyst told me about intermittent fasting. This was completely different than the eating 6 meals a day in small increments. Never felt better. Just by stretching out the fasting window and compressing the eating window did wonders to my energy level, mood, focus, etc. The weight just came off. It's amazing that you can be taught by various government studies and Harvard studies for decades about how whole grain, veggie heavy diet is great for you. Yet, I continue to pack 6-8lbs on every year for a long time. If you think that your own genetics doesn't factor in, you're delusional. I suspect that some people can eat a ton of diary and red meat and be fine. Some people are likely much better off on a vegan diet. What has not changed is that veggies are definitely good for you. Fish is good for you. Red meat, eggs, are probably okay in moderation to medium portions. Diary is probably okay if you are from the Nordic country, you likely need it for Vitamin D. On genetics, just look at the different body types and the natural rate of body fat on most people. I know people who can eat fried chicken, pizza, and coke and not gain a pound. Some people are naturally 5% bodyfat. I joke that I am the perfect survivor in the wilderness. Naturally 20+% bodyfat, large frame, decent amount of muscle mass, etc. I am naturally strong, adds muscle quickly, and can store bodyfat on some excess calories. Those are the fittest survivor in a zombie apocalypse, not the guys who are 4% bodyfat and have amazing abs. Those guys starve to death after 2-3 days. So your genetics likely play a huge role. People should eat vegan if they think it's more humane for animals. Yeah, wheat is likely bad for you. None of the grains are really found in the wilderness. I am Asian and I love my rice! But I have cut it out and it has done wonders for me. Fasting is great and everyone should try it. It does wonders for hunger control and focus.

What about salt? Any take on what's healthier, eating red meat or eating something that comes in a box from the grocery store.

What are your thoughts on saturated fat and cholesterol?

Trigger alert! Doctors hate this trick! I cut my net carbs down to 20 grams/day and all a sudden i lose 40-45lbs in a 16 month period. I didn't even exercise much. My diet is a little heavy on bacon and eggs at the moment. (Eric, to each his/her own. Keto is the way that I keep the weight off. Please play along with this faux meat vs Vegan drama that I am creating.) Going whole foods plant-based would get you the same weight loss while also reversing cardiovascular disease, which you are not getting on the all-meat diet. If weight loss were the only goal I'd rather eat the bacon and eggs like you. But just remember, the arteries that feed your erections are much smaller than the coronary arteries, so guess what's gonna go first. I don't think my blood work has ever been so good. Thank you for thinking of my junk. I think going whole foods plant-based would get me depressed. Just can't imagine skipping meat, cheese, and seafood. Honestly, I wish I can do a Vegan diet. I doubt my body is built for that. But then I said the same thing about carbs and now I feel much better on a higher fat diet. #All_Out_Keto_Vs_Vegan_War (Joking) The blood work is not measuring the problem if you are talking about blood lipids: https://www.clevelandheartlab.com/blog/the-gut-the-heart-and-tmao/ https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/red-meat-tmao-and-your-heart Eric, I don't know what to think of new scientific studies on diets anymore. For years we were told to eat 10+ servings of carbs a day. It didn't even distinguish between refined carbs or whole grain. Eggs were bad, eggs were good, fat was bad, fat is good. I now try to think about a world without agriculture and what would human being eat then? I assume that we are naturally omnivores. We probably ate meat, fish, berries, and some sort of veggies. Despite thousands of years of civilization, I don't think human metabolism has evolved much. This is largely due to the fact that humans are very good at surviving and we haven't needed dramatic mutations in our genes to survive in the last 10,000 years or so. The joke is that "You're not really on a Keto diet, unless you tell people." I guess the same goes for people on a vegan diet "You're not truly Vegan, unless you tell people." I am self aware that I am annoying to a fault with my going on and on about Keto. If red meat causes cancer and limp dick, I guess I'll take my chances. As I get older, my desire for red meat will likely go down and I'll focus on fish and veggie fats such as avocado etc. To each their own. Let's just eat what makes us happy and allow us to believe our own dietary religions.

Trigger alert! Doctors hate this trick! I cut my net carbs down to 20 grams/day and all a sudden i lose 40-45lbs in a 16 month period. I didn't even exercise much. My diet is a little heavy on bacon and eggs at the moment. (Eric, to each his/her own. Keto is the way that I keep the weight off. Please play along with this faux meat vs Vegan drama that I am creating.) Going whole foods plant-based would get you the same weight loss while also reversing cardiovascular disease, which you are not getting on the all-meat diet. If weight loss were the only goal I'd rather eat the bacon and eggs like you. But just remember, the arteries that feed your erections are much smaller than the coronary arteries, so guess what's gonna go first. I don't think my blood work has ever been so good. Thank you for thinking of my junk. I think going whole foods plant-based would get me depressed. Just can't imagine skipping meat, cheese, and seafood. Honestly, I wish I can do a Vegan diet. I doubt my body is built for that. But then I said the same thing about carbs and now I feel much better on a higher fat diet. #All_Out_Keto_Vs_Vegan_War (Joking)

Trigger alert! Doctors hate this trick! I cut my net carbs down to 20 grams/day and all a sudden i lose 40-45lbs in a 16 month period. I didn't even exercise much. My diet is a little heavy on bacon and eggs at the moment. (Eric, to each his/her own. Keto is the way that I keep the weight off. Please play along with this faux meat vs Vegan drama that I am creating.)

I used to do that as well. Over the years, we have gone to Costco more as we believe their berries and fruits are generally superior. The steaks are higher quality. Plus you need milk etc for the kiddos. Yeah, meat is very cheap in the US in general. We really do enjoy high quality of living in this country.

My wife is one of those Chinese woman who can eat a 32 oz ribeye in one sitting and weighs 120lbs. She made me promise to not skimp on grocery when we got married. We had a "talk" about it. Our grocery bill will shock most people. To be fair, we get very good value for our meals given that I do 80-90% of the cooking and we cut out the middle men known as restaurants.

Damn you leftist, granola eating, hippie!!! :) (Please forgive me Eric in the name of a little humor) Asking vegetarian about meat prices is a missed steak. Jurgis, get out of here! No one asked you for join in this fun :)

Are they marbled like this? I will do a blind taste test vs this beauty and get back to you. Yeah, that Costco one is a little out of my price range Imagine making a truffle cheesesteak sandwich with that?

Are they marbled like this? I will do a blind taste test vs this beauty and get back to you. Yeah, that Costco one is a little out of my price range

I think Baldor figured out that they can upcharge by selling directly to consumers. Since restaurants operate on such slim margin, Baldor has to watch their pricing. Anyone who switched over to buying from Baldor is buying in bulk, i.e. 15 lbs of ribeye, they can afford to pay up for the convenience and quality. I think Baldor is increasing pricing to pad their margins. Or there could be a serious sourcing issue for these prime ribeyes from small farms.

Are they marbled like this?

Damn you leftist, granola eating, hippie!!! :) (Please forgive me Eric in the name of a little humor)

Your grocery bills makes me weep.

Anyone else notice meat prices going through the roof lately? We started to order meat in bulk from Baldor who used to supply restaurants. There are enough people in my house, so we would buy 15lb ribeye at a time. Prices were $13-14 per lb and they are now $22-23. I have read a lot about slaughter house having Covid issues. I haven't been to Costco as we have opted to order via delivery. Anyone else seeing large food inflation?

https://www.theverge.com/2020/6/26/21297400/microsoft-retail-stores-closing-cities-open More bad news for malls. I thought that Microsoft opening stores was potentially a saving grace for malls as it highlights the value of experiencing MSFT products in person

Can you expand on this analogy a bit?

Blackstone bought warehouses while Brookfield bought malls - Blackstone 1 Brookfield 0 Others?

Perhaps ... https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EbTNx76UwAA6mZV?format=jpg&name=900x900 It is very curious that U.S. is the only country showing these dynamics. Canada, as an example, has increased testing but decreased cases and hospitalizations despite reopening. And our cases are also skewing younger. And it is very strange how the sunbelt was largely spared in March but seems on the edge of a major outbreak now. So weird. I also found this to be weird. Maybe it's because in the sunbelt, the winters are milder so that people tend to go outside in March. But June is hot and scorching so people tend to stay indoors in AC. So you have the opposite of the NYC in winter dynamic where everyone is coup up inside. Can't really go outside that much in Texas during the day or Vegas for that matter.