[Photo by Phil Ostroff]
The Trumps came to town on Wednesday and the city collectively rolled out the red carpet and jumped onto the Donald hype machine. At this point, there has been no Chicago-style drama and various public officials on the local and national level have talked about what this luxury hotel would mean for the underused government-owned building and for the city on the whole. As such, it's no surprise that the Wall Street Journal got in on the action, but some in the midst of calling the District a "sleepy Southern government town," and noting its "dowdy downtown storefronts" it's clear they didn't think that much of us to begin with and think The Donald's presence is an indicator that D.C. must be stepping up in the world. The piece is likely meant to shine positively upon D.C.'s economic upturn and revitalization, but the backhanded compliments are unmissable. Take a look at those after the jump.
· "Washington is no longer just a sleepy Southern government town; it's becoming a 24/7 cosmopolitan metropolis on par with London, Paris and New York as a destination for the rich and powerful."
· "Dowdy downtown storefronts and seedy carry-outs that catered to the ham-and-egg government worker crowd have now been replaced by Zagat-rated and familiar Manhattan restaurant names, like Carmine's and Rosa Mexicano."
· "Moreover, many of the drab, imposing Brutalist architecture which defined Washington's commercial corridors for decades have been replaced or re-skinned with New York-style trophy structures of glass, steel and marble."
· "Developers are eagerly anticipating the expected demise of the J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building along Pennsylvania Avenue, just steps away from the Trump Hotel, which has long been criticized as a "block killer" with its forbidding moats and lack of street retail."
·Mr. Trump goes to Washington [MarketWatch]
· All Donald Trump Coverage [CDC]
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