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Since the election, people have been speculating about how Barack Obama will tie himself to Washington D.C. So far, he’s ventured out a few times. He’s played basketball in Adams Morgan. He’s eaten at Equinox near Lafayette Square. And he’s stopped by Coolidge Senior High School near upper Georgia Avenue.
But who cares about all that? When it comes to Obama and “Real D.C.,” the man’s name is already inextricably linked with U Street. Guy eats one half-smoke, and the deal is sealed. Hell, Washingtonian magazine was talking about the Obama/U Street connection long before that. In their inauguration issue piece “Living In Obama Territory,” they chose a picture of U Street to go next to the headline. Right below was this caption “The lively U Street corridor may be a popular neighborhood for new White House staffers.”
Since then, plenty of other pubs have jumped on the bandwagon. Forbes magazine said that U Street “crackled with energy” in the wake of the election. The Vancouver Sun said that Ben’s Chili Bowl was “arguably the most famous black-owned diner in America”? Really Canada? I had no idea. And Politico just flat out called U Street “The Obama Team’s New Street.”
Does that feeling translate into anything more than articles?
Already we’ve seen sales strategies that play off—-rather ridiculously—-the whole hope/change theme. But I wonder if this wave of good publicity will affect home sales. Will everyone be clamoring for a little piece of Barack Boulevard?
Image by DCMatt, Flickr Creative Commons