Finding Suburbia in Downtown DC
Something big and red has muscled its way into the Columbia Heights neighborhood, and it's forcing all of us to rethink what we want out of life. Thank you, Target, for making me wonder if I should break down and get a minivan... or a Land Rover... or a hideous Subaru Outback. And props for prompting my best friend to ponder buying a house in -- gasp -- Fairfax. The new Target is the latest suburban chain to move into our city and make our once gritty, diverse urban experience a little more generic. Bed, Bath and Beyond showed up in Chinatown a couple of years ago, and this spring Harris Teeter is opening a branch in Adams Morgan. Here's a guide to suburban DC that will have you skipping out on all-nighters at the bar and announcing that you've lined up "a pretty nice little Saturday. We're going to Home Depot . . . maybe Bed, Bath and Beyond," like Will Ferrell in "Old School." Let us know via the tipline if we've missed some prime spots to buy blenders and shower curtains.
Trader Joe's
1101 25th St NW
Washington, DC 20037
What a tough choice: Trader Joe's or Whole Foods. Both have pretty awesome suburban qualities, both stock upper-middle-class foods like flax-seed-encrusted salmon cakes. … But for the sake of this post, let's go with TJ's. It's the only place to get a $3 bottle of wine that tastes like vinegar but sure looks nice at your dinner party. [link]
Ruby Tuesday
712 7th St NW
Washington, DC 20001
What a great place to meet other fun people! Even the waiters look like fun! And how fun are those mini cheeseburgers! Fun! [link]
Target
3100 14th St NW
Washington, DC 20010
When it comes to towels and sweet-smelling trash bags, I love me some Tarjay. But I don't love how they've wrangled real designers like Isaac Mizrahi and … Loeffler Randall into making cheap replicas of already ugly clothing. Stick with the home wares here. [link]
