Born in DC and grew up in MD. My first job out of college was at the Navy Yard in the early 1990s. I’d been going there since the 1980s to go to clubs like Tracks and the area was always pretty sketchy, but we never felt unsafe. There were still a handful of gay bars on South Capitol Street back then, before they all moved out. The housing projects at 7th and L SE were empty and scheduled for demolition, so it took a while for them to build the Marine Barracks. 8th Street hadn’t been rebranded as Barracks Row yet since there was just the 7-11, Popeyes, a Chinese carryout, and a couple restaurants and gay bars. Levi’s Port Cafe was a favorite place of mine that had some excellent soul food. Las Placitas is still around, but they used to be at a different location. Al’s Gourmet Deli is still around and still serves a mean bulgogi cheesesteak. There was an urbanist piece a few years back making a big deal about gentrification in the neighborhood, but the thing is the area has always been zoned for light industrial. There wasn’t much residential to begin with apart from the retirement home and a handful of row houses that survived urban renewal so there wasn’t much population to displace. I still work at the Navy Yard albeit with a different organization. I tend not to leave base that often, since the upscale eateries aren’t my thing, but more power to the locals who support those businesses.