Wednesday, November 14, 2018

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas - and Chanukah - at Bethesda Row (Photos)

The Christmas decorations at Bethesda Row have been lagging slightly behind those at Pike & Rose this year. They also are either going up in stages, unlike the mass unboxing of years past, or will be less complicated this year. Other changes include the menorah's move from the "Barnes & Noble corner" now occupied by Anthropologie & Co. to the Amazon Books corner. Perhaps landlord Federal Realty is acknowledging the "power corner" at the development has moved down to Amazon's spot.





44 comments:

Anonymous said...

"The menorah's move from the 'Barnes & Noble corner' now occupied by Anthropologie & Co. to the Amazon Books corner. Perhaps landlord Federal Realty is acknowledging the 'power corner' at the development has moved down to Amazon's spot."

This is your "Amazon story" this morning?

Maloney Concrete said...

Happy Holidays everyone! Great photos.

Anonymous said...

No opinion on HQ2, and how it is all Hans Riemer’s fault? I so miss the “m” word.

And before you start, one if the biggest winners in this caper will be JBG Smith, who are leasing or selling most of the Amazon HQ2 space in NoVa, and who happen to be moving their headquarters from Chevy Chase to downtown Bethesda. Of course NoVa will get the property tax boost from Amazon, but JBG Smith will be paying a ton more corporate income tax in our little moribund county.

I also suspect many new Amazonian’s miight not really enjoy living only 1000 feet from the noise and diminished air quality of an international airport, and might choose to endure a 35 minute Metro ride to little old Bethesda to sink their tent posts, and rise their younglings. I predict even more high end apartments and condos will be popping up in town to cater to Marriott, JBG Smith and Amazon executives. Bethesda is only 9 miles from National Landing. I know that it’s cool to walk or bike to work, but sometimes it’s nice to have a bit of space between work and home. I don’t consider a 35 minute ride on the Metro to be a long commute. Certainly better that fighting traffic on the beltway.

Let me also be one of the first to thank NoVa so I don’t have to help repay the $8,500,000,000.00 tax and infrastructure incentives that were offered by Montgomery County and Maryland.

Anonymous said...

Several of my Virginian, conservative friends were lamenting NoVa's "win" on Facebook. They are cringing at the traffic gridlock it will cause.

Anonymous said...

Consolation Prize for MoCo:

Bethesda's JBG Smith is Amazon's new landlord. We will be getting tax dollars from Amazon's rent without having to spend a cent on them.

Anonymous said...

It's amazing to hear the spin from the county and state representatives- turning a defeat to a victory somehow.

Maybe some current MoCo residents will work at Amazon, but no one is going to willingly move to MoCo to work in Arlington. Why would they? Makes no sense. Commute by car will be bad since you'll have to travel on choked DC streets and bridges to make it over to Arlington. Metro requires a line transfer and is unreliable. Plenty of housing options in Arlington and Alexandria.

Rockville and North Bethesda homeowners (Randolph Hills, Pike & Rose, Twinbrook, etc.) would have seen significant increases in their home values if Amazon had chosen White Flint.

Boyce Bowles said...

Elrich, Riemer, Glass, et al.
You couldn't put together a more anti-business lineup if you tried.

The next 4 years will be test if the county's institutions and economy can withstand a lack of economic leadership.

Anonymous said...

Please investigate why Wildwood stopped putting up their Xmas tree.
They haven't decorated yet so let's hope they put it up this year. If not, we know you'll get the scoop.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for using the word Christmas because that's what it is. There's no such thing as holiday shopping there's only Christmas shopping. Ridiculous, PC BS. Merry Christmas!!!

Anna said...

This year, Hanukkah starts at sunset on December 2nd and goes to sunset on December 10th. In Judaism most holy days are called "holidays."

What's wrong with "holiday shopping?" Why not call it whatever you want?

Insisting on using "Christmas" is just more ridiculous PC BS.

Anna said...

Remembering Astrid Lindgren, Swedish children's writer, on the anniversary of her birthday.

In her honor, I'll be in pigtails today à la Pippi Longstocking.
Anyone wanna join me?

Anonymous said...

6:27

Of course NoVa will get most of Amazon’s new housing, but a 35 minute ride on the Metro is really not a bad commute for many folks who might prefer to move to Bethesda or for current residents to stay in Bethesda and work at National Landing. They are discussing VRE and MARC improvement that may enhance cross state two-way commuter train connectivity for many in Montgomery County. An eight minute Purple Line connection to the Silver Spring MARC train, then an express run to National Landing might even be possible.

Lots of options for those who consider mass transit options, especially as improvements are created by WMATA. I agree, driving from Bethesda to National Landing will not be fun,

Anonymous said...

I don't see why someone would choose to live in Bethesda to work in Arlington or Alexandria.

There's nothing special about Bethesda at this point. They have the same chain restaurants, gyms, etc in Arlington/Alexandria/Fairfax. Heck, you'll get a multiplex cinema too.

Anonymous said...

Four fresh new (Democratic) faces on the Council - Albornoz, Friedson, Glass and Jawando. And Elrich cheats the term-limit and wins a nice promotion!

Hopefully the Republicans won't field the same failed re-runs - Ficker, Dyer, Fiotes, Skolnick - in 2020. Montgomery County needs two viable political parties.

Anonymous said...

7:34 AM "Montgomery County needs two viable political parties."

Why? There are Republican and Green candidates. Voters have spoken: they aren't interested. Most of the county is registered Democrat and vote that way by default.

"The primary is the general election."

The Post and even the County's own cable new entity called the general election back in June- Democrats will win so no need to cover the general election or hold debates. It's like Russia- yes some folks will run against Putin but they media and everyone else knows of course who will win.

The MoCo Republican party should fold. I'm not aware that the party itself was active at all this cycle. Didn't see any mailers or any communications.

Anonymous said...

Wonder if Bob the Builder was looking for camera's around Bethesda Row when he stumbled on the decorations?

Suze said...

I think the biggest benefit to Montgomery County won't come from Amazon directly, but rather from the tech industry boom that it will bring with it. A lot of companies are going to want to locate to the area to do business with Amazon, and if HQ2 causes NoVa rents to spike, they'll start looking elsewhere. Additionally, as employees leave Amazon to create their own tech startups, they'll need office space and places to live. Finally, as one article (maybe the Post?) pointed out, MoCo made the shortlist, proving that we have a lot to offer, and other companies will take note. I'd expect every city on that list of 20 to see a bit of a boost from having made it that far in the process.

Anonymous said...

Anna, Hanukkah is not a high holiday for Jewish people.

Anonymous said...

9:28am that may be wishful thinking.
Amazon isn't a manufacturer with a supply chain where being close would matter. And if closeness mattered, why go over the river is to Maryland?
Crystal City is much easier to access from DC. Arlington and Alexandria have loads of housing and office space options.

I just don't see how MoCo benefits at all.

Elrich, Hogan, Berliner all just need to accept defeat here.

Anonymous said...

Because it's not shopping for the holidays it's shopping for Christmas.

Anonymous said...

Funny I mentioned Wildwood today. Screw Federal Realty! They have some Xmas decorations up today but no tree just a menorah. Ok, that's totally fine but they had a tree on the roof for years and years. What the F? Second year in a row

Anna said...

9:50AM, yeah I know that. But all days of observance are called "holidays," and Hanukkah is a major holiday.

High holy days are strictly, the holidays of Rosh Hashanah ("Jewish New Year") and Yom Kippur ("Day of Atonement.") My birthday is usually during the Ten Days of Repentance.

11:04AM, unless you're shopping for Hanukkah. ;)

Anonymous said...

1:05 PM You had to look them up on wikipedia

Anonymous said...

Uh, gifts are not traditionally part of Hanukkah thus Christmas shopping because that tradition is one of gift giving. Ridiculous.

Anonymous said...

1:45 PM - I can't understand your comment as it is written. Please edit and re-post.

Anonymous said...

You do realize that gifts are not traditionally given during Hanukkah, a minor Jewish holiday. Only in the USA since the 50's has this crept into the culture due to its proximity to Christmas. Everyone in the USA and I mean everyone including Hollywood referred to this upcoming time of year as Christmastime and greetings at all stores was a warm and friendly, "Merry Christmas". The former head of the Anti Defamation League and a devout Jew, indicated that Merry Christmas was in no way offensive to Jews. The PC, BS culture has changed it and watered it down to a generic greeting of Happy Holidays and it's pure nonsense. This is not offensive to anyone.

Robert Dyer said...

7:34: **** you, moron. You cartel clowns think you are the masters of the universe just because you can fix a local election. Have a fair and free election, and I will kick your fat asses all the way to Crystal City, punk.

Anonymous said...

You have trouble dealing with the fact that people just don't like you.

Anonymous said...

Robert, is that you commenting as "RealEcon" on BB?

"Aahahahaha man this is classic Rockville / MoCo "machine" political response to a stale, moribund economy. Truly fitting."

Anonymous said...

We fix elections. We take bribes. We are masters of the universe. Tell me Dyer, what can you do about it besides be envious of our power?!

Anonymous said...

The power we wield is unstoppable. Our cartel is untouchable. We run this town Dyer. And one day you will bow to us or leave with your tail between your legs.

We always win.

Robert Dyer said...

7:43: No, but it sounds like a smart person who has been reading my websites.

8:50: Burt Macklin can handle the MoCo cartel. Here's a preview of Burt interrogating Hans Riemer:

https://youtu.be/Y_e5A1RgJe4

Anonymous said...

"Burt Macklin" is of course a fictitious character. However if he were real, he would not be able to do anything unless there was a report of a violation of federal law.

Have you contacted the FBI or the FEC to report your concerns?

Anna said...

3:33 - Are you really arguing with me because, IMHO, we're WAY too concerned with the WORDS we use to wish others well during this time of year and not the SPIRIT in which it's given? Sheesh. Humbug to you too.

Shop for whatever you want...As for me, I'm shopping for Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year's, birthdays and an anniversary.

Anonymous said...

Anna, words do matter. PC run amok police have changed a nice, warm greeting of Merry Christmas to a bland Happy Holidays. Why? People are shopping for Christmas gifts. It's ridiculous. I greet everyone at stores with Merry Christmas after they extend a Happy Holidays to me and you know what, they smile. It's ok to say Merry Christmas because that's what we celebrate on the 25th of December. End of story.

Anna said...

If you choose to see it that way, have at it, everyone's entitled to their opinion.

The same amok-running PC police also ruined it for those who like saying (or singing) "Happy Holidays."

If ending political correctness means having the freedom to speak one’s preference, then it seems odd that you would insist on what others must say.

Just take the greeting with the "SPIRIT" in which it was given.

Suze said...

@10:00 - I'm basing this supposition on what's already occurred here with IBM. They have a huge presence in the area, including a big campus over in Rock Spring, and a lot of smaller companies located here to be able to do business with them and subcontract employees to their projects.

Maybe I am being overly optimistic, but my husband who works in a tech startup is pumped that Amazon is coming here. I trust him to keep track and be knowledgeable of the trends in his own industry. ;-)

Anna said...

Suze, from what I've been hearing, you're not alone in your optimism.

Robert Dyer said...

8:26: That is the opposite - if you want to be near Amazon, you'd be in Arlington where they are, not in MoCo. There's literally no advantage to being here - it's more expensive, and even our schools are declining in performance and reputation.

Anna said...

Can the pessimism, Dyer. It's not all doom and gloom. Sheesh.

How long will it take VA and the counties to level out from the breaks it's given Amazon? Current guesses are around 20 years. So maybe in that time MoCo will see benefits, like Suze and others have mentioned.

We should now be focused on how Montgomery County can tap into new Amazon presence, and stop bemoaning the loss.

Robert Dyer said...

8:08: If VA made a smart deal, the incentives are driven by the jobs created, which are supposed to generate revenue that exceeds the incentives. So there won't be any leveling out time.

In reality, heads should have rolled on Election Day when we knew Amazon had picked Crystal City, and now, after the official announcement. Until they do, we will not move forward.

Anna said...

Of course there will be leveling-off time. You make it sound all win or lose, black or white. It's a lot more grey than you're willing to admit.

You never get anywhere if you keep bemoaning the past, stuck on what-ifs and if-onlys.
You figure out how to thrive in the new reality and jump in.

Robert Dyer said...

6:05: LOL - The voters didn't "jump in," they jumped off the cliff like lemmings. There's no grey area in the moribund MoCo economy and failure to attract a single major corporate HQ in two decades.

Anna said...

Voters? Sigh....more distractions. Like I said...

You'll never get anywhere if you keep bemoaning the past, stuck on what-ifs and if-onlys.