Tenleytown – Page 3 – Teen Observer Archive

July 8, 2014July 8, 2014

D.C. residents respond positively to growth

WASHINGTON–Some residents of Washington D.C. reacted positively to the city’s population growth due to an influx of recent college graduates in search of jobs, according to interviews conducted in Tenleytown on Monday.

Julie Zauzmer, a Washington Post journalist, moved to the city in January after graduating from Harvard University in 2013. She believes the increase of graduates like her moving to Washington makes living here interesting and exciting.

“It’s obviously fantastic that people want to live in the city, it says a lot of good things,” Zauzmer said. “It’s a place that’s desirable. It’s a safe environment.”

Population growth made Washington, D.C. the seventh largest metropolitan area in the nation in 2013, according to the U.S. Census. Development resulting from things like population increases has contributed to making Washington, D.C. a popular place to live.

Luca Vallada, 17, has grown up in Washington, D.C., and said the city has evolved significantly since his family moved there 20 years ago.

“It’s really nice that the entire city is changing,” Vallada said. “The beautification of the city’s just so impressive.”

Luca Vallada comments on changes in Washington, D.C. Photo by Jacquie Lee. — Luca Vallada talks to Teen Observer reporters about population changes in Washington, D.C. Photo by Jacquie Lee.

Nick Frabotta, 60, has lived in Washington, D.C. since college, and hopes that the growth in population doesn’t come at a price. He is concerned with additional stresses on traffic making commuting more difficult but hopes city leaders have plans for the growth.

“I hope in their wisdom, they’re planning for that kind of stuff,” Frabotta said.

However, he also sees the city’s changes as beneficial.

“D.C.’s a younger city now, and I think that’s great,” Frabotta said. “It keeps everything lively.”

July 8, 2014

Tenleytown location benefits local smoothie shop

The Tenleytown Robeks store is still going strong after nine years despite the closings of several other Robeks stores in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, according to a store official.

Pedro Lazo, manager of the Tenleytown store, credited location as the reason the store is doing so well.

Located in the heart of Tenleytown–on Wisconsin Avenue by the entrance to the Whole Foods parking garage–the store gets its business from what Lazo calls a “very diverse crowd,” including college students, residents, area employees and Metro users.

“We do really well,” Lazo said. “We’re always busy. I think we might be one of the best stores in the district, if not the best store.”

In fact, the Tenleytown store is doing so well that many customers were unaware that other locations had closed.

Over the past two to four years, four stores have closed due to lack of business in the D.C. metropolitan area, including the Cabin John, College Park, Rockville Town Square, and Fairfax locations, which according to Lazo is easily attributed to bad locations.

“Robeks does pretty well but it depends on location,” Lazo said.

Tenleytown allows small businesses to thrive because of its proximity to public transportation, schools, and big box stores that draw customers in, according to a Tenleytown Retail Submarket Strategic Assessment.

The report also stated that retail businesses in Tenleytown benefit from a large and wealthy daytime population, who can afford Robeks’ smoothies ranging from $4 to $8 dollars.

With a great retail location comes competition from other stores nearby including Starbucks but that doesn’t concern Lazo or the business’ bottom line.

“In the winter they are really busy and we are really slow, and in the summer we’re a little bit busier,” Lazo said.

Despite this, Robeks still has major competition from other smoothie stores like Jamba Juice, but it’s closest location is three miles away in Dupont Circle.

“If anyone is going to be our competition it’s really them,” Lazo said.

Lazo believes that Robeks will remain in Tenleytown for years to come and continue to integrate onto social media with new promotions. The manager, who is very passionate about his work, also sees himself moving up the ladder.

“I see myself being owner,” Lazo said of his hopes for his future at Robeks.

July 8, 2014July 8, 2014

Tenleytown, then and now

When you walk into Tenleytown, you might never suspect that you were in one of the oldest neighborhoods in Washington, D.C. Since its establishment, the neighborhood has evolved beyond its small beginnings.

Aerial sketch of Tenleytown in the 1940s. Photo by Tenleytown Historical Society Collection. — Aerial sketch of Tenleytown in the 1940s. Photo courtesy of the Tenleytown Historical Society Collection.

Tenleytown originally formed around the intersection of River Road and Wisconsin Avenue.The neighborhood’s name comes from the Tennally Tavern, built in 1791 and one of the first buildings in the area, according to the Tenleytown Historical Society website. The tavern itself no longer stands, but the name has stuck throughout the years.

Tenleytown has multiple historic sites, but one of the area’s most prominent is the former site of Fort Reno. The fort was a military base built to defend the Union’s Capital during the Civil War, as reported by the National Park Service website. It was one of the strongest forts in the D.C. area, according to the NPS website. The fort was eventually disassembled to make way for a reservoir.

Today in its place is Fort Reno Park, a community gathering place and home of the popular Fort Reno summer concerts, as reported by the Fort Reno website.

Residents of Tenleytown appreciate all that D.C has to offer to them.

“We love Washington, D.C. It is the greatest place,” Tenleytown resident, Cathy Kereyche, 58, said while standing with her friend, Jackie Davis, 54.

Though Tenleytown residents like Kereyche and Davis enjoy the town they live in, problems still spill out from other parts of D.C., according to Christina McTighe, a 28-year-old associate librarian. Her biggest problem is with the school systems.

McTighe focuses more on the positive aspects of living in D.C, however.

“When you think of D.C, you think of monuments or the suburban area with crime,” McTighe said. “There is a lot more going on with family life.”

Tenleytown has a lot to offer as well, according to McTighe.

“We’re really close to the Metro station, the houses are nice to look at, [and] there’s a really good Indian place across the street [from the Tenleytown library],” McTighe said.

With all of the different shops, restaurants and people around her, McTighe appreciates the diversity that she is able to find in Tenleytown, she said.

“Preserving diversity is important for [our] community and D.C. as a whole,” McTighe said.