Bethesda: Where Washington's elite settle
There's Washington's elite, and then there's the suburbs. And among those suburbs, there's Bethesda. Loud, proud, stubborn, wealthy and over-educated, Bethesda is filled with beautiful brick homes and columns, small SUVs (without the “my child is an honor student” stickers because, of course, Bethesdans are above all that), restaurants made of local ingredients, green parks, bike trails, yoga studios, organic toy shops, and all the other things that its residents like to mock yet still embrace. Downtown Bethesda incorporates all of these in one main area, extremely popular on weekends with families.
Bethesda historically developed around 1805 and 1820 as Rockville Pike was created from an ancient Native American trail and served as a crossroads village. In the 1900s, the town began to develop as population grew and farmlands became subdivided. In the 1940's, the expansion of government buildings in the area fueled its growth into a real suburb and functioning city.
Downtown Bethesda's seen a real explosion in growth in recent years, and its close proximity to Washington and metro stop on the red line makes it easily accessible. Bethesda has been rated number one city with the most restaurants per square mile nationwide. The main drag is centered around the intersection of Wisconsin Avenue, Old Georgetown Road and the East-West Highway.
Bethesda Avenue and Bethesda Row (a walking street) is the central hub of shops and restaurants. Within a four-block radius, covers a large gamut of dining selections. Because Bethesda is shaped by former Dupont Circle and Georgetown residents who have duplicated their favorite restaurants and shops here rather than hop on the red line into town. Such duplicates from Dupont Circle include City Lights of China, The Levante, Raku, and from Georgetown came Dolcezza gelato, Georgetown Cupcake, and Tugooh Toys (an educational toy shop). At the same time, several of its own exist uniquely, including the favorite Bethesda Crab House, Bethesda Bagelry and Redwood, of Californian influences.
Plenty of businesses and government offices exist in Bethesda. The National Institutes of Health, Consumer Product Safety Commission, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, Marriott International's headquarters, Honest Tea, Lockheed Martin and Bethesda Naval Hospital, where the president gets his annual physical exam. Most of Bethesda's residents work in Washington, and are very active within their community.
Local Bethesdans rely heavily on the Capitol Crescent Trail, an old rail line converted into a bike trail, which many use to commute down each day into Georgetown and even Arlington. It's also popular for evening runs and weekend family bike rides. The Capitol Crescent arrives into downtown Bethesda, where many families park their bikes for a quick lunch. Currently, residents are fighting the expansion of the Metro which would replace the Capitol Capitol Trail. Two farmers markets operate in Bethesda on weekends, and in summer the public pool is a popular destination for those who don't belong to any one of the few country clubs in the neighborhood.
Posted by Rin-rin Yu
