Originally Posted by mac
I thought that post-9/11, DC is like a Police State or "1984" with very heavily armed officers (who look more like an army unit than a civilian unit) at every corner. At least that's what all of the pictures that I see in the news from DC show.
It was like that for about six months after 9/11. I used to live at 13th and Mass. Ave, which is appx. 7 blocks from the White House. There used to be armored hummers and MP's with weapons stationed in all the downtown parks. It's not as bad anymore, but presence is still heavy. It's been stepped up a bit after the London attacks.
As far as the cyclist robbing thing, the sad part is that Columbia Rd. is actually not THAT bad of a section of town. Don't get me wrong, 5 yrs ago you wouldn't walk through there alone, but I have a friend who recently bought a 2BR apt in that area for $600,000.