I love how the newly "sprung" Silver Spring also has a neon electric sign announcing it's "downtown" section and tv commercials to induce people to come and spend their money there. It seems as if towns can now announce their comming out like debunates did/do. Along those lines, has anyone seen the restorations made to Glen Echo park? They also reverted to using a gigantic neon sign to announce the site. I don't think this aided in restoring the park to its orignal appearance, but maybe an exact copy would have been more kitsch than the neon electric.

I went down to Silver "Sprung" with my friends the other night. They claimed it now resembled downtown Bethesda. However, all I could really find was a string of chain restaraunts. It seems too... planned, maybe? It needs atmosphere.

I think it's also interesting that the restoration plans for this Silver Spring area mirror the Bethesda plan. I mean, have you ever been to Bethesda and just realized that there is way too much sprawl around? Growing up there, I assimilated into it pretty easily, but it's an odd place to absorb from a skeptical viewpoint. I don't know about you, but the whole concept is like a Utopian joke...

Yeah, in the past year Bethesda has definitely turned into a little Disneyland.