City It’s in the CD
posted by January 18 at 12:04 PM
onA couple days ago I posted this article about a nickname for part of the Central District that, unlike other mini-neighborhoods in the area, doesn’t have its own name. Some folks thought I wanted to denounce the CD name altogether and replace it with some gentrifying developer crap. Not so.
As a current Central District resident who also grew up and went to school here, I’m darn proud of the title for my big, sprawling neighborhood. But the Central District is so big and so sprawling that simply saying a location is “in the CD” is pretty vague. This map shows it stretches from the TV towers on Capitol Hill to the I-90 tunnel.
To compartmentalize the area, lots of little neighborhoods with their own identities nest inside of the CD, such as Squire Park, Judkins Park, and Garfield. Likewise, Capitol Hill includes Pike/Pine, Broadway, 15th, and North Capitol Hill. So it makes sense for this little patch of the unincorporated CD to have its own nickname. Furthermore, a moniker adopted by locals is far better than some ridiculous name imposed by developers, like downtown’s West Edge.
Anyhow, these are the leading suggested names for the area around Union and Madison: Union Triangle, TriBeMa, SoMad, SoMa, Burner Triangle, Minor, Hendrix and “the fucking CD.” We’ll see if any of them catch on.
Comments
Sprawling? Oh lordy.
By comparison, Mexico City only has 15 neighborhoods. Mexico City!
What about Magnetic Pole and the Gentrifangle? Are you gonna put up a poll?
Hey, whatever happened to Lenny Leonard, dammit?!? That name is brilliant! Brilliant, I tell you!
Or heck, look at Paris.
Mannhood.
And naming it Burner Triangle because there're some Burning Man enthusiasts living nearby? Oh God, puh-lease.
The fucking CD. Now that's brillant.
Isn't the southern part of it called Judkins Park?
I always called it "you know, over by deano's?" when referring to that area.
What part of the "CeeDee" is "Da Hood"?
do you compulsively label everything inside your house too? 3-block 'neighborhoods' are fucking retarded.
Why, yes, Mr. Mizzel. I do label the parts of my house. The kitchen, the dining room, the bedroom... Only compulsive people do this, huh?
As for "retarded" three-block neighborhoods, you proudly announced on your blog that you lived in one - LA's Baldwin Village, AKA The Jungle - and you even posted a map of it: http://thursdayplantation.blogspot.com/2006/12/jungles.html
#1, ironically, the Wikipedia entry for Mexico City that is the source of the image you link to has this to say about the 15 boroughs of Mexico City:
"The boroughs are composed by hundreds of colonias or neighborhoods, which have no jurisdictional autonomy or representation."
The boroughs of Mexico City are equivalent to the boroughs of New York. They aren't neighborhoods, they're essentially cities in their own right, each with hundreds of other neighborhoods.
A city like Seattle doesn't have a direct equivalent, but its larger neighborhood areas could be seen as districts, sometimes right in the name. The CD is a "district," not a neighborhood. So it's fair to want a separate neighborhood identity for each part.
Personally, I'm in favor of "the fucking CD."
Actually, though, Burner Triangle would fit - it's practically the only reason I ever go there.
Totally agree with Cascadian.
Here in San Francisco I'm constantly learning the names of micro-neighborhoods within neighborhoods within districts. Landwise, we're tinier than Seattle, but with our density the distinctions are still abt.
Wish I had a name to add to the pile, but I'm guessing that neighborhood has changed quite a bit since the Party Hall days when I visited it most.
I live here and I'd definitely support "the fucking CD." Seriously, though, instead of inventing crap, just call it "North CD". That's what it is. Not a very exciting name, yeah, but then neither is North Capitol Hill.
My first choice would be Shithole Triangle, on account of what a shithole it is and it's distinctly triangular shape.
Next would be Whoresville, given that I was once propositioned by a whore as I exited the Safeway on Madison and 23rd.
Crackview also seems appropriate given that the neighborhood boasts such a fine view of all the crack dealing just across Madison street.
Lastly, Cancerford or Tumormont seems fitting given all the radiation coming from those huge radio towers.
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