The ugliness of contemporary Washington DC

A few things:

1) Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think that's DC. The buildings are too tall. Is that supposed to be the Potomac at the end of the block? (I'd also say I don't recognize it, but I've been gone for awhile.)

2) There are other streets and avenues and vistas with gorgeous buildings. This picture, wherever and whatever it is, is not a good representation of DC architecture.

3) No resident of DC has ever raved about the summer weather.

That is DC's new Navy Yard with the newly opened Douglass bridge in the background.

[QUOTE] The buildings are too tall.

No, they’re not. This is M Street Southeast in Navy Yard.

Yeah this new DC, a lot of new buildings going up in the area. The traditional scenic part of DC has the older building charm.

Okay, thanks all. Obviously I've been gone too long.

Its hardly isolated to the Navy Yard, all of Connecticut Ave bw the White House and Dupont looks like this.

Boston’s Seaport district looks similarly dreary, due to height limits because of nearby Logan Airport.

Contemporary DC treads a line between cheap and boring so as not to offend the tender sensibilities of taxpayers.

In previous generations, the masses approved of grandeur.

Now, not so much,

That said, there are plenty of sensible buildings that do their job without too many bells and whistles, and the pre-1980s stuff still has an imposing air.

DC's best architecture predates WWII and there is a lot of it.

Most North American cities have a lot of drab buildings. Move to the beach or the mountains if you’re looking for beauty.

R8, most cities have a lot of drab buildings.

FTFY