107 replies to this topic

[Ryan]

That's not exactly true, the NoMA "brand" is driven more by the private developers that want to drive demand for property in this area. The BID (along with the other 7 improvement districts in DC) is a private-public partnership that gets its funding from the businesses located in that district. The only government involvement is the legislation that makes the setup of the organization possible.

[sechs]

So, it's a name manufactured by business interests for their own gain; now, to be foisted upon the public by the government? This isn't getting better!

[AlanB]

And here I thought it was all my fault.

Last year for NTD my mom & I came down a day early and stayed in the new Courtyard right by the New York Metro station. And as we walked from Union Station my mom kept turning down the wrong street and I had to keep saying No Ma, we have to go this way.

[Ryan]

So, it's a name manufactured by business interests for their own gain; now, to be foisted upon the public by the government? This isn't getting better!

I'm not sure I see where anything is being foisted on anyone by the government.

And here I thought it was all my fault.

Last year for NTD my mom & I came down a day early and stayed in the new Courtyard right by the New York Metro station. And as we walked from Union Station my mom kept turning down the wrong street and I had to keep saying No Ma, we have to go this way.

[The Davy Crockett]

And here I thought it was all my fault.

Last year for NTD my mom & I came down a day early and stayed in the new Courtyard right by the New York Metro station. And as we walked from Union Station my mom kept turning down the wrong street and I had to keep saying No Ma, we have to go this way.

And the rest is history.

[Trogdor]

Granted, NoMa is shorter than New York Ave, but doesn't this station renaming kinda go against WMATA's desire to stop naming stations after every little neighborhood association and attraction in the area near the station?

This will just open a whole nuther can of worms with groups who want a station renamed. Even with the new map design, it can go from New York Ave-Florida Ave-Gallaudet U-NoMa-Holiday Inn-Bob's Discount Used Bookstore and Coffee Shop-American Museum of Ridiculously Long Transportation System Names and Signs, to

NoMa-Gallaudet
New York Ave-Florida Ave-Holiday Inn-Bob's Discount Used Bookstore and Coffee Shop-American Museum of Ridiculously Long Transportation System Names and Signs

If it were up to me, I'd call it "New York Avenue" and be done with it.

Edited by Trogdor, 28 March 2012 - 08:17 AM.

[afigg]

So, it's a name manufactured by business interests for their own gain; now, to be foisted upon the public by the government? This isn't getting better!

This is not any different than countless towns, communities, and streets that have been named by developers all over the US. If you live or have lived in any sort of post WW II planned urban and suburban developments, the street and community names were created by the developers to market the development project and sell homes and lease office space. The result, of course, is few colorful or interesting names, but mostly bland ones.

So we get NoMa, which is rather silly, but that is the name. I gather the inspiration for the short name was the SoHo district in NYC, which looking it up, stands for South of HOuston Avenue. I imagine they tried to make a name from combining Florida and New York Avenues - FloNY?, NewFlo?, RidaNew? - but No, Ma! it is.

[Ryan]

If it were up to me, I'd call it "New York Avenue" and be done with it.

The problem with that is that NY Ave is really long, so the station name doesn't do a very good job of saying where exactly the station is located.

NoMA is shorter and more precise. Exactly what WMATA was going for.

That said, I still refer to it as NY Ave in conversation.

[afigg]

Granted, NoMa is shorter than New York Ave, but doesn't this station renaming kinda go against WMATA's desire to stop naming stations after every little neighborhood association and attraction in the area near the station?

This will just open a whole nuther can of worms with groups who want a station renamed.
...
If it were up to me, I'd call it "New York Avenue" and be done with it.

WMATA staff's and transportation experts may want shorter descriptive names, but the politicians and their representatives on the WMATA board who, in response to political pressure from other politicians (and the interest groups that support them), make the final call. So, over the years, when renaming opportunities opened up, the system got stuck with U St/African-Amer Civil War Memorial/Cardozo. The good thing about the new map is that many of the worse names have been shortened with the secondary names moved to the smaller print second line. Where they can be ignored by people trying to keep track of which stations they need to get off at. Well, with the exception of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, but that was forced on them by Congress.

The funny thing about the New York Avenue-etc,etc Metro station is that it is not located on New York Avenue, but rather south of it. Look at the station on Google Earth, which incidentally displays NoMa as a neighborhood name. The north end of the station exits onto a trail and 2nd St NE a little south of Florida Avenue NE. You have to walk about 600'-700' to get to New York Avenue NE. The station name should have led with Florida Ave when it was built as an in-fill station, but New York Ave is better known and a major road since NY Avenue NE is also Rt. 50, so the station was given New York Ave as the lead and shorthand name.

[trainman74]

American Museum of Ridiculously Long Transportation System Names and Signs

I wish this really existed!

[Ispolkom]

The problem with that is that NY Ave is really long, so the station name doesn't do a very good job of saying where exactly the station is located.

NoMA is shorter and more precise. Exactly what WMATA was going for.

That said, I still refer to it as NY Ave in conversation.

NY Ave is five characters. NoMA is four, plus it has that horrible internal capitalization. Not a big improvement, in my opinion. At least my favorite station hasn't changed. One of my fonder memories of ten years of commuting on the Washington Metro was the trainman announcing, "Red Line to Shaaaady Grove!"

[Ryan]

The former name wasn't "NY Ave", it was "New York Ave-Florida Ave-Gallaudet U".

"NoMA-Gallaudet U" is a big improvement, as it's shorter and more geographically correct.

[NY Penn]

Why not call it

New York Av
Florida Av

? It would be much shorter and would avoid putting all possible names into a station.

SoHo district in NYC, which looking it up, stands for South of HOuston Avenue.

It's Houston Street.

[johnny.menhennet]

The problem with that is that NY Ave is really long, so the station name doesn't do a very good job of saying where exactly the station is located.

NoMA is shorter and more precise. Exactly what WMATA was going for.

That said, I still refer to it as NY Ave in conversation.

NY Ave is five characters. NoMA is four, plus it has that horrible internal capitalization. Not a big improvement, in my opinion. At least my favorite station hasn't changed. One of my fonder memories of ten years of commuting on the Washington Metro was the trainman announcing, "Red Line to Shaaaady Grove!"

Ryan is referencing that the street itself is really long and stretches across DC for a while, so it is not descriptive because so many places are on NY Ave, not the fact that the actual name NoMa is shorter than NY Ave

[sechs]

This is not any different than countless towns, communities, and streets that have been named by developers all over the US.

I guess L'Enfant was just some developer hack....

[sechs]

The problem with that is that NY Ave is really long, so the station name doesn't do a very good job of saying where exactly the station is located.

How's NY-FL Ave? That's the general vicinity that they're after.

NoMA is shorter and more precise. Exactly what WMATA was going for.

It's not more precise if it's not descriptive, as people don't know what "NoMa" is. They could have renamed the station "James Carter" and at least had an acceptable reason behind it.

That said, I still refer to it as NY Ave in conversation.

Calling it "SoNY" probably would have caused problems.

Edited by sechs, 28 March 2012 - 09:14 PM.

[jis]

This is not any different than countless towns, communities, and streets that have been named by developers all over the US.

I guess L'Enfant was just some developer hack....

Actually he kind of was..... Foisted onto us by the big bad government no less

Anyway, NoMa is no worse than DUMBO, fortunately no subway station named that yet, since there is none in close enough vicinity. We'll all get used to it after everyone has had their go at venting about it.

[sechs]

Except that DUMBO is an organic name. People started using it, and businesses later picked up on it.

NoMa was concocted by businesses, as a brand name. Due to the plat of the city, Massachusetts Avenue doesn't even run east-west; the area should really be called "NEoMa."

[Ryan]

Now you're just being ridiculous.

Houston Street doesn't run E-W either.

I'm not sure why someone in California is so wrapped around the axle about what we call a neighborhood here in DC. You might not have know where NoMA was before this thread, but people here certainly do.

[jis]

American Museum of Ridiculously Long Transportation System Names and Signs

I wish this really existed!

Maybe Anthony can set it up as an annex to the Timetable Library ..... no juuuust kidding