THE FIRST TIME AS TRAGEDY, THE SECOND TIME AS FARCE.

Shortly after the coming of Amtrak, some Bright Sort got the idea of turning Washington, D.C. Union Station into some sort of Bicentennial Welcome Center.  I don't know if that ever worked, or if all your tax dollars paid for was an early-day multimedia display that didn't work very well, or simply a fetid indoor swamp.

Subsequently, wiser heads prevailed, and the station became something more like a station, and I was able to compare the retail spaces there and Nürnberg, although a complaint that I have directed at Amtrak elsewhere, namely, that there isn't sufficient waiting space devoted to waiting for trains, meaning passengers waiting to be allowed onto regional trains form queues that clog the shopping space.  In Germany, the railroad knows what track your train will be on, and how the formation is marshalled, and you proceed to trackside without waiting for station staff to herd you through the gate.

If you hold sleeper space in Boston, Chicago, or Washington you rate a lounge with free pop and chips and that lounge is available for Acela riders.  Station staff might escort you to your car before the herd stampedes.

The last time I was in Washington was before the corona tyranny, and that, plus Washington being the home office of softness on crime, has had consequences for Union Station.

Union Station had as many as 100 stores more than two decades ago. It’s down to about 40 retailers and eateries while more than half its commercial space sits vacant.

Calls for fire and emergency services show the range of problems at the station, including drug and alcohol intoxication, overdoses and assaults. Meanwhile, foot traffic remains well below pre-pandemic levels, with Metro and commuter rail traffic roughly halved, even as Amtrak reaches more solid footing.

It's worth remembering that the bicentennial is going on fifty years ago, and all many of these commuters might know is the current incarnation.

Those who pass through the iconic station — and those who once visited but now stay away — say they are hoping for another infusion of life into Union Station. The Washington Post spoke to commuters, business owners, longtime visitors and others to learn how its decline has altered their views of one of D.C.’s most beloved architectural jewels.

I mean, when the Starbucks has closed down and the bums gripe about being evicted at 11 pm, that's not good, and it's all self-inflicted this time.