I would say Obama revitalized much of the city, such as the 14th Street corridor. (Yes, many people would call that gentrification, but I think it was a good thing.) He made DC feel like an exciting, creative place, merely because he seemed exciting and groundbreaking, and a lot of idealists flocked to his administration, and DC, as a result.

Whenever I walk by Le Diplomate, my first thought is still that it was Michelle Obama's favorite restaurant.

So I think Obama made DC more urbane. It is no longer a steakhouse city (though it still has some of that).

Trump made DC grumpier, but there was a certain energy in feeling like you were near the front lines of a real struggle for the soul of the country. It was stressful, but with each day his administration was stymied—by Pelosi, by the courts, by activists, by governors, by opinion polls that scared Republicans—there was a sense of hope and petty victory.

In short, D.C. felt more like an activist city, which was invigorating.

We're still finding our footing after the double-whammy of Trump and the pandemic. I'd say the city is a bit unsettled, certainly more so than it was under Obama. At least then there seemed to be a clear upward trajectory, escaping the crises of the '80s and '90s. We have a lot of challenges: Homelessness, crime (most of it petty), residential rents, and now a question about how how to deal with a partially empty downtown. It is clearly a transitional period.