Transition In Lynhaven

(Friday) July 23, 2010

Dear Editor,

In an article dated July 21st on the Alexandria restaurant Chez Andree, reporter Carla Branch writes that the corner of Commonwealth Avenue and Glebe Road is the unlikely location of a French restaurant.  “That’s where, in spite of a neighborhood that has never quite transitioned, Chez Andree has stood for 46 years…”

Low blow!

Let me tell you about transitions in Lynhaven, the neighborhood on the north end of Alexandria that is the proud home of Chez Andree.  There was a time our neighborhood was the place to come for drugs and prostitution.  That day is all but over.  Working with the city and the police, the neighbors of Lynhaven came out of their homes and made a statement that crime wasn’t welcome here.  They made this neighborhood the kind of place I sought out to live seven years ago.

So exactly what kind of transition was Ms. Branch expecting?  Lynhaven is one of the most diverse neighborhoods in Alexandria.  Our oldest residents bought their home two years after it was built in the early 1940s.  Octogenarians and 20-somethings tend to their gardens next door to one another.  Folks from all kinds of backgrounds know each other in this neighborhood; here we say “hi” and “how are you” when our neighbors walk by.  For my money, there’s nothing that needs transitioning in Lynhaven.

So the next time you’re coming to Chez Andree, take a swing through Lynhaven.  Roll down your window and say hello.  Maybe you’ll like our brand of transition.

Joe Bondi

President, The Lynhaven Citizens Association