Bethesda's Tastee Diner

After a 30 year hiatus I am beginning to feel my way around the Woodmont area of Bethesda where my new Keller Williams office  is located. As it happens my office window overlooks the Tastee Diner, a B-town fixture for all of my life. Long, long ago, I used to live in a group house of young singles on Madison St. behind Suburban Hospital. Bethesda was a simpler place then as it has not undergone the massive redevelopment that the metro station brought. Although there were plenty of decent places to eat in Bethesda, most were not the upscale trendy eateries that you find today. Prices were a lot more reasonable too. Most of the time the Tastee Diner was our eatery of choice. It was gritty and cheap with a lot of local flavor. Usually after our regular weekly all night poker game the winner would treat the less fortunate to breakfast at the diner. I think every American should spend some time in an old fashioned diner at three AM in the morning.

Yesterday I took a walk, mainly to check out restaurants in the area and to get a bite to eat. There really are a lot of decent places to choose from and the variety of food is greater than you would find when I lived in Bethesda. I ended up back at my office and saw that they were advertising beef stew as a special at the diner. So, I went in and had lunch there. I had not been inside the dinner in three decades.  Amazingly, it has not really changed. In today's dinning world of tapis bars and  sleek chrome, the dinner is a throwback to the 1940s. I expected it to have been modernized at some time but it still the same. The floor is the same arts and crafts colored tile that was there in the 1970 and there is an amazing amount of lovely wood trim. I felt right at home and enjoyed a cup of  coffee and some good stew.

Well, what do you know. I have rediscovered an old friend and it is only steps away from my office door. Go to Bethesda and eat at the Tastee Diner. Have a cup of coffee and some pie. Soak it up, and for those of you who remember what Bethesda looked like 40 years ago, savor the moment and get a little nostalgic.

Some Important Changes for GLBT Homeowners

A reminder to the gay community in Maryland that when marriage for GLBT partners becomes legal as of January 1, 2013 there are important considerations for  homeowners. Before January 1, 2013 gay couples could only take title to real property in Maryland as "joint tenants" or "tenants in common."   Prior to the new legislation only legally married couples (heterosexual) could take title to property as "tenants by the entirety." When the new law comes into effect, all legally married gay couples (no matter in which state they were legally married) can now take title to property in Maryland as "tenants by the entirety."  I will not discuss the ramifications as I am not an attorney, but in general tenants by the entirety tends to offer more legal protection to married couples than either other form of ownership. So, if you own property as a couple in Maryland, I advise you to contact an attorney who has knowledge of real estate law for advice. The easiest choice is for you to contact the attorney that conducted your closing. If you choose to proceed, the attorney can usually make application to change the type of ownership on your title for a reasonable fee.

This right also exists for property owners in the District since gay marriage is legal there as well. Many GLBT couples that are married are unaware of this right, and still hold title to their homes as joint tenants in the District. I advise District homeowners to place a call to their attorney as well.

Unfortunately, these changes do not apply in Virginia as gay marriage is not yet legal there.