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In those days, he told me, the base newcomer’s brief spent a lot of time on “staying safe in the local area.” If your car got a flat tire in the “hood” above the base, military members were told to roll on the rim until they reached Bolling

You are talking about Anacostia 25-30 years ago, and yes, the area above Bolling was a bit dicey. (Ok, a lot dicey.) There have always been scattered middle class enclaves and neighborhood shopping venues, and a lot of Anacostia residents have always been perfectly decent working class folks. But there were (and are) too many projects and too much gang activity, so time of day and street awareness matter.

Bolling is down on the river. Like the rest of the Anacostia riverfront, it is sealed from Anacostia proper by I-295. There is very limited access to the various riverfront destinations, which leads to an interesting pattern of development and use. I played football and softball in adult leagues for years in Anacostia Park, right down on the river, and my daughters have grown up playing soccer there. It is a lovely place to play (aside from the decided slope down towards the river in some sections). But it is part of Capitol Hill lore that suburban youth soccer teams occasionally forfeited games rather than drive into dreaded "Anacostia," not having the slightest idea of the character of the park. That's not to say I'd wander around on foot in the wee hours, to be sure.

The St. Elizabeth's campus is on the heights across the highway and above Bolling. St. E's is now being turned into a major headquarters campus for DHS. That whole section of Anacostia will be transformed in another 10 years.