I live there and like it a lot. It's best enjoyed on a summer day when families of all creeds and characters can be seen taking their kids to the water fountains to jump and play around in.

During the winter, like most of DC, foot traffic dissipates about as soon as it starts getting dark. It certainly feels a bit weird / almost eerily silent when you're walking through a major, glamorous downtown area and there aren't many fellow pedestrians, but that's all of downtown DC.

Moreover, you have to consider that it's a 100% improvement to what used to be there, as others have pointed out. It's also close to Capital One Arena, a lot of great sports bars and has awesome metro/bus access with Gallery Place & Metro Center both very close.