Construction on Upshur, originally uploaded by Prince of Petworth.

I walked by some construction just a few stores down from Domku and I have to say it looks really nice inside. You would never guess it looks that nice on the inside from just walking by. Does anyone know what it is going to be? Another restaurant perhaps?

I’m currently reading “Sweet Thursday” by John Steinbeck and a quote of his can perhaps be applied to the old Petworth vs. new Petworth debate. He wrote:

“It is better to sit in appreciative contemplation of a world in which beauty is eternally supported on a foundation of ugliness: cut out the support and beauty will sink from sight.”

Read that a few times and tell me if it applies to our debate.

Grant Circle May, originally uploaded by Prince of Petworth.

Taken at Grant Circle today at noon. Kind of makes you want to take the rest of the day off and have a picnic…

A beautiful gesture, originally uploaded by Prince of Petworth.

This announcement was posted on an apartment building on New Hampshire Ave. I thought it was very touching. Clearly he was very well loved.

Similarly, I have also noticed a number of congratulatory posters for recent graduates in front of some row houses.

Just two examples demonstrating the strong community existing in Petworth.

This is fantastic. You just type in your zip code and it provides a map with restaurants, post offices, crime statistics, home sales, etc, it is very thorough. It says there is a coffee place called Vonga coffee on the 4200 block of 3rd St, NW. Has anyone been there? You can check out the site here.

Jeff Steele, the brains behind, the fantastic Ward 4 Special Election Web site has started a new site on local politics citywide. If it is from Jeff you know it is going to be solid. Here is the link for State of Columbia.

I was reading DCist and came across this post from their cousin site Gothamist. The post and comments debate “Old Naughty NYC Vs. Current Boring, Safe NYC”. The debate seemed truly ridiculous to me. It is almost as though they are debating out of pure boredom. Or, is it a case of being careful what you wish for?

But it hit me that we here in Petworth can easily be having this debate 5 years or so from now. I can see it so clearly. Oh, Petworth was so much better before the new condos and Starbucks etc. Hell, I can even see myself saying some of these things. But it is ridiculous, right? We obviously want to live in a safe and clean community. Or do we if the price to pay is a certain disneyfication of the neighborhood? Can we have a clean and safe community without disneyfication?

Until these questions are definitively answered, rest assured I will continue to complain, no I prefer to say, I will continue to observe…

I’d like to echo a commenter who lamented the violence in our community. Two Petworth residents were involved in a shooting this weekend at the H2O nightclub in the South West Waterfront. One lived on the 500 block of Shepherd and one lived on the 500 block of Webster. The Post says “it was a neighborhood dispute that probably started before the men got to the club.” Read the full report here. Tragic. But those of you who have lived in the neighborhood for a while know what this means – get ready for reprisals. It pains me to write that but it is the truth. This insanity reminds me a lot of Israeli-Palestinian violence. Once there is a shooting, then there is another one, there is always pay back. Like St. Exupery would say – it is a vicious circle. An endless cycle of violence that will not stop without providing the youth a sense of hope. Senseless violence on a weekend where we are supposed to be remembering the soldiers, sailors and marines who gave their lives for this country…tragic on so many levels.

Condos over metro illustration, originally uploaded by Prince of Petworth.

This is a mock up of the what the new condos being built over the Petworth metro are supposed to look like. And I am just having a very difficult time imagining it. Believe me, I hope it looks like this and with the Great Streets Initiative maybe it will but it just seems so foreign. I’m crossing my fingers.

So my question to you is: Do you really think the new condos being built over the metro are going to look like this?

Bonus question: I know there is a Mocha Hut coffee shop going in (which is sweet) but what other retail is going in or what other retail would you like to see go in?

Metro mural close up, originally uploaded by Prince of Petworth.

I know we have discussed the mural at the Petworth metro before but I never noticed this section. You can see it is a cup of coffee and there is a circle with a line through it. What the hell is that? Just because you can’t have coffee on the metro, you can’t even paint it either. WTF.

barrels, originally uploaded by Prince of Petworth.

What in the world are these barrels outside of the Petworth metro? They have been outside the metro for at least a week. Do they contain nuclear waste? Do they have dead bodies in them? Do they have socialist propaganda in them? Seriously, what the hell are these?

This is the only place in the world I have lived where people say hello to me on the street. I’m not even talking about neighbors but complete strangers. This is the rule not the exception. My girlfriend had a friend visiting from NY last weekend and she was amazed by how many people said hello to us on our walk to Domku. We must have said hello to at least 5 people. It is really remarkable how friendly everybody is here.

The Washington Post incorrectly reported a drug bust as taking place on the 4200 block of 4th Street, NW but in reality it took place on 4th Street, SE. Jaysus. So I apologize for the below post.

The Express still has it listed as:

» PETWORTH: “Task Force Targets 4th Street Mob” [WaPo]

This is so embarassing. I count on the Post, which is one of the best newspapers in the country to have their facts straight. Again, I apologize for the confusion.

The Washington Post reports that a task force of federal and local law enforcement have arrested 9 drug dealers from a gang called the 4th Street Mob. Yeah, that’s right 4th Street Mob as in 4th Street, NW as in right in the heart of lower Petworth.

The Post says: “The suspects were part of a group known as the 4th Street Mob, a long-standing drug crew that has sold multiple kilos of crack, cocaine and marijuana from its base in the 4200 block of 4th Street NW, according to police and FBI officers. The group has been “shut down for business,” the law enforcement officials said.”

Holy cow, the 4200 block of 4th Street is right near where I live. Yikes. Let’s hope this is a debilitating blow and not merely a nuissance for these dealers.