DSCN6184, originally uploaded by Prince of Petworth.

Classic.

DSCN6141, originally uploaded by Prince of Petworth.

Super cool porch and window on the second floor.

Back in September I asked if anyone knew the deal here? At the time “Animal Mother” told us:

“According the contact at the Cesar Chavez website (http://www.cesarchavezhs.org/prep/contact/), as of last month they planned to begin substantial renovations this month. I’m also skeptical, but that was their position as recently as three weeks ago. They also claim that substantial demolition has been done on the interior.

But yeah, I’ll also be surprised if they actually open in 09, since they said the same thing about this time in 07 about what was going to happen in 08.”

But I saw some bulldozers so maybe the substantial demolition has begun?

Is it just me or is it a bit sad a sign like this has to exist? The sign is pretty sweet though…

The Meridian International Center is located at 1630 Crescent Place, NW just off 16th Street near Meridian Hill Park. If you weren’t looking for it you’d never find it. But you’ll be happy if you do. Currently they have an exhibit titled “Painting the Heart of Russia – The Timkov Collection”. Their Web site says:

“Opened on November 14, 2008, and on display until March 8, 2009, Meridian International Center presents selections from “The Timkov Collection”, provided by Timothy and Lisa Wyman, featuring remarkable landscapes by renowned Russian painter Nikolai Efimovich Timkov (1912-1993). Dr. Alison Hilton, an eminent scholar of Russian art history and Chair of the Department of Art and Art History at Georgetown University, will serve as co-curator of the exhibition.

“The greatest Russian Impressionist landscape painter of the second and third quarters of the 20th century.”

Dr. Albert Kostenevich
Impressionist Curator
Hermitage Museum”

Anyone check it out? You can see a preview of the gallery here.

Chad ready to rock the shit out of the ball, originally uploaded by Pinaki_wv.

Ed. Note: Robyn’s post on the defense of Ruby Tuesday’s Salad Bar and Adams Morgan nightlife got a really interesting debate going and it has sparked a new series. You know in DC sometimes we tend to be reflexively negative about certain things. I find myself doing it too from time to time. Like I hate Georgetown. And in reality the last few times I’ve went to Georgetown, I’ve loved it. I love the old homes, the waterfront, etc. But I feel like I said “I hate Georgetown” so often it just became automatic. And not at all true. So with that in mind Robyn has come up with the idea to debunk some of the automatic negative stereotypes about certain things in DC. This is the third in a series.

One of my gigs is photographing events and parties for a local newspaper. It’s fun and easy and it packs my calendar with social endeavors – some pretty cool (House of Sweden), and some bizarre (Hair + SUV fashion show, don’t ask).

A while ago my editor sent me to Adams Morgan’s Grand Central Station to take some pictures of a kickball event. A kickball event?!? I couldn’t have rolled my eyes harder. I was not a fan of these people (even though I didn’t know any). To me, kickballers were just a roving band of meatheads that take over a bar and turn it into a scene out of Animal House. They’re an easy target to hate. They play a game reserved for 8-year-old boys. They are most likely drunk when you encounter them, hence not exactly capable of coherent conversation. And what’s worse – they always look like they are having more fun than you, cheering on their college drinking games, wearing their matching shirts advertising lite beers, and their general sociable comradery. So I ran in, grabbed a couple photos, and ran out before anyone could force me into a “chug this pitcher” contest.  Continues after the jump. (more…)

This home is located at 3457 Holmead Place, NW:

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The flier says:

“This is a 2 unit Victorian shell. Plans have been completed to include an upper level owners unit which is about 1,800 sq ft with 2 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms. The other unit will be about 1,400 sqft with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. There is 2 car parking in the rear. Close to the new Giant, Tivoli Theater, Target and the Metro. This is a short sale documents on my web site.”

More info and photos can be found here.

Clearly the home has gotten some new paint and windows but I guess we should just assume that the inside is still a shell? I also think this is a pretty great location near the Giant grocery store but still relatively quiet. The asking price has also dropped $100k and is now being offered at $499,900. So when fixed up don’t you think it could be some potential house porn? What would make the price a good deal for this shell?

Corduroy is located at 1122 9th Street near the Convention Center. Man, the menu looks good if a bit pricey. So what’s the word – thumbs up or down? How’s the atmosphere?

I’m going to let you all in on a little secret. A couple of months ago I joined the ranks of the unemployed. I won’t lie, some days are a little touch and go, but on the whole I am happy with my new status and am relishing in my newfound abundance of time to focus my energy on volunteering, finishing my graduate school applications (wish me luck!), taking up new hobbies like cooking and painting (not at the same time though), catching up on my reading, finishing the scarf that’s been sitting in the knitting bag since last winter, and finally getting to visit the museums during the quiet hours. For a person without a job I’ve managed to keep myself pretty busy. However, I do still have a good amount of downtime, and if it were warm I would spend much of it outdoors. But in these freezing temperatures, bike rides, leisurely strolls, and sunbathing in the park don’t sound like such great ideas. So, I’ve taken to toting my laptop or a good book over to one of the many neighborhood coffee shops.

Most of the time, because it’s so close to home, I end up at Tryst. I like it alright, the couches are comfy (though their cleanliness is dubious), no one bothers me if I order a cup of coffee and sit for two hours, and they have a good selection of treats for when I get a little hungry. But, it’s always so crowded, the service is slow, and more often than not I feel like the guy next to me is more interested in a pick up than his laptop. But anyway, this post is not about Tryst, it’s about another spot just down the road, Jolt N Bolt. I used to find myself wandering down here when Tryst was too crowded but lately, despite the freezing temperatures, I have been bypassing Tryst all together and setting up shop in the little converted row house at 1918 18th Street (just south of U Street.) Continues after the jump. (more…)

I wondered why people loved texting.

I wondered how many wind chimes you had to have before admitting there was a problem.

I was intrigued by Ethiopian wine.

I saw a tasteful pop up.

I found a very cool tool shed.

Inauguration Day, originally uploaded by quigley_brown.

Wow, this one is really powerful. It was taken by “quigley brown” who wrote:

“This woman’s emotions spilled as she listened to Aretha Franklin sing ‘My Country Tis Of Thee.’ “

DSCN5801, originally uploaded by Prince of Petworth.

“My longtime girlfriend and I recently relocated DC from Florida and have been renting a large studio in Columbia Heights. We’re now in the market for our own place – nice size apartment or small, fixer-upper house – and it seems that Petworth is one of the few remaining places in DC that is in our price range and has the community features (or could have the features) we’re looking for.

My question to you is about the planned development for the Petworth area, especially around the Petworth/Georgia Ave. metro stop. Do you know what some of the plans are for the area? From my understanding Columbia Heights has undergone a tremendous change over the past several years. Do you see Petworth developing in a similar way – restaurants, shops, etc.? What is the quality of life for those in there late 20′s early 30′s who enjoy the occasional night out, but who also enjoy quite nights at home.

Also, It’s important to me to know my neighbors and that they know me. I feel that the best way to be safe is to know people and care about the community one lives in. Is that sentiment prevalent in Petworth?”

Development in Petworth is indeed on the rise. In only the last five years Petworth has seen the addition of Domku (Scandinavian Restaurant/bar), Looking Glass Lounge (bar, formerly Temperance Hall), El Limeno (Latino), El Togoraz (Latino), Sweet Mango Cafe (Jerk Chicken), Fusion (Indian), Moroni & Bros. (Pizza), Flip it Bakery, Abol (Ethiopian), and Red Derby (bar, not exactly in Petworth proper but very close by) and lots more is on the way. A new coffee shop is coming, a YES! Organic Market is coming, a CVS is coming, many restaurants are likely to come to the development above the Petworth metro (pictured above) including a restaurant from the well known chef Gillian Clark, a boutique building is on it’s way (corner of Quincy and Georgia) and I’m sure I’ve left lots out. That’s a long way of saying yes, lots of development has occurred and lots more is on its way.

Quality of life for those in early 20s and 30s is fantastic. Not necessarily because of Petworth itself but also because of it’s proximity to Columbia Heights and U Street. But as you can see from the list above you certainly have quite a few options in Petworth as well.

Your last question is certainly an easy one. Yes! For sure, neighbors are very welcoming here as long as you make an effort to introduce yourself and get to know them. Of course not every single person is going to want to be your best friend but certainly the majority should be quite welcoming if you are kind and respectful to them.

So for the readers, did I leave anything out?

You may notice some new links at the bottom of each post. This is a feature that will allow you to share posts that are of particular interest to you on facebook, delicious, reddit, etc. This came about when I wrote about the Pho restaurant coming to Columbia Heights on Park Road. A reader suggested I provide a function that allows sharing. So I hope this helps. If you ever have a tech feature you’d like to see added don’t hesitate to send me an email at princeofpetworth@gmail.com

DSCN6181, originally uploaded by Prince of Petworth.

This one may be a bit more difficult but the fire extinguisher on this complete shell really cracked me up. Here’s last week’s winner. Place your caption in the comments and winner, gets PoP t-shirt, announced Friday.

Ed. Note: I still have to get some previous winners your t-shirts but I haven’t forgotten about you, promise.

Esa flower ya no retoña, originally uploaded by Nestum23.

So, much like vestibules and blue doors it is impossible not to post a photo. This great shot was taken by Nestum from the PoPville Flickr Pool.

So what are the odds we get tomorrow/today off work?