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“Dear PoP,

I’ve been living at 5400 block of 1st St., NE, for 5 years now, and I still don’t know what my neighborhood is called. This area, surrounded by New Hampshire Ave. (north), North Capitol (west), Riggs Road (south), and Rail (east) is surprisingly quiet and residential, and the neighbors tend to be old-timers, and sweeter than a praline pie. Anyway, when talking to friends I always end up saying that we live just north of Fort Totten metro. But our neighborhood must have a name, right? I don’t think we’re in Petworth ’cause we’re north of Missouri/Riggs, not in Chillum (that’s to the east of the tracks), not quite in Manor Park (although our neighborhood association is named South Manor Park Neighborhood Association), and I don’t think we’re Brightwood (that’s further east). PoP, do you know what the name of my neighborhood is?”

I need your guys help with this one. I’m totally stumped. I’d probably call it North Country… Seriously, does anyone know what neighborhood this is?

Wayan Vota writes:

“You know your neighbours grass is too high when a Taxi Dog can get lost in its un-mowed depth. And with such disregard for community standards, when do you break down and mow their yard? Its not like you can get your ANC chair email the Park Service for a quick mow. ”

We tackled this question almost exactly a year ago last April. But I think the real question here might be – why is Wayan walking his dog in his neighbor’s yard…?

SUC50014, originally uploaded by Prince of Petworth.

Thanks to Nichole for snapping some photos of the diner. And for those that missed it in the comments yesterday here’s word from the owner of Jimmy Valentine’s:

“hey y’all, owner of jimmy valentine’s here. this diner is directly between the one-block distance from my house in trinidad to my bar on bladensburg rd. i know matt & patrick well and have watched the course of their project firsthand. i’ve also been watching them try to drop the diner in place all day (it’s approved to go in now). they have bent over backwards to meet DCRA code throughout this process, they have built everything correctly, and have had met with unnecessary ‘frustration’, shall we say most gently, at every turn. the silly difficulty of today’s process has been financially wasteful, and isn’t it remarkable that an attempt to bring a positive business to a blighted neighborhood can attract such negative attention from authorities in a place that can’t otherwise seem to get any?

that being said, i’ve been a home-owner here for nearly 6 years and have never once encountered any problems with my neighbors and people on the street here (jimmy valentine’s has zero police reports to its address in nearly 2 years since opening). simple truth is that where there’s no prey, there are no predators, and i call bullsh*t on whoever commented on “[ducking automatic gunfire]” last time they were in our ‘hood. nobody shot at you “hilltop”, especially next to CVS as you claim (”h and bladensburg”). corner drug dealers trump muggers; dealers won’t allow that kind of crime because of the police attention it draws. of course, now that more businesses are moving here we’ll soon attract the kind of criminals that plague dupont, georgetown, adams morgan, u st., and increasingly on h st…

commentary & rant aside, the diner itself is a bona fide ‘47. it’s deceptively small, it’s way cool, and it actually fits the street/landscape here like it’s been here all along (though honestly it’s currently more like a mirage looking off my back deck after years of nothing but shady used car dealers). matt & patrick are hard-working and honest people pursuing their vision completely out of their own pocket and i’m confident they’ll get the food and menu right. the intense problem-solving you witnessed today is just the tip of the iceburg and they’ve got no safety net in this venture. few people have that kind of fortitude.

best of luck boys, i never thought the day would come when a 20-bag would no longer be the first commodity available walking out my front or back door : )

mark @ jimmy valentine’s lonely hearts club”

From an email:

“Brazilian Rhythms this Thursday! Neville C. is baaack!!

Neville missed last month’s Brazilian Rhythms party and he’s gone through various stages of grief because of it. First came regret, then disappointment, and finally acceptance. He’s now in the “I’ll show them” stage. He’s had two months to get fired up (and find new records!) so look out!

Come help Neville’s recovery this Thursday at Cafe Saint-Ex (14th and T Streets, NW). Starting at 9:30 Neville will be throwing down the best in samba rock, MPB, tropicalia, samba, baile funk, Brazilian hip-hop, forro and bossa nova. NO COVER.

Sponsored by Som Records and Peroni Beer.”

Fundraiser at Shawarma King at 1654 Columbia Road, NW.

DSCN9163, originally uploaded by Prince of Petworth.

I’m a sucker for levels.

DSCN9082, originally uploaded by Prince of Petworth.

Another Brookland beauty.

A couple of years ago I wondered if 14th Street was becoming a new fashion hub?. Sadly, it seems Circle Boutique located at 1736 14th Street has closed their doors. However, Redeem located next store is still open!

This is from the little (soon to be) garden behind Red Rocks and 11th Street. Loved this sign.

Quite a difference from what it looked like in March. I really like how it sorta sticks out into the street. I also like the angles. I’m still not a big fan of the tan brick though. Looking good to ya?

This great shot is from hellomarkers! titled, “a mischief of trees?”. It is from the national arboretum.

Submit your photos via email or to the PoPville flickr pool here.

This condo is located at 1612 16th Street, NW:

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The flier says:

“detailed/condos in DC. Offering 2000 sq ft, garage, 300 sq ft of terraces, limestone/slab & Brazilian chery floors, this 2 story Flat is complete w virtually every convenience & option – electric blinds, limestone floating staircase, Pogenpohl Kitch, Waterworks bths, heated floors, fp, Located in Dupont, the views are stunning.”

More info and a virtual tour found here.

The reader writes:

“This might be the “sickest” condo I’ve ever seen in DC, you gotta put this up…”

If the building looks familiar, we judged it back in mid April. So, do you agree with the reader that this is “the sickest condo in DC”? Worth $1,499,500?

Trattu is located at 1823 Jefferson Place, NW:

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I’ve been curious about this place because it is located on a very small street in southern Dupont Circle. That and I love Italian food. I’m even more intrigued after checking out their web site. Check out the menu and celebrity section here. So any fans out there?

Thanks to a reader for sending the word on this cool space. I was lucky enough to run into owner, Lisa Fricano, who told me she was “holding out for something special” on the retail space. She’d love to see it turn into a bookstore or an art space. And what’s super cool is that she is a big fan of the history of the building. She told me it was once a disco in the 70s called “The Jerk”. Too cool. Building on her love of history she has placed historic pictures and items in the front window.

I also love the copper:

You can pick up a postcard of the spot that has a picture from 1931 on the front and a poem about the building on the back:

A hardworking gal in her prime
Times a comeback for 2009,
Her vacant-eyed slumber
Didn’t soften her lumber,
And her penny is now worth a dime.

Much lamented by those who had seen her,
While around her Shaw’s main streets got cleaner,
She drew on reserve,
To renew and preserve,
Her unconventional, centered demeanor.

Lots more photos after the jump. (more…)

This is one of the freshest things I’ve heard in a while. From an email from one of the owners:

“My partner and I are moving an historic 1940′s diner from New York to Washington, DC tomorrow. We bought a Silk City Diner, manufactured by Paterson Vehicle Company in 1947, that has been in upstate New York ever since it was put into service.

The nation’s capital currently has no true diners that I’m aware of; that is, historic modular diner buildings manufactured during 1930-60. So, we’re bringing one to DC by moving it from New York.

It will arrive sometime tomorrow. Unfortunately, I cannot give a specific time of arrival yet due to the nature of highway transportation of oversized loads.

The diner will be located in the Trinidad neighborhood of DC, at the site of a former used car lot shut down by Mayor Fenty in November 2008 (1050 Bladensburg Rd NE). It will be located across the street from Jimmy Valentine’s and 2 blocks or so from the H street bars/restaurants. The initial hours (once we open) will be from 6am-10pm (we think), but we’ll be open 24 hours on Friday and Saturday evenings.”

Pretty sweet, yeah? More photos after the jump. (more…)

This may be a tough one but I just thought this was a totally random sight. Your captions in the comments and winner announced Friday. Good luck!