DSCN1336, originally uploaded by Prince of Petworth.

This is a sign from a jewelry store on Wisconsin Ave. in Georgetown. I can’t look at this photo without laughing. It is just so insanely random. And of course when I took the photo the store was closed…

Mouse hunt #1, originally uploaded by mcentellas.

“Dear PoP,

I wonder if you would get a discussion going on your site about mice in apartment buildings around the local neighborhoods. My wife and I live in an apartment building and recently our digs have become infested with mice; for six to seven weeks now, the little critters have run amok and torn into, among other random items, a cereal box and a fresh tomato. The runts are getting braver and coming out more frequently and out of more unpredictable places (the other afternoon, one little guy jumped out of the dishwasher and onto our dog’s back before performing a somersault-landing and sprinting away to safety in a water heater closet. We’ve tried everything to get rid of the runts (i.e. traps–first, the snap traps and then the less humane glue traps, putting steel wool in the holes, and conducting immaculate house cleaning routines). All attempts have failed. It is unclear that the management company has responded appropriately given the level of infestation (we know other building tenants are experiencing the same problem). We are curious how prevalent such mice issues are for other D.C. residents? And we’re also very interested to hear about other people’s experiences. For example, what they do to rid themselves of mice and how do their landlords/management companies respond, etc.? If there is a reader that knows tenants’ rights and can speak about whether a tenant can break their lease if there is a persistent and serious problem that remains unresolved by management, we’d like to know that, too.”

Back in June ’07, I revealed a dirty little secret – we all currently have or have had mice in the past. For me the only thing I was able to do to deal with the problem was to get a cat. (Ed. Note: My cat, Dingo, has been ruled ineligible for the coolest pet in PoPville contest by an independent panel of advisors.) Before I got a cat I used traps that would catch them but there seemed to be a never ending supply of reinforcements. Since I got a cat I’ve never seen one or evidence of one since. I did, however, also have some outdoor spaces patched up. However, I live in a house. If I lived in an apartment building I would definitely request exterminators from the building management. Some advice was given here. But what do you guys recommend for one facing this problem in an apartment building?

DSCN1382, originally uploaded by Prince of Petworth.

Never underestimate the power of trees. I thought this was such a wild sight. It looks like the roots just busted through the brick wall. Totally wild.

I’m hoping this is new, I can’t believe I hadn’t noticed it before. Anyone know when it went in?

DSCN1383, originally uploaded by Prince of Petworth.

I always underestimate how cool flower boxes can be.

At first glance it may not look noteworthy. But if you look at the bottom of the photo there were two small signs. Turns out one was a poem:

And the other is a quote from Ladybird Johnson:

Super cool. And the flowers are right on as well. It is located on Champlain Street, NW in Adams Morgan.

DSCN1330, originally uploaded by Prince of Petworth.

This beauty is from Macomb Street, NW in Cleveland Park. I used to walk up this street to go to grad school at AU back in the day. This house was in far worse shape back then. It’s nice to see it restored to its original glory. It’s one of the smallest ones on the block. So glad they didn’t pop this one up.

Thaitanic II located on 14th Street just south of Meridian (in the Allegro building) looks very close to opening. The inside looks quite nice (though my photos came out too dark to post, will return for more soon!).

This building on the corner had been left behind when the space now housing Policy got fixed up. Anyone know what’s going in there? It’s starting to look good:

And here’s an unusual addition I saw on Temple Micah located on Wisconsin Ave. in North Cleveland Park/Glover Park.

“meet Oliver… hands down the Best Damn PoP Dog Around

Likes:
His best friend, “Puppy” (shown in photo)
Hard Liquor
His backyard
Tongue Baths from willing bitches
Sniffing butts
Torturing stuffed animals

Dislikes:
F’ing Squirrels
Nuclear Weapons
The lawn sprinkler
Marion Barry
The neighbor’s kids
Fireworks”

“Max is about 4 years old and I have been permanently cat sitting him the last 2+ years. I have know him since he was a kitty however.

He is a very sweet cat. He like to be around people and isn’t shy with strangers. He enjoys sitting on my laptop keyboard while I am trying to type, running up and down the long hallway in my apartment to chase after a tennis ball (sometimes he gallops), and watching tv. I also think he secretly likes 80s music because he never seems to leave the room when I have it playing. He even has his own Facebook page. And look how cute he is!”

“I wanted to enter Abby — the sweetest dog in PoPville — in your contest. Since we picked her up from the Human Society last month, my roommates and I have come to love her devious but always adorable antics! Please consider her awesome ear and tongue holding capabilities!”

Ed. Note:  The cats are not competing against the dogs.  There will be 5 dog, cat and “other” finalists that will each compete in their own category.  We’ll have a poll in each category to select the winner.  Using the comments section for these posts will help me select the 5 finalists for each category.  I’ve gotten some amazing entries, and a lot of them!  So I’ll need your help selecting the finalists.  Maybe at the very end we’ll put the three winners in each category up for an overall winner.

The deadline for entries is August. 1st. Remember, please only send one photo per pet. You can see all the entries here. Due to the large number of entries I have to put more than 3 up a day. Please see after the jump for three more entries. (more…)

This great shot was taken by hellomarkers!. Hellomarkers! usually features photos from the Capitol Hill/H St, NE areas so I’m guessing that’s where this is from. Anyone recognize what street this is?

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

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This home is located at 55 Quincy Place NE:

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The flier says:

“Gorgeous 3bd, 1fba, 2hba 3-lvl rowhouse w/ walk-out bsmt, parking space & many updates. Steps to NY Ave METRO. Features hdwds on main & upper lvls, 3 FPs. Bank-Owned. Sold As-Is. Shows well, but needs a little work. Seller responds quickly to offers. Request seller’s choice of closing co. & to hold EMD. Seller=”Owner of Record”.”

More info and photos found here.

I’ve only walked down this block a few times but thought the area was quite nice. There aren’t too many dining areas but you’re not too far from Big Bear Cafe across North Capitol in Bloomingdale. The house itself also seems quite nice, I dig the style on the outside, but I’d be sure to have a inspector with you as the house is “as-is”. Asking price is $308,900. Sound like a good deal?

Photo by PoPville Flickr user quigley_brown

You can talk about whatever is on your mind – quality of life issues, a beautiful tree you spotted, scuttlebutt, or any random questions/thoughts you may have. I’ll open this thread every Monday and Friday. So anything good happen to you this weekend?

Ashley runs the Web site, From Komi to Marvin which she describes: “After living in D.C. my entire life, I realized that I had only eaten at a third of the restaurants on the Washingtonian 100 Best list. So I decided to take a year, and eat at every single one–no matter how geographically far away, or culinarily unappealing. I’m not a reviewer, just a gal who loves to eat.”  Ashley last wrote about Food Trends for PoP here.

There comes a day a couple times a summer where the humidity drops to a tolerable level, the breeze blows in and the temperature stays in the double digits. On those days, Washingtonians feel the need to do something—anything—outside to take advantage of these bits of good fortune. I hate to jog, I burn too easily to sit by the pool, and I have no dog to walk. So what do I do? I eat. And I love it. I like brunching with my sunglasses on, water glass sweating profusely, swatting mosquitoes through my meal. Unfortunately, D.C. doesn’t have a ton of options for outdoor dining. Yes, there are many places that throw a few tables on the sidewalk, but I like restaurants that have put some thought in to their al fresco options. Hope is not lost though; there are a growing number of restaurants with us sun seekers in mind.

Now I’m a gal who loves a good roof deck, not only because there’s more sun and fun three stories up, but I also like the option to toss my food over the side when it fails to impress. Sadly, I have found that when a restaurant has good food they never have roof decks. Or if there’s a roof deck, the food is a few steps down from a Lunchable. But since there is an exception to every rule, Perry’s in Adams Morgan comes through with some nice food and a pretty wonderful roof deck. You can snack on sushi and tapas as you giggle at the drunken fake I.D. crowd stumbling up and down 18th St.

Since we can’t subsist on roof decks alone, fortunately there are significantly more restaurants in our fine city with nice patios. Probably my favorite in town is the one at Leopold’s Kafe in Georgetown. Set back off M St. in the quaint and quiet Cady’s Alley, you can sit by a fountain and sip your (very strong) coffee and have some nice Austrian fare. It’s oh so European that you almost expect your change to come back in Euros. Another great urban oasis patio is the one at Poste. Nestled in the middle of the Hotel Monaco in Chinatown, you would never know you were right next to the Verizon Center if not for the occasional face-painted Caps fan wandering through. Their new “Poste Roast” dinners—family style meals of an entire roasted pig, goat, squab, or lamb among other delicious creatures—serve to remind me that the dinner parties I put together for my friends are pretty lackluster. The patio at Brasserie Beck deserves a mention since their food and beer is great sustenance for a long and leisurely evening spent with friends. But be forewarned that there isn’t much to look at while sitting outside, save for the occasional Circulator bus every 12-14 minutes. Continues after the jump (more…)

DSCN1406, originally uploaded by Prince of Petworth.

Continuing with our good news trend for Monday morning – I’ve received confirmation from Chris Donatelli of Donatelli Development that the deal has been signed for the folks behind Marvin and Gibson (on 14th St. just north of U) to come to Petworth on Georgia Ave. They will be coming to the space that formerly housed the historic Billy Simpson’s House of Seafood. We first learned about this possibility back in February but given the way the economy has been going I’m super psyched that this deal has been finalized. I think it says a lot about the future of Georgia Ave.

So more about the spot – Construction should begin immediately and the spot to be named later hopes to open in 6 months. The eventual name and theme of the space will pay homage to Billy Simpson’s and its historic significance. There will be outdoor seating by way of a patio in the rear according to Donatelli. This is a joint venture between Donatelli and Mosiac Urban Partners.