IMG_0180, originally uploaded by Prince of Petworth.

“Dear PoP,

I heard about this business in the U Street Corridor ( The Good Racquet – Tennis Lessons and Racquet Stringing) and I was wondering if anyone has used it and has any comments!”

I checked out their location on W Street but it seems to be a residence. Any tennis players out there use this service or take some lessons? Well, if you bust a string this seems like a good option for the future.

IMG_0132, originally uploaded by Prince of Petworth.

Your caption in the comments, winner announced Friday. New PoP t-shirts have been ordered and will be received in 2 weeks!

IMG_0146, originally uploaded by Prince of Petworth.

This is an interesting development as it seems they’ve bricked the top part. I wonder if the whole building will eventually be bricked. I was kinda digging the light color but will be interested to see how this one turns out.

IMG_0179, originally uploaded by Prince of Petworth.

Someone referred to this gentleman in a previous comment thread. He plays the bongos in a balcony in the Park Place building above the Petworth metro. While I’m glad I don’t live directly next door to him, I think he’s pretty awesome.

IMG_0159, originally uploaded by Prince of Petworth.

Especially Mojitos in the morning because you’re pretty well hidden…

IMG_0171, originally uploaded by Prince of Petworth.

What can I say, I’m a sucker for bay windows. (Located near 16th and U) I’m still not sure how I feel about gas lit lamps. I think I like ‘em:

I spoke with the owners who also run the wine and convenience store next door. I asked if they were closed just for winter but they are unsure at the moment if the Yogurt section will reopen. They said that there was a problem with their HVAC. In order to reopen it will depend on how much space the new HVAC unit takes up. In the meantime you can still check out the nearby Caliyogurt at 2473 18th Street, NW.

Do folks eat frozen yogurt in the colder months?

A reader thought you guys would enjoy this article from Slate titled, Stop Means Stop, How do we get bikers to obey traffic laws? One part of the article cites DC Code:

The D.C. Code recognizes the special status of bikes. Bikes shall follow all traffic laws, the code says, except for rules that “can have no reasonable application to a bicycle operator.” Presumably, this refers to laws governing highways, some sidewalks, and other non-bicycle-friendly turf. It doesn’t apply to the stop-sign scenario, even though some bicycle advocates argue that stop signs “have no reasonable application to a bicycle operator.”

Given all the discussions we’ve had on this issue and all the accidents we’ve heard about, it seems erring on the side of safety and following the rules of the road is probably the wisest action.

Biznik business networking group meets at Liberty Bar in Seattle., originally uploaded by biznik.

“Dear PoP,

Are you aware of any neighborhood (CH & Petworth) networking groups for people who work at home in the area? I am an international lobbyist with an office in Seattle but when I am in DC, I work from home. I have been thinking that it would be great to have an opportunity to network and socialize periodically with others like me – since we don’t have the benefits of working at an office downtown. What do you think?”

I know Wayan Vota had a group meet at Domku (800 block of Upshur) a few weeks ago but I’m not sure if there were any follow up meetings. Are other folks interested in something like this? If you’d like to chose a location and date/time, I’d be happy to do a follow up post announcing it to others.

Back in early October we learned that these billboards were supposed to be removed by Oct. 6th. Clearly that didn’t happen. A reader explains why:

“Email to the community, October 19, 2009, from DCRA Director, Linda Argo.

“Last week, the District Government tried to negotiate with Clear Channel for voluntary removal of the billboards. When the parties failed to reach an agreement by Friday, the District Government informed Clear Channel that removal of the billboards by the government was imminent. In response, Clear Channel filed a lawsuit against the District this morning in D.C. Superior Court, seeking a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) to stop the District from removing the billboards. The billboards will remain in place at least until the hearing on the motion for a TRO, which has been set for Wednesday afternoon.”

According to the D.C. Superior Court website, the case number is “2009 CA 007776 B CLEAR CHANNEL OUTDOOR, INC Vs. THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA” and is scheduled to be heard at 3:30 PM, Wednesday, October 21st, 2009″

http://dcbaca.wordpress.com/2009/10/19/billboard-update-clear-channel-files-lawsuit-seeks-temporary-restraining-order-to-appear-in-court/

If the DC Code states, “DC Code that stipulates that billboards must not be located within 200 feet of another billboard and within 200 feet of a residential neighborhood.” then what could Clear Channel be arguing?

“Dear PoP,

just wondering if you had heard anything about why there were a bunch of news trucks at the corner of 13th and clifton this morning….?”

I wonder if was related to:

“There seemed to be an extroardinary amount of police, firetrucks and ambulances in our area last night (on 11th between Park and Spring) and my roomate (on her way home) saw a man pull a gun on 14th and Monroe. Was it something in the air last night?”

I didn’t see anything in the police reports regarding those two locations. Any readers know what’s up at either of those spots?

This beautiful shot is from Jess J and titled, “U Street, night”. Great shot.

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

This home is located at 1426 S Street, NW:

View Larger Map

The flier says:

“Delightful 1880′s TH. Gorgeous garden, patio + 2 car parking in huge 20′X72′ fenced back yard. Many period details intact – high ceilings, old wood floors, curved walls. Updated w/ hi-eff. heating, hi-eff. HWH, heavy-up electric capacity, some replcmnt windows. Basic update in kit. & baths.”

More info and photos found here.

I really like this section of S Street. What do you think of the house itself? How important is a big back yard to you? Does $821,500 sound reasonable for this 3 bed/2 bath?

When a reader inquired about Thai X-ing last week folks were mentioning other good Thai places that they liked. I noticed Paragon Thai was located at 3507 Connecticut Ave, NW in the strip with the new Weygandt Wines. I know this spot used to be a restaurant previously but I forget the name. Anyone know if Paragon Thai is a new spot? Is it any good?

Paris sidewalk, originally uploaded by wineaux.

“Dear PoP,

I leave for work at a pretty ungodly hour every day, so I’m not sure if many people see the things that I do. I see property management companies hosing down sidewalks the size of entire city blocks everyday. Considering the threat of low fresh water supplies nationally and globally, I was wondering what people think about legislation to prevent wasting water like this? Two specific examples are the Highland Park Apartments and the Small Business Administration in SW.”

A reader asked a similar question last April though somehow the discussion got diverted to the issue of spitting.

As you can see in the photo above, from Paris, folks clean sidewalks with water all over the world. Why is it such a common practice? If they use recycled water then is it ok? Does anyone know if recycled water is used for this purpose in DC?  Would you support legislation to block the practice in DC?