Have you guys seen this? You can see the map here. It is awesome! From Casey Tree’s Web site:

“In April 2009, Casey Trees launched the Casey Trees Map, an interactive online tool to help users determine the existing Urban Tree Canopy (UTC) and planting opportunities for any address in the District and identify every tree Casey Trees has planted since 2003.

Just today in a soft launch we rolled out an enhanced version of Casey Trees Map featuring our new Trees of Note program and Add-A-Tree feature.

Trees of Note is a program that connects people to trees in the District deemed special because of their size, history and/or personal significance. Anyone can nominate or locate trees in three distinguished categories – Big Trees, Witness Trees and My Tree.”

This cool shot was taking by annejuliet. I love riding the yellow line when it goes over the bridge…

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

This condo is located at 1418 W Street, NW:

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The flier says:

“East facing unit. SQFT per Tax Record. Large, open Living & Dining rooms w/ space for home office. Gourmet kitchen with dark granite counters. Spacious Bedroom, W/ D in unit, hardwoods + plush carpet. 3 blocks – U St METRO. RENTAL PKG AVAIL. Seller reserves right to accept/reject all offers.”

More info found here and a virtual tour found here.

I have a serious question – what is considered the best direction to have for a condo? East? West? So I think this is a good looking condo but the major detraction, to me, is that it sits right next to a gas station. How much discount (if any) do you think there should be for being directly next to a gas station? Does $399,555 sound reasonable for this 1 bed/1 bath?

Photo by PoPville Flickr user mediaslave

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. Anything good happen this week?

Are you excited about or dreading the snow? Mark me down in the excited camp!

In real life, hipchickindc is licensed as a real estate broker in the District of Columbia and Virginia, and as a real estate salesperson in Maryland. Unless specifically noted, neither she nor the company that she is affiliated with represented any of the parties or were directly involved in the transaction reported below. Unless otherwise noted, the source of information is Metropolitan Regional Information Systems (MRIS), which is the local multiple listing system. Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

Featured Property: 613 Upshur St NW

Original List Price: $549,000.

List Price at Contract: $549,000.

List Date: 10/23/2009

Days on Market: 4

Settled Sales Price: $549,000.

Settlement Date: 11/30/2009

Seller Subsidy: $0.

Bank Owned?: No. Tax records indicate that it was sold by an investor (non-owner occupant).

Type Of Financing: Conventional with $137,250. down payment

Original GDoN Post is: here.

Recent Listing is: here. Virtual tour is here.

Full price sale. $549,000. Under contract in four days…Fantastic.

This one drew a lot of comments for a Good Deal or Not (GDoN) post. Most readers seemed to like the renovation, although some pondered when we shall see an end to the granite/stainless trend of the 2000s. Located on Upshur, just a few blocks from Metro, Domku, and the organic market, this nicely done rehab featured the unusual amenity of a loft in the owners’ suite.

The recent sellers were investors out of McLean, VA and acquired the property for $181,000. in July 2009. I did not find a prior listing or any foreclosure records for the property, so my guess is that it was a direct buy from an estate. Someone mentioned that investors paying cash for the lower priced homes is frustrating for home buyers attempting to purchase for themselves. As an agent, I agree that it can be tough on owner occupant buyers, however, in my opinion, tougher lending standards for investors have led to a better quality of renovations. The lower prices have brought back the investors and subsequently areas like Petworth are seeing a surge in stunning rehabs. This is great for Petworth homeowners, as the values and desirability of the neighborhood are strong. Given that available inventory has dwindled over the past six months or so, prospective buyers are, in some cases, surprised to find themselves competing in what they expected to be a Buyers market.

Photo by PoPville flickr user stuzehner

“Dear PoP,

The end of the year is nearing, and I’m wondering if your readers know of any good New Year’s Eve celebrations that won’t break the bank. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to spend $100 for an evening full of flat champagne and a bunch of drunk college kids. Any help/suggestions?”

I was going through my inbox to see what New Year’s emails I received when I saw this huge list put together by Washingtonian magazine. It is super comprehensive.

But since it’s that time of year I thought I’d include this as a Friday Question of the Day. First, what do you recommend is the best way to spend New Year’s Eve in DC? And second, possibly a bit more fun, what is your fondest New Year’s celebration memory in or out of DC?

Council Member Jim Graham sends an update of Ward 1 parks in an email:

“After the D.C. Council’s vote on Tuesday, December 14, to rescind $83 million in Parks and Recreation Contracts many of you called and wrote to me asking what that meant for Justice Park, Park View and LeDroit Park.

I am happy to report that these parks construction projects are already “back on track.” The Deputy Mayor for Economic Development has assured me that the $750K Justice Park project and the $1.2 million Park View project will be overseen by Allen Lew − Executive Director of the Office of Public Education Facilities Modernization − and will move forward. This is excellent news given the great speed and success with which Mr. Lew has handled school renovations and constructions.

The final project, the LeDroit Park (former Gage school transformation) will remain in the Deputy Mayor’s portfolio and the contract for the reconstruction will be re-bid and move forward.”

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I received emails from a number of readers about a shooting near the Petworth metro. One reader writes:

“Just had a shooting (around 9:30pm Thurs. night) at 9th and Quincy. 4 shots small cal. handgun. MPD was on it in under 60 seconds (watched two roll up) searching. cars running out of 9th st.”

Another reader also wrote about a very quick MPD response. More info as it becomes available.

Congrats to RG with:

“Who stole my boat!!!!”

Runner up is Matt T with:

“Alright, first step’s done. Nice job boys. Next step, move the house.”

Now this is the proper spirit.

I debated whether or not to share this. It is just so violent I couldn’t believe what I was looking at. I can’t believe someone thought this was a good idea.

Well it’s not exactly a door or even a gate for that matter but I thought it was pretty unusual. It’s on Shepherd Street up in Petworth. I like how it was built above the big rock…

I was originally gonna make this a GDoN but there were no pictures of the inside. It is pretty sweet though. I dig the brick work up top. For the curious it’s going for $699,900 at 939 R Street, NW.

From Emails:

Winter Bocce Ball!

“Due to the success of our Fall League, DC Bocce is excited to announce the opening of a Winter Season!  The Winter Season will take place indoors at both the American Legion and Pour House on Capitol Hill starting in early 2010.  As with our Fall season, games will be played Wednesday nights on framed courts with artificial turf.  We’ll be using lighter weight bocce balls so no harm will come to the premises or the players next to you.  Since we’ll be playing inside, we’ll never have daylight or weather issues.  And you can play and drink at the same time without fear of the park police!

Registration will open on Monday, December 21st, at 10:00am on our website, www.dcbocce.com.  Teams must have a minimum of 4 players and a maximum of 6.  Playing start times will run from 6:30 through 8:45pm.  If you register by New Year’s Day you’ll pay $35 per person, after that the fee will go up to $40.  The captain’s meeting will be held at the Legion on Wednesday, January 13th, and the first week of play will follow on Wednesday, January 20th.  There will be five weeks or regular season play followed by three weeks of playoffs.  The season will end with a party at the Pour House on March 10th.”

and Skee-ball

“Skee-ball games will be held at H Street Country Club every Sunday and Tuesday night for eight weeks. Once a week, each team will play two games to determine final rankings. The season will culminate with a one-day playoff and championship challenge.

Registration for season two at H Street Country Club is officially open. Players can start a team or join individually and find a team at www.unitedskeeball.com/leagues/h-st-country-club. The deadline to sign up for season two is January 10, 2010.

H Street Country Club opens daily from 5:00 p.m. – 2:00 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 5:00 p.m. – 3:00 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. The restaurant is located at 1335 H Street NE, Washington D.C.”

From an Email:

“Ben’s Next Door is featuring Macallan Single Malt flights which include the award winning 18yr, 12yr, 15yr and 21yr Fine Oak for $25 tonight- Thursday from 6pm to 9pm.”

Sounds like a good way to warm up on a cold night. Did anyone go to the one on Dec. 3rd?

Ben’s Next Door is located at 1211 U Street, NW.