Ed. Note: Happier Chinatown news about Sunday’s fantastic parade (pictured above) coming at 11am.

“Dear PoP,

I was around chinatown on Sat night and saw a large (30-40 people) group of teenagers on both sides of 9th st yelling and screaming at each other. A few minutes later after I parked my car and was walking back down on 9th I saw one group of the teens walking to another teen and starting beating him up. The teen was able to escape, though. There were police all over the place. Do you know what happened?”

This is the first I’m hearing, any readers happen to see what happened?

As always, on a scuttlebutt post it is not confirmed but I believe this news has a high likelihood to be accurate. In other words I didn’t just hear this from a random lady at the grocery store… One more caveat is that I’m not exactly sure that this is the correct building. It could be another one from the 1200 block of H Street, NE. So here’s exactly what I heard – the owner of the bar Wisdom (which incidentally we just checked out a couple of weeks ago) has purchased a property next to Granville Moore’s located at 1238 H Street, NE. I hear that he is going to lease out the lower level to Granville Moore’s and the top level will host a bar, presumably similar to the style of Wisdom.

Again I’m not sure if this means The Martini Lounge will no longer exist or if it is a different building. I promise to update with more info as it becomes available. But this is the fun of running a blog – I can share with you interesting rumors as I hear them. I do believe this rumor will turn out to be true but like all scuttlebutt you have to take it with a grain of salt.

Capital City Diner will open Tuesday at 1050 Bladensburg Road, NE. This is the place they brought down from upstate NY. There was a soft opening this weekend and I think I’m still full from Friday night. Of course I did have the “Super Happy Fat Boy Breakfast”. And it lived up to the name, I was super happy and most definitely fat:

You can check out the menu from City Paper’s posting last week.

This is a great little spot. And it is indeed small. It probably can fit 20 at the counter and there were maybe 6 or 8 booths. The staff was super friendly and you really feel like you’re back in the 50s with the old school decor.

It’s a little bit of a walk from the H St, NE bustle but definitely worth a trip for an authentic diner experience. I only wish they opened a bit closer to where I live…

This odd mural is located on the side of the Steak ‘n Egg Kitchen located on Wisconsin Ave just north of Tenleytown. What’s even more bizarre is that it is located right next to a big Obama mural?

The “I don’t speak English” seems to be a part of the original work and not just graffiti. Or do you think it is graffiti? What am I missing here? This is bizarre, right?

I don’t think I’d ever seen a fountain freeze over like this before.

Well, these are a pretty odd combination of animals but it’s cool I guess…

This one is on Connecticut Ave between Van Ness and Cleveland Park.

Well, you guys are in store for some ridiculous houses this week. On Saturday I set a personal one day walking record for myself getting completely lost and covering 18 miles. I actually hurt my knee from walking. Who knew you could hurt yourself walking? I think I’ve hit a new low… But back to the point, fortunately I found some of the most ridiculously awesome houses around town. This one is from the edge of the Forrest Hills neighborhood not far from Broad Branch Road, NW.

What do you think of this style?

Puro Cafe has opened up at 1529 Wisconsin Ave, NW. It’s got a bit of a modern look:

Their Web site is a bit slow but if you wait it out you can see their menus here.

Park Place

From emails:

A one-time screening of Marching Band,
a documentary film capturing the spirit of the 2008 election

and a post-screening reception featuring service opportunities
for you to make change in your own neighborhood.

Saturday, February 20, 2010
6:00pm – 8:30pm

The Lincoln Theatre
1215 U St NW
Across from U St metro

THIS IS A TICKETED EVENT. SEATS ARE LIMITED.

Advance complimentary tickets (yes, FREE!).

Reserve your ticket at www.ChangeTheNextDay.org

Continues after the jump. (more…)

This looks like they’ve about doubled the size of the original house. How do you think it looks – thumbs up or down?

This apartment is located at 919 E St NW:

View Larger Map

The Craigslist ad says:

“Great 1 bed room luxury apartment on the 8th Floor, the condo is 725 square ft.Features of the Condo — UTILITIES ARE INCLUDED IN THE MONTHLY RENT- Stove, Fridge, Dishwasher, Washer, All Existing Light Fixtures included, Dryer, All Window Coverings- Premium Building Location- Security available 24 hours a day- Birch floors (hardwood)- 1 parking space included (additional space available)Lease Details:- Must sign contract for 6 months or longer- Only $200 deposit and first months rent to move in- Animals allowed. Please email Amanda P to arrange a walkthrough of the condo”

Does $740 sound reasonable for this 1 bedroom? It almost sounds to good to be true, right?

This one at 300 Mass Ave., NW for $1828 seems more realistic…

Photo from PoPville flickr user binklesworth

“Dear PoP,

My partner and I purchased a house in Columbia Heights this past summer. In the past we have both prepared our taxes ourselves; however, this year we’ll be leaving it to a professional. We don’t mind paying a premium for a job well done, but we also don’t want to waste money on someone who just walks us through an online program.
I’m a bit hesitant to use a national chain, such as H&R Block, due to a number of anecdotal stories of bad experiences–although I’m sure there are just as many good experiences. It would nice to find someone local in the community to give our business.

Our situation is a bit unique, but nothing off the books: we were not married in 2009, so each will be filing as single; we purchased a house jointly in July 2009; one of us lives in the house, but the other lives abroad (Foreign Service, so his permanent residence is still technically DC); we rent a room in the house, so we have rental
income; we also have various unreimbursed business-related expenses and medical expenses that may be deductible; otherwise, there’s nothing that seems too complicated.

Our questions lie mostly with splitting up the rental income, home purchase closing-related points/costs, mortgage interest, and the homebuyers credit; and secondly how the rental effects our home purchase and maintenance-related credits/deductions. Income-wise, one or both of us may be borderline on tax brackets, so we also want to
calculate if/how additional 2009 IRA contributions could lower our taxes.”

I hope there are great non H & R Block recommendations. I’m looking for someone as well!

A bit of a random mix today. Above’s random sign was taken by AWard Tour. And the great shot below from hohandy (Everywhere I Go Every Smile I See) had a good title, “Not Clear on the Concept of Flying South For the Winter”.

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