I did a double take when I saw this sign. While it’s not too far from the 9:30 club it’s def. a bit off the beaten track. Though with Darnell’s (formerly Mocha Lounge) at nearby 944 Florida Ave, NW this spot could be picking up a bit. The alcohol application says:

“Small neighborhood gathering place with entertainment to include dancing, DJ’s and occasional
3-piece combo band. Total occupancy load is 143 with 44 seats included for Summer Garden.”

It kinda feels like it’s in a bit of an industrial area so it seems like a good spot for a small “neighborhood gathering place”. And I gotta admit, I love Summer Gardens… Stay tuned for more details as they develop.

Our last Unnecessary quotations was from the GPO. I’m delighted to present this round from the Brookville Grocery Store in Cleveland Park.  Whether or not it’s technically fresh isn’t too important…

Photo by PoPville flickr user owash

Griffin & Murphy, LLP, is a boutique law firm in Washington, D.C. concentrating its practice in real estate law (including development, finance, leasing, zoning and condominium conversions), as well as estate planning and probate, civil litigation, and business law. The attorneys of Griffin & Murphy, LLP are licensed to practice law in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia. Griffin and Murphy, LLP was founded in 1981.

Please send any legal questions relating to real estate, rentals, buildings, renovations or other legal items to princeofpetworth (at) gmail (dot) com, each week one question will be featured. Ed. Note Griffin & Murphy is a PoP advertiser. You can find previous questions featured here.

Question:

I just bought a house that has basement tenant that is month to month (no lease). We’d like to keep the tenant, and the tenant would like to stay, but he is currently paying well under market value in rent. I’d like to raise the rent to be closer to market rate, but how much am I legally allowed to raise the rent? Also, is there a timeline that I must adhere to in order to raise the rent once there has been a change in ownership (I don’t want to miss a window of opportunity). I only own the one basement apartment, so I know I’m not under rent control laws for which there is plenty of information available. However, I can’t find any information about allowable rent increases for those of us that aren’t subject to rent control. Any information you or your readers can provide is very appreciated!

Answer after the jump. (more…)

I know there are lots of fans of Rita’s Carryout at 3322 Georgia Avenue, NW. I didn’t want panic to set in for fear that they had closed for good. It’s only temporary for repairs:

I really can’t expound beyond interesting… It’s not too far from North Capitol and Florida Ave, NW.

Close up after the jump. (more…)

Someone in Columbia Heights shares my love of tropical fish…

Here’s a great example of a terraced garden up in Petworth.

But what was even cooler was talking to the owner. It turns out that his elderly neighbors are also big fans of the garden. But unlike normal people he decided to start a garden for them in front of their house. Mark one for going above and beyond:

The house on 3rd St, NW near Anna J. Cooper Circle in Ledroit Park is looking good. Last time we checked scaffolding had just gone up. I’m eager to see if this remains a single family home or is split up into condos. Either way, I’m excited to see it’s finally getting the attention it deserves.

Photo from PoPville flickr user sciascia

Of all the parades and festivities this weekend, this one is my favorite so far. It’s from Saturday’s United House of Prayer for All People Parade near Logan Circle. And here was Logan Circle itself on Saturday adorned with some flowers:

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A very disturbing note from the Bloomingdale blog:

“As of last night, (Saturday) three young men have been mugged and beaten by teens who then robbed them. These three muggings and robberies happened over the past two to three weeks. Police were called two of the three times.

Michele, the Dutch student, is now in the hospital with his jaw broken in three places and missing teeth from a mugging last night at First and T Streets NW. He has a concussion. It was nighttime. The other two muggings were on North Capitol Street in broad daylight.”

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From MPD:

“On Friday, May 28, 2010, at approximately 0219 hours, a unit from the Third District, was flagged down by a citizen at 9th and U St., NW. The citizen directed the officers to a male who was lying on the sidewalk in front of 1936 9th St., NW. The male was suffering from an apparent stab wound to the chest. DCFEMS responded and transported the victim to the Hospital, where he succumbed to his injury..

On Sunday, May 30, 2010, thanks to the hard work of the citizens, members of the Third District and our Homicide Detectives, the defendant in this case was arrested at the Homicide Branch at 2115 hours and charged with First Degree Murder while Armed pursuant to an arrest warrant for the stabbing death of the above decendant.”

A disturbing evening according to readers and @dcfireems on twitter. Above is the scene outside 6th and I Streets, NW around 11:45pm Sunday evening sent from a reader. A reader also reports from Chinatown via twitter:

“been string of robberies (cell phones snatched) around 600 blk of H St”

@dcfireems is reporting on twitter a shooting at 6th and H St, NW.

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Additionally MPD is reporting:

“Shortly before 11 pm on May 30, the Fourth District received multiple calls for the sounds of gunshots around Georgia Avenue and Shepherd Street, Decatur Street, and Delafield Place, NW. MPD units located an adult male shot in the body at the intersection of Georgia Avenue and Shepherd Street. The victim was transported to an area hospital for treatment. A crime scene was located in the 900 block of Shepherd Street, NW.

A second crime scene was located in the area around Georgia Avenue and Delafield. However, there were no victims located in reference to this scene. It is currently unknown whether the two scenes are related. Fourth District detectives are on the scene investigating the incident.”

@dcfireems are also reporting around 11:30 pm Sunday evening:

“pedestrian struck (by car) at 14th & Penn NW – 1 serious and life threatening – MPD investigating”

You can read Vaughn and Amelia’s first journey here, second journey here and third journey here.

Who knew a simple “I wonder if we could walk around the whole District of Columbia?” uttered between friends would result in this adventure?! This post marks the final quadrant of our boundary stones trek – the NW border. Our adventure started back in August, as we set off to walk the historical perimeter of DC one side at a time, locating as many of our oldest federal monuments, the boundary stones, as possible.

Because two stones are located on the grounds of the Dalecarlia Water Treatment Plant, which is not open on weekends, we took a day off work for this last trek. The day was perfect for celebration: Vaughn’s birthday, beautiful weather, and the PoP happy hour that night. Though the Army Corps of Engineers staff were very accommodating about arranging tours of the stones (thanks Sandy!), you do have to plan around their daily commitments. Unfortunately, we got lost in a neighborhood of hilly cul-de-sacs (the lack of a street sign caused much distress) and missed our window of opportunity to see those two stones.

We soon realized just how beta Google Maps walking directions are. It’s great that Chain Bridge Road has a pedestrian path, but the roads leading to and away from it – Glebe Road and Canal Road – are NOT safe for walkers. Running from one pseudo-shoulder on Glebe to the next while being passed by speeding vehicles, Vaughn twisted her ankle. We paused, she downed two Advils, and hobbled across the border into Maryland. While Glebe was dangerous, walking on Canal was impossible. Nada. No way. After much waiting around and debating whether to hitchhike or not, we found a cab to transport us past the pedestrian kill zone. We whizzed past the water treatment plant on the Dalecarlia Parkway and were deposited on Western Ave to resume our journey and locate the remaining stones.

Continues after the jump. (more…)

Photo from flickr user jdcdc

While we enjoy our bbqs and time off let’s take a moment to remember those that have made the ultimate sacrifice for us.

After the jump, press release on 2010 Memorial Day Parade Route and parking restrictions as well as Rolling Thunder Route and parking restrictions. (more…)