I know this is possibly a fire hazard but I’m really digging the siding on this one from Capitol Hill.

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From MPD:

“Around 1:30 am this morning (Sunday) an adult male was shot in the lower leg in the 1300 block of 7th NW. He was treated and released from the hospital.”

Last week we learned of an ATM Robbery Suspect. I’m happy to share this news from MPD:

“The Metropolitan Police Department is investigating a series of armed robberies of citizens that occurred at ATMs in the First and Second Police Districts. To date, there have been at least 10 similar robberies that may be related. During this investigation detectives identified a suspect in one of the offenses and on May 18, 2010 an arrest warrant was obtained for 44 year old John Fenley Woodland, for the Armed Robbery that occurred on May 5, 2010 in the 600 block of Massachusetts Avenue, NW.

At approximately, 8:20 p.m. on Wednesday, May 19, 2010 agents of the United States Secret Service were in the 800 block of 17th Street, NW, when they observed a subject committing an armed robbery of a citizen at an ATM. The agents interrupted the robbery and arrested the assailant, who was identified as John Fenley Woodland. Members of the Metropolitan Police Department responded to the scene and immediately recognized the arrested suspect as John Fenley Woodland. Mr. Woodland was charged with two counts of Armed Robbery, as well as an outstanding bench warrant. Detectives are continuing to investigate Woodland’s connection to the other similar offenses.”

“Dear PoP,

I wanted to let you know that a local Petworth based author and my dear friend is going to have a book signing today in Petworth. She is an amazing Petworth woman who is worth noting. She is a female, African American Washingtonian author. She wrote the book based on her experiences traveling around the world when she was a child. Her father was a Foreign Service Officer and last Post Deputy Chief of Mission, Tunis, Tunisia.

LADYBUG by Melanie Marshall

BOOK SIGNING
Saturday 22 May at 5:00 P.M.
Sisterspace And Books
3717 Georgia Avenue NW (by Petworth Metro)”

Photo by PoPville flickr user caroline.angelo

This sounds awesome:

“Who: CHARTS (Columbia Heights Arts Foundation) is a budding organization serves to unite the different communities that live in Columbia Heights through the medium of art — by extending outreach to all corners of the neighborhood for constructing dialogue on the arts, cultivating talent through community-based art projects, and allowing outlets of expression that are universal in their audience.

What: Join hundreds of your friends and neighbors for an evening of fine arts presented by local artists, musicians, poets, and actors — it’s the inaugural event for the Columbia Heights Salon Series, powered by the new Columbia Heights Arts Foundation (CHARTS).

Back in the Victorian era, salons were the gathering places for people of high society to mix, mingle, and mull over topics of discussion like politics, as well as come together for the arts. CHARTS is bringing that concept to Columbia Heights once a season, beginning this January, by having four “salons” to visit (allowing roughly 30 minutes per house), where people can peruse the neighborhood and experience different thematic elements of art in a relaxed social setting — and allow them the opportunity to meet their very creative neighbors.

When: Saturday, May 22nd 6:00-10:00 pm

Powered by CHARTS (the Columbia Heights Arts Foundation), here are the four Salons, all within the same one-block radius. Feel free to join each one at your leisure:

Descriptions and locations after the jump. (more…)

Thanks to a reader for sending the word. The new place will be located at 1112 1110 H Street, NE. We talked about Jin, located at 2017 14th St, NW near Busboys & Poets, here. Not sure when the H St location will open but the reader sent in an old liquor application license which was posted in Nov. ’09:

It said:

“New restaurant featuring Asian cuisine and a summer garden with 25 seats. Request an entertainment endorsement to feature live bands, DJ, and Karaoke with no designated dance floor. Occupancy load of 99.”

Above is the new 4 Unit condo building coming to 10th Street, NW just north of V St. It took shape really quickly. So far would you say thumbs up or down?

And I think this pop up on 4th St, NW near Richardson is looking much better than I originally anticipated. At this point do you think it fits in on the block ok?

“Dear PoP,

Join us for a day filled with fun, food and friends! This annual event is in support of our nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that is dedicated to the development and maintenance of Crispus Attucks Park. This private community park is located in the heart of Bloomingdale in the alley space behind North Capital & 1st Streets and U and V Streets NW.

and this is a link to a description that includes pictures from last year’s sale and a map to the park

and this is a link to the park web page“.

We recently spoke about the park here.

This rental is located at 1430 Newton Street, NW:

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The Craigslist ad says:

“2 bedroom 2 full bath, 1,000 sq ft apartment, available June 15th with all of the best amenities located in the heart of Columbia Heights. This apartment is on a quiet side street. 2 blocks from the TARGET and the METRO (8 minute walk from door to METRO), 1 block to GIANT, and all your favorite bars and restaurants (Alero, Thaitanic II, Wonderland Ballroom, the Heights, Red Rocks, Meridian Pint). Walk to Rock Creek Park, Adams Morgan, Dupont Circle and Mt. Pleasant. Secure parking available directly across the street.

2 large bedrooms, 2 large marble full baths, kitchen, living room and dining area, custom Hunter Douglas window blinds, hardwood floors, crown molding, recess lighting, stainless steel appliances (refrig, dishwasher, stove, microwave), custom cabinets, washer/dryer, beautifully restored exposed brick walls, central A/C and heating, security suite (alarm system, video intercom system), wired for high speed Internet and Comcast cable. Utilities included: private trash pickup and heat.”

Does $2800 sound reasonable for this 2 bed/2 bath?

Photo by PoPville flickr user Madame Meow

Ugh, this is frustrating. I know it’s not bike related but perhaps DDOT could take a second to look into this…

“Dear PoP,

Have you fielded any complaints from DC drivers regarding “self-correcting” parking meters? These are meters that may initially accept coins but then display an “out of order” message, and thereafter stop registering the deposit of additional coins. Drivers are left with the choice of finding new parking spaces or calling in the meters as broken. If a driver decides to call in the meter as broken, and leave, even for 10 minutes, the driver faces the risk that the parking meter will “self-correct” during his/her absence. “Self-correcting” means that a parking meter resets itself, showing “00:00″, as if no money had ever been deposited. According to a recent Washington Examiner article, 74 percent of the City’s meters are designed to “self-correct.” Here is the rub. The City’s meter enforcement officials ticket cars at meters that have self-corrected; to them, the cars appear to have been parked at functioning meters and that their drivers have not deposited the any money.

In my particular case, I deposited 75 cents at a meter outside Whole Foods on P St., NW. The meter then displayed out of order. I called the meter in as broken, was given a confirmation number by the City, and was told I could park at the broken meter for up to two hours. Returning to my car 15 minutes later, I found a $25 ticket. I appealed the $25 fine and the City rejected it, on the grounds that the City had checked for “complaints, outages or repairs during the time period the violation occurred” and had found none. In order to appeal that decision, DC regulations required that I pay the $25 fine and a $10 appeal fee. Last night I received a letter stating my payment was an admission of guilt and the City considers the case closed. I guess the City is now $35 closer to closing its several hundred million dollar budget gap…”

Photo from PoPville flickr user DCin3MP

Mmm, Duck Prosciutto and dessert!

Submit your photos to the PoPville flickr pool here. Follow PoPville on twitter here.

Photo by PoPville flickr user caroline.angelo

Photo from PoPville flickr reader Charles

This email about this week’s Mt. Pleasant’s Farmers Market sounds delicious!

From the Market Director, Mrs. Higgins, of the Farmers’ Market:

Half from my garden, half from the farmers’ market, and some help from the Iberian Peninsula – I barely have to shop in stores anymore! Saute in Spanish olive oil: spring onions cut fine, garlic, cubed golden turnips and a potato, turnip greens, chard stems, and asparagus. Add homemade chicken stock, Portuguese sea salt, and 3 kinds of thyme: Caitlin Reid sold me lime thyme, lemon thyme, and German thyme two years ago and they’re still thriving in my front yard. You are making your own chicken stock from the whole chickens at Groff’s Content, right? Don’t throw away that carcass! Put it in the freezer and wait ’til you’ve collected a month’s worth of bones – bonus items are leek tops, onion skins, carrots and celery (I scavenge these from half-eaten school lunches on field trips). Then put it all in your biggest pot, cover with filtered water, add a splash of vinegar, boil, skim any scum from the surface, simmer for 24 hours. I let it cool then freeze it in quart containers. Okay, I have no idea where the vinegar is from. The beer was from Vermont – sorry, I forgot that step: crack a Magic Hat #9 while simmering the soup. Serve with big hunks of Atwater’s rye bread.

Tons of salad greens! Enjoy the tender perfect lettuces of spring while you can. Mike Burner of Smallwood’s has plans for sturdier and bolt resistant lettuces throughout the summer, but there’s nothing like these early months for downright juicy lettuce!

Some folks were asking me about seafood, but I haven’t yet found a small, local fisher willing to take on a whole day of market. But if you’re interested in oysters, let me know and I’ll get you in on my source for Chesapeake Bay oysters, delivered by Circle C Oyster Ranch of South Maryland to various drop points in the city. I pick up mine on Thursdays in Brookland. The season is hot right now, they are one of those super foods, and you’d be surprised how many a game 5 year old can put away. If you’re really, really interested, like right away, you should be able to place an order for Memorial Day Weekend and maybe I can help you with pickup or delivery. How many oysters can an Xtracycle carry? Jumbos, Larges, and Mediums seem to be what’s available right now, great for grilling.

Speaking of scavenging, keep your eyes out for the telltale purple sidewalk stains from the ripening berries of mulberry trees. Tiny, black berries come off the branch with a light tug, sweet and strange and free! We ate gobs of them yesterday off the tree in front of the PG Pool, the funnest pool of the summer, in Mt Pleasant’s sister city, Mt Rainier, MD. Worth the commute.

Continues after the jump. (more…)

This home is located at 3546 Rock Creek Church Road, NW:

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The flier says:

“Gorgeous renovation just steps to the METRO in HOT Columbia Heights/Park View area! 4/3/1 including a complete finished lower-level in-law suite/English bsmt for potential rental income! 2-Car Pkg! Beautiful finishes throughout, open floor plan-Great for entertaining! Exposed brick, custom built-ins, gas fireplace, covered front porch, skylights & spacious luxury master bath!”

You can find more info here and a virtual tour here.

So what do you think of the renovation? Personally I’m a huge fan of this location – sorta halfway between the Petworth metro and all the new development restaurants on 11th St in Columbia Heights. Does $580,000 sound reasonable given the basement rental income?

“Dear PoP,

I’ve always thought it would make sense for Smartbike to have stations at some farther locations in DC. I mean, isn’t the point to cut down on traffic? If so, they’re not going to do the trick by only offering bikes in such a small radius! Any way to start a community petition (on your website to get a bank of bikes in Petworth?”

You are in luck – DDOT just released a press release this morning (Bike to work day and all) announcing Bike Sharing’s expansion. I know Columbia Heights is slated to get some but I’m not sure about Petworth. If folks want Petworth to get a spot as well be sure to leave that sentiment in the comments and I’ll be sure to forward to DDOT.

Here’s the press release:

Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, Arlington County Board Chairman Jay Fisette and District Department of Transportation Director (DDOT) Gabe Klein today announced a joint effort to expand bike sharing tenfold in the Washington area. Both Arlington and the District have each signed contracts for what will become a regional bike sharing system later this year.

“We are extremely excited to lead the nation once again in bike sharing,” said Mayor Fenty. “The response to the bike sharing program has been unprecedented and we are pleased to be able to join with Arlington in our expansion efforts.”

This expanded, regional system follows the success of SmartBikeDC, launched in 2008. The new system will launch later this year with roughly 1100 bikes at 114 stations and will be largest of its kind in the U.S.

Continues after the jump including a naming contest for the new system at the bottom of press release. (more…)

Photo by PoPville flickr user Columbia Heights Climber

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 week?