This rental is located at 219 P St. NW:

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The Craigslist ad says:

“NEW BIG MASTER BEDRROM WITH 2 CLOSSETS
BIG AND SPACIOUS LOWER LEVEL APARTMENT
PLENTY OF STREETH PARKING
WASHER AND DRYER IN UNIT AND NEW APPLIANCES
TENANT RESPONSIBLE FOR ELECTRICITY
FULL SIZE BATHROOM
NEVER LIVED IN”

Do you think $1200 sounds reasonable?

“Dear PoP,

I was just hoping that you could plug the Argonaut now that it has reopened is ready for business. My wife and I live a few blocks away and have been 4-5 times since they’ve reopened as a tavern. Their upstairs (with a great view of the starburst intersection) and the patio are up, as are their booty beer and summer wheat on draft. They have a great neutella-and-homemade-peanut-butter sandwich, and their gazpacho is refreshing on these hot days.

The owners are such great people, and we’d hoped that more folks would be back to the Argo, given the huge crowds at both their fundraisers a few weeks ago. So far the place has been nearly (or completely) empty when we’ve been. The Argonaut has done so much for H Street that I feel that they could use all the help they could get.”

We talked about the fire at the Argonaut here. Argonaut is located at 1433 H Street, NE and looks like they have some great fish tacos. Get at ‘em!

Photo by PoPville flickr user Madame Meow

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Photo by PoPville flickr user Mr. T in DC

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About a month ago a reader wrote in about a shooting in Adams Morgan. Just wanted to share the news that an arrest has been made in this case. From an MPD press release:

“Metropolitan Police Department Homicide Detectives announced today an arrest has been made in the June 2010, fatal shooting of Victor Chigoziri MBA-Jonas, Jr., which occurred in the 2500 block of 17th Street, NW.

On Sunday, June 27, 2010, at 2:30 am, Third District officers responded to the 2500 block of 17th Street, NW, for the report of a shooting; upon their arrival, they located the decedent suffering from gunshot wounds. DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services transported the victim to and area hospital where he was admitted in critical condition. On Monday, July 19, 2010, at 2:25 pm, the decedent succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead.

On Tuesday, July 27, 2010, at approximately 8:30 am, members of the Homicide Branch arrested Torain Devon Adams, an 18 year-old male from Northwest, DC, and charged him with First Degree Murder while Armed in the fatal shooting of Victor Chigoziri MBA-Jonas Jr., a 20 year-old male from the 14000 block of 4th Street, Laurel, Maryland.”

This home (on left in photo above) is located at 1312 30th St, NW:

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The flier says:

“Second Empire Victorian (1868) restored in 2005 sits on a double landscaped and private lot in East Village with 2 car parking. Absolutely bathed in sunlight from large windows on the east, west and south sides of the house. Extraordinary living and entertaining space. 12′ ceilings on entry level, 11′ ceilings on upper floor, Grand entry foyer, mahogany library, renovated eat-in kitchen.”

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

I knew when I saw “Second Empire Victorian” this was gonna be good. Actually just walking by it on the street, it’s pretty jaw dropping. What do you think of the inside?

It’s yours for $5,600,000.

“Dear PoP,

Do you know anything about the diagonal crossing in Chinatown? I can see that there are diagonal crosswalks painted onto the road and there’s a sign (photo attached) that seems to urge pedestrians to cross this way. How does this work? This is one of the most chaotic intersections in town, I can’t imagine how this would work and be safe. Any insights? I’m dying to know!”

This is the famous Barnes Dance from 7th and H St, NW that was debuted in May. At the time we discussed it here. DDOT wrote in a press release:

“The District Department of Transportation is launching a new pilot program aimed at providing safer crossings for pedestrians at one of the District’s most traversed intersections: 7th and H streets, NW in Chinatown. The new traffic pattern, commonly called a “Barnes Dance,” allows pedestrians to cross in every direction, including diagonally, at the same time while vehicles on all four sides of the intersection are stopped at a red signal. The change is scheduled to be implemented on Wednesday, May 12 at 10 am.

“We are really excited to launch this pilot, and the intersection we’ve chosen is a great place to test this innovative timing technique,” said DDOT Director Gabe Klein. “Nearly 27,000 pedestrians use this intersection on an average day and about 26,000 vehicles. We believe by utilizing the Barnes Dance we can minimize conflicts and create a safer environment for everyone.”

Statistics show there were 35 total vehicle crashes at that intersection with 9 injuries (4 involving pedestrians) in 2009, and a total of 15 pedestrians injured from 2005-2008.

Rest of the release can be found here.

I finally had the chance to test it out a few weeks ago and I loved it! For those who have used it, do you find it useful?

Cafe La Ruche is located at 1039 31st Street, NW in Georgetown. Place looks super cool from the outside, I’m wondering if it’s just as good inside? They’re doing a bit of work on their Web site but you can still see some of their menus here.

Any fans?

Photo by PoPville flickr user sciascia Photo from previous protest not along Mass Ave

“Dear PoP,

I had to go to Georgetown Univ. Hospital yesterday for an appointment. Afterwards, I took the GUH shuttle from the hospital to Dupont Circle at around 11:45 a.m. The shuttle takes a rather roundabout route up Wisconsin Avenue, around Observatory Circle, and then down Massachusetts Avenue. As soon as we got to Mass Ave., I saw several anti-choice protesters with those big photo posters that they like to parade around with along the west side of the road. Unfortunately, I didn’t react quickly enough to take a picture.

Any idea why they were there? Was it a special occasion or are they always/often there? I don’t usually travel on Mass. Ave. Could they be targeting a specific embassy? A likely target — the Chinese embassy — is on Wisconsin, though. Could it have been the British embassy? If so, I wonder what happened to spark the protest.

There were probably about a dozen people, but they were spread out along the road for a couple hundred yards, not grouped together, so it didn’t look like they protesting a particular embassy. If anything they appeared to be directing their signs towards the cars that were traveling north. The Vatican’s embassy is nearby, but somehow I doubt it would be the target (more like home base).

Anyway, I was just curious and thought you or one of your readers might know.”

Perhaps they were there to protest near the Vice President’s residence by Observatory Circle? This is the first I’m hearing of a protest like this around there. There is a well known protester of the Vatican who was recently profiled in a People’s District post. Anyone know what was going on?

Danny Harris is a DC-based photographer, DJ, and collector of stories. In September, he launched People’s District, a blog that tells a people’s history of DC by sharing the stories and images of its residents. Every day, People’s District presents a different Washingtonian sharing his or her insights on everything from Go Go music to homelessness to fashion to politics. You can read his previous columns here.

“I was born on a dairy farm on the eastern shore of Maryland. I grew up working on the farm, bringing in the cows, picking corn and strawberries, riding tractors, and spending time with pigs and horses. Everything we grew and butchered kept us through the winter. I think that it was a wonderful way to grow up.

“As a kid, I would go into Washington to see the circus or go to museums. Being exposed to the city life made me really want to move to New York. While I liked growing up on a farm, I saw this big world and wanted to go someplace far away from the farming life. When I finally did go to New York, it freaked me out and I got really scared. Washington seemed like the next plausible place to go. I spent a lot of my teenage and college years at Rehoboth beach and met a lot of Washingtonians, so I knew people here. I moved to D.C. at 25 and have been here for 25 years.

“When I first moved here, I worked in the restaurant industry. I spent about ten years at Old Ebbit Grill, waiting tables in the private dining room. I was really pushy and bossy and the managers wanted me out. They used to tell me that I acted like it was my own private restaurant. People told me that I needed to either be a manager or just do my own thing. At the restaurant, I used to move furniture around and organize the rooms for events. One day, I said the next time I am going to move furniture, I want it to be for me. It was a little thought that got stuck in my head, but I didn’t think much about it.

Continues after the jump. (more…)

Chocolate City Beer Headquarters in Brookland

There’s been a bit of chatter about a new DC Microbrewery. Many have heard of DC Brau but there is a second slightly smaller Brewery that is also poised to hit DC. They are called Chocolate City Beer. I sat down for a chat with two of the three partners at Looking Glass Lounge last week.

Ben Matz (left) Jay Irizarry (right) third partner not pictured is Brian Flanagan

Ed. Note: Sorry for the cell phone pic. Many may recognize Jay Irizarry as a Manager and Bartender from Wonderland and Looking Glass Lounge. Matz and Irizarry have been friends for years and have had a passion for brewing beers for just as long. What started as just a backyard experiment has turned into a legitimate brewery after lots of planning and a bit of luck. Both couldn’t understand why DC didn’t have a micro brewery (DC last had an active brewery in approx. 1958). Not only was DC missing an active brewery but they also noted nearby Philadelphia had around 20 successful ones. So why not DC?

While it is a passion for both, Matz, 28 has professional experience and has been a brewer for Gordon Biersch and Wild Goose Brewery up in Baltimore. Matz has perfected a few recipes while experimenting at Jay’s Capitol Hill home. To start, Chocolate City Beer will be offering two varieties to about 15 different bars/restaurants around town. They will be offering an IPA and are deciding between Dussledorf Altbier or ESB for their second variety. In the beginning they will only be offering these two types in kegs but expect to expand gradually over time.

They have recently secured a HQ in Brookland (see photo above). Their HQ is about 1300 square feet and will produce around 150 kegs a month in the beginning. They hope to start distributing their kegs around late Dec. pending permit approvals. For those who share a passion for brewing and want to start their own microbrewery, in addition to expertise, start up costs can easily run up to $200,000. But they welcome the competition, believing DC will see 4 or 5 more microbreweries pop up in the coming months.

Now for the name – Chocolate City Beer. It is an homage to the District of Columbia based on DC’s nickname from back in the day. Furthermore, their first IPA is going to be called Big Chair IPA in tribute to the Big Chair in Anacostia. They almost had the HQ in Anacostia but the spaces were too large. The recipe for Big Chair IPA was developed over a two and a half year period.

I’ll be sure to update when distribution gets started for one of DC’s first new microbrews. I know I’m looking forward to tasting a Big Chair IPA.

Lots more photos of Chocolate City Beer HQ after the jump. You can see a few touch ups are needed… (more…)

I had heard rumors but had never seen the lines outside of Georgetown Cupcake’s new location on M St, NW. Insane. This is of the post Obama, Ben’s Chili Bowl scale. Thought it might make a good caption. Yours in the comments and winner picked Friday.

“Dear PoP,

Could you please let dog walkers know that urine kills plants? In this heat, when most plants are already stressed, it only takes one small dose to kill a plant dead. I know everyone on your site admires the gardens of the day, and those of us who actually do garden our front yards would really appreciate it if our efforts were respected a little more. I know I don’t technically own my front yard, but I am the one that purchases and tends the plants there. I used to do the tree boxes around my house, but I’ve given that up as hopeless. My yard may be next if I can’t figure out how to keep the paws and the pee off my plants. Many thanks!”

And this is what it looks out on:

“Cane Garden Bay, Tortola, British Virgin Islands.”

One of my new favorites. This is a finalist for the Beautiful Life (travel edition)…

This beauty is from Cleveland Park. It’s actually an amazing garden all around this is just one side.