“Dear PoP,

it looks like the gas station at 14 and w got a makeover! I don’t remember it having all those windows before. and it looks like it says gourmet on the side, too. could be a serious upgrade!”

I just stopped by earlier in the week and it does indeed appear to be a serious upgrade. They are currently working on the menu and Web site for Fast Gourmet but I’ll post when it goes live. Additionally, there are still waiting on some permits before the space itself is actually up and running. The actually gas station will remain and is still working.

This is the gas station where I once questioned their food options. I may soon have to eat those words. Literally.

Photo by PoPville flickr user D©Bloom

“Dear PoP,

So everyone has probably heard by now that one of the Tea Party bloggers has warned rally participants that the green/yellow line is too dangerous to ride. I think as a public service, we should point out to them more of the specific dangers they might face -

Dangers like:

- Shoppers coming out of Bed Bath and Beyond can bump you with their new ironing boards.
- You can get serious brain freeze from eating your FroYo too fast.
- There are peanuts available at Yes Organic market.
- You could walk into one of the many flagpoles at the Navy Memorial.

And of course the biggest danger – the US Constitution is housed in the National Archives. . .”

Though there was this fight last night…

Photo by PoPville flickr user ianseanlivingston

“Dear PoP,

Just wanted to pass along that perhaps I’m not the only one who forgot its move in weekend at some schools and Target is a disaster area. The hoards of parents carrying full size mirrors and cleaning supplies paired with the renovation for groceries has made this place a jungle. Perhaps anyone thinking of a weekend trip to Target should venture to VA or elsewhere because the lines are long and they are cleaned out and very disorganized. For example dry catfood is now upstairs next to baby supplies, not with all the other pet food/litter downstairs….”

You are officially warned!!!

I always get great pictures from this event! More on the rest of Columbia Heights Day at the 5pm Post.

This rental is located at 440 L Street NW:

View Larger Map

The Craigslist ad says:

“Stunning new two bedroom condo in CityVista. The chic kitchen sports espresso cabinets, granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. An island bar is perfect for impromptu cocktails! Hardwood floors flow from the kitchen to the spacious living room, flooded by light with floor-to-ceiling windows. The tenth floor views are incredible! The carpeted bedrooms each have huge closets and private tiled baths with gorgeous large vanities. The building features a concierge, community room, and rooftop deck & pool.”

Given all the talk about City Vista I thought it’d be cool to look inside. I’m not gonna lie, I am a bit jealous of this one. But do you think it is worth $2800 (2 bed/2bath)?

Photo by PoPville flickr user Faucetini

Even better than the Georgetown mall is the Petworth Free Store #2. From an email:

“Petworth Free Store #2
like a yard sale but everything’s FREE!
Saturday 28 August 2010
8am-11am
@intersection of Rock Creek Church rd, 4th st, Randolph st & Illinois ave, nw
email: petworthfreestore@gmail.com
facebook: Petworth Free Store
twitter: @petworthfree
post your donations & wants on Facebook and Twitter
volunteers can email, friend or tweet the times they’re available or
just stop by Saturday btw 7:30am & 11:30am.”

Photo by PoPville flickr user fromcaliw/love

“Dear PoP,

I live in Columbia Heights and have been using Comcast for internet but would like to switch. I’m really surprised that other large providers like RCN and Verizon don’t cover the area. I was wondering if you or any of your readers have had a positive experience with another internet provider in the area.”

Back in March ’08 we debated RCN, Verizon, and Comcast. I know that Columbia Heights is slated to get FIOS soon so I’d probably hold out for that. What do you guys think – hold out for FIOS or go with someone else?

Photo by PoPville flickr user jimbographer ⓓⓒ

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

Photo by PoPville flickr user slightlyworn

Back in July we first heard about the burger fumes lawsuit where a law firm, Steptoe & Johnson, is suing Rogue States located at 1300 Connecticut Ave, NW.

Thanks to a reader for sending the update from The Blog of Legal Times:

“Steptoe & Johnson is getting what they ordered in their dispute with a local burger joint.

In a hearing yesterday, D.C. Superior Court Judge John Mott granted Steptoe’s request for a preliminary injunction and ordered Rogue States, A Burger Company to come up with a way to stop emitting offensive odors within 30 days or risk facing court-ordered penalties. Mott also set Oct. 4 as the trial date in the ongoing burger dispute.”

This home is located at 1204 Hamilton St, NW:

View Larger Map

The flier says:

“Amazing floorplan w/ 3-4 bdrms up+bd & fba in fin. w/ o bsmt, MBD w/ FMBA, fin. attic. Updtd windows, hrdwd flrs, fenced backyd, shed, deck & front porch, fp. Needs kitchen+other work, but shows well. 4Blks to Rock Crk Park & Tennis! Bank-Owned. Sold AS-IS. Seller requests ETitle for closing & to hold emd. Seller=”Owner of Record.”

You can find more info here and photos here.

It’s been a while since we’ve looked at a 16th St. Heights home and this one certainly seems pretty interesting from the outside. Do you think $679,000 sounds reasonable for this 4 bed/3.5 bath?

Yola owner, Laura Smith outside 1323 Connecticut Ave, NW

Yesterday a reader sent in word about a new frozen yogurt place coming to Dupont. Well it turns out it could be even better news for some – it’s a proper yogurt and smoothie place. Owner, Laura Smith was good enough to share a few details:

“Aside form the “create your own” parfait bar with various exotic and not so exotic toppings (I’m a yogurt, granola, and strawberry person myself), we also have a wide range of smoothies and juices. We are excited to be one of the only places in DC offering superfood smoothies (which if you are new to smoothies, superfoods can be vegetables or other very healthy options like blueberries or flaxseed oil). We also have regular smoothies for the more traditional Washingtonians. We will have high end coffee and baked items and other small eats, such as oatmeal.

Our space at 1323 Connecticut Ave, NW is LARGE (at about 18,000 square feet), so we really envision Yola being a community gathering space (of course, equipped with free Wifi). Also, we are in the middle of a very extensive certification process with the Green Restaurant Association, and as I mentioned before, many of our items will be organic and locally sourced.”

They hope to open in Oct. but an exact date depends on construction being completed. Stay tuned for an opening date.

Photo by PoPville flickr user pablo.raw

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?

Rant: Tommy John surgery for Strasburg.
Rave: Tommy John surgery could save Strasburg.

Voted one of the best real estate agents in DC by the Washington City Paper Readers’ Choice Poll in 2009, hipchickindc aka the not-so-hip Suzanne Des Marais is an Associate Broker with Urban Pace. She lives (and sells a lot of houses) in Bloomingdale, but works all over DC, with everyone from first time buyers to highly regarded developers. 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: 311 Rock Creek Church Rd NW

Original List Price: $529,000.
List Price at Contract: $515,000.
List Date: 05/07/2010
Days on Market: 51
Settled Sales Price: $495,000.
Settlement Date: 07/26/2010
Seller Subsidy: $10,000.
Bank Owned?: No Short Sale? No
Type Of Financing: FHA

Original GDoN is: here.

The Listing can be seen: here. To see pics, after opening the listing link, click on the main pic and scroll through.

The comment that stood out to me most from the original Good Deal or Not (GDoN) post was this from an Anonymous commenter: “Having recently been in the market trying to find a renovated rowhouse in the Petworth area for $500k or less, I would pay $500k for that place in a heartbeat.” I understand the sentiment and I think it is reflective of how significantly our inventory of available homes for sale has gone down in the past year.

Continues after the jump. (more…)

“Dear PoP,

Apparently on Friday (I was out of town Fri–Sun but hear this from a neighbor) there was demo work being done on the building one up from the northeast corner of 11th and Monroe NW. They failed to properly seal the building and some nasty dust flew out as a result, coating the alley running perpendicular to Monroe between 13th and 11th. Enough of this got into the park at 11th and Monroe that the District Department of the Environment closed it down for testing.

It’s lead that they’ve determined is in the area. Anyone who has visited the park or lives nearby can get tested at some place around 14th and Girard. I haven’t heard back from DDOE, but apparently they’ve had lots of folks at the site during the day. Hopefully other people have better info. I got back home late tonight so most of the folks who hang out in the park (and who are now displaced onto the sidewalk) had gone home and no one was sitting on the stoop with news.

I don’t know if you know anything about the building in question (one unit up on the east side of 13th, north of Monroe), but it’s been empty/boarded up since I moved into the area in November. I’d say the rumor is that it was the cause of the contamination, but I haven’t heard that from anyone 100% in the know.”

Crazy, I saw the testing truck driving away down 11th St, NW last night. Thanks to all who sent emails about this.

A reader sends in the above photo around 9am 8:15am and notes that police are on the scene at 14th and Euclid St, NW. Though he didn’t see work crews on the scene yet. If you’re commuting downtown, might want to steer clear of this section of 14th St for the moment.

Photo by PoPville flickr user Mylar Bono

“Dear PoP,

With the NFL season upon us, I would love to see poll or ratings of bars in the area that have both the NFL package AND enough TVs to show ALL the games on Sundays.”

Back in Oct. ’09 we looked at bars that cater to specific teams. But for today’s question I’m curious where you recommend that doesn’t just cater to one team but like the reader asked – shows all the games?

Since it’s the end of summer, I also think some predictions would be fun. So how do you think the Redskins will do with a new quarterback and who do you think will win the Superbowl this year?

Congrats to DL with:

“I thought YOU were paying the mortgage!”

Runner up to mel with:

“Honestly, one minute I’m talking to you, the skies turn dark, and I end up in some strange city.”