Looks like I can now confirm that Z Pizza will be coming to H St, NW and from the looks of it they should be opening up at 8th and H St, NW in the next couple of weeks. This is the former to a Blimpie that we checked out back in August. You can learn more about ZPizza here.

It’s not a pop up because it’s new construction but here’s what it used to look like:

Think it’ll fit in with the block?

If you have any fun or interesting animal/pet photos or news please shoot me an email to princeofpetworth(at)gmail(dot)com with ‘Animal Fix’ in the title or upload to the PoPville flickr pool.

The sender writes, “Dog park?”. Awesome.

Photo by PoPville flickr user Mr. T in DC

And another found dog:

“Lost puppy!! Found running across the street at 16th/Harvard/Mt. Pleasant intersection around 6:15 pm. I have her at my house now in Mt. P.”

If anyone recognizes the dog please email me and I’ll connect you with the reader.

This rental is located at 29 Q St, NW:

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The listing says:

“New Renovation MUST SEE

Brand New 1 Bedroom basement apartment available in Shaw/Bloomingdale 10/1

whats included: Open floor plan, kitchen with high-end granite and stainless finishes. Stylish and well-sized bathroom with slate tile and modern fixtures.
Also included: Wood floors. ADT alarm system [included in rent]. Pre-wired for cable and internet [included in rent]. Full in-unit Washer/Dryer. Central/Heat & Air [separate system].
A Large bedroom that also gets natural light. Elfa Closet system already installed too.”

Does $1550/month + electric sound reasonable?

“Dear PoP,

Folks may or may not know that the La Casa Shelter on Irving between 14th and 16th is slated to close October 15th pending a zoning hearing. The Highland Park Apartment owners own the property (I believe) and want to build 69 more Luxury (unaffordable) units there.

The zoning hearing is Thursday, September 30th at One Judiciary Square 441 4th suite 220-S at 630pm

While the shelter is not the greatest, during the winter, they double the number of people they take in and it is one of the only shelters left in NW.

I wanted to ask if folk would come to the hearing and request that the shelter remain open at least through the winter so that people have a warm place to go and that the city can plan better for where they will go after the closing.

In addition, DC has an inclusionary zoning law which is supposed to require any new development to setaside a certain number of units as affordable. We should make sure that this law is enforced for these new units.”

We recently spoke about this building in the beginning of Sept. but The 42 blog posted a big update on this yesterday. He writes:

“The developers have a zoning hearing on September 30 in order to propose several changes. They want to increase the number of apartment units from 69 to 143. They want to increase the roof line from 86 to 90 feet (plus 9 foot penthouse level above). And finally, they want to eliminate the parking garage and alter the façade from what you see in the rendering to an aesthetic that more closely matches the existing Highland Park.”

Lots more info and an original rendering here.

Ed. Note: Highland Park is a PoP advertiser.

Photo ‘Heart on her sleeve’ by PoPville flickr user Paul Sharratt

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

Photo by PoPville flickr user melissa.suzanne

I’m not affiliated but I hear that Crossfit has a seriously hardcore work out. I know it’s not martial arts but I do hear it is very hard core. District CrossFit is located at 624 New York Ave. NW. There is also a crossfit location at 1469 Church St, NW in Logan Circle.

However, if you want to learn about Mixed Martial Arts programs, you can find lots of information here.

This condo is located at 1830 11th St, NW:

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The flier says:

“REDUCED 30K! SPECTACULAR PENTHOUSE, SUNFILLED & AIRY W/ 10+’ CEILINGS & 3 EXPOSURES, GORGEOUS HWF THRUOUT, AMAZING ROOF DECK W/ MONUMENT VIEWS, HOT TUB & GRILL! QUALITY KITCHEN & BATHS, SUB ZERO, JENNAIR, BOSCH. WIRED FOR SOUND, ELECTRONICS & HDTV CONVEY! DEN TOO! DEEDED PARKING, STEPS TO METRO & RESTAURANTS YET TOTALLY QUIET & PRIVATE! SQ FT PER BLDR SPECS.”

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

What do you think of the condo itself? Does the 30K price reduction make the current asking price of $869,500 ($304.46 condo fee) more realistic?

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DCfireems reports on twitter:

“Update – 13th & U St NW – MVC rollover – serious inj – 11th & U St NW – EMS eval 2 w GSW”

“Update – 11th & U S( NW – MVC – poss involves a shooting victim – EMS eval multiple inj”

Brian Weaver reports on twitter Weaverwardone:

“Drive by shooting and flipped car at 11th and U….really bad.”

“8 to 10 first burst. 2 to 3 shots second shooting.”

“Shooting happened near funeral of Ashley McRea. Resent murder victim, sister of Joseph McRea.”

More updates as info becomes available.

UPDATE 1:08pm – @DDOTDC says:

“U street NW is closed from 14th Street to 9th Street. Use alternate routes.”

UPDATE 1:14pm – NBC Washington reports:

“One person was killed and two were injured in the incident in the area of 13th and U streets Tuesday, News4′s Pat Collins reported.

Two people reportedly were taken to Howard University Hospital. Their conditions are unknown.”

“Dear PoP,

I don’t know that this necessarily qualifies as one of your Helen of Troy but it definitely surprised me when I saw it. The attached pictures are of a wooden sculpture directly across from Sixth and I Synagogue (on I Street) in a parking lot. These were taken yesterday, but I have no idea if it is still there or how long it will be there for or even why it was there. Figured it might interest you though.”

Nice, this is one of the few I (think) I know the answer to. The tip is the last line in the description below – Sukkah City.

It seems to be an artistic interpretation of a sukkah. From Wikipedia:

“A sukkah (Hebrew: סוכה‎, plural, סוכות, sukkot; sukkoth, often translated as “booth”) is a temporary hut constructed for use during the week-long Jewish festival of Sukkot. It is topped with branches and often well decorated with autumnal, harvest or Judaic themes. The Book of Vayyiqra (Leviticus) describes it as a symbolic wilderness shelter, commemorating the time God provided for the Israelites in the wilderness they inhabited after they were freed from slavery in Egypt.[1] It is common for Jews to eat, sleep and otherwise spend time in the sukkah. In Judaism, Sukkot is considered a joyous occasion and is referred to in Hebrew as Yom Simchateinu (the day of our rejoicing) or Z’man Simchateinu (the time of our rejoicing), but the sukkah itself symbolizes the frailty and transience of life and its dependence on God.”

Rosa Mexicano is located at 575 7th St, NW. I walk by this spot all the time and no matter what time of day the place seems to be buzzing. So how’s the food? Any must order items? You can see their menus here.

“Dear PoP,

I went to Community Forklift in Hyattsville this weekend – its pretty awesome and I’m sure that fellow PoP readers would enjoy.

It is heaven for a those renovating a house on a strict budget. Cheap wood floors, doors, windows, appliances, tile…

they also have a very reasonable antique section. I got a trunk for $100 and a door that will soon be a headboard for $20.”

When we have spoken about renovation projects in the past, many readers bring up this great spot. I’m long overdue in giving them a separate post. Their Web site says:

“Community Forklift aims to:

* Lift up communities by making repairs and renovation more affordable for everyone in the community – homeowners, small businesses, charitable groups, etc.
* Reduce construction industry waste, keep reusable materials out of the landfill, and reduce the mining and harvesting of dwindling natural resources.
* Promote environmentally-friendly building materials and methods
* Develop career opportunities for nearby residents.”

You can find directions here.

We just spoke about how great the trail looks back in mid-Sept. A reader writes:

“There’s been a rash of assaults on the newly-opened Met Branch [bike] Trail. I’ve enclosed one message below. [From the Brookland listserv]:

This evening at about 7:50 I was heading South on my bike, going from Brookland to Capitol Hill to visit a friend. I was approaching the section just North of Rhode Island Ave. where there’s a parking lot and shopping plaza. About four black youths (junior-high age) were at the bench along the trail, when one of them (the smallest kid, no more than 4 feet tall) came out with a large plastic drink cup and doused liquid at me, hitting my chest. It was not water. It was bodily fluids. I stopped and got off my bike, and tried to catch the perpetrator but they all dispersed (laughing), and I realized it was futile, so I got back on the bike and continued. I made it to my friend’s house, promptly took a shower and threw away the clothes I had on, and then called 911 to report the crime. The dispatcher said that since I was no longer at the scene, they couldn’t file a report, but that they would send an officer to check out the area.”

And another:

“I was riding my bike home from work on the Metro Branch Trail about 3:45 pm this afternoon (Saturday) when a female member of a group of 6 young teenagers stood up from a bench and pushed me off my bike as I rode by. I slammed into the fence along the trail. She then proceeded to sit back down on the bench as I struggled with my bike. They did not attempt to take anything from me. This happened a few hundred feet from the entrance onto the trail at 8th and Edgewood, right by DC Prep. I rode my bike(which was all bent out of alignment) to the trail head and called police. The police responded quickly and were very helpful, but the kids were gone.

I am bruised and shaken, but basically okay.”

Photo from twitter user soupgirl

“Dear PoP,

I was running at about 7:00AM and saw at least half a dozen fire and emergency vehicles at the Safeway at 17th and Corcoran. Any idea what happened there?”

Twitter user @soupgirl sent word that she saw four fire trucks respond to the scene at 7am. No smoke or fire was visible though soupgirl writes that she “Saw one fireman on the roof of Safeway coming down the ladder. They had hooked the hoses up to a hydrant though”. Strangely I haven’t seen any reports from @fireems. I called the store for confirmation and they said that they “can’t go into details but the store is now open.”

Thanks again to soupgirl for sending the info. I can be followed on twitter @PoPville here.

The Columbia Room is located in the back of the Passenger located at 1021 7th St. NW. Thanks to a reader for sending. GQ lists them as number 18:

“Derek Brown honed his craft in Japan, home of the world’s most precise bartenders. Using a cleaver, he breaks down large chunks of ice and stores the cubes in a basket, where they melt as slowly as glaciers. Ask him nicely and he might carve one into a diamond. The private, narrow space is open just three nights a week. Your reward for getting in: the best martini in America. The process entails gin stored in a medical freezer, a crystal glass, and a thermometer (thirty-one degrees is optimal). It’s an expensive privilege to drink here. But just like in Tokyo, the receipt is prettier than a college diploma.”

The best martini in America? Nice. Congrats.