“Thought I would share a few pictures of some pups playing at EL Haynes.”

Photo by PoPville flickr user DC_Chica

“The great Diego v. Squirrel stand-off of 2011!”

Foster Dog Adoption after the jump. (more…)

This home is located at 13th St. NW at Spring St. NW:

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The Craigslist ad says:

“Renovated 3 BR, 1.5 BA rowhouse for rent in Columbia Heights. Hardwood floors throughout, exposed brick, back deck, all new stainless appliances, large capacity W/D.

The house is a short walk to Target shopping center, Giant, restaurants and just a few blocks from 11th St. restaurants/bars, coffee shop. Two blocks from downtown bus lines on both 14th and 11th.

Rent is $3050/month plus utilities. House will be available March 1. One-year lease required.

All three bedrooms offer ample space: Large master bedroom is 18′ x 15’8″. Second bedroom is 11’9″ x 10’7″. Unique third bedroom includes two rooms, an 8’9″ x 10’7″ room leading to a 7’2″ x 11 room. New window A/C units are provided throughout the house. There is a small, fenced-in backyard. Street parking is plentiful.

Dogs and cats welcome. No additional fee for pets.”

Does $3050 sound reasonable for this 3 bedroom row house?

Photo by PoPville flickr user Laura_Grageda

“Dear PoP,

I have a question that I bet your readers could help me with! I have some new co-workers — also new to the area — and we want to get together for happy hour. The criteria are that it has to be cheap, it has to be on a Friday, and it has to be on the green line (within a few blocks, max). I definitely know my green line spots, but I have to admit I am a bit rusty on happy hour specials. So, question is — what are the best Friday HH deals on the green line?”

Hmm, the Green Line covers a lot of ground so I’m assuming we’ll be focusing on Petworth/Columbia Heights/U Street/Shaw.

So where’s your favorite happy hour spot/deal in that area?

Photo by PoPville flickr user nairdaecartal

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

Photo by PoPville flickr user ekelly80

At the end of this year the H St, NE shuttle stopped running from Chinatown to H St, NE (and a bit of Bladensburg Rd) and back. I noticed one of the shuttles (pictured above) by Mt. Vernon Square. Do you think the shuttles will be painted over and used for something else – or will they just get mothballed in case the service gets funded again?

On a related note, has the suspension/end of the service affected how often you got to H St, NE?

This home is located at 5000 3rd St, NW:

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The flier says:

“See fine details within this masterful renovation. Granite showers and counter tops, marble showers, mosaic pebbles in bathroom, bamboo floors, and creative cabinetry on all levels. Luxury suite in basement has a bedroom and full bath, exposed brick wall, granite wet bar w/ refrigerator. A fully-fenced backyard.”

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

What do you think of the reno? I’ll be honest the virtual tour made me a little dizzy. But the still photos look good. Think it’ll go for $599,000?

And across the street is another reno at 255 Farragut St, NW going for $587,500. You can see the virtual tour for that home here. Which do you like better?

The old Le Paradou at 601 Penn. Ave, NW (entrance on Indiana Ave) will soon become Fiola. According to a recent liquor license application it will be ” Italian Cuisine, with Entertainment Endorsement, Summer Garden with 54Seats, Total Occupancy Load 195.”

They’re also hiring. (H/t nycnell).

When I stopped by last weekend it looked like a major renovation was underway:

And on a side note, for the history buffs, here’s a neat piece of info about 601 Penn. Ave, NW:

Photo by PoPville flickr user raymond_h_samuels

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?

Rave: Snow
Rant: Tree explosion in my back yard due to snow.

“Dear PoP,

I was wondering if this issue might be one you could put to your readers. There is a church near my home that does not shovel its sidewalk (see attached photo; it’s the Mormon church on Capitol Hill), which takes up nearly half the block. Yesterday they had someone plow the parking lot, which won’t be used until Sunday, but no one touched the walk, and now it’s hardened into an inch-thick layer of pure, deadly ice. Every time it snows this part of the block becomes a treacherous walk. I’ve tried calling the church, but I only get a canned message about when Sunday services are with no option of even leaving a message. Other than waiting until Sunday and visiting in person, what can I do?”

“Sidewalk of shame. The shell at the corner of upshur and georgia ave nw. They managed to plow their driveway so customers could get in, but not so pedestrians could get by.”

And finally another spot from a reader:

“Could you please call out metro for the hall of shame for never clearing the sidewalks around the triangle between New Hampshire, 8th, and Randolph NW? A lot of people walk past there on their way to the metro and the snow always gets packed down and dangerous.”

Has anyone had any success dealing with Churches and/or other habitual non shovellers? It does seem particularly insulting when they shovel their driveways but not the sidewalk.

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: 447 Tennessee Ave NE
Legal Subdivision: Old City #1
Advertised Subdivision per Listing: Capitol Hill
Original List Price: $939,000. (original listing in June 2010)
List Price at Contract: $843,400.
List Date: 06/2010
Days on Market: 188
Settled Sales Price: $843,400.
Settlement Date: 01/21/2011
Seller Subsidy: $18,400.
Bank Owned?: No Short Sale? No
Type Of Financing: Conventional

Original Judging Pop Up post is: here with a re-look here.

The listing trail (there were ultimately three listings for this sale) can be seen: here. The virtual tour can be seen here.

Technically this is not a Good Deal or Not Revisited (GDoN-R) because PoPville did not get the chance to opine whether or not it was actually a Good Deal or Not. (Wow, five “nots” in that last sentence.) There were, however, two opportunities to weigh in on the pop up top, so it’s not like you’ve never seen this one before. In any case, in my quest to present settled sales info from a range of neighborhoods around The District, I thought it’d be worth looking at what I think was an interesting sale.

Continues after the jump. (more…)

Photo by PoPville flickr user philliefan99

“Dear PoP,

My landlord called me last Sunday to tell me he’s selling the rowhouse where I rent the basement (he and his wife live upstairs). I’m currently month-to-month on my lease (which ends in September) and want to know what my rights as a renter are? from what I understand, they’re supposed to offer me the house first before putting it on the market, but they haven’t done that and their having an open house this weekend. This has all come as a big surprise and I’m not too happy about it. Any tips or advice on how I handle myself intelligently and make sure I’m taken care of in case of a sale?”

Hmm, I do think if you live in the house (even the basement apartment) then you should be offered first crack at the house. I don’t think there are price restrictions to what they can I ask. I just think you get first choice. Anyone know if that’s true?

But even if it is true and you are unable to purchase the home, as a renter, if you are given notice (30 days or whatever your lease says?) then I’m afraid you just might be out of luck. I suspect this is a fairly common occurrence, I feel like I’ve heard this happening to friends, unfortunately I think you may need to start looking for a new place.

Any know the proper rules/laws and etiquette in a situation like this?

“Dear PoP,

Any tips on what’s going on in the Northeast end of Union Station? Recently all of the car rental agencies moved upstairs, Ben and Jerry’s moved across the station, and the tie store, Lids, and just about everything in that block besides Verizon has disappeared. It seems they are planning on using the Northeast portion for something big, but I have no idea what. Anyone have a clue?

With all of the new restaurants near the metro (Chipotle, Potbelly, and Chopt) and the addition of the NY buses, it’s clear that improvement is afoot at Union Station even before they start construction on Burnham Place. Now if only they can figure out what to do with the old movie theater space and get Bojangles to open up…”

When we discussed the now open Potbelly’s on Monday a reader, Lou, said:

“I saw a presentation done by the Union Station managers a couple of years ago and this was not what was projected. They had ambitions of bringing in Apple, other high-end retail and a high-end restaurant. That’s why they were driving out some of the little independent shops in the basement food court.”

When I spoke to some folks who worked in nearby stores they thought that this space (where the Verizon store is) was simply being cleared to provide more lobby/loading space for Amtrak. But I’m wondering what you guys think – would an Apple or other high-end retail store work in Union Station? Do/Would people go to Union Station for specifically for shopping? I know folks who work nearby go for lunch but would people go specifically for an REI store? The funny thing is – when I was answering my own question in my head, I was thinking a movie theater would be great. I know not everyone liked the old theater because it could get loud but it (the former space in the basement) really does seem like a great space for a theater…

Anyway, for the Friday Question of the Day – What retail do you think is missing from (would be successful at) Union Station? Or should the addition of more restaurants be the way to go?

Congrats to andy with:

“Dude, remember how you said nobody would notice if we just walked out with these chairs?”

Runner up to o2bncdg with:

“Wait!! We have stuff for the war effort too”

Honorable mention to kardinal with:

Local Man leaves Staples Office Supply with new bulky chairs, wondering how to get home. Was pleased to learn: “there’s a MRAP for that.”

And don’t forget you still have a little time to enter to win 2 tix to the Lissie concert at the 9:30 Club on Sunday.

Som Records kicking it back up a notch.

It’s very rare that I’ll find house numbers carved into the actually concrete.