Photo by PoPville flickr user pablo.raw

From many emails and Facebook:

All routes will be released on Friday at noon!

***Wear ORANGE on Feb. 26th & make your profile photos orange, too!***

Reproductive rights are under attack. Anyone who is interested in protecting access to abortion services and reproductive rights may attend. This is a grassroots effort at having our voices heard and standing up against injustice in a peaceful manner.

STAND WITH PLANNED PARENTHOOD, STAND WITH WOMEN, STAND FOR CHOICE.

You can read their full full press release here.

Naked Pizza is coming to 2140 L St, NW (near Bourbon Coffee Cafe.) You can learn more about the pizza from their Web site here. There is a video where:

“Jeff Leach, founder of Naked Pizza, talks about how he formulated a pizza that would address the dysbiosis modern human shares with the microbial world.”

Well alright then…

You can see their menu here. Anyone ever try them before?

I know we normally judge buildings in this time slot but I couldn’t resist this beauty from Girard St, NW in Columbia Heights. The owner happened to pass by when I was taking photos and let me take a peek inside. Sweet!

From the Hood:

Price? $1700 from Craigslist. Leopard skin cloth included:

Couple more shots after the jump. (more…)

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 and say what neighborhood you’re from or upload to the PoPville flickr pool. I can’t guarantee I’ll get them all posted but I’ll do my best.

Photo by PoPville flickr user Mr. T in DC

Photo by PoPville flickr user Madame Meow

Photo by PoPville flickr user beccaneidle

This rental is located at 1903 3rd Street, NW:

View Larger Map

The Craigslist ad says:

“Bright and Spacious 2 bedroom/2.5 bathroom apartment located on Anna J. Cooper Circle in the heart of LeDroit Park. This historic renovation offers brand new everything and is ready for an immediate move-in.

Highlights of the apartment include:
Roughly 1,100 square feet of living space
Beautiful flooring throughout
Two closets in the entryway and plenty of storage
Powder Room
Eat-in kitchen with Stainless Steel Appliances
Large Master Bedroom with walk-in closet and ensuite Bath
Large Second Bedroom with walk-in closet and ensuite Bath

Dimensions of the Master Bedroom: 14′ by 14′
Dimensions of the Bedroom #2: 10′ by 20′

The apartment is near public transportation and just five blocks to Metro.

LeDroit Park is a hip, well past up-and-coming, neighborhood with tree-lined streets tucked in between Bloomingdale and Shaw, a few blocks east of the U Street Corridor. Close to everything but secluded enough for privacy.”

I love this house. Does $2350 sound reasonable for this 2 bed/2 bath?

“Dear PoP,

I am deciding between a Green Roof and a Conventional Deck for a roof top space that I have. It is a good fit build wise for either, i.e. easy roof top access, flat roof etc. A green roof will run a bit more in cost and will require upkeep although there is a potential rebate from DC for installing a green roof. My concern is what a future owner may think of a green roof that they have to keep up as opposed to a conventional deck that they use as they wish. There appear to be a lot of hoops one must go through to get the rebate for the green roof which is only a small percentage of the cost anyway so that which at first seemed to be a plus is not in reality. What do the readers think would be more enjoyment of outdoor space, and a better resale option for the future, green roof or roof deck?”

Can’t you have both – like this one? What do you guys think is best for resale?

Photo by PoPville flickr user Rukasu1

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

Photo by PoPville flickr user Bear425

View Larger Map

“Dear PoP,

Last night around 6:45pm a young woman (friend of mine) was assaulted at 14th and Fairmont NW in Columbia Heights. A young man came up behind her as she was approaching her apartment building, hit her multiple times and demanded she give him her blackberry. She sustained serious injuries including a fractured jaw. On the bright side, police were actually able to catch her attacker just hours later. Just wanted to remind readers to be alert and careful no matter what time of day.”

This condo is located at 1209 O St, NW:

View Larger Map

The flier says:

“Marvelous living space and marvelous locaton! This unit has every bell n whistle you want incl. secured off-st parking. Just around the corner from Logan Circle; close to 14th St fun/shops/Whole Foods; 5 blks to Metro. Contemporary, sun-filled, flr-ceiling windows.”

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

Def. a bit of a more modern look today. Do you like the layout? This 2 bed/2 bath is going for $867,500 ($334.75 condo fee). Sound realistic?

I wasn’t sure I was gonna post this one but then I read his bio. Wild. One day I’m gonna have to enter to win as well. As always, just let me know why you want to go and why and I’ll email the winner tomorrow afternoon.

The show is Sat. Feb. 26th at the 9:30 Club.

Veranda is located at 1100 P St, NW. I can’t believe we have never properly judged them before, though we did mention them a bit when we looked at some of our favorite “hidden” restaurants back in July ’08. And I’ve been sorta hearing some mixed reviews lately, some love ‘em some hate ‘em. What’s the word? Any must order items or is this better as a drinking and/or brunch spot?

You can see their menu here.

Hard to believe that back in May ’10 it looked like this as Capitol Hill Veterinary Clinic at 520 8 Street, SE.

At the time we learned that:

It was coming from the same folks behind Lola’s and Chesapeake Room also on Barracks Row and the liquor application said, “New Old fashioned oyster restaurant & bar featuring seafood and American cuisine. Occupancy load of 80. Request a sidewalk café with a seating capacity of 22.”

I’ll be sure to update when doors open. Check out the size of the bar!

I’m sure most have heard by now that DC’s Borders bookstores (and many others) are closing. On Sat. I stopped by the one one on 18th and L St, NW and it felt like a funeral. While people were taking advantage of the 30% off deals, I constantly heard hushed conversations saying, “it’s so sad” and people talking to the employees saying, “I’m so sorry”. I know when I worked downtown I loved browsing this particular store. It was a lifesaver. Having said that, I did do more browsing than purchasing. Will others miss Borders?

And with Borders soon to be gone (an employee I spoke with said by April depending on supplies) who does this leave as best bookstore left (new not used) Kramerbooks in Dupont, Barnes & Nobles downtown by the E St. Cinema or Politics and Prose in Van Ness/Chevy Chase?

Of course in July we learned Politics and Prose was for sale…

“Dear PoP,

Would you be willing to do a post on an impending change at the National Zoo that local parents are trying to stop? We desperately need help getting the word out. Here’s the issue:

The Zoo currently has a petting farm with cows, donkeys, pigs, etc. that kids can visit and touch (my 2.5 yr old son loves it so much that he knows most of the animals by name). The Zoo also as a “pizza” playground that is one of the best outdoor spaces in the city for little kids/toddlers to play. The Smithsonian (which runs the Zoo) is saying that it’s going to close both the farm and the playground and shift the funds to other “priorities” even though the press is saying that the overall budget for the Smithsonian is going to actually INCREASE this year by $100mm.

Local parents have started to organize to resist these changes, but we’re just getting started and are a little bit at sea. But we do have a facebook group started.

More importantly, we’re trying to organize a “protest” at the farm for Saturday. The idea is to just show our support by having as many families come as possible between 10:00 am and 12:00 pm on the 26th.”

Good luck!

On Wed. afternoon I had the great honor of being invited to check out the newly renovated Petworth library, located at the intersection of Kansas, Upshur and Georgia Ave, NW (technically 4200 Kansas Ave, NW), which will re-open this Monday, Feb. 28. I was once again able to meet with Chief Librarian Ginnie Cooper who we last met with back in mid-Jan. to tour the new Tenley-Friendship library.

The Petworth renovation is closest to the Georgetown renovation in that they were historic buildings that kept their good bones and were improved upon rather than brand new buildings like Shaw and Tenleytown. As a result there isn’t the same jaw dropping reaction when you see it but the improvements are equally impressive.

Their Web site says:

The library will re-open on Monday, February 28, 2011. A ribbon cutting ceremony will take place at 10:30 am.

The library will host a Grand Opening Party on Saturday, March 12 from 10 am to 4 pm.

The library will feature:

· Welcoming spaces with comfortable seating and lounge chairs
· More than 40,000 books, DVDs and other library materials with a capacity to hold up to 80,000
· Children’s Story Room for storytelling and other children’s activities
· Dedicated areas for adults, children and teens
· 40 computers with free Wi-Fi Internet access
· Laptops for personal use or computer training classes
· 100-person community room connecting to a new outdoor patio
· 12-person conference room
· Two quiet study rooms
· New and restored woodwork throughout
· Parking lot
· Landscape and site improvements
· New cupola and balustrade constructed according to the original 1938 design

When asked what the most striking features of the new library were, Chief Librarian Cooper didn’t hesitate in her response:

First – the area is now flooded with light;
Second – the map on the floor upon entering is truly striking (photo after the jump);
Third – the basement community room which used to be a garage storage space was expanded and can now sit over 100 people;
Fourth – though the cupola was in the original architectural plans it was not built until now.

The other incredible improvement is simply the amount of public space. Though the total space had always been around 18,000 square feet before the renovation only 9,500 was public space and today 14,200 square feet is used for public space (an increase of over 42%).

The Petworth library has always been a gem for the community and today it really looks like one. And tomorrow it will no longer be a diamond in the rough.

As always the photos (after the jump) are far more impressive than any written description I can give.

Next up on our library tour will be the Mt. Pleasant library set to be completed around the end of the 2011.

Lots more photos after the jump. (more…)