We’ve looked at this classic house/building in Shaw before but a reader sent it in and my philosophy is that if someone sends it in then a lot of others probably haven’t seen/noticed this supercool building either. The funny thing is that I think I, also, walked past this building a dozen times before I looked up and realized the cool “Fine Family Groceries” sign was up top.

Photo by PoPville flickr user mosley.brian

From a press release:

Washington, D.C. – With a fierce double-header, the DC Rollergirls will kick off the final stretch of their fifth season on Sunday, March 27.The first bout will feature the DC Rollergirls All-Stars versus Maine Roller Derby’s Port Authorities. In the second bout, the DC DemonCats will square off against Scare Force One.

Halftime entertainment will feature the toe-tapping rhythms of the O’Neill-James Irish Dancers. During the bout, fans will have the opportunity to participate in a silent auction featuring items such as Washington Capitals tickets, and purchase delicious goodies at our wildly popular bake sale.

Doors will open at 3 p.m.; the action stars at 4 p.m. Tickets are just $12 for ages 12 and up, $6 for children 6 to 11 and free for kids 5 and under. They are available in advance through Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.com) or at the door on bout day. Individuals with a valid military I.D. receive admission for only $10 at the door.

The D.C. Armory is located at 2001 East Capitol Street SE in Washington. Secure lot parking is available for $7 in Lot 3. In addition, the Armory is adjacent to the Stadium-Armory Metro Station on the Blue and Orange lines.

More exciting news from upper 14th St, NW in Columbia Heights. I’m happy to share more good news that the building at 3605 14th St, NW has recently sold. I spoke with one of the new owners (who also lives in the neighborhood of Columbia Heights) and he hopes to open a restaurant/lounge in the space though plans are obviously in only the very early stages. Architects are currently being consulted. But if all goes well – the owners hope to open up a Fusion restaurant with “cross cultural cuisine” featuring a mix of Asian/Indian/Latin ingredients. Because a big renovation is required we are probably talking about an 18 month process. I’ll be sure to update when plans progress.

View Larger Map

Have you ever seen a green brick building like this? What do you think – 50s? 60s?

And here’s a bonus sweet weather vane from a firehouse, Engine 41/Rescue Squad 4, a few blocks north (on Connecticut Ave, NW):

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 Vileinist

“Gingy”

Photo by PoPville flickr user Mr. T in DC

“This is Trout, a three year old french bulldog and resident of Columbia Heights. She is best known by fellow neighborhood dwellers for her strong views on foreign policy.”

Found cat after the jump. (more…)

This rental is located at 3621 Newark St NW:

View Larger Map

The Craigslist ad says:

“Welcome to the Abby Apartments.Located in the gorgeous Cleveland Park neighborhood, just 4-blocks from the National Cathedral, this picturesque property sits directly on the Wisconsin Avenue bus route to wisk you away to shopping in Bethesda or to experience the elegant night life of Georgetown or Washington, D.C.
Beautiful one and two bedroom apartments, designed with turn-of-the-century ambiance, feature elegant 9-foot ceilings, polished hardwood floors, and much more. Coin-operated laundry and free resident storage. Sorry, no pets. Please call for an appointment today.”

$1375 sound right for a 1 bedroom here?

Photo by PoPville flickr user christopher.poole

“Dear PoP,

I own a renovated Victorian rowhome in Columbia Heights and my husband and I have a ton of books. We need more space for them. We want to have built-in bookcases installed in the dining room and/or the living room. Can any of your readers give recommendations on excellent woodwork/carpentry companies that they have dealt with? Thanks!”

If folks have recommendations, can you also say how much the project cost?

Ed. Note: If anyone has photos they’d be willing to share please email to princeofpetworth(at)gmail.com I’m always looking for photos of renovations to share from small carpentry projects to bigger kitchen, bathroom or other renovations. Even better if you have before and after photos.

Photo by PoPville flickr user Columbia Heights Climber

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

Photo by PoPville flickr user ekelly80

“Dear PoP,

My current living situation is very untenable – my rooommate is buying, selling, and using drugs in our apartment and using it as a hub to sell from. I am a college student with about 2 months left in the school year. I am looking for a seriously short term lease or month-to-month, preferably furnished stays. I have scoured Craigslist, but I am hoping for some insight into the hunt. My budget is capped at $1000 per month.”

Anyone have good tips for finding a short term rental besides craigslist?

Would something like the Lofstel work?

This condo is located at 2713 Ontario Rd, NW:

View Larger Map

The flier says:

“FABULOUS VIEWS from HUGE PRIVATE Rooftop Deck! Contmp 3-lvl rowhome w/ panoramic views. TOTAL RENOVATION! Sunny LR has balcony w/ strs to deeded prkg-space below. Fabulous MBR w/ blt-in closet systm & BA w/ Jacuzi & walk-in shower. Remodeled Kit w/ grnit cntrs, SS appl & brkfst bar. Bamboo flrs, new enrgy effct sidig, non-VOC inter paint. Be the host w/ the most view on 4th of July!”

You can find more info here and photos here.

Thanks to a reader for sending, “It looks like the penthouse condo of one of your least favorite pop-ups is on the market”. This is my second least favorite pop up. Free PoP t-shirt to the first person who correctly guesses my least favorite pop up.

But back to this pop up penthouse – it’s yours for $769,000. Sound right for a 3 bed/2 bath with those views?

The Washington Post’s Tim Carman reported yesterday:

Earlier today business partners Gillian Clark and Robin Smith dropped this bomb on the General Store’s Facebook page:

“It’s with heavy hearts we’re announcing that The General Store is closed. For the entire 4+ years we’ve been involved with this building we have been bullied by the landlords. The landlord has not paid his back taxes and the county is taking back the building. We want to take this opportunity to thank all of you for being more than just customers. We consider all of you friends.”

Tim wonders if it will have any affect on her Kitchen on K St (in NoMa) plans. WBJ’s Missy Frederick has some details on the closing. Though, I also wondered if it would affect her Petworth plans.

I was able to email with Chef Clark and she assured me that both the NoMa and Petworth projects are moving forward. Here is exactly what she said, “We are full steam ahead on other projects. No worries.” Additionally I’m told funding is in place, a contractor has been selected and plans are with DCRA. So hopefully good news soon! Though we are likely to see the NoMa space open first.

Stay tuned for more updates on both spaces.

Obviously Ben’s Chili Bowl, located at 1213 U St, NW, is an institution and no longer a “regular” restaurant particularly after President Obama ate there. But, it amazes me that the lines (admittedly there have always been some lines as long as I can remember) have remained this big, regularly snaking outside around the building. So I’m curious what folks think – are there still big fans out there?

You can see their menus here. I’m embarrassed to admit I had no idea they had a breakfast menu.

For the fans what do you order?

Personally I’m a huge fan of the chili cheese fries but to be honest haven’t stopped in for one in many months. I think I know what I’m doing for lunch tomorrow…

Photo by PoPville flickr user philliefan99

A reader sent the following letter was sent Ward 2 Council Member Jack Evans. I’m wondering if this has happened to anyone else? Did you receive a fine? Were you able to contest it? How did they know it was your trash? I’m also wondering if you agree with the letter writer that this is merely a way for the government to raise money? Or do you think it’s just a symptom of dysfunctional bureaucracy? Or is this legit?

I received a notice of violation from the DC DPW yesterday (03/23/11) with a Date of Service of 02/15/11. DPW has cited me for leaving the garbage by my flowerbox that they were scheduled to pick up that day. I would like to speak with someone regarding this issue, however, the notice states that I only have 14 days after the “Date of Service” to contest this citation, which would have been Feb 27th. A neighbor of mine had a similar experience as he too was presented with a notice past the grace period. In both cases, DPW held the notice until the grace period had expired before delivering it. My neighbor’s case is even more frustrating as it was someone else’s trash that was left in his flower box. Both of these instances make it very clear that DPW is treating these notices more as a source of revenue than a betterment for the city.

A few questions to consider:
- How does DPW identify/confirm that the trash is in fact the “Respondent’s”?
- How are DC residents supposed to defend themselves if DPW holds these notices beyond the grace period to contest them before delivering them?
- Why would a DC resident be held liable for trash that DPW was scheduled to pick up?
- If DPW is concerned with the cleanliness of DC’s flower boxes, why is it that the majority of them on my block are in deplorable condition (minus my own which I renovated with my own money)?
- Are we (DC citizens) responsible for ALL trash that ends up in our flower boxes? If so, where is this stated in DC law?
- I would also ask, why wouldn’t DPW remove the trash and then charge the owner rather than leaving it behind in hopes of collecting more fines due to either the negligence, or in mine and my neighbor’s case “not knowing it was a violation”?

I understand that the city’s budget is in bad shape and this might be a way to assist DC in recovering some of its budget; but as a longtime resident of DC, a homeowner, and taxpayer, I sometimes wonder what message DC tries to send to its law abiding citizens.

“Dear PoP,

Just wanted to let you know that Petworth’s famous tethered goat on Webster Street (across from EL Haynes) is no longer with us. I noticed it was missing a few days ago while out on a walk. It is sad because it was such a random sight, a large white sculpted goat that was chained up in the front yard. It actually looks like both the goat house and the house next to it are getting cleaned up. Not sure if they are going to be renovated and sold or what, but I thought you would like to know that one of our old timers is gone. I am sad about this, but I understand that the goat most likely wouldn’t have been considered an amenity. That is all.”

One of the few lawn decoration of the day sculptures that I labeled phenomenal. I loved the fact that it was not just an awesome goat but that it had a chain around its neck. Too good. Indeed, today is a sad day.

A couple of days ago I shared some scuttlebutt that a new restaurant would be moving into the old Social space at 14th and Meridian Pl, NW. At the time I had very little info other than a “full service restaurant” would be coming. There has been a lot of speculation about Social since they abruptly closed back in Nov. ’10. While I think there will always be some mystery as to what happened – I’m happy to say that I had the opportunity to sit down with one of the new owners and we discussed his new plans for the space. I think this is gonna be a very very big win for the neighborhood.

The space is going to completely transformed. On the first floor is going to be a true neighborhood bar with a 70s Paul Newman/Steve McQueen movie theme with a particular emphasis on racing. Think Bullitt. For someone who’s favorite movie is Cool Hand Luke – I found this to be very welcome news.

From famous chase seen in Bullitt

In addition to the cool theme the first floor bar will lose the lounge feel and set up and look like a proper bar. There will be tvs for sports and very good happy hour deals. I’m told the happy hours will be huge and last from 3pm – 9pm with a variety of other specials everyday.

The second floor will be the dining space. It was described to me as an upscale diner. I was told, “think comfort food done very very well”. The chef has already signed on and comes from an established restaurant.

And more good news for those that live in the neighborhood – if you are a big fan of diner food you will be able to get it to go and if you live in Columbia Heights – they will deliver. [I'll be sharing the menu in the coming weeks when it is finalized.]

I was told the new restaurant and bar will have three main focal points – happy hour, brunch, and an awesome outdoor space. The outdoor space will be completely re-landscaped both at street level and up top. There will be an outdoor bar added to the second floor patio area. In addition to other happy hour deals don’t be surprised to see a daiquiri happy hour for the 2nd floor patio. Additionally, I’m told a cool mural will be on its way as well.

The owner that I spoke with lives in the neighborhood – is excited to make this a welcoming place for all. The space is going to be reconfigured with new landscaping, new paint, new furniture, a new decor/theme, a new menu, new specials and hopes to open around May 1st.

I’ll be updating with more info as we get closer to that point.

Sound good?