This rental is located at 1516 Pennsylvania Ave SE:

View Larger Map

The Craigslist ad says:

“Nice, fully appointed 1-bedroom (non-basement!) rental on Capitol Hill. Only one Block to Potomac Ave METRO & Harris Teeter! Open kitchen, fireplace, fenced back yard & washer/dryer! Available September 1st! Pets ok, case-by-case. $1250/mo.”

$1250 sound right?

Photo by PoPville flickr user Mr. T in DC

“Dear PoPville,

After spending lots of money to finish my basement and convert it into a one bedroom apartment, I need to increase the insurance on the property. My insurance says I need to get the property appraised. The appraisal company is telling it will cost over $600 to get an appraisal for both my residence and the apartment below, or he can do a regular appraisal and include the apartment below as an in-law suite, this will cost $375. According to the appraiser the in-law suite solution will not reflect the real value of the property. Am I being taken for a ride? What is the difference. I don’t want to beat the system, I just want to make sure I get back what I have spent in the event of a fire or other unforeseen issue.”

Photo by PoPville flickr user Caitlin H. Faw

Follow PoPville on twitter here on facebook here and google+ here.

Photo by PoPville flickr user District Shots

Photo by PoPville flickr user KJinDC

From MPD:

“On 8/12/11, at 1947 hours a complainant filed a bias motivated threats report with the 1st district CCN# 117-425.

The complainant was in the 1300 blk of D St NE washing the front porch of his residence when the suspect exited her residence and yelled a hate slur. The suspect is the complainant’s neighbor.

On 08/20/11, First District Officers received a radio run for a second sighting, The suspect was stopped by MPD and arrested on a second sighting for Felony Threats.”

and

“Detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Branch have announced that an arrest has been made in the fatal shooting of 27 year-old Rashid Paul and 28 year-old D’Angelo Thompson.

On Sunday, January 23, 2011, at approximately 7:00 pm, units from the Fourth District responded to the 6000 block of New Hampshire Avenue, NE, for the sounds of gunshots. Upon their arrival, officers canvassed the area and located two victims inside a vehicle in the 100 block of Peabody Street, NE. Personnel from DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services responded to the scene and determined neither victim had any signs consistent with life. Subsequently, both victims were pronounced dead by a member of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. A crime scene was located in the 200 block of Peabody Street, NE.

On Monday, August 22, 2011, members from the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force arrested 24 year-old Sergio Waynes of Silver Spring Maryland, pursuant to a DC Superior Court warrant charging him with Carrying a Pistol without a License (CPWL) in an unrelated case. Subsequently, at 4:45 am, he was charged by the Homicide Branch for First Degree Murder while Armed in the double homicide.”

This house is located at 1340 Corcoran St, NW:

View Larger Map

The flier says:

“Second Empire beauty! Rarely available. Semi-det Vict bayfront w/ secluded side garden/patio. Outside hot tub, workshop/storage. TWO income units (Eng bsmt 2BR + carriage house 1BR) bring in $48k/yr. EVERY bell n whistle, includ gourmet kit, brazilian hdwd flrs with inlay, top of line bathrooms. One-of-a-kind and lovely home convenient to every service and entertainment!”

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

Another one that I’ve walked by a million times and have always wondered what the inside looked like. I’m not disappointed. What do you think of the inside?

This 5 bed/3.5 bath is going for $1,695,000.

“Dear PoP,

I biked home a different way yesterday because traffic was a cluster and was happy to find that the brass knob warehouse is still open. I had stopped going after hearing that they closed, but they are still there and now it is easier to see stuff than ever. The doors are arranged so you can actually see them. There are also still a good number of windows, two really nice clawfoot tubs, and lots of radiators and locksets on site. There are mantels and other things that are photo catalogued and stored off site. He says he’ll be open for at least another month or so and he’s still going to be working on connecting people with the stuff they need.”

Sweet. Last we heard they had closed their doors on Feb. 15, 2011.

Brass Knob Warehouse is located at 57 N St, NW.

Bistro Cacao opened up back in Jan. ’10 at 320 Mass Ave., NE. Their Web site says:

“Bistro Cacao is the third restaurant venture in DC for the Bolukbasi Brothers. Their first concept was Mezè in Adams Morgan which has given Washington, DC a taste of authentic Turkish cuisine and Istanbul nightlife for more than a decade. Their second venture is Ezmè in Dupont Circle which offers select wines and fine small plates.

In Bistro Cacao’s historic location we now invite you to enjoy our new concept of modern bistro-style French cuisine in a romantically charming and comfortable setting blending old France with modern creative touches.”

You can see their menus here.

Any fans of the brunch? In general?

Photo by PoPville flickr user ekelly80

“Dear PoPville,

I just moved into the petworth area, and I have been jonesing for some really good matzoh ball soup. Used to go to Wagshal’s deli in Tenleytown, but now it’s a bit too far. Any thoughts?”

I am just as eager to learn this answer. If you guys know of good spots please say what neighborhood it is in.

May be a bit too far but how about Parkway Deli in Silver Spring?

Photo by PoPville flickr user yostinator

“Dear PoPville,

I had a disturbing incident yesterday that may be of interest to your readers in the Mt. Pleasant area. At about 4:30 p.m., while walking my dog down 17th across from Lamont Park, I heard two small children get extremely upset that there was a strange shirtless man passed out in their enclosed front yard. Tired of lowlife deadbeats ruling with impunity over our otherwise beautiful neighborhood, I offered to get him out, and their mother took them inside.

I went in, woke up the guy, pulled him up, and sent him staggering out of the front gate. My rusty high school Spanish was enough to know that he was drunkenly threatening to kill me as he staggered out, but then back in the gate, refusing to leave. The family was still watching and extremely upset, so I got him out a second time and called DC’s finest from down the sidewalk.

The most disturbing part of this incident begins when the 911 operator, having heard this story in detail, seemed amazed that I would want a police officer to respond, asking “what’s the problem besides him being in the yard?” When I enumerated: criminal trespassing, disorderly conduct, attempted assault, disturbing the peace, public intoxication, and possession of who-knows-what, the operator shrugged this off as a “low priority incident,” and said something about the “citywide emergency.”

My question for readers is: did you see police officers busy responding to a small, non-destructive earthquake yesterday over two and a half hours after it ended? Having just ridden my bike home 4 miles through the core of the city, I saw not a single MPD officer alleviating gridlock traffic or otherwise responding to anything earthquake-related. There wasn’t even bad traffic in the Third District at all, from what I saw. I’m fairly new in town, but this seems typical of a police force that prioritizes taxi-driver shakedowns for wearing short pants, giving bicyclists stop sign tickets, or other revenue intensive activities. After the failure of MPD to respond, the subject urinated all over the sidewalk in front of the townhome and its occupants, and proceeded to resume his post in Lamont Park, where I’m sure I will again see him passed out in broad daylight, reigning over Mt. Pleasant as before.”

“Dear PoPville,

Just wondering if you know of a good resource to check and see if earthquake cracks are serious or not. I have a couple (see photo above) that I’m fairly certain are not serious (<1inch wide - though they go up the length of the walls) and don't seem very deep, but like of Petworth residents, I'm not used to earthquake damage and I live in an old house. I don't want to get all hysterical over something cosmetic, but I want to know if I should have a structural engineer come out, and, if so, whether it should be sooner rather than later.

It seems fairly cosmetic (again, I'm no expert) - I'm just concerned about it's length at this point. It stretches up the stairwell from the 2nd floor baseboards to 3rd floor ceiling."

Another reader writes:

“I have a question regarding damage caused by the earthquake. I live in a four floor apartment building on Kenyon St. between 13 and 14. When I got home from work, I noticed that the earthquake has cause new cracks along the length of one wall above two large windows, above the doorway to the bathroom, as well as above a window in the kitchen. While the cracks may be insignificant, I still feel like they should be reported and perhaps an inspection should be done on the whole building.

So I guess my question is, who should I report this to? Of course I plan on telling my management company but they don’t always follow through. Should I report this to the city or is it too insignificant?”

Photo by PoPville flickr user DCBritannia

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 morning at 10am.

If anyone recognizes folks in the photo above please email me and I’ll put you in touch with the reader:

“Hope you and all of PoP-landia fared ok through the earthquake.

In the melee of people evacuated from buildings downtown, I found a digital camera in the police memorial plaza adjacent to the building museum. I suspect it was lost by a tourist, but I would see if anyone among your readership lost it.

I’m attaching one photo in case someone recognizes the people.

If someone can identify some of the locations in the pictures, I will get the camera back to them.”

3522 12th Street, NE (Tropicana Eatery) Via Google Street View

A recent liquor license application says that the former Tropicana Eatery space at 3522 12th St, NE is going to become Ricky’s Cuban-American Restaurant:

“Cuban-American Restaurant with full service bar with a seating capacity for 35 people and a total occupancy load of 50.”

View Larger Map

And while we’re in Brookland, further up 12th St, NE The Brookland cafe has also applied for liquor license an expansion at 3740 12th St, NE.

“Expansion of the dining room seating in quest room next to current seating area to add 30 seats (no construction).

Add Summer Garden with 25 seats.

Add Sidewalk Café with 20 seats.”

You can see their menu here.

Photo by PoPville flickr user philliefan99

Your captions in the comments and winner (free PoP t-shirt) picked Friday.

“I’ve planted Basil, Cilantro, Hot & Sweet Banana Peppers, Tomatoes, & a Pumpkin plant. I planted the pumpkin first and it the vine has been growing really great. I finally actually started growing a couple of pumpkins last weekend. They are growing fast and since I took these pictures, they have almost doubled in size. The basil is out of control and the hot banana peppers have fed me well. I’ve been stuffing them with cheddar cheese and diced tomato, onion, and green pepper and wrapped them in bacon. Damn good! The sweet banana pepper plant hasn’t done a whole lot and the tomoatoes are getting picked off by the local rat or squirrel population. All in all, I’m proud of my 1st experience in planting and look forward to doing it better next year.”

Every year I love seeing these crazy flowers just off East Capitol Street, NE.