Photo by PoPville flickr user JRoseC

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. But please no personal attacks. I’ll open this thread every morning at 10am.

Hope everyone has a great Halloween weekend!

Photo by PoPville flickr user bajidc

“Dear PoPville,

I keep on seeing black garlic all over menus in the area, most recently being brunch at Poste this weekend. I love it but I don’t love paying for expensive meals or shipping to order the black garlic from online stores. Any suggestions from PoPville for a good place to get black garlic?

Also, I’m from Catonsville where there is an amazing H Mart and I am dying for something similar around here. Is there anything metro-accessible that is comparable? Thanks!”

Back in Aug. ’10 I had heard some scuttlebutt that an H Mart (grocery store) could be coming to the old Secret Safeway on 19th St, NW in Dupont. Sadly, that doesn’t seem to be the case. But the readers question above got me thinking about other coveted retail that we don’t have yet in DC. It seems like there are so many big new developments coming down the pike that we might be able to attract some.

Some of the places I’ve heard spoken about that we don’t have include: H Mart, Eataly, Uniqlo – who else?

So for the Friday Question of the Day – What retail do you want to see in DC that we don’t have yet?

And of course – where can you find reasonably priced black garlic? Would the Hana Japanese Market have it at the corner of 17th and U St, NW?

Photo by PoPville flickr user ken_1001

Congrats to JZ/DC with:

“Many have heard of Nacho Libre, but few have been able to capture a glimpse of his half sister, Burrito Librarian.”

Runner up to Farta with:

“Dress up for the job you want, not the one you’ve got.”

Honorable mention to Nic with:

“This meeting of the Lucha Libro club is now in session.”

Please email me directly for your shirts.

Next time you’re on Calvert heading from Woodley Park to Adams Morgan (or vice versa) look up top at the yellow house. I must’ve walked by this house a thousand times without noticing them.

Awesome house from Columbia Rd, NW between Adams Morgan and Dupont.

Photo by PoPville flickr user Scenic Artisan

From an email:

“Friends of McMillan Park will host a tour of the McMillan Sand Filtration Site on Saturday October 29th from 11-3. The event is free and open to the public. This is a great opportunity to see a unique, historic site; learn about its potential development; stroll around one of the coolest green spaces in the area. It’ll be fun; wear a costume! Kids and dogs are welcome (but please watch them carefully on the site).

Questions? Contact: Gwen Southerland, gwensoutherland61@gmail.com

John Salatti, John.Salatti@gmail.com or (202) 986-2592″

Photo by PoPville flickr user Scenic Artisan

Photos courtesy of Federal

Palace 5ive announces that its sister shop, Federal, will have a grand opening Friday at 2216 14th St, NW. From a press release:

Another one from Dupont near the Philips Museum.

You’d never guess there were such details in the back from glancing at the front:

If you have any fun or interesting animal/pet photos 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 with your pets name and neighborhood. I can’t guarantee I’ll get them all posted but I’ll do my best.

“My dog Bentley broke his foot on Monday playing at the Shaw Dog Park, not sure how. We live in Dupont, and aside from the injury, love that dog park!”

“Ryder of Petworth really knocking out her statistics homework.”

“Murphy, who was featured recently in your animal fix with his pack of dog friends after a hike in Rock Creek Park. Here he is on a boat during a trip to a lake in Maryland. He’s a little obsessed with drinking water, as you can probably tell by the picture.”

Lost cat after the jump. (more…)

This rental is located at 1320 L Street SE:

View Larger Map

The Craigslist ad says:

“***Immediate Occupancy***This amazing home offers tons of LIVING SPACE with 3 Real Bedrooms and 2.5 baths. Hardwood floors throughout, High Ceilings, LARGE Kitchen w/SS appliances and MAJOR counter and cabinet space! The first floor starts out with entering into the family/rec room which has a half bathroom, continue walking and your in the large kitchen, moving right along we have the over sized Living room w/fireplace which leads out to the Massive fenced in back yard!

Second Floor:
Here are where all three bedrooms are located, 2 in the back of the house, the Master BR (w/ full bath) in the front and dividing these would be the full common area bathroom!

3 blocks to Potomac Metro, 2 to Harris Teeter, 7 to Eastern Market!”

$3500 sound right?

“Dear PoPville,

It looks like we’ve never done a post on used car dealers. Where are the most reliable non-Craigslist places to buy a used car?”

Photo by flickr user jurvetson

From the Cleveland Park Listserv:

“I just wanted to report that last week there was a mountain lion sighting in McLean Gardens on the edge of Glover Park. I know it sounds crazy but two people were witness to the cat. I seems to be a young one, not fully grown. He was sighted at around 1:00 pm on October 17th. This seems to coincide with the two sightings reported in the news in August this year, one in Loudon County and the other in DC in the District Heights area.”

Photo by PoPville flickr user AggieMAB

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

Photo by PoPville flickr user ekelly80

Photo by PoPville flickr user Rukasu1

“Dear PoPville,

5 weeks of grand jury duty. My question is for those out here who have served on it, what was their experience? In the first two weeks I honestly felt like a prisoner. Lawyers come in and out of the room all day long without asking a simple “Do you need five minutes?” We have 130 people on one floor with a dirty mini fridge for all our meals which influences us to go out eat every day and spend mega money. The bathroom conditions are abominable and OSHA would have a field take on the ventilation in this building. After witnessing a child sex abuse case you really want a quiet place which there are none of in this building.

Hence again going outside in the rain to collect yourself. I won’t or maybe I can’t go into the 120 some odd trials I witnessed but it was everything under the sun. After the third week when I walked home (that was plus) everyone looked like a criminal or victim to me. In a juror’s case a witness or a defendant. It was weird seeing witnesses at the grocery story or bar I went to. The only saving grace was the 22 other jurors I served with. They were incredible, versatile, smart , objective, crazy, old, black, white, grandmas, students etc… And they were hilarious! We had a ball in the nasty stuffy room for five weeks. If I had to do it over again? I would. Thanks!”

Ed. Note: We have previously discussed jury duty here and here.