A reader sends the above photo from Sherman Ave, NW. It says:

“You are taking up 2 car spaces! Don’t be an Ass****! Learn how to park in this city – or don’t park here!”

I’m gonna be honest after regularly experiencing a similar situation where a car regularly takes up 2 spots, I can now better understand this frustration. Though, I don’t know if calling someone an ass**** is going to help correct their behavior.

Do you guys think leaving a note (a more polite one) will help change someone’s parking behavior?

This condo is located at 1209 O St, NW:

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The flier says:

“Dramatic light filled space w soaring ceilings, large windows & high end finishes. Features include hardwood floors throughout, marble vanities and countertops, Kitchen Aide stainless appliances, gas cooking, cozy fireplace, closet systems, full size w/ d, outdoor garden and secure parking. One block to Logan Circle and easy stroll to Whole Foods and Metro.”

You can find more info here and photos here.

I always stop to admire this building. But when I did a quick search to see if we’ve looked at any other condos here – I saw that we judged this one back in Feb. ’11. At the time the asking price was $867,500. Today unit #1 is going for $725,000 ($334 monthly condo fee) – sound more realistic?

There was a little confusion yesterday as to what happened in the alley next to Shaw’s Tavern. MPD shares more info today:

“Detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Major Crash Unit are investigating a hit and run, resulting in a fatality, which occurred in the 1800 block of 6th Street, NW.

On Sunday, October 23, 2011, at approximately 8:00 am officers from the Third District responded to the 1800 block of 6th Street, NW to investigate the report of a man down. Upon arrival on the scene, they discovered an unidentified adult male lying on the ground unconscious. DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services personnel responded to the scene and determined that the victim showed no signs consistent with life.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the apparent nature of the injuries sustained indicate that the unidentified man was stuck and dragged by a vehicle, which fled the scene.

The decedent has been identified as 32-year-old John Young Kim of Berkeley, CA

Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the police at (202) 727-9099 or 1-888-919-CRIME (1-888-919-2746).”

Since we’ve really been enjoying some recipes from PoPville I’m happy to start a new food column from Vivi Mazarakis, the author of Forking DC. Vivi will be doing some occasional reviews and contributing some of her favorite recipes. But if you guys still have some good recipes continue to send me them with a photo and recipe in the subject line to princeofpetworth(at)gmail And here’s Vivi’s take on Greek Chicken Soup:

It’s that time of year in DC. Fall is creeping up on us, making it difficult (for us ladies) to completely put away summer clothes and fully transition into our Fall/Winter wear. It’s also the time of year that my mind and stomach turn to thoughts of soups and stews. One of my favorites is chicken soup. I mean who doesn’t love chicken soup? It’s like a big hug or a cozy blanket.

Growing up Greek, I only knew one kind of chicken soup – Avgolemono soup. The word “Avgolemono” is a combination of the Greek words for egg and lemon. As far as my brother and I are concerned, it’s the best kind of chicken soup. Don’t try to convince us otherwise.

Avgolemono soup starts with the same ingredients one normally associates with a traditional chicken soup — carrots, celery, onions, rice, and chicken. However, its key distinguishing feature is the finishing “sauce,” which is made of . . . you guessed it, eggs and lemon juice.

Now, I know this may sound like a strange way to finish off a soup. And I know that it may be too early in our relationship for you to trust me. But you should. Make this soup once and you’ll never want to go back to regular chicken soup. It’s addictively good. It’s lemony and hearty. It’s a big hug and a cozy blanket on a comfy couch all wrapped up in one bowl. (You won’t taste the eggs.)

My mom and grandmother make this soup the hard way. They start with a whole chicken, which they submerge in cold water and simmer with carrots, celery, and onions. Two hours later they end up with poached chicken and homemade stock. That’s just the first step!

I don’t have the time or patience to do that — to my mother’s great disappointment. So, I’ve tweaked the recipe in order to streamline the process. Those who know me know that I don’t sacrifice flavor for anything. This is gonna be good and so easy!

Continues after the jump. (more…)

Vidalia is located at 1990 M Street, NW. Their Web site says:

You can see their menus here.

I know they used to be very popular. But with all the great restaurants that have opened up, I don’t hear them mentioned as often as I used to. Anyone still a fan? Any must order items?

Photo by PoPville flickr user p@t.leonard

“Dear PoPville,

I wanted to pass on an unpleasant experience that happened on my bike ride to work this morning at about 8:15. I was biking west on Florida between 13th and 14th Streets NW, right next to Booker T Washington Public Charter School. The light at 14th and Florida turned red, and as there was no room for me to bike between the stopped traffic and parked cars on the right, I waited in line behind the stopped cars on Florida for the light to turn green.

The driver behind me, in a light-gold newish Cadillac, laid on his horn and waved his hands at me from inside the car. I gave a shrug to say “what do you want me to do?” There was no room to pass the stopped traffic on the right, and I wasn’t going to dart out against traffic in the eastbound lane of Florida just to save a few seconds. The driver got out of his car, and we had the following conversation:

Driver: “Get your cracker-ass off the road, I’m trying to get my kids to school!”

Me: “Give me a *ucking break, there’s a red light, where do you want me to go?”

Driver: “On the *ucking sidewalk, you’re lucky my kids are here, or I’d beat your ass.”

The driver was ready to continue this conversation, but at this point, the light had turned green and I was on my way. This exchange left a particularly sour taste in my mouth. Yes, I realize I did not respond in a way to diffuse the situation—that’s just what came out at the moment. I’ve been mulling this over though, trying to figure out what it’s about. Did the 4 feet of space of Florida Ave that me and my bike take up seriously delay this guy from dropping his kids off at school?

Was it really necessary to resort to a nasty racial slur (and in front of his kids)? I try to play nice with cars, and was surprised that in this case, a biker following traffic laws and avoiding unpredictable behavior actually resulted in this confrontation. I’ve biked in DC for about two years, but this is the first time I’ve encountered anything like this. I’d be curious to hear whether other readers have encountered similar instances of verbal assault from drivers, and how they have handled them.”

Oct. ’11

“Dear PoPville,

While I miss their beat-up old sign a bit at the corner of Georgia & Quincy — the one with the words “Fried” still faintly visible despite their efforts to scrape it off — the new one’s pretty nice and still has that super-happy chicken. Now if only they were open after work instead of just breakfast and lunch…”

Eat Chicken is located at the corner of Georgia and Quincy St, NW across from the Petworth metro.

So what is the PL in the photo above? Chicken place? The new logo is pretty sweet:

Below is what it looked like in June ’08.

Photo by PoPville flickr user DooleyPhoto

“Dear PoPville,

In the night from Saturday to Sunday, several buildings and signs around the southern blocks of Columbia Heights (13th St. and Clifton, 13th St. and Euclid, alley 12th & Euclid, etc.) have been extensively tagged with “five-o” graffitis. Have you heard anything about that, or efforts to clean all this up? Our house has not been tagged itself so we were informed we can’t request removal ourselves.”

I’ve gotten a number of emails and photos about this. I’d rather not post the photos because I believe tags on occupied buildings and private property are nothing more than vandalism.

In Feb. ’11 we first spoke about the surge in graffiti tagging around DC. In Apr. ’11 we spoke about the difficulty in getting graffiti removed. In July ’11 MPD announced major graffiti arrests.

While I think a variety of preventative tactics are necessary, I like the way they attempt to prevent tagging in Paris.

Photo by PoPville flickr user thisisbossi

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.

“Dear PoPville,

Have you heard anything about when Bethesda Bagel is going to open in DuPont? The sign out front still says opening in September 2011, but it’s almost Halloween and there are still no delicious bagels.”

Back in May ’11 I shared the good word that Bethesda Bagels would be opening in the recently closed Johnny Rockets space at 1718 Connecticut Ave. NW in north Dupont. I emailed the owners for an update and they said they’d just completed interviews and hiring and will be open for business in 3-4 weeks. Nice!

“Dear PoPville,

The dude, hit a car, then took out the lamppost and then ran into a taxi (Corner of Columbia and Sherman Ave, NW). By the time it was all over, he was in the back of a cop car.”

For my fellow pelican enthusiasts.

I’ve never seen one of this style with glass like this. I wonder if it was originally solid wood and the glass was added later?

Cool windows up top on this old school house from Georgetown:

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@IAFF36 tweets around 7:40am Sun. Morning:

“Confined Space Rescue – 1200 6th St NW – one person stuck in storm drain

*UPDATE – 1200 6th St NW – patient has been extricated from storm drain, EMS evaluating”

Still waiting to hear on how the guy got into the storm drain.

Alley of 1800 block of 6th St, NW

And in what appears to be a completely separate incident, a reader sends in the photo above from the Alley behind Shaw’s Tavern.

Update

MPD tells me that an adult Latino male was struck by a car and dragged. The body was found in an alley at 1800 6th St, NW. The victim has not been identified yet. This is being investigated by MPD’s major crash unit.

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