Back in mid-Sept. it was announced that Citibank would be coming to the old Blockbuster space at 1751 Columbia Rd, NW. Turns out the lease negotiations fell through.

Maybe a Jos A Bank would be interested…?

On Dec. 5th I saw a note saying the Cosi by the (soon to be closed) Dupont South metro escalators would be closing for remodeling. Well, they’ve already reopened. Did they change much from what it used to look like?

Dear PoP,

My partner and I made this on Saturday. Wonder if any of your readers have something more exquisite than this????

Holy cow this is a randomly awesome gingerbread house! Can anyone top this one?

Getting in the holiday spirit.

You knew I couldn’t continue East Capitol Street Week without posting the “bank house”:

From an email:

“We play every monday near 6th st & penn st NE (next to gallaudet) at 7pm and at rush rink 13th & d st SE on thursdays.”

Dear PoPville,

Lot 38 in Capitol Riverfront is now open. They were giving out free drinks yesterday until 6 pm. [Ed. Note: Oops, sorry I didn't get that posted yesterday!] I believe the gentleman behind the counter is the owner, but I just snapped the pics and didn’t go for the full (or partial) interview…. The other two pics are from each end of the upstairs seating section. It’s nice to see this finally open as there seemed to be some sort of delay in the middle of the construction process, but I suppose that shouldn’t have surprised anyone.

Great addition to the neighborhood! Lot 38 is located at 2nd and L St, SE.

Serious renovations have started on the building next to Mood Lounge at 1320 9th St, NW (near the Convention Center.) Back in May ’09 I shared some scuttlebutt that this would be the workshop/showroom for designer Darryl Carter. I still believe those are the plans.

Should be a pretty sweet reno. Stay tuned for the before and after photos.

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 the name of your pet and 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.

Photo by PoPville flickr user OrderedChaos

“This is Trune at a Christmas party. Such a good dog.”

“Chloe had a lot of fun (although she wasn’t too sure about Santa!)”

“Holiday greetings from Luna in Columbia Heights”

And Cooper has been found!

“Anyway, Copper’s doing remarkably well; for being gone for a week, he didn’t look any different, just a bit dusty. Attached is a picture of him chilling in the sink about to take another nap.”

This rental is located at 14th and L St, NW:

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The Craigslist ad says:

“This apartment is available now and features stainless steel appliances, washer/dryer, and 10 foot ceilings. The rent includes an underground parking space and storage room, electric and cable are the responsibility of the renter.

The building has a roof deck and two community rooms with free wi-fi.

Location is two blocks from the downtown area/McPherson Square metro and 4 blocks from the Whole Foods on P Street. Great location in DC’s first green building.”

$1650 sound right? You’ll be near a brand new Jimmy John’s…

Image via google street view

Dear PoPville,

I live around the corner from Carolina’s, a rather shady restaurant at the corner of 14th and Spring Road. Since I moved to the neighborhood about 8 months ago, I have heard nothing but complaints about the place from my neighbors (noise, fights, crime, garbage, rats, you name it). A couple of days ago I noticed that the interior of the building is empty and a lot of junk is sitting outside. Do you have any information on what is going on. Is it closed for good?

Another reader writes:

Any idea what is going on at Carolina’s Palacio del Sabor? I walked by tonight, and it seems to be gutted. Although, they still had dumped gross liquid on the Spring Rd sidewalk tonight. Honestly, if it’s not closing, I at least hope they will quit doing that at some point – that’s my main beef with the bar. On that note, does anyone have any ideas on how to get them to quit dumping liquid waste (including sometimes grease) onto the sidewalk?

Anyone hear any news of a closure?

Photo by PoPville flickr user guy_incognito

Looking for a bar with Christmas decorations/spirit.

A cat was found in Bloomingdale.

Looking for recommendations for a Christmas eve church service in Petworth.

And you can look for items or post things for sale for free in the Classifieds.

Photo of National Menorah lighting by PoPville reader HorseShoe

Joing the PoPville flickr pool here and follow PoPville on twitter here on facebook here and google+ here.

Photo by PoPville flickr user philliefan99

From the Georgetown BID:

Swirling into Washington DC’s iconic M Street just in time for the holidays Pinkberry (3288 M Street, NW) will open its doors in Georgetown for the first time on Thursday, December 22nd, and offer a special winter treat to all shoppers: one free small Pinkberry from 12 to 4 p.m. Stop by their newest Georgetown location and share in the wonderment!

And from a Facebook message:

We’re excited to announce that the first 500 guests will also receive a mini cupcake from our friends at Georgetown Cupcake!

This home is located at 2600 Tilden St, NW:

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The flier says:

“Stunning contemporary on a completely private 2/3 acre lot surrounded by embassies & . Hillwood Museum in elegant Forest Hills. Renovated, expanded to showcase beautiful architecture, gourmet kitchen, bright, open spaces perfect for entertaining. Walls of windows afford unbelievable views & open to two decks & a private patio overlooking Koi pond. Five beds, 4.5 baths, plus two additional rooms.”

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

This 5 bed/4.5 bath is yours for $2,480,000.