PoP Turns Two Years Old – Let’s Party and Drink Bacardi

To celebrate head on over to Wonderland (11th and Kenyon) at 8pm tonight. Milkmachine goes on stage at 9pm and O’Tasty plays at 10pm.

So let me take this opportunity to say a few words of thanks. First of all if you asked me two years ago if I thought this little blog I was starting would become what it is today, I’d have said “you know sniffing glue isn’t really good for you”. In the two years PoP has been live it has expanded to include coverage of many of DC’s neighborhoods. In the year to come I hope to cover even more. The site has grown from 30 readers a day to over 3000. There have been 4,334 posts and 33,793 comments. I have walked roughly 750 miles around the city. I have discovered more sweet doors and coffee spots than I ever thought was possible. I have encountered and tried to share with you what I consider ‘The Beautiful Life’. However, we’ve also discussed the bad times. The discussion, for the most part, has been civil and thoughtful and for that I am most grateful. The knowledge of the readers never ceases to amaze me.

So first and foremost let me say thank you to all the readers/commenters who are really the ones who make this site a fun place to visit. Let me say thank you to all the tipsters. Without your tips it would be impossible for me to know what is going on all over the city. Let me say thank you to all the folks who have sent in photos. I’d especially like to thank those who have shared photos of their homes and renovations and withered the critiques of strangers. I’d like to thank everyone who has invited me to parties, dinners, happy hours and into their homes.

I’d like to thank my guest posters and regular contributors for their invaluable help. Thanks to past contributors Intangible Arts, John, Julian and Karen. Thanks to current contributors, Eric Nuzum, Hipchickindc, Robyn Mincher, Brightwood Living, Tina, Rachel and Nichole.

Thanks to Martin my IT guy who is more patient than you can possibly imagine. Thanks to Jason for designing the PoP logo. Thanks to Micah for designing the new t-shirts.

Thank you to Councilmembers Muriel Bowser and Jim Graham who have always been responsive to my requests and queries. Thanks to ANC member Joe Martin whose perspective and advice regarding city issues has been invaluable. Thanks to MPD and other city agencies for their responsiveness to issues raised here.

Thanks to my fellow bloggers who have been kind enough to link to PoP. I’d also like to thank Sommer Mathis and Heather Goss from DCist for their many links and advice, I’d like to thank the Washington Post’s Marc Fisher for his advice and profile which introduced PoP to many new readers. Thanks to Bill Crandall from Petworth News for his very early support. I’d also like to thank Washingtonian, Washington City Paper, DC Blogs, and Express for their coverage.

A year from now I hope to be able to announce that I’ll be taking PoP full time. To do so I’ll obviously need the continued support and expansion of advertisers. So thanks to realtor Kevin Wood for his very early support. Thanks also to Solea Condominiums, Fresh Off the Roast Coffee, Urban Tastes, Chix, Captiol Hill Home Inspection, and BCS Baskets and Gifts.

Thanks to everyone who has helped make this site a fun place to visit. Hope to see you all at Wonderland tonight!