Yesterday afternoon when I tweeted about how cool the Corehaus Design store is, it got me thinking about the best non restaurant/bar stores that have recently opened up in DC. It seems like every week we are talking about new restaurants and bars opening up in the city, which I think is great. But I also like to discover other cool new retail options. Personally, I think Corehaus is the coolest to open up in a long time. Kultura is pretty sweet as well.

So my question to you guys is – what’s the coolest non restaurant/bar to have recently opened up in the city? If none have opened recently – what are some cool retail shops that fall below the radar? Could be house stuff, a hardware store, clothing, other furniture, used books, comic books etc.?

Ed. Note: And on an unrelated note because the weather is going to be so nice this weekend I wanted to share a previous FQoTD where we discussed nice things to do around the city outside.

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Photo by PoPville flickr user Jess J

We’ve spoken about metro robberies and other safety issues many many times. It’s nice to see the Transit Police address the issue (albeit unintentionally comically). The following stats were just released by WMATA in a press release:

“The transit system has seen an increase in robberies recently. In 2009, there were 894 robberies reported, up from 581 reported robberies in 2008. In January, there were 122 reported robberies. Metro Transit Police officers made 142 arrests in January, including 19 robbery-related arrests.”

So my Friday Question of the Day is a rather simple – do you feel safe on metro?

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When walking to Chinatown last week I noticed that the old convention site is referred to by the Mayor as CityCentreDC. Who knows when this huge project will be built but whenever it does get built it’s gonna need a better name than CityCentreDC. It’s not quite Chinatown and not really Penn Quarter either. So what a great opportunity for us to name it. I know folks haven’t been happy with some recent new neighborhood names like NOMA.

So hopefully we can get something really good that will stick. Unless you like City Centre? Maybe some history buffs can nominate a name from back in the day? Any suggestions?

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“Dear PoP,

I work on public health policy and am seeing a trend across the nation that is especially obvious in DC. It is getting harder to find things to DO. The new development is always focused on condos, bars, and restaurants. Love to live in a home, and am a huge fan of drinking and eating . . . but people need something to do. There is this notion that going to the gym and getting on a machine or lifting heavy items with an ipod on is the only activity that people need. It is not a winning strategy for building a happy healthy society.

Look around– where are the bowling alleys, arcades with skeeball and air hockey and foosball, driving ranges, live music venues with dancing . . . etc.? Where are the racquetball courts? Nobody works 9-5 anymore . . . and when people get home at 7, there are no lights in the parks (or they are just scary). There are gyms with basketball/volleyball courts in every school in DC, but they are chained up at night. Once-a-year street fairs are nice, but having places where people can consistently go to find a band and a dancing mass is better. (Love Madam’s Organ and Wonderland for that but such places are oddly few and far between)

We need to make sure there are fun things to do in every community– things that lure people out away from their TVs and computers, that bring them together to meet each other, and use their bodies in some way besides eating and drinking. People seem to be yearning for it. Look at the popularity of H St. Country Club and Comet Ping Pong– goofy fun. Look how much people are willing to pay to bowl at that crappy place in Chinatown. How can there not be a reasonable bowling alley in a city this size? I know we can find a spot for one in the GaP. The good DC tennis courts (like Howard/Banneker) are packed all day until the dusk . . . why not put in some lights, and maybe with a pay-meter to defray the costs?”

What do you guys think – are there enough “things” to do in our neighborhoods (especially at night)?

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Photo by PoPville flickr user SMWieland

Well DCist covered the harsh words from MSNBC’s Chris Matthews yesterday. And I was personally surprised to see the following tweet Tues. night from At Large Council Member Kwame Brown:

“Mayor needs to clear residential streets of snow now. Only getting worse with today’s storm.”

Believe me I wish all the streets and alleys were plowed but that is simply impossible with back to back storms like this and a limited number of plows.

I’m not trying to be naive but it seems like a simple calculation. Paving all the streets is going to take time. (Especially given the delay due to the whiteout.) But my question is simple – is it fair to blame the mayor if your sidestreet wasn’t plowed yet? When do you think it is fair to assume that all the sidestreets will be plowed?

Overall how would you say the city/Mayor did given this is the most snow the city has ever seen?

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Photo of December Blizzard Total by HK

My question is a simple one – do you think we’ll get more snow than the Dec. blizzard? I’m putting the over/under at 20″. Is anyone going in to work?

I already received word from Duffy’s located near 9:30 Club (a PoP advertiser) that they’ll be open on Sat. no matter how much snow comes down. So if you guys know or hear of any other places that will be open on Sat. please leave in the comments.

Also don’t forget to shovel your sidewalks and if you have elderly neighbors help them out with their shoveling please.

And finally don’t forget to upload your snow photos to the PoPville flickr pool here.

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The old Caribou Coffee spot on 18th Street in Adams Morgan has been vacant for ages. It seems insane to me because this is such a prime location. Many folks have probably walked by this space dozens of times. It’s not a huge space so I’m curious what you think would work in this location. What would work is not necessarily a dream retail outlet, rather I’m curious what you think would realistically be successful in this spot. Any ideas?

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Irish Coffee, originally uploaded by Carlos Porto.

Back in July we had a great discussion about some of your favorite summer drinks. Given the foul weather tonight it got me thinking about what were your favorite winter drinks? Last winter, Robyn suggested a few places to get hot drinks around town. I’m curious about what are your favorites to make at home. Is there anything better than a classic Irish coffee?

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Photo from PoPville flickr user Bogotron

Yesterday I mentioned that I attended a blogger round table discussion with WMATA chief John Catoe. Then we all learned he was resigning. But many of the bloggers were expressing huge complaints that they personally faced and/or problems their readers have faced. Granted I don’t ride the metro that often anymore, but still I have been very happy with the Green Line/Yellow Line service. Knock wood, knock wood, I can’t remember the last time I encountered a big problem. Though when I was taking the Orange Line I do recall numerous occassions when I wanted to never ride metro again.

So I guess this is a multipart question – first do you think metro is doing a good job in general since the tragic metro crash in June (if you do have problems please mention which line you have problems on)? Second, do you think replacing the WMATA chief will improve the service? And third, given the budget problems, would you rather see a 10 cent increase or a reduction in some service lines?

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As most have surely heard by now Washington WIzard’s star Gilbert Arenas has been suspended indefinitely by the NBA. ESPN reports:

“Arenas is under investigation by federal and local authorities after admittedly bringing guns into the Wizards’ locker room. The Wizards’ troubles may not end there. The Washington Post reported Wednesday that according to firsthand accounts, teammate Javaris Crittenton, whose disagreement with Arenas reportedly fueled the incident, loaded and cocked his own gun in response to Arenas. In text messages, Crittenton called that account “false,” according to the report.”

I was a party where guy says, I can’t even bring a candy bar into the Verizon Center, how the hell did he get a gun in? Obviously he was kidding but this really seems to be beyond defense. What do you think the punishment should be if he just brought the gun to the locker room but didn’t brandish it? What should the punishment be if he did brandish it? Do you think he will prosecuted and face jail time? Are you bothered by how Arenas seems to be making light of the situation?

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Photo by PoPville flickr user AWard Tour

Once again most have Friday off so here’s another early question of the day. Given it’s that time of year, it’s time to ask that kind of question – what is your strongest memory for 2009 in DC? I’m gonna have to go with President Obama’s inauguration week. There was such a buzz in the air it was absolutely electric. What about you guys – anything about 2009 stick out to you? Also any predictions for the city in 2010?

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Photo from PoPville flickr user bruboo

Last night a friend of mine told me that she received a 14 pound ham via special delivery for Christmas. I thought that was absolutely awesome, if a bit random. So it got me thinking – what is the best or strangest gift you’ve ever received for the holidays?

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Photo by PoPville flickr user stuzehner

“Dear PoP,

The end of the year is nearing, and I’m wondering if your readers know of any good New Year’s Eve celebrations that won’t break the bank. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to spend $100 for an evening full of flat champagne and a bunch of drunk college kids. Any help/suggestions?”

I was going through my inbox to see what New Year’s emails I received when I saw this huge list put together by Washingtonian magazine. It is super comprehensive.

But since it’s that time of year I thought I’d include this as a Friday Question of the Day. First, what do you recommend is the best way to spend New Year’s Eve in DC? And second, possibly a bit more fun, what is your fondest New Year’s celebration memory in or out of DC?

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Actually one quick random cell phone question first. For those that use AT&T do you notice that your 3G coverage gets dropped around the U Street area? Mostly around 13th and U I always lose coverage.

But anyway for the real question of the day – what is proper cell phone/smart phone etiquette when with friends or on a date? I’m not talking about on the metro or in a store. I’m talking only about when you’re on a date or hanging out with friends. I know this is a horrible analogy but back in the day it was considered very rude to wear a hat indoors. Folks wear hats indoors all the time now. I used to think if you were hanging out with friends or on a date it was absolutely forbidden to text or check email. Sure with friends it’s slightly different but still, I used to think even then it was impolite to check the phone/email. So today I was at lunch with a friend and I swear it was like being addicted to a drug, I absolutely had to check my email. I apologized but still checked it.

So I’m just curious, has the proliferation of smart phones changed whether or not it is rude to check them with friends or on a date?

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Photo from PoPville Flickr user Bogotron

The following question comes from twitter user @Zoom268. They write:

“Increase #wmata fares and reducing services? Where is the talk of a commuter tax/fee in or out of DC? ”

WTOP reports:

Board Member Chris Zimmerman says riders should understand now that fare increases and service cuts are necessary and inevitable… Some service reductions being considered are:

* Reducing bus and rail service on some holidays and holiday-related days (i.e. the day after Thanksgiving) to be more in line with ridership
* Eliminating bus service that overlaps local jurisdictional service
* Eliminating low-ridership bus service
* Increasing the intervals (headways) between trains and buses
* Closing some station mezzanines and rail stations during periods of low ridership
* Modifying late-night rail and bus service
* Beginning rail service later in the mornings

I don’t think we’ve ever discussed a commuter tax before for those that live outside DC and commute into the city for work. As a DC resident it’s easy for me to say I support one. But I’ve also heard arguments where if such a tax were implemented, DC will simply end up losing folks who set up their offices in DC. So what do you guys think about a commuter tax in general? Is it a good way to deal with the WMATA budget shortfall or is a fare increase and/or reduced services, unfortunately, the price that needs to be paid in this economic climate?

Ed. Note: You can follow PoPville on twitter here.

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