Irvine Contemporary is located at 1412 14th Street, NW. It’s easy to walk by without realizing it’s an art gallery (as I had done many times) because there is a very unassuming glass front.

But it is well worth checking out. Currently there is a cool exhibit that has been extended to June 13th of works by Shawne Major.

You can see future exhibitions here. Well worth checking out!

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Wow. Holy cow. This place was unbelievable. I can’t believe I’ve lived in DC for 12 years and have just learned about it. This of course is the Franciscan Monastery located at 1400 Quincy Street, NE. Their brochure says:

“On a wooded hillside in Northeast Washington, The Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land rises in solitary grandeur. The Monastery and its shrines, constructed over a century ago, are religious centers for tourists and pilgrims of all faiths. Offering a chance to see replicas of the famous Holy Land Shrines… The Gardens and Shrines. An oasis of serenity…the acres of gardens change with every season…” You can read more about the architecture here.

So as you can tell already I was stunned by the beauty of this place. The gardens and the Monastery itself were sensational. There are daily tours at 10am, 11am, 1pm, 2pm and 3pm and on Sunday at 1pm, 2pm and 3pm. Personally I was most happy in the amazing gardens where you can’t even hear a car go by. Amazing. But of course the photos will do more justice than anything I can write.

Lots more photos after the jump. Read Full Post

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I love not having a destination on my walkabouts because I somehow always manage to end up stumbling upon the coolest places. So at first, I just thought this was a cool building with some sweet weathered old school signs. But upon further inspection I noticed a sign that said it was the Brass Knob’s warehouse.

The Brass Knob is the cool spot we looked at last May in Adams Morgan on 18th Street. This warehouse is located at 57 N Street, NW. I nearly had a heart attack when I entered and was greeted by dozens and dozens of old doors. Mind you, it’s been fairly well established I’m not 100% normal and of course post a “door of the day” feature. I guess you can imagine my reaction.

The place is huge. It has two floors and an outdoor area. In addition to doors there were hundreds of windows, radiators, bathtubs, and much much more. Super cool. Lots more photos after the jump. Read Full Post

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Folks seemed pretty excited about the Japanese market at 17th and U as well as the Vietnamese market on Park Road so I thought I’d feature another I passed the other day at 4111 Wisconsin Ave (near Tenleytown).

The market features one side for Filipino items and one side for Japanese items. Like the other markets the photos do it the most justice. Following was my favorite item:

Lots more photos after the jump. Read Full Post

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The home located at 1818 19th Newton Street, NW is completely wild because as you are walking along the street there are normal rowhomes and then all of a sudden there is this huge “mansion”. Thankfully, there was a heritage trail marker to explain it to me:

And here’s what it looked like back in the day:

I can’t believe I’ve walked through Mt. P so many times without walking past it before. It’s really amazing. Any other fans out there?

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Ruff & Ready on 14th Street north of T Street always has some cool items out front. You can read about this classic spot here.

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Here’s another post for PabloMa. I’ve actually only been here once to watch a cool film on the national soccer team of Lichtenstein. The Goethe Institut is located at 812 Seventh Street, NW in Chinatown. It seems like they’re often hosting pretty neat events. I’m a little late on this one but they’ve been hosting a film festival called Film/Neu:

“Washington’s 17th annual festival of the newest in German, Austrian, and Swiss filmmaking brings a weeklong program of diverse films and special events to E Street Cinema and the Goethe-Institut January 23-29, 2009.”

Sadly tomorrow’s the last day but I’ll keep my eyes peeled and post future events.

Did anyone catch any films from this recent festival?

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Even though all of the developments are fairly recent, sometimes I find it hard to remember what Columbia Heights looked like just a couple of years ago. Heading north on 14th Street kind of brings back the memory, but it seems as though development is even creeping up that way. Little by little new store fronts are popping up further up the road, perhaps setting the stage for a massive overhaul of the neighborhood, or perhaps just making a relatively run down “Main Street” a little more neighborhood-friendly. Personally, I am hoping for the latter, but either way I was pretty excited to discover Esther’s Treasures.

Just past the Mocha Ground at 4277 4722 14th Street, Esther’s Treasures has been open for just over a year. In fact just this past weekend they held an anniversary party and, for the entire month of December, if you spend $35 or more you get a 25% discount! Esther Williams, the owner and namesake, is a long time DC resident and something of a local celebrity. She’s actually a professional singer and is married to Davey Yarborough who is also a professional musician as well as the Chairman of the Instrumental Music Program at the Duke Ellington School. Continues after the jump. Read Full Post

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River House is located at 3706 Macomb Street, NW. Their Web site says:

“Partnering with dealers and warehouses in Belgium and Holland We import vintage furniture from many countries in Europe.
These country and farm pieces are selected in the countryside then taken to the warehouse/studio where they are prepared for export to Washington.”

There are super cool pieces here.

The goods aren’t cheap but they are wicked fresh. More photos after the jump including a vintage Vermont brass pub tap. Read Full Post

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You’d never find this place if you didn’t know it was there. Or if you don’t have a passion for doors…

Corte Salon is located at 1019 U Street, NW and opened at this location the first week of September. You can spot a little sign on the door but from the street you’d have no idea there was such a nice place upstairs.

Their Web site says:

“At CORTE Salon, we strive to create an exclusive experience for our guests that is as unique as they are. Our mission is to provide every client with an outstanding experience in an elegant, serene and sophisticated environment.

We appreciate all of our guests and work hard to maintain our relationships with each of them.

Serving both women and men, CORTE Salon will provide a full line of individually tailored services from a group of highly skilled and diverse professionals. With such a diverse staff, clients will easily find someone who compliments their own style, background, and personality.

At the beginning of every appointment, we will talk with you and help you decide upon the best look and appropriate treatments. CORTE Salon offer the highest quality professional hair products and our staff will personalize a daily routine for you based on your individual preferences.

Over the next several months as we continue to grow, we will be adding such services as facials, manicures, pedicures, waxing, and massage.”

So if you’ve been looking for a Salon in the neighborhood you’ve now found it.

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Post and illustrations written by Hipchickindc.

I have always had a fascination with Jemal’s Wonder Bread Factory on S St NW, near the Shaw/Howard U Metro, but one day, as I was walking home from Metro to Bloomingdale, I happened to notice a sign in front of a lovely turreted Victorian across the street. The sign said, “ArtSpace” and there was a web site listed. As an artist, I am always interested in learning about studio and showing space, especially so close to home, so I looked up Art Space.

“The ArtSpace is a conduit for personal and community expression, empowering participants to find their artistic voice, celebrate the beauty of the world that surrounds us and expose what needs to change with powerful visual statements. At the ArtSpace we believe that art should be as accessible as the local basketball court or branch library.”

In addition to a small menu of art classes offered, the invitation to attend the weekly drop in Open Studio sessions caught my eye. I called the number listed to make sure this was for real, and spoke to the director, Kristian Whipple. Kristian enthusiastically encouraged me to come over the following Monday with my daughter. The facilities and materials would be open for use for the entry price of either “food or five” (either bring food to share, or pay a five dollar donation.)

In addition to clay, pottery wheels, and a kiln, ArtSpace has a dark room, several looms for weaving, cupboards and shelves well stocked with a range of art materials, art books for inspiration, and space for tables and an easel. We usually try to bring some kind of food to share, and enjoy hanging out with both newcomers and regulars. All are welcome regardless of experience or skill level. An interest and desire to be creative are all that is required. Post continues after the jump. Read Full Post

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Last week I took a trip to U Street in search of jewelry, when all along Boveda was right in front of my nose. Though it’s been around for 5 years, it’s a little hidden away, upstairs from the Dentist’s office at 3165 Mount Pleasant St.

I stopped in the other night and had the pleasure of meeting store owner Barbara Cameron. She is a Columbia Heights resident, and married to the Dentist downstairs. Together they spend lots of time travelling the world to keep Boveda stocked with all sorts of great stuff. They often travel to places where they have no connections and just network with local artists and communities to see what they can find. A visit to her store shows that they usually have pretty good luck; silver jewelry from the Hill Tribes in Thailand, pottery from Morroco, and for the entomologist – some cool butterfly and insect displays from Ecuador. I even found a sweet looking frog that kind of looks like a PoP mascot!

Her son (who helps out in the store when home from college) recently started a project that provides shoes to children in impoverished countries. You can find out more about that here: http://www.walkinmyshoesglobalproject.com/home. They accept donations in the store, so if you have kids shoes – bring them by! Even if you don’t have shoes to deliver…this place is well worth a visit, and there’s a sale going on right now 20 – 30% off most items in the store! More photos after the jump. Read Full Post

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It’s official – 11th Street is the coolest street in the city. Forget about Columbia Heights Coffee, Wonderland, Red Rocks and the soon to be Meridian Pint – First Bloom of Bloom – the new “spontaneous, underground, music, art and inspiration in the heart of Columbia Heights” is ridiculously awesome! I was sitting with a friend at Red Rocks drinking a couple of beers and relaxing after the Parade and a guy named Jon Chambers comes over to us to talk about his new spot. (And when I came home I had quite a few emails from folks also telling me about this new space.) Well, it is exactly like it sounds – art and music and lots of good vibes. I should say that this awesome spot is located at 3222 11th St, NW right between Wonderland and El Rinconcito. It is in one of those buildings that we’ve been wondering what will become of it. And I don’t think it would be possible for anything cooler than this to arrive.

I was given a tour during the day and got to see much of the cool art located on two levels. I then returned around 11:30 that evening to listen to some phenomenal music. The event was free although you could give a $5 donation but it wasn’t mandatory. I was a little hesitant when I heard a lot of talk about love and peace. The New Yorker in me came out and I thought I may have entered some sort of cult headquarters. But I couldn’t have been further off base. These folks are simply socially conscious people who are trying to bring the community together. The hope seems to be that all sorts of folks, white, black, latino, young, old, etc, will use this space as a community center. Pictured above is Jason Jasper who had an incredible voice and sang acapella. You can also see to the right of the photo that there was an artist painting a piece throughout the evening inspired by the music being played. Sat. night was the last night of a three night stand but I’ll be sure to post info for upcoming shows/events as they become available. I realized it was a super cool evening when famed WJLA anchor, Maureen Bunyan, arrived (see photo below). It seems like this space is really going to evolve into something great. Lots more photos after the jump.

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Design Within Reach, located at 1838 Columbia Road in Adams Morgan is one cool shop. I spoke with sales associate, Omari, who described the store as featuring modern, mid century furniture. He also explained that the name means that the patron is able to have direct access to classic pieces. Previously, customers had to go through designers to purchase these types of pieces but Design Within Reach has a warehouse that stocks many of the pieces so that there aren’t long wait periods for your furniture to arrive. As you would expect prices vary but most sofas range from $1500-$5000. The pictures will say a lot more than anything I can write. Plenty of them after the jump. But let me just add that I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw a terrarium on display. Well, another sales associate came up to me as I was admiring the terrarium and she told me it was actually for sale. Right on. So they also partner with Small World Terrariums and you can purchase some pretty cool terrariums. Very cool. Check out some photos of the furniture after the jump. Read Full Post

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Run by Smith Farm this super cool gallery opened on May 9th and is located at 1632 U Street. The Smith Farm Center is a really terrific center that “serves individuals, families and communities affected by cancer and other serious illness.” In addition to the art gallery other programs featured include Yoga, Book Clubs, Drumming Circles, Healthy Cooking and more. The current show at the art gallery features works by Elizabeth Berger but you have to hurry if you want to check it out because it closes June 27th. Fear not though the next exhibition begins July 11th – August 28 featuring the art of Billy Colbert, Paul Andrew Wandless and Michael Janis. The opening reception is July 11th from 5:30 – 8 PM. Definitely check out their Web site if you want to learn more about this amazing Center. A couple of photos after the jump. Read Full Post

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