Judging Buildings

05 March 2010 4:00 PM |Architecture, Buildings | 6 Comments

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We’ve judged the restaurant founding farmers located at 1924 Pennsylvania Ave, NW but the building itself (IMF HQ) is worth judging. People, including myself, have pretty strong opinions about many new glass buildings. I think this one looks pretty sweet. What do you think – thumbs up or down?

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Weekend Picks

05 March 2010 3:30 PM |weekend picks | 0 Comments

photo

‘Root and Branch: Charles Hamilton Houston, Thurgood Marshall and the Struggle to End Segregation.’ Book Launch from local Petworth author, Rawn M. James, Jr.

Sunday, March 7th
4pm-6pm
Busboys and Poets
2021 V Street NW

www.rawnjames.com

‘Root and Branch’
has been reviewed in The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/12/AR201002
1202408.html
, and

recommended by USA Today
http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2010-02-18-buzzplus18_ST_N.htm

Continues after the jump. More… »

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Friday Afternoon Rental (Share) Option

05 March 2010 3:00 PM |Neighborhoods - Ledroit Park, Rentals of the Week | 14 Comments

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This rental is located at Florida Ave and 6th Street, NW:


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The Craigslist ad says:

“The home has 4 floors and 8 bedrooms. 2 washer/dryers, Living room and an Eat-in Kitchen and Lobby area.

Newly Renovated! Ready for you to be a part of Luxurious designer touches in kitchen, Stainless Steel Appliances. 4 full baths, whirlpool tubs, marble and granite lobby, hardwood floors throughout.

Central 2 zone HVAC system.

Security System

Centrally located at 6th and Florida Ave, NW. 2 min Walk to Green and Yellow metro Stations and Metro bus. Close to U-Street, Downtown, Convention center Shaw Columbia Heights, Adams Morgan and Dupont.”

It also mentions that house received Pop HoTD honors which made me chuckle. Now we haven’t done a share before but I’m curious what you think – does $810 sound reasonable to share this home?

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Dear PoP – New MetroBus Mantra?

05 March 2010 2:30 PM |Dear PoP, Transit | 13 Comments

To Baltimore
Photo from PoPville flickr user JosephLeonardo

“Dear PoP,

I had a strange experience riding the G2 bus today — I’m used to the automated voice coming on to announce stops, remind me about route changes, tell me to visit the website etc, but today the friendly voice repeated a message twice in a row that seemed targeted at the driver. She said something like (paraphrasing from memory) “as a metrobus operator, you may face several dangerous situations today — the safety of our passengers, other drivers and the public is in your hands.” It sounded almost like an affirmation — “you’re good enough, you’re smart enough, and make sure not to hit anyone!” I wonder if anyone else has heard these, and if they’re a part of WMATA’s new “culture of responsibility?”

Wild. Were you sitting in the front of the bus or could the whole bus hear it? Anyone else notice this new announcement?

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Photos From PoPville – Same City Edition

05 March 2010 2:00 PM |Photo Archives, PoPville photos | 7 Comments

Wisconsin at Volta NW

Above’s great shot is from Georgetown taken by hohandy and strongly contrasts with the below shot of 1320 Ninth Street, NW from rockcreek.

Submit your photos via email or to the PoPville flickr pool here.

1320 Ninth Street, NW

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Ipod Found on 52 Bus Heading North on 14th St, NW

05 March 2010 1:30 PM |Dear PoP | 2 Comments

Pipe-Smoking at Peregrine
Photo unrelated but awesome from PoPville flickr user Madame Meow

“Dear PoP,

I posted this on Craig’s List but thought I’d also try your site. I found a black iPod (nano, I think) this evening (Thurs.) on the 52 bus headed north on 14th Street.

If anyone thinks it belongs to them, they can click on this Craig’s List link and e-mail me from there:

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Good Deal or Not? “HIGHLY EFFICIENT” Edition (Reader Request)

05 March 2010 1:00 PM |Good Deal or Not?, Real Estate - Columbia Heights, Real Estate - Petworth | 42 Comments

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This house is located at 3829 10th Street, NW:


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The flier says:

“HIGHLY EFFICIENT in every way. The renovation is superb, the location is ideal 2blks to Metro & resturants. 3 lovely BRs w/ HUGE closets. 3.5 BAs w/ granite, ceramic & nickel. An open floor plan adorned w/ crown moldings, tray ceilings, chair railings, hrdwd flrs, surround sound, intercom, granite, stainless appl, 42′bambo cabinets, breakfast nook, full entertaining bsmt, 1 car garage, 2 car pkg pa”

You can find more info and lots of photos here.

What do you think of the reno itself? Does $639,000 sound reasonable for this 3 bed/3.5 bath?

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Cop Who Pulled Gun at Snowball Fight Won’t Get Fired

05 March 2010 12:30 PM |quality of life | 23 Comments

Thanks to a reader for sending the news from NBC Washington:

“I don’t think this is a termination offense,” [MPD Chief] Lanier said.

She was more critical in December, calling the detective’s actions “totally inappropriate” and saying the incident tarnished the department’s otherwise excellent handling of the storm. That prompted the D.C. police union to question whether Baylor would get a fair investigation.

Fair enough, it seems.

“As soon as this whole process wraps up, he’ll be put back to duty,” Lanier said.

You can find MPD’s original response here.

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Random Reader Rant and/or Revel

05 March 2010 12:00 PM |Open Thread | 26 Comments

DSC_0194 (1)
Photo from PoPville flickr user D©Bloom

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. I’ll open this thread every Monday and Friday. So anything good happen to you this week?

Anyone have to commute to or through the Pentagon insanity this morning?

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GDoN Revisited by Hipchickindc

05 March 2010 11:30 AM |GDON revisited, Real Estate - Petworth, hipchickindc | 5 Comments


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In real life, hipchickindc is licensed as a real estate broker in the District of Columbia, and as a real estate salesperson in Maryland. Unless specifically noted, neither she nor the company that she is affiliated with represented any of the parties or were directly involved in the transaction reported below. Unless otherwise noted, the source of information is Metropolitan Regional Information Systems (MRIS), which is the local multiple listing system. Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

Featured Properties: 4824 7th St NW

Original List Price: $165,000.

List Price at Contract: $165,000.

List Date: 10/12/2009

Days on Market: 4

Settled Sales Price: $151,155.

Settlement Date: 12/01/2009

Seller Subsidy: $0.

Bank Owned?: Yes

Type Of Financing: Cash

Original GDoN Post is
: here.

Recent Listing is: here.

To better understand this property, please indulge me for a moment while we take the time machine back to the DC real estate market circa 2005/2006. Up to approximately that point in time, property values had escalated for several consecutive years, at an unreal pace. Lenders were bending over themselves to lend money to pretty much anybody who could fog a mirror, including investors. Down payments were non-existent or very low. In cases where down payments were necessary, it was possible for investors to cross-collateralize off of equity in other properties. In this climate, the price to acquire shells (and otherwise crappy properties) went through the roof. (Note that the subject property was purchased in 2006 for $375,000.)

From about 2006, the investor market dropped back considerably. As prices began to fall on fully renovated properties, investors could not make the numbers work. For a while there, I expect that the majority of properties purchased with renovation in mind were bought by end users (owner occupants). Some folks at the time blamed speculators for both driving up the market prices, and for the bust after they all dropped out of sight. Continues after the jump. More… »

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Ojo Latino – Featuring María Alejandra (Part 2)

05 March 2010 11:00 AM |Neighborhoods - Georgetown, OjO Latino, Photo Archives | 3 Comments

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Ojo Latino is a series by Néstor Sánchez Cordero. Nestor writes, “I’m working on a new project with my friend María Alejandra and her beautiful creations. She weaves outstanding and unique necklaces, gloves and scarves…” You can see part 1 here.

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Three more photos after the jump. More… »

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Friday Question of the Day – Transportation

04 March 2010 9:10 PM |DC Government, Transit | 57 Comments

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As you may have heard by now 15th Street, NW between K St. and Massachusetts Ave. will remain 2-way at all times according to DDOT. In a press release they write:

The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) announced today it will eliminate the reversible lanes on 15th Street, NW. Beginning on Monday, March 15, 2010, 15th Street between K Street and Massachusetts Avenue will operate as a two-way street at all times. Currently, that 3-block street of 15th Street already carries two way traffic for most of the day, but during the afternoon rush hour (4-6:30 pm) it is one-way northbound.

The change was requested by the Downtown Business Improvement District (BID) and was presented to Advisory Neighborhood Commissions (ANCs) 2B and 2F for comment. Neither ANC opposed the change.

DDOT also analyzed the traffic on 15th Street and found that four lanes are not required to handle the volume of traffic during the evening rush hour. In addition, the reversible lanes still cause confusion for motorists despite the fact that they have been in place for decades.

“We believe this will be a positive change for the downtown area,” said DDOT Director Gabe Klein. “It will improve the flow of traffic, make the businesses more accessible, and make 15th Street safer for everyone: motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians.”

Variable message signs (VMS) will be deployed to alert drivers to the new traffic pattern. The change will not impact 15Th Street north of Massachusetts Avenue which will remain one-way northbound at all times with a separated contra-flow lane for bicyclists.

Is this a good decision for 15th Street, NW?

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Also since we’re talking about DDOT, I wanted to ask folks what they thought of powering the proposed street cars. If you’ll recall streetcars are slated to come into H Street, NE and Anacostia first and then to Georgia Ave. We spoke about the plans here. My question is: Would you object to the streetcars if they are powered by above ground/overhead wires?

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Feb. Home/Condo Sales in PoPville

04 March 2010 9:06 PM |Home Sales, Real Estate | 4 Comments

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Thanks again to DC realtor Kevin Wood for compiling this list of home/condo sales for zip codes – 20011, 20010, 20009, 20005, 20003, 20002, and 20001. Click below on “Feb 2010 Sales” for the full list in pdf format.  If I’m missing a zipcode you’d like just let me know.

Feb 2010 Sales

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Anyone Ever Check Out Pangea Market?

04 March 2010 9:05 PM |Buildings, Neighborhoods - Foggy Bottom, Retail | 5 Comments

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Well this looks pretty cool. According to their Web site:

“Pangea is Greek for “all lands”. Pangeamarket.com, supported by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), brings together traditional high quality handicrafts made by artisans in developing countries. This is the first time that most of these products have been available for purchase online and in our Washington, DC store. Come in and purchase these beautiful, fair trade crafts, jewelry, home décor, accessories and more, learn about the products’ origins and know that your purchase helps create sustainable livelihoods for artisans in Asia, Africa and Latin America.”

The store itself is located at 2121 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW and you can take a tour here. The building itself (IFC HQ) is also pretty sweet:

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Photo Archives Caption Contest Winner

04 March 2010 9:04 PM |contest | 0 Comments

Sidewalk Closed Signs
Photo From PoPville Flickr user Mr. T in DC

Congrats to CAPITOLg with:

“Yet another example of why we need a third Party.”

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