Photo by Rick Reinhard

Mount Pleasant Spring Shop Hop
This Saturday May 18th

Mount Pleasant Street….All day long A Parade. One of DC’s Best Farmers Markets. A preview of Each Peach Market, a new artisan food store set to open this summer, A Karate Demo and an outdoor Kettlebell Class in Lamont Park. Singha Saturday at Beau Thai.

It’s Mount Pleasant’s annual Spring Shop Hop with local shops and restaurants offering some great deals and fun specials in DC’s most eclectic neighborhood.

As you stroll the corridor, you can watch Bancroft Elementary School’s marching band lead a parade (10:15 AM), enjoy some youth artwork displayed in shop windows and at the newly renovated Mt. P library, get your bike fixed, eat some homemade ice cream , get your fitness on with the DC Self Defense Karate Association and That Yellow Gym in Lamont Park (2PM) and much more.

Visit Mtpleasantdc.com for more info and a listing of specials brought to you by the Mount Pleasant Business Association

Photos courtesy of Josh Berner

Ed. Note: Here is the comprehensive Map of DC’s Rooftop Bars.

From a press release:

Donovan House and Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants are pleased to announce the opening of DNV, an urban rooftop retreat 14 floors above downtown D.C., after a $300,000 revamp. Opening in late May, this newly-updated poolside oasis was reimagined by local design firm, GrizForm, and features stunning views of the Nation’s Capital, framed by sleek dark wood, glass, and chrome. Intimate tables for two and four and inviting lounge seating, upholstered in a soothing shade of green surrounds the pool, creating the perfect setting to join friends and neighbors to sip and savor the new menu of craft cocktails from Zentan’s bar manager Josh Berner and Asian tapas from Executive Chef Jennifer Nguyen in a communal atmosphere. Officially, the name DNV stems from the abbreviation for the Donovan House Hotel and provides a little mystery with being named after former CIA operative Bill Donovan, but informally it also represents a “Damn Nice View.”

Newly appointed Chef Nguyen, from the ground floor restaurant, Zentan, has created a menu of Asian tapas, inspired by her food and cooking style at Zentan. Guests can expect refreshing, shareable plates like Rock Shrimp Tempura, paired with a Kochojun aioli and candied walnuts; Watermelon Salad featuring Maryland blue crab, shaved hearts of palm and pink peppercorns; and Shuimai Dumplings with a pork filling, served with chili ponzu dipping sauce. Nguyen will also feature a shrimp ceviche, with betel leaf, toasted coconut, cashews and grapefruit. In the opening weeks, the food offerings will be limited, but will eventually expand to include the full menu.

Berner’s cocktail menu centers around inventive seasonal refreshments, including his “Tea Lights” – cocktails incorporating freshly brewed teas. Served in glass jars, the Tea Lights include sophisticated combinations such as Basil Hayden bourbon, house-made lemon bitters, and black tea syrup; Beefeater gin infused with citrus-chamomile tea, mixed with Aperol and Blanco Vermouth; and strawberry-infused Tequila Real, combined with lemon juice and verbena-mint tea. Guests can also indulge in a popular British-inspired refresher, Pimm’s Cup, offered on tap. DNV’s bar menu also features a signature spiced rum punch and a specialty punch updated weekly, which will be inspired by fresh flavors of the season. Sangrias and classic cocktails will round out the menu.

Happy hour will be available daily from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., with special pricing on punches, sangrias, cocktails on tap, frozen beverages and specialty cocktails. Special pricing during happy hour will only apply to single servings of drinks, many of which are also available in shareable options for groups of 4-6 and 8-12 people. For example, happy hour drinks will include Butternuts Pork Slap Ale and Jack’s Cider for $5, select sangria, cocktails on tap and frozen drinks for $6 and spiced rum for $7.

DNV is located at 1155 14th Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20005. Operating hours are Monday to Friday from 5:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. and Saturday to Sunday from 7:00 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Photo by PoPville flickr user streetamatic

From WMATA:

For the weekend of May 17 through 19, rebuilding work will result in service changes on the Red, Orange, and Green lines beginning at 10 p.m. Friday and continuing through system closing on Sunday night.

There is no scheduled track work this weekend on the Blue or Yellow lines.

Red Line – 10 p.m. Fri., May 17 through closing Sun., May 19

Red Line trains will single track through two work zones — between Van Ness and Dupont Circle, and between Rhode Island Ave and Takoma — to allow for tie and fastener replacement and third rail renewal.
Throughout the weekend, Red Line trains will operate every 24 minutes between Shady Grove and Glenmont.
Customers will experience this longer travel time on the platform. Once the train departs, it is not expected to experience additional delays en route.
Additional trains will operate between Dupont Circle and NoMa-Gallaudet, providing service about every 10 minutes between these stations during daytime hours.

Orange Line – 10 p.m. Fri., May 17 through closing Sun., May 19

Free shuttle buses will replace Orange Line trains between East Falls Church and Clarendon to allow for track circuit module replacement, a key NTSB safety recommendation.
Two stations will be closed: Ballston and Virginia Square.
Throughout the weekend, Orange Line trains will operate at regular weekend intervals between Vienna and East Falls Church, and between Clarendon and New Carrollton.
Shuttle buses will operate continuously between East Falls Church and Clarendon making intermediate stops at Ballston and Virginia Square stations. Customers using shuttle bus service should add up to 25 minutes to their travel time.
To allow for connections to other lines, the last trains of the night from Vienna to East Falls Church will depart 28 minutes earlier than normal — at 1:57 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, and at 10:57 p.m. on Sunday.

Green Line – 10 p.m. Fri., May 17 through closing Sun., May 19

Free shuttle buses will replace Green Line trains between Greenbelt and West Hyattsville to allow for track upgrades, including tie and insulator renewal, interlocking maintenance, and work associated with construction of a new test track for 7000-series railcars.
Three stations will be closed: Greenbelt, College Park and Prince George’s Plaza.
Throughout the weekend, Green Line trains will operate at regular weekend service intervals between West Hyattsville and Branch Ave.
Shuttle buses will operate continuously between Greenbelt and West Hyattsville, making intermediate stops at College Park and Prince George’s Plaza. Customers using shuttle bus service should add up to 35 minutes to their travel time.

If you have any animal/pet photos you’d like to share 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 your neighborhood. Your photos will go into the queue (usually 3-4 weeks wait) and will be posted in the order I receive them. If you’ve already entered your pet and would like to do so again – that’s no problem – just space the entries out a bit.

“Nathan celebrating his 2nd Gotcha Day (Nathan was a rescue from the Dachshund Rescue of North America) 4th Birthday in Columbia Heights.”

“Honey – Mt. Vernon Triangle”

“This is Anthea from H Street. She loves to be held!”

“This is Eli, a new resident of Capitol Hill!”

“Plum and Millie sleeping in Park View”

Photo by PoPville flickr user Rukasu1

From a press release:

This Saturday, May 18, the Corcoran Gallery of Art and College of Art + Design in Washington, D.C. [500 17th Street NW] will participate in Art Museum Day, an initiative of the Association of Art Museum directors by providing visitors FREE admission to the Corcoran, Washington’s oldest museum.

Additionally, the Corcoran will offer free admission on Saturdays starting Memorial Day weekend and lasting all summer long, as part of its Free Summer Saturday promotion.

AAMD’s Art Museum Day coincides with International Museum Day, organized annually around the world by the International Council of Museums (ICOM). Participation by AAMD member museums emphasizes the lasting impact art museums have on their communities, highlights the value of visual arts in society, and provides opportunities for audiences to participate in wide-ranging programs and share their encounters with works of art.

There are many reasons to love the Corcoran, and free admission this Saturday is just one of them.

This rental is located at 1434 Perry Place, NW:

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The listing says:

“Great 1 Bedroom With Parking in Columbia Heights! Lower Level Unit with private front and rear entrance, open living room and kitchen with remodeled full bath, bedroom with large closets, stacked Washer/dryer in unit. Private parking in rear. Available 7/1!”

This 1 bed/1 bath is going for $1,150/Mo.

Dear PoPville,

I wanted to email you about valet companies/restaurants probably illegally profiting from the use of public parking spaces.

I was meeting a friend last night for dinner in Chinatown, and found a spot to park. It was by 7th and Indiana. As I was in the middle of parallel parking, a man in a valet parking uniform came up and blocked my way claiming it was a valet spot.

I’m a little familiar with Chinatown and I know that certain spots are marked as valet spots. I challenged the guy and said ‘doesn’t look like it. There’s no special valet sign, just a normal sign stating the zone and that it’s a 2 hour spot.’ We argued back and forth for a bit but as he was not budging and another spot opened up, I just went ahead and took that spot. I was pretty sure the guy was being sketchy so I called Dc police to ask about parking policy; I was told that if there’s no special valet sign they can’t just randomly claim any parking space by standing on it. The police said that they would be happy to come over and settle the dispute. I said it was okay as I had found another spot and that I wanted to know what to do in the future.

Of course, I pretty much knew that those sketchy valets knew but I decided to confront them and tell them that they were wrong. They pretended to play stupid and instructed to talk to the restaurant manager that they were working for. When I spoke to the restaurant manager, she instructed me to call the valet company they use to contract out the job. Of course, neither party is taking any responsibility and is not even pretending to remedy the obvious abuse of public property. (I.e “We will look into it.”)

Anyways, it incenses me that private companies like this should be profiting from public parking spaces like that. They should at least do the decent thing and get a permit for that like most every other restaurant. So anyways, I would like to write a letter to the appropriate DC government agency and I was wondering if you could direct me.

District Department of Transportation?

Example of how a valet sign should look:

Photo by PoPville flickr user jam_photo_gallary

Have You Seen My Cat?

If and how to go to small claims court?

Random Question – “He stole my phone?”

You can find all the forum topics here and items for sale in the classifieds here.

Photo by PoPville flickr user thisisbossi

When becoming a member of the PoPville flickr pool please make sure your settings allow me to download your photos. Join the PoPville flickr pool here and follow PoPville on twitter here on facebook here.

Photo by PoPville flickr user caroline.angelo

Thanks to Chris for sending the photos from Hillyer Place by Connecticut Ave.

Chris Evans:

Photo by PoPville flickr user ep_jhu

Going to the Movies is written by Mount Vernon Triangle resident Catherine Taegel.

It’s been eight years since “Wedding Crashers.” It’s been eight years since Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson were Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson – the most hilarious guys in the room that you really want to hang out with. Okay, they’re still funny – of course, they’re buddies who play well off each other– but they’ve softened. Once upon a time they were insanely funny and semi-nice guys, but now they’re really nice guys who are semi-funny. It’s not the worst thing in the world, but it doesn’t make for a strong film. They’ve lost their edge and in the process we have been brought a poorly executed nice idea. A story by Vince Vaughn, “The Internship” is the film we wanted to be good but knew was going to bad.

“The Internship” focuses on two former watch salesmen – Billy (Vince Vaughn) and Nick (Owen Wilson) – whose outdated skills have them searching for a way to reinvent themselves and get back into the job market. Vince Vaughn google’s Google and finds the opportunity – a summer internship that has the potential to leads to a full-time job. As recently enrolled students at Phoenix University, Billy and Nick land an interview for the internship via Skype. They get accepted into the program and the minute they arrive at the Google campus they are ostracized by other interns and members of the staff. The old guys get grouped with the Google intern outcasts. The groups are put through a series of tests and whoever wins the most wins the full-time jobs. Can you guess how that turns out?

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This unit is located at 1444 W Street, NW:

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The listing says:

“Magnificent Home & Location! Rare opportunity to own a 3-Bedroom unit in the U Street NW corridor. Hardwood floors throughout, freshly painted, custom shades, and shows extremely well. Coop fee incls insurance, maintenance, taxes, underlying mortgage, and utilities (except electric). YOU PAY ONLY $95,000 TO PURCHASE. Income restrictions apply. Blocks to Metro, & restaurants.”

You can see more photos here.

This 3 bed/1 bath is going for $95,000 ($1,550 monthly fee.)

City Kids is written by Takoma, DC resident Caroline. Caroline previously wrote about the Arboretum.

City Kids: BloomBars Harambe!

With squishy mat floors and a selection of musical instruments to sample, Harambe is every little kid’s dream!

To answer the first question of those not familiar with BloomBars, no, it’s not a bar. BloomBars describes itself:

BloomBars is not something you can easily describe. Some have called it an artist and non-profit incubator, performance space, art gallery, theater, dance studio, screening room, youth academy, and center for health, wellness, and community engagement-They were all correct.

On Monday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings, BloomBars welcomes little ones from six months to six years to sing, dance, and explore musical instruments. Baba Ras D, a musician, educator, and activist, leads the way. He invites the kids to express themselves however they wish, whether it’s singing into the microphone, dancing on stage, or playing along from the audience or a caregiver’s lap.

We sang some of the ubiquitous favorites, including “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” and “If You’re Happy and You Know It,” classics like Bob Marley’s “One Love”, and some fun international call-and-response songs.

Little ones who are timid or sensitive to sensory overload might get maxed out easily. When mine started feeling that way, we were able to retreat to the back of the space and continue to participate and play with a little more elbow room.

What: Harambe!
Where: BloomBars, 3222 11th Street NW
When: Mondays at 9:30 am, Thursdays at 10:00 am, Saturdays at 9:30 and 10:30 am.
Cost: $7 suggested donation.

3417 Connecticut Ave NW

From a press release:

Fans of Ripple’s inspired dinner menu can now enjoy the restaurant’s delectable dishes for brunch. Executive chef Marjorie Meek-Bradley and pastry chef Alison Reed work in tandem to create mouth-watering breakfast traditions with a twist. Farm fresh eggs, locally-sourced proteins and vegetables, complemented with house-made pastries can now be found on Ripple’s brunch menu, served Sundays 11:30am to 2:30pm.

The RAMMY nominated duo have collaborated to create inventive brunch dishes, including chicken fried pork belly with sausage gravy, fried egg and cheddar cheese, atop a homemade biscuit, aka The Codester. Meek-Bradley makes her own pastrami for the smoked hash served with potatoes, onions and sunny eggs and Reed’s oatmeal brancakes served with seasonal fruit are much more than just vessels for transporting maple syrup from plate to mouth. Roasted striped bass on a bed of organic greens with artichokes, olives, tomatoes, and lemon vinaigrette provides a filling dish for the diner in search of lunch, but many choose breakfast and the popular sally’s bennie with Maryland blue crab cakes on top of a housemade english muffin. Meek-Bradley offers some lighter fare as well including house-made gravlax with capers, onion, lemon, hard-boiled egg and pretzel chips. Reed applies her signature pastry technique to create cinnamon rolls served in a hot skillet, addictive pecan sticky buns, muffins made with seasonal fruit, scones, fresh breads and assorted pastries.

Known for their reputable wine program, Ripple’s general manager and wine expert, Danny Fisher, opts for the perfect champagne to stock their bubbly bar with a choice of grapefruit, orange, peach or strawberry juice. Ripple also offers a bloody mary bar and unique breakfast cocktails such as the subtle yet complete Colorblind which starts with cucumber infused vodka mixed with rhubarb-tarragon soda and finishes with lime.

The newly designed private dining room at the front, serves as the perfect sun-filled room to people-watch without sweating the heat.

Ed. Note: Wow, I hadn’t realized Sugar Magnolia had closed…

From a press release:

Mayor Vincent C. Gray joined officials from the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) and DC Water today to mark a major step in an ongoing flood-mitigation project in the Bloomingdale and LeDroit Park neighborhoods, and to urge residents to take preventative steps to protect their property in advance of summer storms that may cause flooding.

“Today is another step forward for the Bloomingdale and LeDroit Park neighborhoods, which historically have suffered through significant flooding during large storms,” Mayor Gray said. “We have already implemented several immediate efforts to mitigate the flooding, and are implementing longer-term solutions to ensure that these neighborhoods do not continue experiencing repeated street flooding and property damage due to heavy rainstorms.”

Next week DDOT will begin a construction project to install a five-foot-wide storm sewer line in the median of the 100 block of Rhode Island Avenue NW. This project, which will last three months, will help remove stormwater from the roadway and store it before slowly releasing it into the sewer system.

“When it rains, community members in Bloomingdale and LeDroit Park have historically had to worry about flooding,” said DDOT Director Terry Bellamy. “Today we’re taking a major step forward in addressing this problem.”

Throughout the last century, the historic Bloomingdale and LeDroit Park neighborhoods have experienced occasional street flooding and sewer backups during intense rain storms. Last year, however, four major thunderstorms caused repeated flooding and prompted officials to take a closer look at what District agencies and property owners could do to protect property. Mayor Gray appointed a task force last August to study the problem and recommend solutions.

“Last summer we had more intense rainstorms with flooding than in the previous 10 years combined,” noted DC Water General Manager George S. Hawkins. “We began investigating right away and joined the city task force to investigate creative solutions. This year we want to be sure everyone is aware of both what we are doing and what property owners can do to minimize flooding during heavy rains.”

City Administrator and DC Water Board Chair Allen Y. Lew added, “The ultimate engineering fix is coming in 2022 with the massive Clean Rivers Project, but in the meantime we identified a number of actions that can help these neighborhoods.”

The Mayor’s Task Force on the Prevention of Flooding in Bloomingdale and LeDroit Park issued a final report earlier this year. It found that these neighborhoods, which were developed at the turn of the 20th century when sewage conveyance was a relatively new concept and the population was less dense, were suffering from a sewer system that was simply too small to accommodate today’s needs. The report included 25 recommendations to mitigate flooding, including short-, medium- and long-term solutions in the following categories: engineering, regulatory, code revision and operation and maintenance components.

Short-Term Solutions

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