2641 Connecticut Ave, NW

Back in July Lebanese Taverna closed for a gut renovation in Woodley Park. Should be re-opening any day now.

If you peek in the window you can get an idea of how great the space is looking:

This house is located at 3308 Woodley Rd, NW:

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The listing says:

“Welcome to this classic 1920′s Brick and Stone Residence, expanded to meet today’s lifestyles. Elegant foyer with light filled grand staircase, deep dining room and living room with custom milled doors opening to spacious L shaped kitchen, large glass enclosed family room, outdoor decking and pool,, plus gated open garage parking for four cars.”

You can see a virtual tour here.

This 6 bed/5.5 bath is going for $2,995,000.

This rental is located at 1801 Calvert Street, NW:

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The listing says:

“Corner unit with lots of sunshine in this turn-of-the-century building at the corner of Calvert Street and Adams Mill. Close to shops, Adams Morgan nightlife, and METRO.”

This 1 bed/1 bath is going for $1,850/Mo.

Photo by PoPville flickr user ep_jhu

From the National Zoo:

Mei Xiang is slowly settling back into her regular routine. She ventured into her outdoor enclosure on Saturday for the first time since we lost the cub, and briefly this morning and yesterday morning. She also made a brief appearance for the keeper talk inside the David M. Rubenstein Panda Habitat on Monday afternoon, though she still chooses to spend most of her afternoons in her den. Her appetite is gradually returning; she has been eating noticeably more bamboo and produce.

The David M. Rubenstein Family Giant Panda Habitat partially reopened over the weekend. Mei could still be sensitive to noise, so visitors may not be able to see her indoors just yet. However, since Mei’s behavior and appetite are returning to normal, the panda keepers expect to fully reopen it soon. Visitors are able to see Tian Tian and Mei Xiang in their yards, and Tian Tian indoors.

We are still waiting for final necropsy results on Mei’s cub. As soon as we have more information we will share it with you.

The entire panda team would like to express their gratitude for the overwhelming amount of support and condolences we have received from the public during this difficult time. We have gotten many questions about how to send messages to the keepers in the past week. The best way to get a message to the panda team is through the Zoo’s Facebook page and the FONZ Facebook page. You can also send them an email. Some supporters have expressed interest in making a memorial donation to help the Zoo’s giant panda conservation efforts. If you are so moved, please donate to the Giant Panda Conservation Fund here.

Photo by PoPville flickr user ashleykalena

From the National Zoo:

We’re still reeling from the loss of our giant panda cub, and we feel like the whole world is mourning with us. Our staff is anguished, which is to be expected. Every loss is hard but this one is especially devastating. Thank you so much for your outpouring of support. Your sentiments of support and understanding of our work helps tremendously when we have to get through tough times like this.

We still don’t know definitively what caused us to lose the giant panda cub yesterday, but we do have some more information since yesterday, especially from the necropsy (animal autopsy).

The giant panda cub appeared to be a female. She weighed a little less than 100 grams, which is about four ounces. There were no signs of trauma, external or internal, which means that she was not crushed—confirmation that Mei is a good mother. Her heart and lungs also looked good, which tells us that she did not suffocate. There was a little milk in the cub’s gastrointestinal tract, which tells us that she did successfully nurse. The only abnormalities the veterinarians have detected so far were some fluid in her abdomen and a slightly abnormal liver. They don’t know yet whether either of those things is significant, and they’re still investigating.

The panda team continues to monitor Mei Xiang, and will until she returns to her normal behavior. She appeared to sleep well last night. Watchers did notice her cradling an object, as she did before to the birth of the cub. We believe this is an expression of her natural mothering instinct.

Mei is moving around well this morning, and the panda team was able to weigh her. She weighs 217 pounds, which is less than her regular weight but perfectly normal for a mother who hasn’t eaten in a while. (Mei had not left her den in over a week.) She ate a little this morning and drank some water. The panda team was able to get a vaginal culture from her, which they will check for signs of anything unusual. Once the tests results come back and we’re certain of her health, we will give her access to her outside yard and it will be up to her whether she wants to go outside. We fully anticipate that she’ll return to her normal wonderful giant panda self in a relatively short amount of time. Once she is out of her den and acting normally, we will open the Panda House. We’ll keep the panda cam on so our supporters and fans can continue to watch from around the world.

Many of you have asked about the future of these two bears at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo. Today, our immediate concern is for Mei Xiang’s well-being, and to understand what happened to the cub. We spoke to our Chinese colleagues yesterday and will continue to work very closely with them over the next few months. However, no decisions will be made until we have thoroughly discussed all options.

We will learn from this tragedy and hope we will gain a better understanding of giant panda reproduction and cub health as a result. Our next steps will be to share the information we’ve learned with our Chinese colleagues. We’ll continue to try to figure out what caused the cub’s death through microscopic and histological evaluation. As we know more, we’ll share it with you.

Dear PoPville,

I’m a Woodley Park resident that lives in one of the apartment buildings in the row-of-three along 29th street between Woodley Rd. and Calvert St., NW. On Monday night, I went for a run around 7:30-8:00ish and on my way out, I was just crossing CT Avenue right by Open City when a ton, I mean, a TON of police cars, a fire truck, and some ambulances were rushing back towards that area by my apartment. Not thinking a lot of it b/c the local precinct is in that general direction but farther up past the Cathedral, I continued on my run. Getting back around 8:30, I was walking up Woodley Rd. from Connecticut Avenue when I noticed a ton of police tape and squad cars blocking at the 29th St. intersection. Curious, I along with some local residents, walked up. From Woodley, you couldn’t walk down 29th, and from Calvert St. at the bottom, you couldn’t walk up 29th – the whole block was cordoned off. And there were a ton of police officers, detectives, and EMTs walking around. Asking the beat officer at the intersection what was up, he said “he didn’t know” but they weren’t letting even foot traffic proceed down 29th – even if you were a resident. From the intersection – it looked like the focal point was the Delano Apartment building – the building situated in the middle of the 29th street block. After some hours, their investigation finished, but it was impossible to see at that time what, exactly, was the focal point of their investigation.

Fast-forward over the past couple days – slowly, some information has leaked out, none of it confirmed. On Tuesday, I heard that it was in response to a body found on the block – but no more information beyond that. And last night, additional word: police were responding to a naked body found, dead, on the front entryway outside the Delano. Allegedly, some unidentified person who didn’t live there had gotten in, gone up to the roof, stripped, and then committed suicide by jumping – but police didn’t know who he was or any information about him. And that’s…pretty much the last I’ve heard.

I’ve enclosed some of the clips from the DCPD twitter feed confirming the incident, as well as a Google Maps screenshot of where this occurred.

“DC Police Department‏@DCPoliceDept

1/2 The 2700 b/o 29th St, NW is closed in both directions until further notice (Police activity) Use Calvert St and Cleveland Ave as alternate routes.”

Would love to know more about what happened.

Photo by PoPville flickr user ashleykalena

Panda pregnancy watch update from the National Zoo:

As panda cam watchers may have noticed: from Mei’s behavior and the sounds we’re hearing, we have a giant panda cub!

As far as we can tell, the cub was born at about 10:46 p.m. on September 16. According to chief veterinarian Suzan Murray:

“Mei Xiang is behaving exactly the same way she did when Tai Shan was born. She is cradling her cub closely , and she looks so tired, but every time she tries to lay down, the cub squawks and she sits right up and cradles the cub more closely. She is the poster child for a perfect panda mom.”

We believe there is only one cub. If the cub is to have a twin, we should know by sunrise.

For now, the only way animal care staff will monitor the cub is using the web cams. Our goal is for Mei Xiang to raise this cub naturally. With Tai Shan, it wasn’t until he was about two weeks old that Mei walked away from him briefly and our veterinary team was able to give him a brief well-cub exam.

This house is located at 2742 Woodley Place, NW:

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The listing says:

“Renovated Wardman-style home on quiet 1-way st near Metro! Easy walk to DuPont, Adams Mrgn, Clvlnd Pk. Sunlit main lvl w/foyer, LR w/fpl, DR, fam/sunroom, kitchen, HB. 2BR/2FB up including fab mstr suite with sitting room/study, spa bath, walk-in closet. Fin bsmt w/rec rm, office & FB. Charming garden w/deck, patio, arbor, prking inside & outside the fence. Conveys AS-IS but in very good condition”

You can see a virtual tour here.

This 2 bed/3.5 bath is going for $950,000.

Photo by PoPville flickr user ep_jhu

From the National Zoo:

We are still in full panda pregnancy watch and the panda house is now closed to visitors. Mei is especially sensitive to noise, so we keep the panda house as quiet as possible to reduce possible noise-related stress. Virtual Zoo visitors can see Mei Xiang and Tian Tian on the panda cams. Tian Tian will also be in his yard during the day from early morning until about noon.

Mei has been less interested in food lately. She has almost completely stopped eating bamboo; she mostly just shreds it for her nest now. She chooses to not eat much of the produce we give her—like pears and sweet potatoes. These are signs that we are approaching the end of a pregnancy or pseudopregnancy. Over the holiday weekend, keepers started to see her cradle some of her toys and begin body licking. She will most likely spend more time doing those things as we get closer to the end of a pregnancy or pseudopregnancy.

Although Mei has been sleeping a lot more, she continues to diligently build her nest. It is much larger than it was last week. She dragged two very large bamboo stalks into her den. They are so big that they stick out into her indoor habitat, which makes cleaning in the morning more challenging.

2601 Connecticut Ave, NW

Woodley Park’s new CVS at the corner of Connecticut and Calvert St, NW has applied for a liquor license to sell beer and wine.

Does anyone remember if the old CVS sold beer and wine? I don’t believe they did.

I imagine nearby Sherry’s Liquor at 2627 Connecticut Ave, NW will not be happy:

2311 Calvert St, NW

Back in late May Cafe Sorriso opened up at 2311 Calvert St, NW in Woodley Park. At that time we learned a consignment store would also be opening up upstairs.

The consignment store will be called Via Gypset and will open 11:30am on Tuesday. Check out how great the space looks here.

This rental is located at 2818 Connecticut Avenue, NW:

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The listing says:

“This luxury apartment has a large gourmet kitchen with granite counter tops, Maple hardwood floors, designer carpet, IPOD Docking, professional JenAir Gas cooking, FisherPaykel Refrigerator, Porcelanosa Tile, full size laundry and concierge on site. True Luxury located in Woodley Park close to Red Line Metro. $45 app. fee and 1st months rent made out to L&F. Section 8 welcome.”

This 2 bed/2 bath is going for $3,200/Mo.

2641 Connecticut Ave, NW

Holy cow this renovation is no joke. The Lebanese Taverna in Woodley Park is completely gutted:

I’m looking forward to seeing how it turns out when the reopen in the early Fall.  You can see their menu here. Here’s a rendering of the new space:

This rental is located at 2938 28th Street, NW:

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The listing says:

“An elegant residence in such a charming environment in the heart of Washington DC…surrounded by beautiful landscape that will be maintained by owners. Granite,Warm wood floors,Walking distance to Metro, shops, restaurants, National Zoo park, Rock Creek park- Ample natural lights throughout the residence. Perfect choice for relaxing days while moments away from active and energized life style.”

This 3 bed/3 bath is going for $4,700/Mo.

2641 Connecticut Ave, NW

Tom Sietsema tweets the news yesterday:

“The DC branch of @lebanesetaverna is closing for a “family-friendly” redo July 3. Coming this fall (maybe Oct.): more fish and a new bar.”

Lebanese Taverna is located at 2641 Connecticut Ave, NW. We judged them back in March 2009. You can see their menu here.