Beautiful renovation on Randolph Street.
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Author: Prince Of Petworth
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I read in the Post that crime traditionally spikes in July. Having lived here for a number of years, I do hear many more gunshots in July but I don’t necessarily think it impacts regular folk or let’s say “civilians”. But do get ready for a sweet fourth of July fireworks display. And I’m not talking down by the monument, I’m talking about on nearly every street corner in Petworth. It is going to be electric. But my Friday question of the week is: Are you concerned about rising crime rates in July? As a result will you be changing your normal routines at all i.e. walking around the neighborhood, walking back from the metro at night etc.? Or is it business as usual, crime rates be damned?
No I have not contracted small pox or the plague. This is my arm after 15 minutes watering my garden this morning. Boy, were the mosquitos thankful for this mistake. Be warned.
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Good lord, I know this is going to get me in trouble but I observe, that is what I do. Anyway, I’ve been frequenting “Bless 7 to 9 Market” on 5th and Sherman and something struck me that wasn’t related to the food and beverage selection. By the by, they continue to stock 2% milk which is fantastic. Anyway, almost every time I visit there is a customer in front of me purchasing large numbers of lottery tickets. And by large I mean over 10 bucks worth. And, I just have to say it seems crazy to me. And then I talked it over with a friend who mentioned the history of running numbers in the city. So I looked it up on Wikipedia, which said:
“The Numbers Game or Policy Racket is an illegal lottery played mostly in poor neighborhoods in U.S. cities, wherein the bettor attempts to pick three or four digits to match those that will be randomly drawn the following day. The gambler places his or her bet with a bookie at a tavern, or other semi-private place that acts as a betting parlor. A runner carries the money and betting slips between the betting parlors and the headquarters, called a “numbers bank” or “policy bank”. The name “policy” is from a similarity to cheap insurance, both seen as a gamble on the future. “
So I wonder if the frequent lottery playing is a legacy of running numbers in Petworth? Does anyone know if they ran numbers in Petworth back in the day? Do you think there is any connection at all?
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Does anyone go here? I often walk by it but I imagine it is way more expensive than Home Depot.
This is either really good news or really bad news depending on your perspective. Thanks to the tipster who emailed me this message, I am forever in your debt. Despite the grammatical errors, can this be for real? Mom, for the love of God, please stop reading. Now, I don’t like to judge but you have to admit $5 does seem like a very reasonable price given all the sex plus free mixed drinks! I have redacted the message a bit in case it is a hoax. Below you can find the message from the Petworth listserve:
“Hello you all,
Someone told me about this “sex party”. I was able to get on their mailing list. Apparently, this Mike Mike person has these parties at a few diffenent places in DC. Is this not against the law? I mean, unprotected sex parties is certainly a public health issue. How do I stop this from happening?
Sincerely,
PARKVIEW.PETWORTH@…
Parkview/Petworth Resident
*********************************************
Host: Mike Mike
Location: PRIVITE HOME
xxx xxxxxx AVE NW, WASHINGTON, DC
When: Wednesday, June 6, 9:00pm
Phone: xxx-xxx-xxxx
TRINITY ATL PRESENTS
“RAW Fxxx FEST 07” $5 Wednesday
FREAK NASTY Nxxxx ONLY ON SOME RAW Sxxx NEAR THE GEORGIA AVE PETWORTH STATION FREE MIXED DRINKS THIS
JUNE 6 WEDNESDAY
9 PM – 4 AM DOORS CLOSE AT”
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I was reading in Washington Post’s Sleuth’s column about a massive surge in the rat population on Capitol Hill as a result of Eastern Market burning down thus causing a rat exodus of massive proportions. Well, it got me thinking about my own little problem in Petworth. Thank God it is not a rat problem but the rat’s slightly less ugly cousin the mouse. I’ve heard, as a result of our close proximity to the Old Soldier’s Home, many houses are afflicted with this plague. I had been in denial for quite a while.
A quick side note. When I lived in an apartment in Cleveland Park, right next to the zoo, I was once visited by a four legged creature. I woke up one night hearing a terrible rustling. It was so loud that it woke me from a dead sleep. When my eyes could finally focus I realized it was a “baby squirrel”. Or at least that is what I told my girlfriend at the time. In fact it was a rat. So I did what any insane person would do. I got dressed in my finest track suit, put on winter gloves and grabbed a huge pot from the kitchen and pursued the vermin. As you can surely guess I had gained a new roomate for the rest of my time in that apartment.
So you can imagine how upset I was at discovering a mouse. I didn’t shriek, fortunately, I simply jumped up on my couch with a golf club ready to attack the intruder. Again, I was unsuccessful. So I laid out a bunch of traps and probably caught about three or four. But damn, these mice get smart. I had continued to see droppings but I couldn’t catch anymore. So what did I do? Fortunately I did not attempt a track suit and cooking pot redux. I called a trapper who charged me about 300 bucks to tell me that they were coming from outside. Gee, thanks.
Now I should mention here that I am a dog person. But, I was pushed to my limit and I adopted a cat from the rescue league. Long story, less long, I haven’t seen any more mice. That it is I haven’t seen anymore mice dead or alive. But I did gain a nice pet. It is almost worth getting made fun of mercilessly by my friends.
So am I the only one who has/had mice? Maybe we can form a support group.
BBC reports that “a Greek policeman has been arrested after allegedly shooting a man who had double-parked his car to buy breakfast.” Petworthians would be in a lot of trouble if that ever caught on here. Ugh, I can’t even joke about it, we have enough violence already. Another good find by DCist.
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WTOP asks: How would you like a zero commute?
An excerpt:
Jair Lynch, CEO of Jair Lynch Companies, received approval to build the 60,700 square-foot building, located on the corner of 14th Street and Florida Avenue in Northwest.
“We say very simply that you can work smarter, live better and own it all,” Lynch says. “We recognize that there is a desperate need for live/work, flexible home spaces, and a place where we can have a zero commute.”
To that I would add you can live/work and eat delicious Papusas all in one place.
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This Saturday, thanks to the leadership of Kevin Hummons, one Petworth alley is clean and many neighbors got to experience the true meaning of community. At 10:45 am about 14 Petworth residents got together to clean up an alley between 4th St. and Illinois Ave. NW. Now, this was not a casual pick up a can and call it a day clean up. This was a mud in your face, grit in your teeth clean up of all clean ups. There was raking, bagging, shoveling, clipping, pruning and even a little laughter. Mind you, this was Saturday, which was about 90+ degrees in the shade. It was so hot, my wallet actually melted in my jeans. Melted. Ok, you may ask why was I wearing jeans in 90+ degree weather? Well, my legs are not very flattering in shorts but that is beside the point.
The beautiful thing was not that this alley got clean. Don’t get me wrong that was a nice outcome but the beauty was watching neighbors come together. This group was truly representative of Petworth. There were old timers, new comers, white, black, men, women, and even a teenager. I know I hadn’t met many of these neighbors before so it was such a pleasure to bond with them while working together towards cleaning up our community. It was hot and it was dirty but I had a smile on my face the whole rest of the day. So again, a big thank you to Kevin and all the neighbors who participated.