Most people have heard by now that the Mt. Pleasant Deli located at 3068 Mount Pleasant St, NW has closed.

And in the ‘new to me’ world, during my Brookland travels my buddy showed me the Turkey Thicket Recreation Center located at 1000 N Michigan Ave, NE. The grounds are huge. Plus they’ve got an indoor pool! Nice. Anyone ever take advantage of it?


Crap, I didn’t get the name of this building but it is located across the street from today’s ‘Good Deal or Not?’ on Belmont Street. I think the building itself is nice if not spectacular. But what is spectacular is the view:

I’d imagine every unit on the backside has an incredible view. All great spots for a morning cup of coffee… What do you think of the building itself?


These units are located at 1451 Belmont Street, NW:


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The flier for the “Row House” Unit 113 says:

“Very spacious 2 bedroom 2.5 bath plus den 2 level unit with private outdoor space and garage parking. 2nd garage space available for $25K. 19 large windows facing south and east and a private entrance makes it feel like a townhouse but with the benefits of a full-service bldg with doorman, AMAZING roof deck, etc. Largest unit in the bldg – sq ftg from builder.”

More info and a virtual tour found here.

The flier for the condo in Unit 419 says:

“This sought after top level unit offers a private balcony, gas fireplace, giant walk-in closest, an upgrade kitchen package which includes granite counter tops, NEW Hardwood Flrs. and much more! Assigned Garage PARKING included, Visitor parking as well! Common roof deck offers breath-taking panoramic views of the city. Courtyard with communal grills. . The amenities are endless!”

More info and a virtual tour for 419 found here.

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So Unit 113 is going for $609,000. Unit 419 is going for $569,900. Which do you like better? How do the prices sound?


Banana Cafe is located at 500 8th Street, SE on Barrack’s Row. You can see their menu here. By the by, I haven’t visited Barrack’s Row (8th Street, SE) in quite a long time. Holy cow has it changed. Tons of bars and restaurants. Anyway, I’ve heard folks talk about this spot for quite a while. So any fans out there?



photo by John Kercher

Robyn last wrote about Virginia’s Vineyards

Hike Old Rag Mountain

You know when you’re handed a finish-by-5pm-or-die project at work, and when you’re handed it you’re getting eyed by the overenthusiastic entry level 22 year old who wants your job, and you know if you don’t finish it the fate of the company will be in question and your nemesis may win? So you work your butt off and race to plop project down on boss’s desk and they say ‘good job, would you like a tissue for your forehead,’ and you did it.

Hiking Old Rag is a little like that.

Old Rag Mountain hike is one of Shenandoah National Park’s most popular hikes, because it combines rock scrambling, climbing through cracks, and nine view points. Hiking it takes over 5 hours, a lot of hand eye coordination, and hiking boots – which as an amateur, lackadaisical athlete I did not bring and instead wore my Sauconys from high school. Despite falling every couple of steps, I saw some very pretty scenery that made DC feel more than just a couple hours away. Now I’m not the type that gets emotional about nature, but when you I got to the summit and saw incredible views across Virginia, the Sound of Music soundtrack played in my head for a second. And then I realized I had to go down steep rocks in my Saucony sneakers, and the tune changed to something much more brooding.

What’s your favorite hike in Shenandoah?


Photo above from an eviction two years ago on Sherman Ave.

“Hey PoP,

In this present economic slowdown, I’ve noticed an uptick in evictions recently, seeing the sad sight of people’s entire households unceremoniously dumped out on the sidewalk. I understand and respect the right of property owners to remove tenants who don’t pay their rent or otherwise violate their contractual obligations, but what gives them the right to dump the content of a household on public space? In some cases, I’ve seen children playing with dangerous materials taken off of these eviction piles and wondered, “what if that child (or anyone) gets hurt due to this dumping?” I would imagine the landlords would be liable for damages…

Every jurisdiction (DC included) regulates dumping, even on private property. When sidewalks (public space) and front lawns (usually both public and private space) are covered with couches, bookcases, TVs, lamps, clothes, etc, the rights of everyone are violated.

If property owners find themselves in a situation where they must evict a tenants, they should be required to place the tenants’ household contents in storage for a period of time and, after a contractually specified period, these items could be lawfully taken to the dump. Dumping on public, or non-zoned private property, and thus impinging of the rights of everyone in a community, should never be allowed.

I’m wondering if anyone else has had experience dealing with this issue or has interacted with the DC government about it. I’d like to see the community take a stand to stop illegal dumping in all forms, including eviction dumping.”

Have other folks witnessed a lot more evictions recently? Have you seen the type of dumping the reader talks about?



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“Dear PoP,

I’ve been living at 5400 block of 1st St., NE, for 5 years now, and I still don’t know what my neighborhood is called. This area, surrounded by New Hampshire Ave. (north), North Capitol (west), Riggs Road (south), and Rail (east) is surprisingly quiet and residential, and the neighbors tend to be old-timers, and sweeter than a praline pie. Anyway, when talking to friends I always end up saying that we live just north of Fort Totten metro. But our neighborhood must have a name, right? I don’t think we’re in Petworth ’cause we’re north of Missouri/Riggs, not in Chillum (that’s to the east of the tracks), not quite in Manor Park (although our neighborhood association is named South Manor Park Neighborhood Association), and I don’t think we’re Brightwood (that’s further east). PoP, do you know what the name of my neighborhood is?”

I need your guys help with this one. I’m totally stumped. I’d probably call it North Country… Seriously, does anyone know what neighborhood this is?


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