Author: Prince Of Petworth

Random DC Summer Outings – Drink with Pirates (By Robyn)

By Prince Of Petworth


photo by Michael Saffle

Robyn returns with a new series, Random DC Summer Outings. If you have any suggestions please email princeofpetworth(at)gmail(dot)com

What’s in grog?

“It’ll git yer drunk!” my waitress piped with a post Renaissance-by-way-of-Baltimore accent.

When at Piratz Tavern, a place themed after all things piratey (the Johnny Depp kind, not the Somalian tween kind), do as Pirates do. I ordered, took a sip, and figured out exactly what was in grog: dark rum mixed with more rum, splash of ginger beer, maybe cough syrup/WD40, topped off with rum.

I heard about this place through a random rumor (“supposedly there’s this bar in Maryland where you can drink grog and sing about it at the same time”), but didn’t actually believe it existed. I mean, are Pirates still cool enough to sustain a restaurant? Are they the pioneers behind the next genre of food? Will it be worked into our food vernacular as in on a lazy Friday night when deciding where to eat I will turn to my friend and say something like “where do you want to eat tonight? There’s the Italian joint, I could go for Indian, or what do you think about Pirate?”

I hope so. Because Piratz Tavern is shamelessly cool. A mishmash of unburied treasure line the walls and the bartenders have tattoos, nicotine teeth, dangly earrings and scowls. What makes them cool is that these people really are pirates. The waitress – who I was amazed could breathe or see above her hoisted chest in that corset – is part of a pirate troupe that plays music on the back patio. By music I mean wonderfully raunchy songs that delve deep into pirate vulgarity. And if you don’t raise your grog glass when they tell you to, they put you as the butt of the joke in their next song about an unfortunately impotent pirate or unfortunate looking wench.

As for the moderately-priced seafaring menu –thai mussels are good, as is jerk chicken sandwich. Don’t drink more than 1 mug of grog if you want to be able to stand up, though they’ll encourage you to keep ordering to develop a tolerance only a real Pirate could have.

Piratz Tavern
8402 Georgia Ave
Silver Spring, MD 20910

Reader Reports Multiple Shots Fired Last Night

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoP,

I heard shots fired around 2am last night… about 20 of them, near 13th and clifton. i called the cops, and it took at least 10 minutes before anyone arrived, and then all she did was get out of her car and look for shells.
Do you have any info on what happened???”

Anyone have more info? I have to say, sadly, I don’t think the police can do much more than collect shells if there are no witnesses on the street. Perhaps there is a surveillance camera at this location? I know in the past this corner 14th and Clifton has been the scene of previous violence.

Which Weird Sculpture Captures Adams-Morgan Best? (By Charles)

By Prince Of Petworth

Charles was prolific this week!

The newly reformulated, traffic-calming, briefly Third World (repaving has begun) corner of 18th and Columbia/Adams Mill is soon to be graced with one of three large pieces of new sculpture and, possibly, and enhanced kiosk. Sadly, the survey is closed and our opinions mean nothing any more, but you can find more info about designs at:

http://tinyurl.com/ccuz6h

All modern art has the potential to be silly, but even sillier is the claptrap artists put in their proposals:

“The sculpture’s composition, like the neighborhood, is diverse, creating a local and international feeling while embracing past and present neighborhood cultures.”

“…captures the heart and soul of the people of Adams Morgan by embracing the full diversity and rich history of Adams Morgan residents and architecture.”

“The “Adamor Circle” proposal emanates from one circle, a circle whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere. It is separated into many circles or hoops…. This work reflects the diverse and rich community history of Adams Morgan and can be used as a tool and a reminder to the community of the power that people posses to work together in concert as do the divergent elements of the sculpture…”

Guess they used the word “diversity” in the RFP. Call me a lightweight but I think they should just pick out a great piece of sculpture and worry about what it “captures” later on. I saw a sign in a gallery once that said “good art does not match your couch.” It might not “match” your neighborhood, either, but as long as it’s good…

So, which one are you rooting for? I hate to admit it, but I like the boring modern one most, perhaps because I, too have a center which is everywhere and a circumference which is nowhere. But the sunflowers are cool, too. I think the goofy bike will get old quick.

Ed. Note: GGW also took a look at these proposals. As for the sculptures, I hate to admit it but I kinda like the bike one!

Dear PoP – Trees Ripped Out of Park Triangle

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoP,

Ran by there this morning. Digging machine was tearing out the trees.

With groups like Casey Trees advocating us to plant more, I’m sure these could’ve been relocated instead of destroyed.”

And in other news, remember the house collapse on Quincy of New Hampshire Ave back in Feb. 08? Well, I saw some workmen finally getting to work on the place:

Amani ya Juu on Mt. Pleasant Street by Charles

By Prince Of Petworth

It wasn’t the grandest grand opening I’ve ever stumble across, but it was great to see life coming back to a vacant Mt. Pleasant Street storefront, especially in the form of a colorful women’s clothing (and charming tchochkes) store — the only U.S. retail outlet for Amani ya Juu, a collective working to bring jobs and healing to West African women.

Meaning “higher peace” in Swahili, Amani ya Juu “is a sewing-marketing-training project for marginalized women,” based in Kenya, Rwanda and Burundi. It brings together women caught in the middle of bloody tribal conflicts (think Hutu/Tutsi or the aftermath of last year’s Kenyan elections) despite ethnic rivalries, to learn the skills needed to produce unique and beautiful clothing and to support themselves.

Their new home, at 3166 Mt. Pleasant Street, has long been owned by the Community of Christ, a 45-member DC-based Christian fellowship devoted to peace and justice. As part of their mission, the Community has opened their building – which also hosts their worship services – innumerable times for uses as tedious (or exciting) as ANC meetings and as exciting (or tedious) as rock shows, and rented space to non-profits that share the Community’s vision. Bright and open after a new renovation, the building is also now home to the DC Language Access Coalition, which works to ensure that DC residents with limited English have access to essential government services.

Continues after the jump. (more…)

Dear PoP – Vote Columbia Heights Entry For Best “View From My Window”

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoP,

Political blogger Andrew Sullivan has a regular feature called “View From Your Window” in which readers submit their photos. He’s been doing it for a couple years, and how he has decided to create a book with some of the submissions.

My window (in Columbia Heights) is one of the finalists to be put on the cover, which is currently open for voting. Do you think that your readers would be interested in seeing a local photo on the cover of this book? I think it’s a neat photo anyway, and it captures the experience of living in my basement apartment rather well, so I figured I’d send along the link to the voting in case you are interested.

The explanation is here:
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2009/03/do-not-publish.html

The poll is here:
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/windowviewpoll.html

The photo is labeled “Washington, DC, 2:42 PM”

It’s a great shot, I hope you win!

I’ve Always Loved This Church at 16th and Monroe

By Prince Of Petworth

I’ve walked by this Church dozens of times and always thought it was cool because it’s nestled into a residential block. But it was only when I was dropping off a PoP t-shirt that I noticed the coolest part:

Sweet Mural – Raymond Park

By Prince Of Petworth

This is from the Raymond Park a couple blocks behind the Petworth metro. I like the quote from Ashe just as much as the mural. I hope you like it because it was the first photo I snapped of the day and soaked my sneakers for this one…

House of the Day

By Prince Of Petworth

Another sweet find from my Eckington walkabout. Sorry for the umbrella but there was a wicked glare without it. Sweet house though, yeah?

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