Author: Prince Of Petworth

Good Deal or Not? Reader Request

By Prince Of Petworth

This condo is located at 437 Manor Place, NW:


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The flier says:

“This sleek and stylish unit features soaring vaulted ceilings, exposed brick, a gas fire place, an open gourmet kitchen, luxurious bath with a jacuzzi tub. The unit also has a huge private deck off of bedroom, tons of overhead storage, and a separately deeded parking space. Enjoy the wonderful Columbia Heights location on a beautiful quiet street near two metros!”

More info and photos found here.

The photos look pretty good. I dig the exposed brick and it’s nice that it has that private deck. But I’d have to say this is most definitely in the Park View neighborhood. So the 2 bed 1 bath is going for $339,000. Sound reasonable?

Judging Restaurants – Stan’s

By Prince Of Petworth

Stan’s Restaurant is located at 1029 Vermont Avenue, NW. I feel like this is a legendary spot for some reason. I seem to recall you walk downstairs and there is a pretty lively lunch crowd here. So what’s the story here? Is the great lunch spot? A great drinking spot? Both?

Passport DC Open House by Raz

By Prince Of Petworth

The embassies all over DC were always elusive to me. Most are beautiful, well-secured buildings. But what do they look like on the inside?

Well, I finally got my answer on Saturday when I checked out Passport DC Embassy Open House. It was a great event. It reminded me a bit of my trip to Epcot Center as a kid with the long lines and the global experience. My friends and I were there from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. We made it to nine embassies, four of which had set up booths at the Art Museum of the Americas. Thank goodness I wore sneakers because it was a lot of walking. There were shuttle buses, but we waited for maybe five minutes and ended up just walking.

It was really neat to see the inside of the embassies. Most were decorated in art and clothing to showcase the culture. Many also had movies playing which showed their country’s landscape and traditions. Some even had shows and exhibits. I caught karate and carving demonstrations at the KORUS House, Embassy of the Republic of Korea, a steel drum performance at the Embassy of Trinidad and Tobago and a dancer at the Embassy of Botswana. Most of the embassies also had snacks, depending on how you hit them. I tried something at the Korean embassy that looked like a white cheese puff, and turned out to be banana-flavored. I had a delicious flatbread pastry at the Guatemalan embassy as well. Most of the embassies let visitors wonder around one to two levels and check out different exhibits. Some herded the crowd through a specific route.

Next Saturday is the European Union Open House, which I plan to check out as well.

There were some good shots from the Flickr pool as well – check them out after the jump. (more…)

Dear PoP – Crack Cocaine Use in the District Still A Problem

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoP,

I live in a new condo building in Petworth. Before that, I’ve lived in group houses in Petworth and Columbia Heights since 2004, so I’m not unfamiliar with the neighborhood. As I was taking my bike from my apartment out the back door, I was surprised to see 2 people smoking crack… right in the doorway. They saw me, looked up then gave me a look of supreme annoyance, because I was obviously inconveniencing them. I didn’t really want to deal with them, so I just went back to my apartment, made sure my windows were locked, and went out the front door instead. Eventually the two wandered off. This surely isn’t the first time I’ve seen someone smoking crack in a semi-public place. I use to have a next door neighbor who would sit on back porch many a night and whip it out. It was pretty depressing to watch that persons life slowly fall apart over a long period and eventually the person ended up in jail. I’ve also watched someone in my own family deal with an addiction to meth over the years and so maybe I’m just desensitized to the whole tragic spiral and have become brainmush neutral to seeing junky behavior up close and personal. I guess this kind of neutrality is why I had no urge to call the cops…. at that time. But later, I thought, (as I’ve had this though before in my life) I don’t want to and refuse to live that close to junkies. Although, I also don’t like the idea of just literally throwing people in jail for an often fatal substance abuse problem.

I am wondering how your readers feel about crack use in the district? Are people less neutral than I am about it? Was crack use really about 10 times worse in the 80’s and 90’s like I always hear? What are some ideas?”

These are good questions. I’ve only seen some of the small baggies on the street but I’ve never seen anyone actually smoking crack. I’m very curious to hear what other folks have experienced. Do you see folks smoking crack in your neighborhoods? Is crack still a huge problem in the District?

Greatest Press Release Ever – District to Launch Foster Parent Recruitment Campaign Darryl “DMC” McDaniels (Run-DMC) Joins as Spokesman

By Prince Of Petworth

Run-DMC’s album, Raising Hell, transformed me into the person I am today. I can’t believe I’m gonna miss this. If anyone can make it, please take photos! And it’s a great cause too:

“WHAT: In honor of National Foster Care Month, Mayor Adrian
M. Fenty and Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA) Acting Director Dr. Roque Gerald will announce the details of a month-long outreach campaign aimed at increasing the number of licensed foster parents in the District.

WHO: Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, Dr. Roque Gerald, Acting Director, Child and Family Services Agency, and Darryl McDaniels

WHEN: Tuesday, May 5, 2009, 10:30 am

WHERE: Washington Jesuit Academy Building, Post Permanency Family Center, 900 Varnum Street, NE”

Reader Submitted Photo Quiz

By Prince Of Petworth

Well this one stumped me. But I thought this was a super cool photo. A reader was curious if anyone could guess where it is. At the next PoP happy hour, I’ll give a free t-shirt to the first one who gets it.

What The Helen of Troy is This?

By Prince Of Petworth

I noticed this in a few gardens around town this weekend. It looks like the flowers have been bent in half and held in place by rubber bands. If it was just one house I wouldn’t ask but it seems lots of folks are doing this. So for the gardeners out there – what’s the deal?

Super Cool Water Feature

By Prince Of Petworth

I’m a huge fan of water features, and I gotta say this is one of the cooler ones I’ve ever seen.

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