My favorite part of this piece can be found after the jump. (more…)
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Author: Prince Of Petworth
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I can’t believe I haven’t selected this door as door of the day before. When you’ve got class, you’ve got class.
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That looks like the perfect porch to sip a Mint Julep and discuss the Kentucky Derby, right?
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Thoughts?
PoP,
I’m not sure if you’ve posted on this in the past, but I’d love to read a posting talking about coffee shops in the neighborhood. I’m moving to Columbia Heights in late June and I’d like to know where the best cafes are.
Thanks.
Well, I’m glad you asked the question. Back in September I did a post titled Columbia Heights Coffee – Best Place to Work or Study? Unfortunately for some reason when the site migrated to its current location all the comments for that post were lost. So I’ll tell you my favorites and we’ll see if I’m missing any. In Columbia Heights you are blessed with many cafes. Of course, I obviously love Columbia Heights Coffee located on 11th Street between Park and Monroe. It is a bit small but has plans to expand in the coming months. The relatively new Mayorga Lounge located in the Tivoli at 14th and Park is also a pleasant study spot. It is a bit bigger and features a full bar upstairs as well. I should say both have very fast free internet. Of course, there is the traditional route of a Starbucks located on 14th Street between Kenyon and Irving. We recently learned that a Mocha Hut will be opening on Irving Street just west of 14th Street. As for other cafes outside of Columbia Heights, Domku located on the 800 block of Upshur is a favorite for many including myself. You will also find an interesting menu to chose from. A bit further away in Mt. Pleasant is Dos Gringos and Marx Cafe both located on Mt. Pleasant Street. In Adams Morgan on 18th Street, you have the supremely popular Tryst. But perhaps the best cafe in the city is located in the neighborhood of Bloomingdale on the Corner of 1st and R, I’m speaking of course of the Big Bear Cafe. God willing all of our neighborhoods will have a Big Bear quality coffee shop one day.
So did I miss any? Which one is your favorite and why?
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Good Wood, American Furniture & Decorative Arts is located at 1428 U Street and without a doubt is the bomb as the kids like to say. The store has been around for 15 years was purchased by its current owners, Daniel and Anna Kahoe, five years ago. I had the opportunity to chat with Anna. It was very interesting to hear Anna explain the difference between the patrons of today versus the patrons of 15 years ago. Anna explained that 15 years ago folks were buying houses and completely renovating them so they were looking for mantles and period pieces to restore their homes. Today folks are looking for decorative things for their homes and they tend to have much more eclectic tastes. Anna points out that this is not a vintage store rather it focuses on 19th century American furniture. I was surprised to learn that the store is dog friendly so they also have that going for them. The store has pieces for folks just starting out as well as pieces for those with a bit more discretionary income. Anna told me that they are able to keep their prices reasonable because they often buy entire estates and are able to get a deal on the bulk purchase. Prices vary widely from a $28 footstool to a $300-$900 chest of drawers. What this simple observer can say is that the store is exquisite. It has a bit of everything. From dressers, to bookshelves, to stained glass, to desks, to a bust of Beethoven. So if you like furniture and decorative arts of the old school variety you are going to love this store. The store is open Wed. 11-7pm, Thurs. 5-9pm, Fri/Sat 11-7pm and Sun. 11-5pm. Also on the third Thursday of every month they have wine and cheese. Dog friendly and wine and cheese, yeah. Check out lots of photos after the jump. (more…)
Yesterday’s post about Bloods in Adams Morgan really got me thinking about the diversity of the comments. So I wanted to take the opportunity to explain why I posted the story. But before I do that I wanted to announce the appointment of a new Ombudsman who, hopefully, will uphold PoP’s level of blogging to the highest standards. Since I am the only “full time” employee of Prince of Petworth LLC I had a small pool of candidates to chose from. So without any further ado, allow me to introduce myself as PoP’s new ombudsman.
Firstly, I’d like to be clear: I don’t think I’ve ever tried to portray this site as a replacement for the Washington Post or any other reputable main stream media outlet. I see the Prince of Petworth blog as a mixture of opinion and observation sprinkled with a bit of reporting. But obviously what makes the site so special is not me at all, rather it is the unbelievably knowledgeable community of commenters that has emerged. Believe it or not, I also have a full time job so I am not always able to respond to comments or fact check (or copy edit for that matter) everything I write. Having said that I do understand that I have a certain responsibility not to spread baseless rumors. Which brings us back to the Adams Morgan post from yesterday.
I did not overhear this incident while I was at the grocery store nor was I told third hand by my mom’s cousin’s chiropractor. I heard it from someone who witnessed the event firsthand, who has proven himself a reliable source of information in the past. So I felt confident enough to post about the incident. Perhaps, I erred a bit by using the exclamation points. Additionally, in hindsight, I should’ve waited until I received official comment from MPD. I say this because I really appreciate your comments and advice. Obviously not everyone is going to agree but that is ok. What I have accepted is that I am far from perfect and I count on you, the community, to keep me in check when I stray off the straight and narrow. This blog is constantly evolving and growing and I’ll continue to count on you to tell me when I’ve gotten off track. Now, I have lived in the city for over 10 years and I have contacts all over the city who work in a variety of capacities. Additionally since working on the blog certain people feel very comfortable sharing “inside” information with me. I will not apologize nor do I see any reason (with their permission) why I should not share this information with the community. Now I recognize crime is an incendiary topic so I will do better in the future in verifying those posts like the one from Adams Morgan. If you continue to have concerns or have concerns in the future I urge you to email the ombudsman directly, ([email protected]) while I may not always agree I certainly will listen to what you have to say.
The New Columbia Heights blog is reporting that Ellwood Thompson’s grocery store is still trying to get a lease in the DC USA Complex. The blog says that the store “carries a lot of organic and free-range products, buys a lot of its meat and produce from local farmers, and has a lot of standards for their products.”
I strongly support organic and free range products. Having said that I just can’t get excited about this prospect. I’m perfectly happy with the Giant right across the street. I’d be stoked for something new like when we heard about the REI or maybe a Borders books store but I just can’t get too excited about a grocery store opening up right across the street from a new grocery store. Is it just me or am I missing something? Is there great excitement about the possibility of another grocery store in Columbia Heights?
Ed. note: Despite the many recent posts on grocery stores, I swear I am not obsessed by them. I am, however, obsessed with grocery carts but that’s a whole other post.
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I was very happy to hear that the great Chix restaurant on 11th Street just north of U Street will be getting a liquor license on June 11th. They will be offering three types of beer and wines. Some of the beers will be local and organic, I’m told. So instead of just eating responsibly now we can also drink responsibly. Now that’s my type of eating.
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I’m not sure what the bird’s all about but that is one peaceful door.