A reader writes:
“I was wondering if you had any suggestions for resources, which I could use to learn more about the history of my house, who lived in it before me, and so on. I recently browsed through the Historical Society of Washington D.C’s. online catalogue but I was not able to references to any exact images of my house.”
Ed. note: Snap-shots is a series created by our intern in Petworth, Julian. This week’s snapshots come from Columbia Heights but following snapshots will come from Petworth, U Street, Mt. Pleasant, Logan Circle, Shaw and Adams Morgan.
The following questions were asked:
William – Newton and Holmead
1. “We’ve worked hard to make the changes that have come to our neighborhood. There could be better changes, we could have bigger and better improvements, but the public realm hasn’t been met. We still have a long way to go with paving, sidewalks and public safety.”
2. “Yes, the neighborhood offers me everything I need, and coming! We’re not done yet, but we have many of the basic elements in place.”
3. “My favorite place to people watch is the Columbia Heights Civic Plaza (or Tivoli square) – this is where you get to people watch – this is the intersection that brings it all together.”
4. “The people make [Columbia Heights] special.”
5. “When you drive, the neighborhood is night and day. When you walk, you see the diversity of everything – from the people, to the buildings, to the atmosphere.”
Katheryn – Fairmont and 12th
1. “The changes really haven’t affected me yet, but they’re probably going to influence my decision to stay in the neighborhood longer than I would have otherwise.”
2. “I wish it had an internet café/coffee house … a Tryst-like place. And maybe more coffee shops down where I live.”
3. “My favorite place in the neighborhood is the little Latin market close to where I live. They always have fresh cilantro.”
4. “For me personally, the reason I moved [to Columbia Heights] is because I couldn’t rent a large house to live in and also have my art studio. It also offered an opportunity to get to know a neighborhood I hadn’t really known the last 8 years of living here.”
5. N/A
Susan – 13th and Harvard
1. “Well, I just moved to this neighborhood in February from U street, a couple of weeks before all the big changes, so I really can’t say. U street was great for me, so when I was living there I didn’t really come up for anything in particular.”
2. “It would be nice to have more restaurants. Coming from U street, where there are more options – I really feel like this neighborhood could benefit from something like that.”
3. “Well, I haven’t really found my spots to hang out in the neighborhood yet, but I really like Rumberos, and all the new little fast food joints that have opened up on Tivoli square, like Ritas and the Pollo Campero.”
4. “Columbia Heights is special because it has everything you need, and you can walk and feel safe.”
5. N/A
A reader writes:
“I don’t know if this has ever been a question of the day, but do our Safeway’s (both Georgia Avenue ones) have a nickname? Here’s what I know of other Safeway’s in town:
Secret Safeway – off Wisconsin Avenue
Soviet Safeway – on 17th Street in Dupont
Sandanista Safeway – Columbia Road
Sycophant Safeway – Watergate
Social Safeway – Georgetown
I have been referring to the Safeway near the metro as the Six Feet Under Safeway because of the proximity to all of the funeral homes. Is this not politically correct?”
This guy was actually awesome. He was busting the chops of the proprietor of Dos Gringos in a very friendly and joking manner. He seemed to know everyone. This to me seems to be the ideal of an MPD patrolman. We need MPD guys like this guy in all of our neighborhoods.
I love the fact that there is an ice cream man outside of the DC USA. It makes it feel more like a community than just a sterile mall. And based on the five minutes I hung around, Tito seemed to be doing very well this past Saturday. Maybe the only thing cooler would be a real Italian Ice guy…
I’ve noticed the building going up at 14th and Florida is using quite a bit of wood? Is that normal? What is the benefit of using wood instead of concrete?
Check out the International Progresso Market at 3158 Mt. Pleasant Street if you are looking to shake up your menu.
First let me say, I swear I’m not on the payroll of CHC and I pay for each and every coffee I drink! I simply believe it is the greatest coffee shop in the city. And it keeps getting better. Back in the day they used to have a fellow playing acoustic guitar on weekends which was a real nice touch. I was overjoyed to see the return of JC pictured here. You can catch him most Sunday afternoons at Columbia Heights Coffee on 11th Street. His music is very mellow and unobtrusive, he takes requests, and I think it is the perfect compliment to a perfect cup of coffee.
Particularly nice on a day like today.
The copper really shines on this rowhouse. Aside from looking good, what’s the purpose of using copper on the roof like that?