Dear PoPville

Props to Good People – “a woman and her male uber driver pulled over to check in/intervene. They waited with me until the guy left”

By Prince Of Petworth


photo by Ian Will

“Dear PoPville,

I would like to post a thank you and see if I can reach these people who helped me today. I (27F) was waiting for the bus on Florida Ave NE when this guy approached me, asking me for the bus schedule, and would not leave me alone after I tried telling him repeatedly that I didn’t know. He was telling me to check my phone for the bus schedule (potential play for my phone perhaps?) He was physically cornering me and I was uncomfortable and getting increasingly on edge. I don’t know if it would’ve gotten worse because (more…)

“Abandoned cop car – reoccurring problem – What is the point?!!?”

By Prince Of Petworth


19th and N Street, NW

Update from MPD:

“MPD closes this intersection during the overnight hours to mitigate traffic exiting the Dupont Circle nightlife corridor. Recently, the cruiser was inadvertently left in place during the morning hours. The issue has been addressed, and the road will be open earlier moving forward. We apologize for the inconvenience.”

“Dear PoPville,

The police have started frequently parking an empty police car in the crosswalk of N St NW, and blocking off the entire road between 19th and 20th on weekday mornings for no apparent reason. Nothing going on. No police officers present. It’s just a randomly parked empty police car blocking the road. (more…)

HVAC cleaning scam continues

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoPville,

A variation on the HVAC cleaning scam showed up AGAIN on the same listserve just now, and I saw it floated through a different listserve I’m on last week. Weirdly persistent. If you have recommendations of authorities to report them to, I’m all ears. Maybe Consumer Protection or the AG in DC or MD.“

“Complexity in the loss of Georgetown’s ‘Cellar Door’ Starbucks”

By Prince Of Petworth


34th and M Street, NW

“Dear PoPville,

I’m so torn on this one. Will I really miss it? Sort of. But every time I have walked by this space, either as the now-gone Starbucks, or as Capriotti’s sandwich shop before it, or that godawful Philly Pizza where students, tourists, high school drinkers, and young military types splashed ranch dressing on 2 a.m. slices before barfing them on the street, I have longed for something more in the spirit of (more…)

“Seeking jeweler recommendations for “a small, but perhaps odd, custom project.”

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoPville,

I’d like to crowdsource a jeweler recommendation for a small, but perhaps odd, custom project. I have a monogrammed ring in what looks like bronze or copper, and it has an empty pronged setting. The ring is quite old, likely late 19th century. I’d like to place a gemstone in the setting, and have the ring resized without damaging the monogram.

I asked one jeweler (more…)

“a resource for families to prepare the legal paperwork they need to have someone else take custody of their kids and finances if something happens to them, like being hit by a bus or dragged into the back of an unmarked van”

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoPville,

This website is a resource for families to prepare the legal paperwork they need to have someone else take custody of their kids and finances if something happens to them, like being hit by a bus or dragged into the back of an unmarked van. (more…)

“TV Recycling?”

By Prince Of Petworth


photo by Rich Renomeron

“Dear PoPville,

It seems that the DPW Special Waste collections have been selling out quickly now that you have to register. Any suggestions for the community about how to best recycle a broken TV? I’m aware of BestBuy’s program that you have to pay.”

“Local scam — HVAC cleaning”

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoPville,

There is a local scam going around that has now appeared on several listserves I’ve been on. A person joins a listserve claiming to be a member of the group, e.g. “a 20-something who attends XXX congregation,” then claims that they have a “group rate” for HVAC cleanings of $150. There is indeed a company that shows up and does something if you sign up, but it is tantamount to doing nothing and they are misleading about what services they provide. The original poster then tries to pressure you into signing more people up for the pyramid scheme. More details below. (more…)

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