Dear PoPville

“HVAC Recommendations”

By Prince Of Petworth


photo by angela n.

“Dear PoPville,

I bought a condo this past winter and because it’s an older building, I assumed there would be some issues that needed to be fixed. Unfortunately I found out once temperatures started rising in DC that the AC doesn’t work. A technician measured the pressure which showed it at 0. Unfortunately, the freon used by this system is banned (R22). So now I’m in the predicament of paying $1,500+ for freon to extend the life of the AC for a few years at most or $7,000+ to replace the entire system.”

Looking for a Good Samaritan: “a man I’d never seen before had run up and punched me in the face. While I stood there in shock, a bystander quickly intervened”

By Prince Of Petworth


via google maps

“Dear PoPville,

Last Monday (5/30, Memorial Day), around 11am, I was walking south on 8th street. At either the 8th and H or 8th and I NW intersection, a few blocks from the Chinatown/Gallery Place metro, I was looking at my phone while waiting for the walk sign to appear. All of a sudden, I felt an impact to my jaw–a man I’d never seen before had run up and punched me in the face. While I stood there in shock, a bystander quickly intervened, putting himself between me and the person who had attacked me. He told me to get away and call the police and started shouting and following the person who attacked me. Meanwhile, the person who attacked me was still shouting at me. Because of this bystander, I was able to get away without further harm.

I’m an East Asian woman, and because of the rise in violence against women who look like me, I can’t help but feel that I was targeted at least in part because of my race and gender. (more…)

“I get 2-3 texts per day, don’t you?”

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoPville,

I have been curious as to who has been selling our cellphone number data to DC political candidates. is it DC government?

I get 2-3 texts per day, don’t you?”

And Katie asks: “DC folks question: How do I opt out of ALL text campaign spam from @councilofdc candidates? I text back “stop” but they are not stopping.”

“DC Architect?”

By Prince Of Petworth


photo by Mr.TinMD

“Dear PoPville,

Looking for recommendations on licensed DC architects for a small kitchen remodel. Evidently DC requires architectural drawings to pull a permit. Any clue what the typical cost would be for such work- is it priced per job or hourly?”

“Does anyone know of any gyms that currently offer childcare?”

By Prince Of Petworth


photo by Nathan Castellanos

“Dear PoPville,

I figured I’d give this a shot because google has led me down a rabbit hole to broken links. But does anyone know of any gyms that currently offer childcare?

I would love to know what other DC residents are doing because these parents just want to shed the COVID weight without having to spend a grip on babysitters on top of daycare.”

“Super tall grass in Rock Creek Park — spoke with US Park Service”

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoPville,

I noticed recently that in both US Park Service-managed sections of Rock Creek Park (below Calvert street, and below the P St Bridge), the grass was very tall.

I just spoke with a very kind woman at the Park Service and she said that they normally contract that work out, but that the contract was stalled in processing and so they had to (slowly) do the work in-house. (more…)

Missed Connection – “guy who wants to shoot a documentary in every state”

By Prince Of Petworth


photo by John Sonderman

“Dear PoPville,

I matched with a really cool guy on hinge a few weeks ago, and we chatted for a while – but then I left the country and spent a few weeks in Europe. When I came back I opened the app again and could no longer find his profile. He probably deleted his page.. but he did so before I could get his contact info. I regret not checking the app while I was abroad and really hope to find him!

This is what we would go on to find him: (more…)

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