Friday Question of the Day

Dear PoP – Million Dollar Question Edition

By Prince Of Petworth

“The reason I’m searching your site is that I am desperate to find a neighborhood in DC that I can afford and one in which I’m not afraid to raise my kids. (2 1/2 and 4 1/2) I am an unabashed urbanite and well used to live in urban areas, but having children has made me a bit more concerned about where I live. My husband and I have both lived in DC (in neighborhoods that are no longer affordable) when we were single, and we recently bought a house near Baltimore. But the commute is killing us, and I am just so unhappy having the girls in pre-school so far away from where I work.

Can you offer me any advice on where in DC we could buy a house/rowhouse for under $400 that is in decent shape and safe enough to raise a family? Is Petworth a good choice for such a move?

I am hoping you will tell me it is as I’ve been looking through the listings and found a number of places that don’t look too run-down in Petworth for the price we need. But can you tell me about the community vibe? Any good playgrounds locally?”

Well, this is a super tough question for two reasons. First I am biased as I am a huge fan of Petworth and will instantly rave about it. Although, second, I don’t have any children.

But I’ll take a crack at it. As we’ve discussed many times DC Public Schools are for the most part a bit problematic. For sure there are some good ones particularly for younger children but I’ve heard choosing a high school can be a very difficult choice. But recently there have been some very good public charter school options. But since you didn’t ask specifically about schools I’ll focus on community a bit.

Let me say that in the almost six years (admittedly not a long time) I’ve lived in Petworth I’ve noticed tons of children. There are children from long term residents and children from new comers as well. Petworth has a very good playground on Taylor Street near 7th.

I honestly do think Petworth is a great choice because there is a strong community here. But it will still take an effort to become part of the community. Often you have to make the first move and introduce yourself around the neighborhood. But having said that, in my 11 years in DC I have never been more welcomed than when I moved to Petworth. Like all of DC’s neighborhoods crime does exist in Petworth but like any good urbanite if you use common sense and good judgment it most likely will not affect you. Again, over the nearly six years that I’ve lived here none of my neighbors have encountered any problems (and I talk with tons of neighbors).

Another positive attribute about Petworth is that it is very convenient to get downtown by metro or bus. Plus you are fairly close to Rock Creek Park as well.

As is no secret I’m a huge fan of many of DC’s neighborhoods. Of course the under $400k limit for a home will limit your search. I’m not sure how much the homes cost but if you are able to put in some sweat equity I’ve also become a big fan of the Bloomingdale neighborhood. At the moment there isn’t as much development (restaurants/bars/etc) in Bloomingdale, though they have one of the best coffee shops in the city. But the homes and streets in Bloomingdale are among the most beautiful I’ve seen. Of course crime exists there as well but again crime, sadly, exists all over the city.

So let’s also make this the Friday Question of the Day – if you were looking to buy a house in DC for under $400k – what neighborhood would you choose to raise children?

Friday Question of the Day

By Prince Of Petworth


photo by Eddie Codel

Ok, I’ll admit it – I’ve got inauguration fever. So while this is a predictable question – I feel it still must be asked. What are you most looking forward to? I’ve got to be honest, since I was unable to get Beastie Boys tickets, I’m most looking forward to the concert with U2, Bruce Springsteen and others. Of course I’m looking forward to the inauguration itself but the prospect of “seeing” the Boss and U2 even if only briefly is beyond cool to me.

A side question – do you think everything’s gonna go smoothly or will the projected 2 million visitors be too much to handle?

Friday Question of the Day – Should DC Building Height Restrictions Be Lifted?

By Prince Of Petworth


photo by freddyjinkins

We’ve never talked about this subject before though someone brought it up under a different context in a previous discussion so I thought it’d be worth exploring. There was a pretty interesting article written on the subject by the Post back in May of 2007. According to the article to lift the restrictions:

“To do so would require the support of Congress, which created the Height Act nearly a century ago to restrict virtually all of Washington’s tallest buildings to a height of 130 feet.”

So what do you think would housing become more reasonbly priced if the restrictions were lifted? Would DC stop losing companies that move to VA or MD? Would it kill the look of the city? Which side do you support?

Friday Question of the Day

By Prince Of Petworth

Probably like many others I was pretty hit today and decided to spend the day watching movies. I still need to get on dang netflix… So I went to Blockbuster and the new releases were less than inspiring so I decided to get three foreign films. Since the FQOTD back in October asking about movies in general was so fun I thought I’d ask specifically what is your favorite foreign film. Today I watched a French Film A Tout De Suite, which was pretty meh, I watched a Korean film, Oldboy, which was one of the most disturbing (violent and psychologically brutal) films I’ve seen in a long time. I’d recommend it if you are brave enough. Finally I watched another French film, Blame it on Fidel! which was phenomenal. I highly, highly recommend it. But to answer my own question – by far my favorite foreign film is Cinema Paradiso.

So what’s your favorite foreign film?

Online Dating Tips by Raz and Special Christmas Wed. Question of the Day

By Prince Of Petworth

Since we have a short week and many folks have left town I thought I’d ask a more light hearted Question of the Day inspired by Raz’s post below. So the question is – what is your funniest on line or offline dating story? Any successful on line dating stories? If you care to share – how did you meet your significant other? I have a funny online dating story where the girl that I just met asked me to tie her shoelaces and I was like ‘say what?’. But she was adamant that I tie her shoelaces. Yeah, that didn’t go so well.

Following are some tips from Raz:

I am not currently active in online dating, but I have tried it, as have many of my friends. A lot of my friends have ended up settling down with someone they met online. If you get family guilt for being single while home for the holidays and are considering online dating, here are some tips based on my past experience:

  • Be Honest. Portray yourself accurately in your profile. Use a picture that was taken within the past few months. I cannot tell you how many dates I went on where the guy looked nothing like his picture. Also, be honest about your hobbies and interests. If you are really looking for someone to start a relationship with, honesty is an ideal foot to start on.
  • Keep the First Date Short. Drinks or coffee are good first dates. They are basically a mutual screening of both parties. With these two date options, the date can be 20 minutes or hours long, depending on how long you want it to go.
  • Be Open Minded. Go into it with no expectations and an open mind.
  • Plan Fun Dates. After date #1 and your determination that you are actually interested in this person, plan fun dates. Do activities like ice skating, ESPN Zone, a museum, art exhibit, etc. If you are dating a lot of people thru the site, going to a meal every night can get redundant.
  • Be Nice. Everyone on the site is putting themselves out there, so be respectful. If you are not interested, be nice. Also, since DC is so small, you will probably start running into your dates around town. It is also highly possible that you will have mutual friends with your dates. Both of these things have happened to me frequently, and I have probably done a total of less than 6 months of online dating over the past 4 years.

Friday Question of the Day

By Prince Of Petworth

From the Post’s DC Wire:

MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski was mugged outside of the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Georgetown this morning while waiting for a car to pick her up for her co-host duties with Joe Scarborough on the show, “Morning Joe.”

The assailant demanded $20 but she told him she only had $6. “I was very scared for a short period of time,” she said this morning. She said she was right outside the hotel doors about 4:55 a.m., right under the heat lamp, when the assailant, who had been hiding behind a bush, said: “Give me your money and you won’t get hurt.”

Brzezinski said she couldn’t tell if the assailant had a weapon but his hands were in his pockets.

She gave him what she had, $6.

Now far be it from me to judge someone in a situation like this but I’m curious what others would’ve done in this situation. I think she probably did the right thing by giving what money she had. I’m trying to think what I would’ve done in this situation. I suppose it’s a bit like war and you don’t know how you’d respond unless you are actually in the moment. But I think I’d probably have walked/ran back to the hotel. It seems odd to me that the mugger would ask for $20. Don’t muggers say “give me all your money”? Or steal whatever valuables the victim has? Just seems a bit odd that he would only ask for $20. But like I said, unless in the situation, it has hard to tell just how threatening the situation was. Nevertheless for the Friday Question of the Day I’m curious to know what you would’ve done in this situation? Would you have complied? Walked/ran back to the hotel? Some have blamed the hotel for not providing proper security – do you think the hotel is at any fault?

Friday Question of the Day

By Prince Of Petworth

Today’s question(s) of the day is based on some recent NY Times articles. The first article I saw was titled It May Be Time to Think About Buying a House. They write:

“Five or 10 years from now, when the financial crisis has ended and housing prices are up smartly once more, we will look in the rearview mirror and realize that we missed a golden age for first-time home buyers.”

This may be too simple or an impossible question to answer but do you think now is the time to buy?

Perhaps a bit more interesting – The second article from NYT was titled Location! Location! … Obama! They write:

“There have been a lot of potential buyers from Chicago quietly descending on Washington this month, according to real estate brokers. Multimillion-dollar homes have been snapped up in all-cash deals. First-time buyers have toured apartments in the fashionable neighborhoods of Logan Circle and the U Street corridor. Big-money donors have gone house-hunting in the upscale blocks of Kalorama and Georgetown.”

and

“Yes, change is coming to Washington — at least it in the real estate market, which is loosely segregated by both race and party, and thus subject to abrupt shifts in population every four or eight years.”

and

“Now as the Obama Democrats begin their move to Washington, they appear to be moving the center of power back to the district. Moneyed Democrats are still attracted to Georgetown and Kalorama, young families to Chevy Chase and Capitol Hill, and 20-somethings to Adams Morgan, U Street and Logan Circle.”

So I’m curious whether or not you agree with the above assessment? Do you think Washington’s neighborhoods are segregated by political affiliation? If so what neighborhoods do you think are associated with Republicans and Democrats? And if that’s the case – which neighborhoods have the Libertarians chosen?

Friday Question of the Day – Reader Request

By Prince Of Petworth


photo by Waldo Jaquith

A reader asks:

“I’m curious what people think about changing the “last call” time to 5am on the weekend of the inauguration.”

Here is the link to the NBC article:
http://www.nbcwashington.com/around_town/nightlife/Bars-Could-Stay-Open-Late-for-Inauguration-Partying.html

NBC says:

“Graham, who represents the bar-centric Adams Morgan neighborhood, introduced a measure to allow licensed bars, restaurants and nightclubs to serve alcohol until 5 a.m. and to keep doors open 24 hours a day between Jan. 17 and Jan. 21, according to the Washington Examiner. Tuesday evening, the Council passed the measure.”

So what do you guys think – is it ridiculous that the council extended last call for bars until 5am? Or does it not really matter because it’s only for 5 days?

Special Wed. Question of the Day and Thanksgiving Photo Contest

By Prince Of Petworth

Well, we’ve got a short week so let’s end it with a question I’ve been wrestling with a for a while. At what age do you stop going to your folks house for Thanksgiving? If you’re going home for the winter/Christmas holiday – do you also go home for Thanksgiving? Or do you invite your folks to come to DC for Thanksgiving?  I’m spending Thanksgiving in DC with friends and I’m unbelievably psyched for it. I’m going to see my folks in Dec. so I don’t feel too bad. But I do have a little nagging guilt. So how do you guys split your Thanksgiving/Winter holiday travels?

And it’s time for the annual Thanksgiving photo contest. Above is a photo from last year’s contest. All you have to do is take a photo from your T-day and email it to [email protected]

Friday Question of the Day

By Prince Of Petworth

A bit sad but I think it’ll be interesting to read your responses. So I was thinking about Obama’s election and how it will probably be seared into most people’s memory. Then I was thinking the previous experience that was seared into most people’s minds was probably 9/11. But I’m curious about your most profound historical memory before 9/11 and this election. Mine was 1986 when the Challenger exploded. Quite traumatic at the time. For my folks it was probably when JFK was assassinated. For my grandparents it was probably when Pearl Harbor was bombed. But I’ve heard other people talk about Bay of Pigs, when the Pope was shot, when Reagan was shot, when John Lennon was shot. Yikes too many folks have been shot. Anyway the FQOTD is – What was your most profound historical memory before 9/11?

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