Photo by PoPville flickr user Eric P.
Granted this a rather random one but I’ll walk you to how I got here. So I was thinking of titling chapter nine of my coming memoirs: ‘Emails I get from AOL accounts’ Ed. Note that is still the tentative title. And it got me thinking about email in general and communication preferences. So there we are.
Photo by PoPville flickr user Erin
“Dear PoPville,
I wanted to nominate a Friday Question of the Day: What is your favorite coffee shop? We’ve been trying to hit more coffee shops lately, and I was wondering if people have any favorites for good coffee, wifi, decent pastries or sweet treats, and comfortable to sit and enjoy for a while.
Along the same lines, I was also curious about where people go for their “third place,” i.e., a social environment that is not home or work? Bar? Coffee shop? Library?“
RIP
This week’s question comes from Keiser:
“Just moved here from Los Angeles. Can you recommend any great bar arcades in the greater DC area? Not just, like, a bar that happens to have a Mortal Kombat machine and a foosball table.”
As a pinball guy (sup Lyman’s!!) I’ll defer to you guys here but I’m thinking The Eleanor in NoMa and their sister spot Bar Elena on H Street. What/where are some other good ones?
14th and Rhode Island Ave, NW
Update: “Mason & Rook will remain open throughout all renovations.”
Anyway, it got me thinking about favorite hotel bars/restaurants – so while we wait for Viceroy to open – where’s your current favorites?
Here are the previous best/let’s do this lists for – Carryouts, best Thai, best liquor stores, best Ramen, best Bars, best Indian and Pakistani, best Italian/Pizza/Deli, best Mexican/Salvadoran/Central/Cuban/Latin, best burgers/fries, best bakery/bagels, best Gyms, best Ethiopian , best Sushi, best bookstores, best movie theaters, best sports bars, best barbers and hair salons, best brunch, favorite clothing stores, favorite place to get oysters best breakfast sandwiches, best Tacos, best Farmers Markets best dumplings, best pupusas, best Pho, best Food Trucks, best Chicken Wings, best tots/toppings, best mac and cheese, best shoe repair, best fish n chips and best Crab cakes.
Thanks to SAF for the suggestion we revisit this question which we last spoke about back in 2015. When we posted about the kudos from the New York Times some folks reflexively mentioned the bad stuff. Yes, yes, cities have bad things – we chronicle them everyday. I do not shrug them off but sincerely hope we as a community can address them thoughtfully. The negative that exists here and in many major metropolitan areas does not mean that D.C. doesn’t deserve the kudos. In fact D.C. is not just a great place to visit it is also great place to live. Overall, we are very very lucky. Ed. Note: If you don’t feel this way, feel free to sit this one out – thanks. So, for my fellow Washingtonians – what are your favorite parts about living in the District of Columbia circa 2020?
Folks open, folks close – it is the cycle of industry life but it can still sting nonetheless. With a tear in my beer here are the 2019 closures:
The Red Boat, Tom’s Chinese Laundry, District Hardware and Bike, Arqa Lebanese Fusion, Leziz, D.C. Cafe, Rosemarys Thyme Bistro, Corridor Coffee, The Outsider, The Pitch Tavern, Eat First, Wok and Roll (Adams Morgan), Maison Kayser(s), North Sea Restaurant, Via Gypset, Z Burger (Columbia Heights), The Bike Rack (Brookland and Logan), Fox Loves Taco, Hikari Sushi, Scotts DC, Southern Hospitality, Adams Morgan Cafe, Ray’s Hell Burger, Gallery 2000 Art & Framing, Arepa House, The Little Beet, Epic Philly Steaks, La Loma, Alba Osteria, Pennsylvania 6, Honeysuckle, Steam Cafe, Pizzeria Vetri, Caribbean Citations, Red Ginger, Sally’s Middle Name (more…)
Photo by PoPville flickr user UknelijahDC
I got called for Jury Duty, again. Now I get called every two years after seemingly rarely getting called. I even got called to a grand jury this year though fortunately, since I work for myself it would be rough to do, I didn’t have to serve on the actual jury. Anyway, now that I’ve figured out how to insert polls into posts again – I’d like to revisit the Jury Duty question. When’s the last time you were called to jury duty? Did you serve on a jury? How long did your jury duty last? Did you convict or acquit?
The Washington times, 1915 via Library of Congress‘s Chronicling America
The last time we had a poll on this was back in 2012, I imagine the results will be quite different today but it’ll be interesting to monitor. We had a lengthy updated discussion on this back in 2014 but I inexplicably didn’t include a poll.
If you wish to expand on your situation in the comments it would be interesting to know what year you first started renting your current apartment and/or what year you bought your house/condo. Also are you talking about 1 person, 2 or more people? And if folks are really willing to expand – the more details the merrier: What neighborhood do you live in? How many bedrooms? Is it a basement? Does your building have amenities? Are utilities included (for those who rent)? And, like in 2014, for those who’d be willing to share – your rent/mortgage is what percentage of your monthly income?
809 12th Street, NE
This week’s query comes from E Ball: “Any ideas on where to get good crab cakes in the city?”
We last tackled this question back in 2009 – so we can definitely use a refresh. Where’s your favorite spots these days?
Here are the previous best/let’s do this lists for – Carryouts, best Thai, best liquor stores, best Ramen, best Bars, best Indian and Pakistani, best Italian/Pizza/Deli, best Mexican/Salvadoran/Central/Cuban/Latin, best burgers/fries, best bakery/bagels, best Gyms, best Ethiopian , best Sushi, best bookstores, best movie theaters, best sports bars, best barbers and hair salons, best brunch, favorite clothing stores, favorite place to get oysters best breakfast sandwiches, best Tacos, best Farmers Markets best dumplings, best pupusas, best Pho, best Food Trucks, best Chicken Wings, best tots/toppings, best mac and cheese, best shoe repair and best fish n chips.
OK so this week’s question is rather random. I couldn’t get the line “Like a bottle of Chateau Neuf de Pape” out of my head the other day.
Then it got me thinking about fancy wine, then it just got me thinking about expensive things in general. Since I have two little kids (damn you daycare!!) I don’t particularly indulge in fancy things these days, though I did get to go to some amazing baseball games so I’m not complaining. Anyway, what are your indulgences? Are they worth the expense or do you feel guilty afterwards? Things I’m thinking about are restaurants, travel, concerts, cars, bicycles, gyms, spas, clothing, cosmetics, top shelf booze/groceries, shoes, jewelry, your rental building, home renovations or maybe smaller things like simply calling a lyft or just taking the day off work?
Of course many of us have big student loan payments, huge daycare expenses, outrageous rents and other less sexy expenses so this is surely a ridiculous question for some. But what the hell – When’s the last time you treated yourself? Was it worth it? How often do you treat yourself? What’s one treat you’ve loved the most? What’s one you’ve regretted?