From a press release:
“On Sunday, March 3, 2024, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Ambar Shaw, located at 1547 7th Street, NW, Washington, D.C. will host a book signing cocktail party for author Travis Mitchell. The ticket to attend the event includes two Ambar cocktails which are featured in his new book, DC Cocktails, as well as a copy of the book. Guests will meet author Travis Mitchell at the reception and can have him personalize their book. Tickets are $36 per person, excluding tax and gratuity, and can be purchased here.
Travis Mitchell is a DC-based food and drink writer, Read More
1701 14th Street, NW
Thanks to Kim for sending: “appeared overnight at the Liz (14th and R)
#goodbyemoney”
Pretty cool historical note about the location on their website: Read More
Reuben Jackson via Alan Squire Publishing
Thanks to Katie for sharing the super sad news about Reuben Jackson’s recent passing earlier this month.
On a personal note I have to say that this news has hit my very hard. Most people don’t know this but Reuben was a reader, supporter and occasional contributor to PoPville from the very early Prince of Petworth days. And when I say supporter I mean Reuben gave me strength in the very early days when I was filled with doubts. Reuben always gave me words of encouragement and urged me to keep doing what I was doing. Simply, Reuben was the best. He reached out to me after the pandemic to say hi, and I said hi. But I wish I had said so much more. Don’t we always. I’ll say it now – thank you Reuben. Thank you for your words, your voice and your friendship. You will be missed.
About Reuben’s words. Here’s what he wrote to us back in 2009:
“I am not sure I would call these “haiku”. In fact, I would not. They are 17 syllable “poems” looking at a side of this city (Washington, DC) which increasingly nags at me (to say the least). I am trying to do something with the very “Southern” aspects of life here-aspects which so-called home rule (etc.) has not changed. Finally, they are the -ahem-ahem- “musings” of a middle aged black man trying to come to grips with the tension, changes, what have you in what my Mom accurately dubbed a “big-small Southern town”.
I.
Spanish music plays
in buildings where James Brown ruled
Throbbing stereos.
II.
Followed in bookstores
Mocked by gangsta wannabees
Where do I fit in?
III.
Why would you leave here?
A childhood friend inquired
Through a toothless smile.
IV.
Men I’ve known since birth
Baby sit ragged corners
Under served by life.
V.
Girl with Whole Foods bag
Receives suspicious glances
“She must think she white.!”
VI.
Disdainful glances
Hurled at a new white neighbor.
Soon there will be more.
VII.
Parents left me here.
Is it too late to get out?
Dream on the down-low.
VIII.
Politicians flock
Like self important peacocks.
Shopping mall- at last!
IX.
Take a crosstown bus
If you dream of salad bars
And sit-down cafes.”
Katie and felow poets say that “his Trayvon Martin poem, For Trayvon Martin, is one of his best”: Read More
1331 14th Street, NW
“Dear PoPville,
Monarch Novelties marked vacant on 14th. I wonder what is in store for this space’s future?”
I wouldn’t be surprised if they just need to make a property tax payment but has anyone heard anything else otherwise?
20th/New Hampshire and O Street, NW
Somehow I had been mixing up parks. Thanks to Nora for setting me straight about the Sonny Bono plaque!! In full effect: Read More
Check out this great website from DC Historic Preservation Office / DC Office of Planning:
“With their longtime presence even before the establishment of a city, African Americans have been central to the culture, heritage and civic life of Washington, DC. This website records nearly 300 places associated with African American history and culture in the District of Columbia. These sites span the city’s history from its creation in 1791, through the Civil War and Civil Rights eras to 1974—when DC gained Home Rule—and beyond. Read More
photo by Ian Livingston
On this last day of January – some more light at the end of the tunnel from NPS in response to a query from the Embassy of Japan: “We won’t have enough data to make a prediction for a few more weeks. For historical averages, check out our cherry blossom website”
Last year peak bloom was March 23 with green buds starting February 23 – Signs of Spring cometh soon!! Read More
Chesapeake House, “It was built in 1937 by the Mattingly family, making it a relative late-comer to the declining Reno City community. The Mattinglys operated a store of the first floor and lived upstairs The family sold the building to the United States in 1950. It is expected that Chesapeake House will be restored as part of a planned-unit development agreement with the developers of a mixed-use development project on Wisconsin Avenue.”
“Dear PoPville,
This small brick building in Tenley (right next to the Jackson-Reed tennis courts, at the corner of Belt/41st/Chesapeake) has been vacant and boarded up for as long as I can remember. At least since the mid-90s I think. Read More
5037 Connecticut Avenue, NW
How have I never noticed this before?!?! In the parking lot/rear entrance to Comet Pizza. Apparently it closed in 2005 – anyone ever visit?
If you have a photo of a neat find from your house, place of work or neighborhood please send an email to [email protected] thanks. Please let me know where/what neighborhood you found it in too. Thanks.
1800 Rhode Island Ave, NE
Thanks to Aaron for sharing:
“Ronnie, the proprietor of Ronnie’s Transmission on Rhode Island Ave NE, DC, recently passed away. A skilled technician and a cornerstone of the neighborhood for decades, Ronnie not only excelled in his small business but also served as a repository of local oral history and a trusted friend to neighbors for decades.
Ronnie’s impact on me and everyone fortunate enough to have crossed paths with him was immense. Working tirelessly in his namesake small business, he was not just a skilled technician underneath his hydraulic lift or inside one of his interior garages; he was a cornerstone of the neighborhood on US Route 1. In his front office, Ronnie thrived professionally and also served as a carrier of local oral history and a trusted friend to the NE D.C. community for decades.
Almost every day, except for his one day off on Sundays, Ronnie would take notice of friends and neighbors passing by. Read More