Columbia Heights

Dear PoPville – Lots of Progress at Cardozo High School – Props to the Construction Crew

By Prince Of Petworth

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“Dear PoPville,

In May I emailed to see if you knew when the construction at Cardozo High School would be finished and you found the answer for me right away. Now I wanted to update you on what clearly looks like progress, even to the inexpert eye. The crew has been working hard in this hot weather. Today, they were clearing out a lot of the construction materials from in front of the building, building up the walls that border the sidewalk, and even planting trees. The whole front staircase is visible now. It’s been hidden behind construction materials and machinery since the work began.

This construction project has felt eternal, has been a serious inconvenience, and the jackhammers drive me nuts, but I have to give the construction crew a lot of credit. The same guys have been working traffic on the corner of 13th and Clifton for the last year and a half, and they have always been friendly and respectful. One of the hassles of living next to a construction site is finding your car stuck on a road blocked in every direction by construction vehicles, but the crew have always done their best to minimize these headaches. Their attitude has kept me more cheerful about the whole thing.”

Dear PoPville – How to Deal with Road Blockage and Trucks Idling?

By Prince Of Petworth

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Photo by PoPville flickr user Mr. T in DC

“Dear PoPville,

14th St. and Columbia Rd NW is a really busy intersection and was so long before DCUSA opened. It’s full of commuters and especially traffic heavy during morning and evening rush hours.

This corner is also home to a 7-11 and, like all stores, it needs to be refilled on a regular basis. The semi trucks that bring all the Cheetos and Coke have been parking in the space for the bus stop on Columbia Road for years and essentially block half of the road while unloading.

I get that the 7-11 needs to be restocked and they’ve got to park somewhere. If they’d unload and then move on I wouldn’t be writing. The issue is that a truck will park and then sit there for three to four hours at a time blocking half of the road. Sometimes they don’t even unload, they just park and sit there, which obviously means they’re not restocking the store.

That’s where it affects me and my neighbors. I live in that building and work from home; I have to sit and listen to a monster truck’s engine and air conditioning units for half of my day. DC drivers aren’t known for their patience so it’s a constant stream of honking and occasional yelling. Columbia Heights is energetic enough without this, thank you.

The people who use the H busses and the Circulator are affected as a truck will make it difficult for a bus to pass. I’ve seen the whole thing completely jammed up on a few occasions as a bus will get stuck and then block 14th St southbound as well as Columbia Road. The day an ambulance got stuck in that mess wasn’t fun, I can only hope the person inside was OK after the lengthy delay to move on.

I’ve talked to 7-11 and they shrug or give platitudes that it’ll be moved soon. Calls to 911 and MPD haven’t worked so far. Calls to 311 and the Parking department haven’t worked either. My first thought was the WMATA might have some influence on asking law enforcement to keep the road clear but complaining about them not being proactive is like berating a badly socialized dog for going through the garbage.

In the grand scheme of things it’s just an inconvenience but it inconveniences a lot of people. What city department can keep the roadway clear? If this was a parked car it would be ticketed and towed in no time at all.”

Garden of the Day

By Prince Of Petworth

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Thanks to a reader for sending this great one from University Place in Columbia Heights.

If you have or know of a great garden – please send a couple of photos to princeofpetworth(at)gmail

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Sticky Fingers Adds Donuts and Shakes to their Menu

By Prince Of Petworth

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1370 Park Rd, NW across the street from Giant

From an email:

“Sticky Fingers, Doron Petersan’s vegan bakery and restaurant in Columbia Heights, has launched a new menu that is highlighted by the addition of donuts and shakes as well as an expanded selection of burgers. The full menu is available here.

To start, the donuts will be served on Tuesdays and Thursday, and feature 4 rotating flavors, including Boston cream, raspberry filled, lemon filled, glazed and blueberry filled.

Classics chocolate and vanilla share top billing on the shake list, but you can also find cookies and shake, espresso, peanut butter and the Sticky Fingers brownie shake. All shakes are soy-based, though they can be made with coconut milk upon request.”

Columbia Heights Coffee Adds Ethiopian Dishes

By Prince Of Petworth

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3416 11th Street, NW

Thanks to a reader for sending:

“I stopped by Columbia Heights Coffee (3416 11th St NW ) early this week and learned they have begun offering a small selection of Ethiopian dishes for lunch and dinner. I spoke with one of the owners and she told me they had just launched the new service and would offer vegetarian dishes at first and add other options as demand grows.”

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Anyone Know What Happened to the Express Delivery Guy at the Columbia Heights Metro this Morning?

By Prince Of Petworth

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Photo by PoPville flickr user D©Bloom

“Dear PoPville,

When I got to the metro this morning the man who hands out the express newspaper was collapsed on the ground and people were trying to resuscitate him. I missed whatever the event was that caused it (heart attack, seizure, etc), but he appeared unresponsive. An ambulance came and took him away. Have you heard about this?”

Inquiries with @IAFF36 and @WaPoExpress have not yet been returned. Anyone else see what happened? Hoping for a speedy recovery!

The Coupe Launches 50-cent Happy Hour Deals in Columbia Heights

By Prince Of Petworth

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3415 11th Street, NW

From a press release:

“During hard economic times those looking for a good deal can look no further. Available Monday through Friday, 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm, The Coupe will offer 50 cent Sriracha-Glazed Chicken Wings, “BLT” Deviled Egg garnished with Bacon, Tomato Jam, and Micro Arugula and Stuffed Medjool Dates with spiced Marcona Almond and Camembert Cheese, wrapped in Surryano Ham, all perfect for sharing.

To wash it all down, The Coupe will offer up drink specials including $3 Natty Boh’; $4 Rum Punch and $5 House White and House Red Wine. Bottles are dispensed from Nappa Technology Wine Stations for a perfect pour. In addition, the bar offers more than 40 wines, many of them by the glass, as well as, 8 “keg wines” or wine on tap, and 16 draft beer options, making The Coupe the perfect spot to try something new. The spacious bar seats more than 60, perfect for spending happy hour with friends and colleagues.”

New Ethiopian Coffee Bar Coming to Columbia Heights

By Prince Of Petworth

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14th and Otis Street, NW

Thanks to a few readers for sending word about the new corner grocery store at the corner of 14th and Oak St, NW:

“There seems to be a fairly extensive small grocery/convenience store going in the corner space of the apartments at 14th and Oak. Everything but the fresh merchandise is on the shelves, but I always pass by it too late to catch anyone working in there. There are some fairly large bottles of olive oil on the front shelves, which makes me lean more towards thinking it’s a grocery store rather than a 7-11 sort of operation.”

The reader later found out the folks from Black Lion (14th and Otis, St, NW) have opened up this new spot called Columbia Heights Food Market. I stopped by on Sunday and was told they just opened up and are continuing to stock their shelves. The owner tells me that Black Lion will stay open for another month or so and then will close for renovations when it will be reopened as a new Ethiopian coffee bar. Updates when they get closer to opening.

Columbia Heights Food Market is located right next to George’s Shoe Repair:

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14th and Oak Street, NW

A Painfully Sad Photo – Yellow Lab Found in Columbia Heights

By Prince Of Petworth

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“Dear PoPville,

A female golden lab was found in Columbia Heights tonight around Kenyon and Lamont. She was clearly lost (running in the street then hiding under cars) and the Washington Humane took her back to their shelter at 9pm tonight. She is very sweet and clearly someone’s pet. She has a pink collar on (see photo) but no tags.

The dog will be held at the Georgia Avenue Adoption Center at 7319 Georgia Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20012. They can be reached at 202-723-5730”

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