Columbia Heights

Dear PoPville – How Many Nail Salons Does One Neighborhood Need?

By Prince Of Petworth

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“Dear PoPville,

Saw this work permit on Sunday for a new nail salon in the Samuel Kelsey building at 14th between Park and Monroe. Also under construction is a nail salon one block away at 14th at Newton and there’s already one on Park and 14th, near Pho 14.

I’m a curious individual so I’m wondering how the neighborhood supports this many nail salons. Don’t get me wrong, I hope they are each successful, but that just seems like a lot. From a landlord’s perspective, I suppose they are just happy to be getting some rent payments.”

Ed. Note: Another new nail salon is coming to 1454 Park Rd, NW next to a nail salon.

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House Robbed in Columbia Heights, Alleged Burglar or Associate Takes Self Portrait that Automatically Uploaded to Owner’s Photostream

By Prince Of Petworth

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Self photo of alleged burglar or his associate that automatically uploaded to iphoto stream

The Columbia Heights Listserv has circulated a photo of an alleged burglar or his associate who took a self portrait from the victim’s phone. I asked for more info from the victims of the burglary and this is what they say:

“Our place was broken into Friday afternoon or in the middle of the night. We’re in a row house in Columbia Heights near 11th.

On Saturday afternoon, we realized a laptop and binoculars were missing, and my iPad and an old iPhone I used as a desk clock were also missing. Sigh. This is the second time in the last year. (We were burglarized last November – busted in door, TV yanked off the wall, missing assorted electronics.) One theory is that this time the burglars used the brand new ladder we had just purchased the previous weekend to come in through an unlocked window.

Fast forward to yesterday, Wednesday, when I noticed a few pictures on my iPhone photostream that I hadn’t taken. I used the Lab app on my current iphone to figure out that these photos were taken with a 3GS (my old phone) on Tuesday afternoon. Two snaps of an iPad (probably mine?) and another iPhone. Oh, and a selfie of some guy I don’t recognize. The burglar? The fence? The customer? The prayer card in the background is a nice touch.

So that’s what we know. I filed a police report online. If anyone recognizes this guy, they can call the MPD Anonymous Tipline (202) 727-9099 or email me at hthomly(at)gmail.com.”

Dear PoPville – Who Painted the “Look Both Ways” on the Sidewalks of 11th Street?

By Prince Of Petworth

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11th and Lamont St, NW

“Dear PoPville,

Does anyone know who has been painting the “Look both ways” on the sidewalk. It doesn’t help make the neighborhood feel any nicer and makes it look trashier. Individuals taking things into their own hands is not the answer and this could have been done in a more professional way.

There are 14 places that were painted between 11th and Irving and 11th and Park.”

Garden of the Day and Homegrown Tomato Contest

By Prince Of Petworth

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A great vegetable garden from Columbia Heights. So let’s kick off the summer tomato contest of 2013. If you’ve grown a great tomato (color, size etc.) or have a huge haul send a photo in an email email to princeofpetworth(at)gmail with the subject line tomato contest and every week I’ll pick my favorite. Winners get a PoPville t-shirt.

Tomatoes have to be homegrown – we’re on the honor system here!

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Drink Local Week Kicks Off at Meridian Pint Tonight

By Prince Of Petworth

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11th and Park Rd, NW

From an email:

Monday, July 22nd, 5PM
Maryland Night

The first night of our week-long celebration of local beer! Our 24 draft lines will be filled with brews from the great state of Maryland and all of them will be $5 from 5PM, when our doors open, until close. The list of participating breweries is posted below. Not all breweries will have representatives present, but many of them will. There is no admission to this event so come party MD style!

If you’re looking for info on our All-You-Can-Eat Crab Feast happening on the same day click here.

Participating Breweries:
Baltimore Washington Beer Works
Brewer’s Alley
Brewer’s Art
Burley Oak
Distillery Lane Ciderworks
DuClaw Brewing Co.
Evolution Craft Brewing
Flying Dog Brewery
Franklins Restaurant, Brewery & General Store
Heavy Seas
Monocacy Brewing Co.
Oliver breweries
Stillwater Artisanal Ales
Union Craft Brewing

Monday, July 22nd, 6-8PM
All-You-Can-Eat Crab Feast

The first night of our week-long celebration of local beer! Our 24 draft lines will be filled with brews from the great state of Maryland and all of them will be $5 from 5PM, when our doors open, until close. The list of participating breweries is posted below. Not all breweries will have representatives present, but many of them will. This is, of course, open to the general public all night, but we are also hosting a special event on our patio.

We are only selling 40 tickets to our All-You-Can-Eat Maryland Blue Crab Feast. Guests will be seated on our patio at 6PM at a community table piled high with Maryland Blue Crabs and classic sides. Guests can also have AS MANY OF THE MD DRAFTS AS THEY WOUD LIKE, within reason of course, between 6-8PM. Please be sure to arrive before 6PM to maximize your crab-eating opportunity.

Tickets are $75, include tax & gratuity, are non-refundable and can be purchased here.

Participating Breweries:
Baltimore Washington Beer Works
Brewer’s Alley
Brewer’s Art
Burley Oak
Distillery Lane Ciderworks
DuClaw Brewing Co.
Evolution Craft Brewing
Flying Dog Brewery
Franklins Restaurant, Brewery & General Store
Heavy Seas
Monocacy Brewing Co.
Oliver breweries
Stillwater Artisanal Ales
Union Craft Brewing

Tuesday, July 23rd, 5PM
Celebrate The Commonwealth – & Raw Oysters (more…)

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

Sticky_fingers
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.”

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