Woodley Park

Tues. Afternoon Rental Option – Woodley Park

By Prince Of Petworth

This rental is located at 2818 Cathedral Avenue, NW:


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The listing says:

“An elegant,charming & classic residence in Garfield of Washington-simply a perfect place for joy of time.Stylishly and comprehensively renovated.Walking distance to international cuisines,shops,Rock Creek park,National Zoo,Metro. 3,387 SF of finely planned living area &basement-great for all activities,entreating quests & accommodating larger family. Multiple porches+terrace off kitchen.”

This 5 bed/4 bath is going for $9,800/Mo.

Homicide and Aggravated Assault inside the Woodley Park Metro Saturday

By Prince Of Petworth


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From MPD:

Detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Branch have announced an arrest has been made in the fatal stabbing which occurred in the 2700 block of Connecticut Avenue, NW.

On Saturday, November 17, 2012, at approximately 1:17 am, units from the Second District and Metro Transit Police responded for a report of an aggravated assault inside the Woodley Park Metro Station located in the 2700 block of Connecticut Avenue, NW. Upon arrival, they located two adult male victims, one of which was suffering from an apparent stab wound. Units from both agencies were able to quickly detain nine suspects. DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services personnel arrived and transported both victims to a local hospital where the first victim succumbed to his injury and was pronounced dead. The second victim was admitted in stable condition.

The investigation revealed that the decedent was a victim of a robbery in the area of the 1800 block of Columbia Road, NW. After the robbery he, along with other individuals, proceeded to the Woodley Park Metro Station. Once inside, they encountered the suspects involved in the robbery. An altercation ensued and the suspects assaulted the decedent for a second time and robbed and assaulted the second victim. During this assault, the decedent was fatally stabbed.

The decedent is identified as 18 year-old Olijawon Griffin of Olney, Maryland.

On Saturday, November 17, 2012, nine arrests were made. Seven juvenile males were initially charged with aggravated assault, one juvenile male was charged with aggravated assault and robbery, and a 17 year-old male was charged with Murder Two while Armed in connection with the fatal stabbing of Olijawon Griffin.

In regards to the second victim who was transported to an area hospital and was admitted in stable condition, the 17 year-old male that was charged with Murder Two While Armed, has also been charged with Aggravated Assault and Robbery Force and Violence. The other eight juvenile males involved have also been charged with Aggravated Assault and Robbery Force and Violence.

Lebanese Taverna Reopens in Woodley Park

By Prince Of Petworth


2641 Connecticut Ave, NW

A few weeks ago, I noted Lebanese Taverna’s renovations were looking good in Woodley Park. They reopened Sunday night. You can see their menu here.

From a press release:

Upon entering the restaurant, guests will be enveloped in a stylish and spacious lounge area adjacent to a 13-seat bar. Situated at the back of the restaurant is floor-to-ceiling walnut grid wall housing internally lit Arabic lanterns. Behind this featured wall lies the Cedar Private Dining Room, named after the cedar trees of Lebanon. The space accommodates up to 56 guests, providing the perfect setting for business dinners and social gatherings.

Subtle touches of a Lebanese home have been infused throughout the restaurant’s décor. The architectural design includes rich earth tones of copper and brown, natural walnut wood panels, hand-laid country field stone wall accents, and three Egyptian hammered silver brass metal chandeliers hanging from the expansive arcades of the ceiling. Even the communal sinks by the bathrooms mimic a Turkish-style motif.

Much like the establishment, the menu stays true to its traditional roots offering signature items like the hommos — which, as stated in the 2012 Zagat Guide, “will ruin you for all other hummus” — while introducing new entrée options such as Chicken Shawarma Salad (mixed greens topped with feta cheese, olives and a generous portion of rotisserie grilled chicken tossed with Taverna dressing), and Fattoush Shawarma Salad (layers of assorted vegetables, pita chips and a large serving of rotisserie grilled beef and lamb mixed with pomegranate dressing). Other new items include the Chef’s Tasting Platter — a sampling of the nine most popular mezza — and the Halloumi Sandwich Platter, consisting of sautéed sheep’s milk cheese, pickles, olives, mint and a side of fries. All sandwiches, prepared with homemade bread, will now be featured on both the lunch and dinner menus. As always, Lebanese Taverna caters to dietary requests, such as vegetarian, vegan and gluten free.

The DC establishment, which now seats 130 guests, was the catalyst to the growth of the 11-location restaurant collection. Originally opened in 1990, the 22-year-old site was the host to an array of neighbors, guests and dignitaries from around the globe.

According to Dany Abi-Najm, President of Lebanese Taverna Group, “My father (the patriarch of the business) always taught my siblings and me to greet each guest as if they were entering into our home. I look forward to continuing this tradition in the years to come.”

Guests are invited to dine at Lebanese Taverna seven days a week. The restaurant will begin serving lunch from 11:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Dinner will be served from 4 p.m. until 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 4 p.m. until 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. A Sunday brunch will be served from 11:30 a.m. until 4 p.m., followed by dinner service from 4 p.m. until 9 p.m.

Duke Ellington Bridge Commotion Last Night on Calvert Street in Woodley Park

By Prince Of Petworth


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Dear PoPville,

Didn’t know if any readers had emailed in about the incident that occurred on the Calvert St bridge between Woodley Park and Adams Morgan this evening. I was trying to catch the circulator around 6:30 when someone indicated that the bridge was closed due to someone “trying to jump who was dangling off the side of the bridge”. Right around that time about 3 fire trucks and a handful of emergency vehicles were speeding toward the bridge from Adams Morgan. I walked to Columbia Heights instead of catching the bus, and returning home hours later (almost 11:30 PM) still saw police, and this time the street was completely shut off at Calvert and Lanier going toward the bridge. The officer said someone had tried to pull something but had been accosted, without giving further detail. There were still a ton of flashing lights in the vicinity of the bridge around 11:30. Does anyone know what happened? I hope if someone was trying to pull something, they are okay.. just a bizarre incident overall.

MPD tweeted:

“Units are on the scene Calvert street bridge with a person threatening to jump” which was thankfully resolved without incident. I haven’t heard any about any other incidents.

Update on Giant Panda – Mei Xiang

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user ep_jhu

From the National Zoo:

Mei Xiang is slowly settling back into her regular routine. She ventured into her outdoor enclosure on Saturday for the first time since we lost the cub, and briefly this morning and yesterday morning. She also made a brief appearance for the keeper talk inside the David M. Rubenstein Panda Habitat on Monday afternoon, though she still chooses to spend most of her afternoons in her den. Her appetite is gradually returning; she has been eating noticeably more bamboo and produce.

The David M. Rubenstein Family Giant Panda Habitat partially reopened over the weekend. Mei could still be sensitive to noise, so visitors may not be able to see her indoors just yet. However, since Mei’s behavior and appetite are returning to normal, the panda keepers expect to fully reopen it soon. Visitors are able to see Tian Tian and Mei Xiang in their yards, and Tian Tian indoors.

We are still waiting for final necropsy results on Mei’s cub. As soon as we have more information we will share it with you.

The entire panda team would like to express their gratitude for the overwhelming amount of support and condolences we have received from the public during this difficult time. We have gotten many questions about how to send messages to the keepers in the past week. The best way to get a message to the panda team is through the Zoo’s Facebook page and the FONZ Facebook page. You can also send them an email. Some supporters have expressed interest in making a memorial donation to help the Zoo’s giant panda conservation efforts. If you are so moved, please donate to the Giant Panda Conservation Fund here.

Update on Giant Panda Cub and Health of Mei Xiang

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user ashleykalena

From the National Zoo:

We’re still reeling from the loss of our giant panda cub, and we feel like the whole world is mourning with us. Our staff is anguished, which is to be expected. Every loss is hard but this one is especially devastating. Thank you so much for your outpouring of support. Your sentiments of support and understanding of our work helps tremendously when we have to get through tough times like this.

We still don’t know definitively what caused us to lose the giant panda cub yesterday, but we do have some more information since yesterday, especially from the necropsy (animal autopsy).

The giant panda cub appeared to be a female. She weighed a little less than 100 grams, which is about four ounces. There were no signs of trauma, external or internal, which means that she was not crushed—confirmation that Mei is a good mother. Her heart and lungs also looked good, which tells us that she did not suffocate. There was a little milk in the cub’s gastrointestinal tract, which tells us that she did successfully nurse. The only abnormalities the veterinarians have detected so far were some fluid in her abdomen and a slightly abnormal liver. They don’t know yet whether either of those things is significant, and they’re still investigating.

The panda team continues to monitor Mei Xiang, and will until she returns to her normal behavior. She appeared to sleep well last night. Watchers did notice her cradling an object, as she did before to the birth of the cub. We believe this is an expression of her natural mothering instinct.

Mei is moving around well this morning, and the panda team was able to weigh her. She weighs 217 pounds, which is less than her regular weight but perfectly normal for a mother who hasn’t eaten in a while. (Mei had not left her den in over a week.) She ate a little this morning and drank some water. The panda team was able to get a vaginal culture from her, which they will check for signs of anything unusual. Once the tests results come back and we’re certain of her health, we will give her access to her outside yard and it will be up to her whether she wants to go outside. We fully anticipate that she’ll return to her normal wonderful giant panda self in a relatively short amount of time. Once she is out of her den and acting normally, we will open the Panda House. We’ll keep the panda cam on so our supporters and fans can continue to watch from around the world.

Many of you have asked about the future of these two bears at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo. Today, our immediate concern is for Mei Xiang’s well-being, and to understand what happened to the cub. We spoke to our Chinese colleagues yesterday and will continue to work very closely with them over the next few months. However, no decisions will be made until we have thoroughly discussed all options.

We will learn from this tragedy and hope we will gain a better understanding of giant panda reproduction and cub health as a result. Our next steps will be to share the information we’ve learned with our Chinese colleagues. We’ll continue to try to figure out what caused the cub’s death through microscopic and histological evaluation. As we know more, we’ll share it with you.

Dear PoPville – Woodley Park Mystery

By Prince Of Petworth

Dear PoPville,

I’m a Woodley Park resident that lives in one of the apartment buildings in the row-of-three along 29th street between Woodley Rd. and Calvert St., NW. On Monday night, I went for a run around 7:30-8:00ish and on my way out, I was just crossing CT Avenue right by Open City when a ton, I mean, a TON of police cars, a fire truck, and some ambulances were rushing back towards that area by my apartment. Not thinking a lot of it b/c the local precinct is in that general direction but farther up past the Cathedral, I continued on my run. Getting back around 8:30, I was walking up Woodley Rd. from Connecticut Avenue when I noticed a ton of police tape and squad cars blocking at the 29th St. intersection. Curious, I along with some local residents, walked up. From Woodley, you couldn’t walk down 29th, and from Calvert St. at the bottom, you couldn’t walk up 29th – the whole block was cordoned off. And there were a ton of police officers, detectives, and EMTs walking around. Asking the beat officer at the intersection what was up, he said “he didn’t know” but they weren’t letting even foot traffic proceed down 29th – even if you were a resident. From the intersection – it looked like the focal point was the Delano Apartment building – the building situated in the middle of the 29th street block. After some hours, their investigation finished, but it was impossible to see at that time what, exactly, was the focal point of their investigation.

Fast-forward over the past couple days – slowly, some information has leaked out, none of it confirmed. On Tuesday, I heard that it was in response to a body found on the block – but no more information beyond that. And last night, additional word: police were responding to a naked body found, dead, on the front entryway outside the Delano. Allegedly, some unidentified person who didn’t live there had gotten in, gone up to the roof, stripped, and then committed suicide by jumping – but police didn’t know who he was or any information about him. And that’s…pretty much the last I’ve heard.

I’ve enclosed some of the clips from the DCPD twitter feed confirming the incident, as well as a Google Maps screenshot of where this occurred.

“DC Police Department‏@DCPoliceDept

1/2 The 2700 b/o 29th St, NW is closed in both directions until further notice (Police activity) Use Calvert St and Cleveland Ave as alternate routes.”

Would love to know more about what happened.

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