“Dear PoP,

Walking home on Columbia road Sat. night near 17th there was a large area of police tape and what appeared to be markers of where there were shell casings. There were a bunch of police cars as well. This was at 4:00 AM.”

Yikes. Any Adams Morgan residents have the scoop on what happened?

UPDATE Just got word from MPD:

“At approximately 2:30 am, this morning at Columbia Road and Euclid Street Northwest, two suspects shot at two victims after a verbal dispute. There were no injuries.

One of the suspects was arrested by the officers working in Adams Morgan; however, the second suspect has not been apprehended at this time.

Two handguns were recovered.

The Third District Detective’s Office is currently investigating the matter.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Metropolitan Police Department on 202-727-9099.”


Thanks to a friend of mine for sending the photos and thanks to all for sending emails about its arrival in Adams Morgan. The Cube was unveiled Thursday at 8pm and will be on display through Saturday. Does anyone know if it is promoting a particular HBO show or just HBO in general?


Allow me to introduce, Michelle, who will be providing an extra set of eyes and ears to PoP. She found this odd sight at the CVS on 14th ST on Wed evening. Sadly, she really needed some floss… Michelle, will also be providing more substantial contributions as well as compiling the weekly picks.  If you have a weekly pick suggestion please email Michelle at mlbpop (at) gmail (dot) com

While we’re on the subject of CVS. The new CVS on Columbia Road seems to be progressing nicely:


Well this sounds awesome. Back in July I spoke with Lynne Skynear about possible changes to her location at 2122 18th Street, NW.

The Wine Shoppe sounds pretty awesome as it is a project from the folks behind Cashion’s Eat Place. The sign says:

“Our vision is to bring a fine wine and gourmet food shoppe to one of the most diverse and authentic neighborhoods in Washington DC.”

Think this will be a good fit for 18th Street, NW?

Note that Skynear is not going away all together but will be featuring their items on the top floors.


Not sure how many people got to check out Crafty Bastards on Saturday but it was quite a scene. There was lots of great arts, crafts, and clothes. There was even some great music:

But my favorite part was definitely the breakdancing. Fortunately, some PoPville Flickr pool users got some great shots:

Above was taken by mediaslave. More breakdancing shots after the jump. (more…)


Ed. Note: I also noticed that the recently closed gym at 2007 18th Street has moved Capitol Combat Sports to HARD Training Club. This is the building that had a liquor application for a restaurant called Jack Rose, not sure what the status of the restaurant is…

“Hello to All out there,

We’d just like to introduce ourselves- we’ve been alerted to this thread and wanted to address any questions, perceptions, speculations you may have. As of September 1, we’re now open and very happy to be in the neighborhood. If any of you have taken a peek inside, we CAN confirm that- YES, we are a small and no frills facility; and honestly, the name counts for a lot in regards to our setup. We actually don’t mind the comments people make, we DO know the name catches attention and illicits many responses- that wasn’t an oversight, though behind it all we’d like to clarify that the name really stands for a philosophy. Strip away all the amenities (distractions) and the focus is truly on Training; however Hard you want to go.

Our facility IS Spartan, it’s meant to be. To us it’s stripped down to the basics, you still have everything you need for a full workout. We have equipment for strength training; no machinery or bells and whistles but it IS high grade steel, incredibly sturdy, genuine Ludlow pieces that can take whatever you want to dish it: Hacksquat/Leg Press, Wallsquat, Power Rack, Lat Pull, Cable Cross, Preacher Curl, Dip Station, Roman Chair, Calf Raise, and more; as well as free weights: benches, tons of plates, and Dumb Bells from 5lbs to 125lbs; and throw in weighted bars, cross T weights, boxing/ Thai Pads, Heavy Bag, and so on for good measure.

But what we’re most intent on is this being the kind of place where you can swing a heavy rope around your head like a helicopter, do incline situps while throwing sand bags in the air, bounce medicine balls high off the walls, heave a sledgehammer at tractor tires like chopping wood, do balanced pushups on the floor with your feet in Olympic Rings- or do them upside down suspended on the ceiling from our monkey bars, jump plyometric boxes, climb a rope, flip tires down an alleyway all without feeling like a spectacle or raising an eyebrow. Make it fun to break a sweat; to push, influence, and inspire each other; it’s just meant to be a place you can feel free to train however you want to in a laid back and easy going atmosphere.

Being small and low key, there are no locker rooms but there are 2 bathrooms, 1 shower (Bring Your Own Stuff), and lockers with additional storage cubbies downstairs. HARD Training Club is a bit rough around the edges but that’s how we like it; and if you think you’re ok with that- please stop by.

HARD is open to all, in these beginning days we cover a broad span of clientele and we’re looking forward to continue growing that way. HARD doesn’t hire trainers because in this facility everybody’s a member; BUT trainers are welcome- and we have a great and beneficial fee structure to offer. You’re not going to find rates like this anywhere; come by to talk to us about it.

If you read about us on this link just mention that to us and we can give you complementary passes to really give us a try because we know the proof is in the doing.

HARD TRAINING CLUB

Educating and Empowering our Members by challenging entrenched training attitudes and stereotypes in a welcoming, “No-Frills” fitness facility.

1726 Kalorama Rd NW (btwn 17th & Ontario)

www.hardtrainingclub.com; [email protected]


Back in June it was leaked to me that the Bike Musician sculpture had been selected for the Adams Morgan plaza at Columbia Road and 18th. At that time the Deirdre Thayer Ehlen, DC Creates Public Art Coordinator, denied that a sculpture had been selected. Well, now Greater Greater Washington confirms that the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities has indeed selected the Bike Musician. You can see what the other options were here. It’s funny, at the time, I disliked the Bike Musician. But to tell you the truth it has sorta grown on me. I guess it’s a bit hard to envision what it’ll look like life size. But I think a bit of quirkiness may turn out alright.

UPDATE:  Allright, lemons into lemonade as they say.  So what the hell is the purpose of the DC Commission on the Arts?  I mean if they vote on a project and then table it (see comments), what’s the point?  If the Vietnam Memorial selection operated this way, I doubt it ever would’ve been built.  Obviously this doesn’t hold the gravitas of the Vietnam Memorial, but tell me what is the point of the Arts Commission?  Should it still exist as is?  Should it be an elected position?  What should the public/community role be in selecting a neighborhood art project like this?


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