Downtown

“Conrad Hilton Hotel site mobilization underway.” at CityCenterDC

By Prince Of Petworth

conrad hilton
9th and I Street, NW

Thanks to a reader for sending the update. Back in 2014 we leanred:

“Hines, the international real estate firm and Qatari Diar, the real estate development entity of the Qatar Investment Authority, together developers of CityCenterDC, and D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray, announced today that the parties have closed on the agreement allowing Hines and Qatari Diar to proceed with the design and construction of a 370-room luxury hotel and 70,000 square feet of large-format retail space, at CityCenterDC, the 10-acre, landmark, mixed-use development located in the heart of the nation’s capital. It was further announced that the hotel will be the Conrad Washington, D.C., the newest property in the Conrad Hotels & Resorts luxury brand portfolio operated by Hilton Worldwide (NYSE: HTL).

The Conrad Washington, D.C. project is being designed by Herzog & de Meuron Architekten, the internationally acclaimed design firm headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, and HKS Architects, Inc., a Dallas-based design firm with offices worldwide, including the District of Columbia, as Architect of Record. Herzog & de Meuron is known for sophisticated projects around the world including the Walker Arts Center in Minneapolis, The Tate Modern in London and the iconic 56 Leonard, a new condominium tower in New York’s Tribeca neighborhood.”

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Rendering via CityCenterDC

Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival coming to DC June 19th

By Prince Of Petworth

From a press release:

“The producers of the highly successful and popular Grace Jamaican Jerk Festivals in Florida and New York have announced plans to stage the Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival – DC to be presented in association with VP Records. The event is set to take place on Sunday June 19, Downtown, Washington on Pennsylvania Avenue N.W. between 12th and 14th streets from noon to 9:00 p.m. Thousands are expected to flock to the festival for a taste of jerk cuisine, cultural offerings and a variety of activities making for an enjoyable fun-filled family day.

June is celebrated as Caribbean-American Heritage Month and the Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival DC will highlight the food, music and culture of the Caribbean for all to enjoy as part of the month-long celebrations. Food vendors at the festival will offer a variety of Jerk dishes such as chicken, pork, fish, lobster as well as the unusual jerk ice cream and jerk popcorn. Celebrity chefs will demonstrate tasty dishes and compete in a jerk cook-off for bragging rights and the coveted Dutch Pot Trophy.

Entertainment will feature veteran reggae star Freddie McGregor, young hit maker Christopher Martin, female sensation Ikaya, Barbados’ soca star Edwin Yearwood, the talented No-Maddz band and DC’s popular Image Band along with DJ G-Nice. (more…)

Today in Odd Notes of Questionable Provenance

By Prince Of Petworth

odd note

“Dear PoPville,

Starbucks napkin racist parking rant

The subject line and picture kind of says it all. I work downtown and park in your typical public garage with tight spaces and columns everywhere. I noticed that I had parked next to an enormous SUV that was only a couple inches off the dividing line (I was about six inches to my side in my Civic). The ginormous beast of a car was gone by the time I left. Halfway home, I noticed a Starbucks napkin flapping around on my windshield. I thought maybe they had dinged me and left a note with contact info. so imagine my surprise when I got home and saw this.

Odds that this is actually an “angry black man,” or actually a racist white person? I’m guessing the latter.”

Proper 21 Sports Bar Posts Liquor License Placard on F Street

By Prince Of Petworth

IMG_5222
1319 F Street, NW

Last month we learned that the owners of NYC’s sports bars, Manhattan Proper and Proper West, were bringing one to the District – Proper 21.

The placard says:

“A restaurant offering American cuisine with entertainment and dancing. Sidewalk Cafe with a Total Occupancy Load of 40 seats.”

You can see Manhattan Proper’s menu here. Updates as they get closer to opening this Fall.

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Huge Horses Ass Outside the National Geographic Museum

By Prince Of Petworth

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From National Geographic:

“This summer, National Geographic will bring an extraordinary cultural experience to Washington, D.C. THE GREEKS: Agamemnon to Alexander the Great is an exceptional journey through 5,000 years of Greek history and culture. This exhibition features more than 500 priceless treasures—many of which have never been on display outside of Greece. Washington, D.C. is the only east coast museum to host the exhibit. We expect to draw visitors from New York to Richmond for this exhibition, as it is the largest and most comprehensive survey of Greek culture in a generation.

Featuring collections from 22 national museums in Greece, THE GREEKS tells the unique story of one of the world’s greatest ancient civilizations. Visitors will encounter the early origins of Greek writing and art from the Cycladic and Minoan cultures of the Aegean, meet the Mycenaean rulers and priestesses, the warriors of Sparta, the heroes, athletes and philosophers of Classical Greece and Alexander, the king that would spread Greek culture throughout the world—giving rise to civilization as we know it. The exhibition explores pivotal moments that led to the birth of Western democracy, modern art, science, medicine, theater and sports.

In addition to this blockbuster exhibit, join National Geographic this summer as we host events celebrating all things Greek—talks, tastings, tours and toga parties, this event lineup is not-to-be-missed!

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National Geographic Museum
1145 17th Street NW

Open Daily 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.
June 1 – October 10
The museum will close early at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 2.”

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Olivia’s Dinner Closed on 19th Street

By Prince Of Petworth

olivia's diner
1120 19th Street, NW

19th Street’s recent closings continue with Olivia’s. Olivia’s opened up last summer in the former G Street Food space just south of Dupont. Perhaps, I should’ve given more weight to their description:

“We have absolutely no idea what we are doing. But here we are. And we have found our love and passion…food and more food! Finding fresh and local produce & meat and turning into a culinary masterpiece is what we do. Creating home made dishes with simple ingredients. Nothing fancy, nothing foo-foo…just delicious food.”

A reader sends this afternoon:

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Allez! “A 14 ft. screen at the Woodrow Wilson Plaza will show live coverage” of the French Open

By Prince Of Petworth

roland garros
Photo by PoPville flickr user m01229

From a press release:

“To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Tennis Channel’s coverage of the French Open, Tennis Channel has partnered with Trade Center Management Associates at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center to create the first U.S. public viewing space dedicated to the tournament here in our nation’s capital. The First Counsellor, Mr. Patrick Lachaussee, will speak briefly about sports diplomacy and then flip the switch on the viewing screen, officially opening the venue to the public. Remarks will also be provided by Robyn Miller, Senior Vice President of Marketing for Tennis Channel, and John P. Drew, President and CEO of Trade Center Management Associates (TCMA).

Events like these build a cultural bridge through sports, and Trade Center Management Associates, the manager of the Reagan Building’s daily activities, is proud to be hosting an event that helps further their mission of uniting the international and D.C. community.

Where: Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center

Woodrow Wilson Plaza
1300 Pennsylvania Ave, NW

When: 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM; Monday, May 23rd

What: Official opening of the first U.S. public viewing space dedicated to the French Open

This is a free, public event. A 14 ft. screen located at the Woodrow Wilson Plaza will show live coverage from Paris May 23-27 from 7 AM – 7 PM daily.“

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