From emails:

“Monday January 4, 2010 will see the launch of the new weekly event creatively named, Rock & Roll Ping Pong. Ping Pong will be played from 6pm – 10pm every Monday at Rock & Roll Hotel, located at 1353 H St NE.
In January, it will be first come, first serve open tables. Leagues and Tournaments are scheduled to take place starting in February.

Mondays, Starting 1/4/2010
6pm – 10pm”

“We’re looking to tell jokes again this Monday night (Jan. 4) at the Looking Glass Lounge for what is believed to be Petworth’s only weekly comedy night.

Again, it’s at the Looking Glass Lounge, one block south of the Petworth Metro stop on Georgia Avenue.

Sign up is between 7 – 7:45, show between 8 – 10.

$25 gift certificate to the winner of the the best joke from the crowd contest!”



View Larger Map

This home is located at 425 Decatur Street, NW:


View Larger Map

The flier says:

“Fully available! Hot Petworth, granite counters, stainless appliances, hardwood floors, ceramic tile, solid maple cabinets, jacuzzi, closet space, finished basement, covered deck, off street parking, and more. Needs paint, carpet, and one smart buyer. One bank, but be patient to get this great deal. We’ll get it done, and you’ll get instant equity!!”

You can find more info and photos here.

It was originally going for $400,000 but has now dropped to $345,000. Sound reasonable? What do you think of the house itself?


“Dear PoP,

I talked to the folks in the leasing office at Park Place and they let me know what all was going on with the retail space below. Sala Thai wants to open at the end of this month! Not sure if that’s possible, since construction hasn’t even started. The Park Place Cafe on the northeast corner hung coming soon signs in their windows yesterday! It looks like within a month or two we will have some great new additions to the neighborhood. The other rumor I got from them was that Ben’s Next Door on U St is seriously considering opening a second location at Park Place, even though no papers have been signed yet.”

Ed. Note: I’m also told that the Sala Thai space will also offer sushi like they do on U Street. If the folk’s from Ben’s Next Door commit to this space, I may be very well attempt my first back flip!


I’ve always thought the architecture of this church was pretty unremarkable. While I’m not a particularly religious person I was happy to see the church get some color. What do you think of the size of the painting? Too big, too small, just right, or it shouldn’t be there at all?


I wasn’t terribly excited about the Cricket grand opening in this location but the Sala Thai liquor license application got me pretty psyched. The Sala Thai spot is located a few storefronts south of Cricket on Georgia Ave.

It actually will take up two spaces:

The occupancy load will be 80 and I was pretty excited to see that they are requesting a summer garden area to seat 16:


I just noticed these signs after they expired. I wonder if there are any statistics to show the effectiveness of these temporary drug free zones? I know lots of folks out there have followed this more closely than I have – anyone know if the statistics exist? I wonder if it was related to the recent shooting at Sweet Mango? By the by, Sweet Mango is open but there liquor license is still suspended pending a hearing.


Kalia writes:

“So my company Alion Science and Technology donated wreaths this year to 4 of the major national cemeteries this year. They sent some to Arlington, Alexandria, Annapolis, and DC. It was all volunteer and unlike Arlington, this was the first year for the DC cemetery to lay wreaths for the winter season. This year they donated 100 wreaths to the DC cemetery because they weren’t sure what the turnout would be. 8 of us laid 100 wreaths on the markers on either side of the flagpole on Sat, Dec 12, 2009 at 2pm. Hopefully next year we will be able to get more volunteers and more wreaths!”

I’ll definitely participate and help publicize next year!


Qualia Coffee is located at 3917 Georgia Ave., NW. (Ed. Note: Fresh Off the Roast Coffee is a PoP advertiser) From an email:

“I am trying to get the word out that Qualia will be staying open late Tuesday and Wednesday night to facilitate last minute holiday preparations. Whether our neighbors are thinking of coffee beans as gifts or just need a caffeine kick start to a long evening of shopping, Qualia is there for you.

Our hours this week:
Tuesday & Wednesday – 7:30 AM until 9:00 PM
Thursday – 7:30 AM until 2:30 PM
Friday CLOSED
Saturday & Sunday 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM (our normal hours)”


In real life, hipchickindc is licensed as a real estate broker in the District of Columbia and Virginia, and as a real estate salesperson in Maryland. Unless specifically noted, neither she nor the company that she is affiliated with represented any of the parties or were directly involved in the transaction reported below. Unless otherwise noted, the source of information is Metropolitan Regional Information Systems (MRIS), which is the local multiple listing system. Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

Featured Property: 613 Upshur St NW

Original List Price: $549,000.

List Price at Contract: $549,000.

List Date: 10/23/2009

Days on Market: 4

Settled Sales Price: $549,000.

Settlement Date: 11/30/2009

Seller Subsidy: $0.

Bank Owned?: No. Tax records indicate that it was sold by an investor (non-owner occupant).

Type Of Financing: Conventional with $137,250. down payment

Original GDoN Post is: here.

Recent Listing is:
here. Virtual tour is here.

Full price sale. $549,000. Under contract in four days…Fantastic.

This one drew a lot of comments for a Good Deal or Not (GDoN) post. Most readers seemed to like the renovation, although some pondered when we shall see an end to the granite/stainless trend of the 2000s. Located on Upshur, just a few blocks from Metro, Domku, and the organic market, this nicely done rehab featured the unusual amenity of a loft in the owners’ suite.

The recent sellers were investors out of McLean, VA and acquired the property for $181,000. in July 2009. I did not find a prior listing or any foreclosure records for the property, so my guess is that it was a direct buy from an estate. Someone mentioned that investors paying cash for the lower priced homes is frustrating for home buyers attempting to purchase for themselves. As an agent, I agree that it can be tough on owner occupant buyers, however, in my opinion, tougher lending standards for investors have led to a better quality of renovations. The lower prices have brought back the investors and subsequently areas like Petworth are seeing a surge in stunning rehabs. This is great for Petworth homeowners, as the values and desirability of the neighborhood are strong. Given that available inventory has dwindled over the past six months or so, prospective buyers are, in some cases, surprised to find themselves competing in what they expected to be a Buyers market.



View Larger Map

I received emails from a number of readers about a shooting near the Petworth metro. One reader writes:

“Just had a shooting (around 9:30pm Thurs. night) at 9th and Quincy. 4 shots small cal. handgun. MPD was on it in under 60 seconds (watched two roll up) searching. cars running out of 9th st.”

Another reader also wrote about a very quick MPD response. More info as it becomes available.


View More Stories