There are some great used books stores in town (like Idle Time in Adams Morgan pictured above). There’s also Second Story off Dupont Circle, a few Olson’s left, Borders, Politics and Prose, Kramer Books and others. And of course there is Amazon to purchase your books on line. Now I’ve often pined for a bookstore in our neighborhoods but I’m wondering if people still purchase books at the brick and mortar stores. If you do, what’s your favorite in DC?
A million thanks to Kalia for her extremely detailed notes.
Oh boy! So tonight I went to the ANC meeting and let me just tell you, it was very hard to keep up and try to collect all the info as people were talking as well as try to retain what they were saying so that when it was my turn to speak I knew what to say. There were a couple of interesting topics tonight. I bolded the topics for each paragraph so if you don’t care to read about it you will know which paragraphs to skip. I will not lie and say that anything here is unbiased. I tried to relay the points however as honestly as I can remember while trying to keep my own thoughts on it afterwards. If any of you reading this are named in this I apologize if I misspelled your names, organizations, or even did not convey your points correctly. I am only human and I tried my best. Kalia’s notes continue after the jump. (more…)
Remember the discussion we had about the church parking in the middle of New Hampshire Ave.? Well it is going to be addressed tonight. So if you feel strongly about it this is your chance to be heard.
“Revisit the median strip (pedestrian safety) issue on New Hampshire Avenue NW between Randolph and Shepherd Streets NW. (Mr. Muhammed Khalid, DDOT Ward 4 Project Manager, or his designee.) (Comm. Jones and Martin)”
ANC meets at 801 Shepherd St NW and the meeting starts at 6:30pm
“Take these “DC Law. Yield to Pedestrians in Crosswalk” signs along Sherman, New Hampshire, and Georgia. Do you think they pose more of a risk to people trying to cross. I find myself in situations where a car will stop allowing me to cross; however, another behind it swerves around it to get by, almost hitting me in the process. Do these actually hinder or help the situation?”
Whenever I encounter these signs they always scare the hell out of me. Do you think they’re helpful?
This was a wild find. It is a most unexpected park on Hobart Street located off Sherman Ave. between Harvard and Columbia. It’s odd because it is located in the middle of the block on both sides of the street. Very cool. Apparently it was a “gift of Mr. and Mrs. David Lloyd Kreeger to the people of Washington in honor of Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson”. Wild.
Other side of the park after the jump. (more…)
More cool openings this weekend. The DCJCC is located at 16th and Q. A reader writes:
“We’re featuring a bunch of locals including Ariel Sabar, Peter Manseau, Jacques Berlinerblau and Stephen J. Trachtenberg. Also some really great fiction (Darin Strauss, Elisa Albert, Adam Langer).”
Got to support the locals! More info can be found here.
The article is about Harlem but I think some folks in our neighborhoods may be able to relate. The article starts:
“In the past few years, the “Village of Harlem,” as older residents still call it, has become a 21st-century laboratory for integration. Class and money and race are at the center of the changes in the neighborhood. Lured by stately century-old brownstones and relatively modest rents, new faces are moving in and making older residents feel that they are being pushed out. There have been protests, and anger directed as much at the idea of the newcomers as at them personally.
Through it all, the voices of those newcomers have often gone unheard, at least publicly. But to listen to them is to hear the story of a neighborhood in transition from a different perspective. For some, it is a daily struggle to fit in or an extra effort to develop a defense for the occasional flare-ups of anger they encounter. Others are charmed by Harlem’s quaint formalities and distinct sense of its history — qualities they say are missing in neighborhoods in the rest of the city.”
Read the full article here.
For more interesting reading from the Times there is also an interesting article about a guy who “spent the summer building an 80-square-foot “tiny house” out of free stuff he found on Craigslist”.
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about a pretty weak park.
So I was super happy to receive this press release:
The DC Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) will begin installation of a new play surface in the center area of the Girard Street Park, located next to the Columbia Heights Community Center, 1480 Girard St, NW, on Monday, September 15, 2008.
DPR has worked with the local community during the planning process, and based upon this input, DPR will replace the existing natural grass play surface with a new multi-colored poured-in-place rubber play surface in the central open space of this park. The new rubber playing surface will better withstand the high use of this playground.
During the project, all work areas will be closed to the public, including the playground and seating areas. The basketball court and access to the nearby community garden will remain open, with access to both from Girard Street, NW.
Cool Hand Luke is one of my all time favorite movies. The photo above is from when Paul Newman is about to be beat to a pulp but refuses to stop fighting until the stronger opponent gives up. This will make sense in a moment.
So I encounter a sight unfortunately way too common. A car slows down and deliberately drops some garbage out of the window. Now previously I would just get really angry and let the hatred build. I don’t know what happened to me this time but I simply walked over, smiled, picked up the trash (plastic cups) and went on my way. I figure the only way to win is to be relentless and not let it show that it bothers you. I imagine it’s how Lukas Jackson would respond. I pledged to myself at that moment that I will react in exactly the same way when similar incidents arise. Sometimes nothing can be a real cool hand…
I love that people still use the expression “gone fishing”. I’ll definitely have to check out this art studio when they return. Has anyone been to this studio at 1704 Florida Ave.?