Let’s face it: for many people, the most annoying thing about owning a car is the time and effort it takes to keep it looking good and running smoothly.

All too often, getting your car serviced, cleaned or repaired means either taking time away from work or sacrificing your weekend to bring it into the dealership, car wash or body shop. Carvoodoo provides a simple alternative: they pick your car up, bring it in to be serviced and return it to you when the work is done.

Launched in 2017 by three Vanderbilt graduates who know first-hand how much of a pain it is to waste time in a dealership waiting room or line at a car wash, Carvoodoo was built to make your life easier. Whether you need your car cleaned, repaired, inspected or just serviced at your preferred dealership, Carvoodoo has you covered.

With Carvoodoo, getting your car serviced, repaired or cleaned is as quick and easy as ordering groceries from Instacart or dinner from Postmates. Once you’ve created an account on carvoodoo.com on your desktop or mobile device, you can schedule a service with a few taps or clicks, and Carvoodoo will handle the rest.

Their crew members will make the arrangements with a trusted service provider, pick up your vehicle, take it to be serviced and ensure the work is completed satisfactorily, keeping you updated on your vehicle’s status throughout the process.

When your car is ready, a crew member will return it to your home or office, or any other location of your choosing.

In addition to saving you time and effort, Carvoodoo takes the guess work out of car ownership by negotiating parts & labor costs on your behalf and providing a layer of quality control, so you can be confident that the work done on your car is priced fairly and completed properly.

Book now and get 15% off your first order with promo code POPVILLE15.


Real Estate Fresh Finds is a weekly selection of newly-listed properties in the District, brought to you by Real Living At Home.

Featured Property of the Week: 335 I Street SE

  • Beautiful 3 BR + Den/Office townhouse in Navy Yard has been fully upgraded to include wide-plank floors, gourmet kitchen with breakfast bar, granite and stainless appliances, a double sided fireplace, rooftop deck with panoramic views, and each bedrooms have en-suite bathrooms, including a large master suite with walk-in closet and a master bath spa shower. 

Other Notable Fresh Listings:

  • The Most Expensive Home of the Week is a 2 BR/2.5 BA luxury condo in Kalorama Triangle with over 3,300 square feet listed at $3.75M.
  • 1 BR/1 BA condo with an open floor plan at The Palladium in a fantastic location of Dupont Circle with a Walk Score of 97.
  • “Stunning renovation of classic Petworth townhome just off Sherman Circle.”
  • Your REO/Bank Owned Property of the Week is a 4 BR detached home in Woodridge is “rehab ready” with great bones awaiting an owner with vision.
  • A recently renovated 2 BR “semi-detached row-home in up-and-coming River Terrace community, just east of H Street NE Atlas District and Kingman Park/”

From now through January of 2019, Washington Improv Theater is offering a record number of free improv workshops to the public. Twelve “Improv for All” workshops are currently on the books (in seven out of eight wards in DC), with more being added every week.

What’s an Improv for All workshop?

  • It’s a high-fun, low-stress class designed to show you how improvisers create spontaneous, off-the-cuff theater.
  • It’s for everyone: You don’t need theater experience. You don’t need to be a “funny person.” Just come in ready to have a good time.
  • It’s a way to learn about yourself: Whether you’re a nonprofit employee, a corporate lawyer, a software engineer or a teacher, you’ve got something to gain from taking improv. Trying something new that makes you laugh is good for your brain and for your soul.

You can find workshops at places like Anacostia Arts Center (Ward 8), Deanwood Library (Ward 7), Petworth Neighborhood Library (Ward 4), Source Theater (Ward 1) and more! For a full list of locations and times, check out the calendar.

If you like it and can’t wait for more, you can sign up for an eight-week Foundations of Improv class starting in the new year!

Want to catch WIT on stage as well? Use the code TICKETSFORTWO to get two tickets to the winter improv spectacular Seasonal Disorder for just $25.


It’s been said that the 7 most expensive words in business are “this is how we’ve always done it.” Yet, remarkably, there are still a handful of billion-dollar industries plagued by an unwillingness to change.

For decades, residential real estate brokerages have enjoyed enormous profits while providing a poor customer experience, simply because consumers lacked options.

Not anymore.

Houwzer, a modern real estate agency, is offering consumers a better alternative by saving home sellers an average of $15,000 and providing home buyers a pressure-free experience with their top rated, salaried agents.

Here’s how they do it.

They slash the cost of selling a home in half.

In a typical real estate transaction, the seller pays a steep 6% of their home’s selling price in commissions — 3% to their listing agent and 3% to the buyer’s agent.

When you sell with Houwzer, you only pay their full service listing agents a flat $5,000 fee plus 2.5% to the buyer’s agent at closing. That’s a savings of $16,000 on a $600,000 home.

Many sellers are so happy with Houwzer’s service they decide to buy their next home with Houwzer and refer their friends. This is where Houwzer makes the bulk of their money.

They train salaried agents to improve the customer experience. (more…)


We’re in the midst of the holiday mentality with fewer buyers thinking it’s a good time to house hunt, but in reality, this could be the BEST time to get the BEST deal!

Check out the suggested open houses below and to see the entire DC Open House List, click here.

  • 710 Ingraham Street NW — $799,900 — Petworth/Brightwood Park
    Open Sat. 2-4 p.m. — Kim Rice
    “Completely renovated [4 BR/3 BA] home has left no stone unturned in its thoughtfulness for its future owner.”
  • 1404 30th Street SE — $575,000 — Dupont Park
    Open Sun. 1-4 p.m. — Kevin Wood
    A 4 BR detached split-level home with a more traditional floor plan and some unique finishes.
  • 343 Cedar Street NW #105 — $484,900 — Takoma
    Open Sun. 1-3 p.m. — Heather Davenport
    2-level condo townhouse with 2 BR/2.5 BA and parking at Cedar Crossing.
  • 612 9th Street NE — $1,350,000 — H Street Corridor
    Open Sun. 1-4 p.m. — Ellen Klein
    Renovated & rebuilt 4 BR/3.5 BA townhouse with an open floor plan, contemporary finishes and a lower level in-law suite.
  • 1345 K Street SE #T02 — $599,900 — Navy Yard
    Open Sun. 2-4 p.m. — Kate Hanley
    “Stone Hill: Style. Sophistication. Space.”

Searching for a unique and wholesome way to bond with your family this holiday season? The Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum’s Annual Holiday Card Workshop may be just what you’re looking for! Perfect for visitors of all ages, this open-house event will be held from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on both Saturday, December 8 and Sunday, December 9.

The museum provides a bountiful spread of patterned papers, postage and rubber stamps, gems and other 3-D embellishments, special cut-out scissors, washi tape, stickers, markers of every color and more!

Following their own creative instincts, kids can choose whichever supplies they would like to design one-of-a-kind greetings for any holiday, or even just a wintery “Hello!”

Once finished, cards can then be placed in envelopes, addressed and adorned with a distinctive National Postal Museum postmark at the museum’s stamp store. In keeping with educating children about the postal service and how mail works, kids can pop their own cards in an official USPS mailbox that is decorated to exactly resemble — none other than — SpongeBob SquarePants!

Of course, visitors are also welcome to explore the whole museum and everything else it has to offer!

The workshop takes place in the museum’s lower-level Atrium, which, for those new to the National Postal Museum, is full of various postal transports from over the years, including a real train car, semi-truck (yes, kids can climb in and pretend to drive!), a horse-drawn carriage and airplanes hanging from the ceiling. Thanks to Smithsonian Gardens, the Atrium will be decked out in festive foliage, as well!

The layout of the card-making stations and supply tables encourages sharing, friendliness and a sense of community, which is particularly important in this day and age. And the museum’s pleasant staff and volunteers are always available to answer questions, provide examples of completed cards, or help in any other way!

Remind children of the real reason for the season: giving! And impart in them the tried and true lesson: It’s the thought that counts. Sometimes a handmade gesture can mean so much more to a friend or a loved one than any store-bought gift.

What better way to get into the holiday spirit than taking the time to express your love and gratitude for the important people in your life with a heartfelt greeting? The Annual Holiday Day Card Workshop is free and requires no advance registration. Learn more at https://postalmuseum.si.edu/visit/Holiday-Card-Workshop.html.


Real Estate Fresh Finds is a weekly selection of newly-listed properties in the District, brought to you by Real Living At Home.

Featured Property of the Week: 612 9th Street NE

  • Just steps away from the H Street Corridor is this 4 BR/3.5 BA townhouse purchased and renovated in 2017, maintaining its historic facade and now finally on the market featuring energy-efficient construction materials, windows and appliances as well as Smart Home technology, 9 ft.+ ceilings and a full lower-level in-law suite.

Other Notable Fresh Listings:

  • The Most Expensive Home of the Week is a custom 5 BR/5.5 BA wooded home with intricate molding, a gourmet kitchen, gigantic master suite, numerous built-ins and even an elevator across 8,000+ square feet in the Palisades.
  • A perfect end-unit studio condo at Town Terrace West has been renovated recently, featuring a front-facing view and amazing 97 Walk Score.
  • Your REO/Bank-Owned Property of the Week is a 1 BR condo in Mount Pleasant for less than $300k only needing a fresh coats of paints and maybe a kitchen gutting.
  • Some Popville readers may disagree with the boundaries on this one, but this 3 BR Petworth/Brightwood Park townhouse is so fresh that it’s not even listed yet–but it will be by this weekend!

In anticipation of the post-Thanksgiving, pre-New Year’s fitness resolution season, SWEAT DC is offering free classes to those curious about the northwest DC boutique fitness studio that offers challenging 45-minute classes in what owner Gerard “Coach G” Burley calls “a fun nightclub setting.”

A pass for two weeks of free workouts for first-time “SWEAT Stars” (as clients are more affectionately known by Coach G & the SWEAT community) is now available for a limited time on the SWEAT DC website here.

“SWEAT DC combines the best workout with the best party,” Burley said of the high-intensity group fitness program offered at the Georgia Avenue studio.

The lights of the neon-accented studio are kept low, the better to show off the graffiti murals and the glow-in-the-dark weights. The darkened studio, Burley said, also “provides a space where no one is judging you.”

And while the lights may be low, the energy is kept high by the enthusiastic fitness professionals who coach members through each program and the lively non-stop music that keeps SWEAT Stars moving.

But just as important as the health benefits is the inclusive, supportive and empowering community that has developed among the SWEAT DC membership. In fact, the boutique studio began four years ago as a fundraising pop-up boot camp to help Burley’s local LGBT basketball league.

“Growing up an overweight, closeted gay black boy in Baltimore, I struggled with many issues in my youth and turned to food for comfort,” Burley said. After losing his mother after graduating high school, “I turned to fitness as my sanctuary to build my confidence and take control of my life. I was inspired to open SWEAT DC to create a results-driven fitness program that builds people up from the inside out.” (Learn what “Coach G” eats these days.)

(more…)


Get ready for the most memorable holiday party of the season with singing, dancing and… zombies?

Join Smithsonian Theaters and the National Air and Space Museum on November 29 for an exclusive preview of the soon-to-be holiday movie classic Anna and the Apocalypse at the Lockheed Martin IMAX Theater.

Critics are calling Anna “an enthusiastic coming-of-age musical” and “the zombie high school musical you never knew you needed.” The screening will be followed by a discussion with Anna star Ella Hunt and the only holiday party in town with music, drinks and a zombie horde.

Drink with the undead!
Dance with the undead!
Eat with the undead!
Make gingerbread cookies of the undead!
Take photos with themed backdrops with the undead!
Become the undead (in the zombify-yourself station. No zombie attack required)!

6:30 p.m. Pre-reception
7:30 p.m. Film screening
9:00 p.m. Party

Early-bird tickets: $50

Remaining tickets: $60-$70

*There are limited tickets available at each price range. Once they sell out, the price will increase.

Purchase tickets here: https://www.si.edu/imax/movie/anna-and-apocalypse

About the film:

A zombie apocalypse threatens the sleepy town of Little Haven – at Christmas – forcing Anna and her friends to fight, slash and sing their way to survival, facing the undead in a desperate race to reach their loved ones.

But they soon discover that no one is safe in this new world, and with civilization falling apart around them, the only people they can truly rely on are each other.


Happy Monday! The following is our featured event for the upcoming week, as submitted to our event calendar.

Van Ness Holiday Pop Up Shop
Saturday, November 24 from Noon to 5 p.m.
4340 Connecticut Avenue

We’re taking over an empty storefront on Connecticut Ave for three festive Pop-Up weekends with 10 local artisans featuring incredible handmade works, and festive activities such as sip & shop drink specials, Santa photos with your dog, gingerbread decorating with Bread Furst, caroling, sidewalk Christmas checkers, wine tasting with Calvert Woodley, holiday cooking demo with Jonathan Bardzik and many more!

And, we’re super-excited to announce D.C.’s own Olde City Farm & Garden will be set up just outside of the pop-up. They’ll have Christmas trees, table-tops and holiday decor for sale every Saturday & Sunday.

So skip the malls and online shopping this holiday season and take the pledge to shop local! See the latest vendor photos and festive event information on our Facebook Event page.


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