What the Helen of Troy is This
“Dear PoPville,
There is a rubber gasket and significant gap running down 9th street next to the convention center. I believe it extends from N to New York Ave. What is this and why is it here? My best guess is that rather than digging a tunnel for the metro here they essentially built a big platform on top of it for the road and the convention center, so this functions as an expansion joint like you’d see on a bridge. The gap is wide enough for a bike tire to slip into it, which I was unfortunate enough to experience while changing lanes recently.”
Been a while since we’ve talked about these:
“They are expansion joints. Due to changes in weather, hot and cold, materials expand or contract. You will most commonly see these on bridges. The reason why the convention center has these is because of the sky walks over the streets. The expansion joints allow the entire building to move together and prevents cracking.”
A reader writes:
“Spotted by the Shaw dog park. What is this game???”
Anyone play this newfangled game?
Ed. Note: God dang it I’m getting old.
2435 18th Street, NW
Back in March we saw lines like this and readers again say it’s free marijuana seeds. One reader writes:
“It wraps around the corner into the alleyway (just south of Amsterdam Falafel). They are giving away seeds, actual female seedling plants, smoking supplies, hemp products, and growing tutorial info. Hundreds out there. This is organized by DC Norml. The giveaway is happening at Libertine restaurant. ”
“Dear PoPville,
Does anyone know anything about this wall on H Street (I believe around 9th St. NE)? I was fascinated by all of the documents, images and papers stapled to the wall. Many of them deal with a man named Mark Franklin and his police reports, complaints filed about doctors and nurses and other related documents.”
Nevermind I don’t want to know. Outside the gas station at 15th and U Street, NW.
Photo by PoPville flickr user Raymond Bryson
“Dear PoPville,
I was at a reception on the rooftop just south of the W Hotel. From that vantage point we saw a huge red glowing structure on top of an office (?) building. It looked like it was probably on 16th or 17th and a few blocks north of the White House, but it was hard to tell. It was a cube, probably two or three stories high, and the whole thing was glowing bright red. It looked like it was probably a translucent glass structure with minimal metal structuring on the outside to keep it all together.
My friend and I asked everyone but couldn’t get an answer. Do you know what it is?”
A reader spots in Friendship Heights:
“Awesome tag, but is it street legal? The front numbers matched the numbers on the back plate – it was the regular DC flag tag. Love that it’s a euro-style tag on a decidedly un-European car!”
Sold sign out front on 11th Street. Who knows the story of the Bathtub Republic? Do we have a siege on our hands?
Photo by PoPville flickr user Eric P.
This was a rather bizarre set of tweets from last night:
@estherysong tweeted last night:
“WHY are there so many fearless fruit flies on 14th from T to W?! cc @PoPville”
Which led to @VBagate’s tweet:
“In somewhat offbeat but important DC news, there is a freak swarm of flying ants or something like that near the entrance to Metro Center.”
@estherysong:
“flying ants is accurate. Did we do something to a DC Moses?”
Termites?