coronaville

DOLCEZZA confirms permanently closing Logan Circle Location. Will also permanently close City Center, Wharf, Dupont Circle, and Bethesda

By Prince Of Petworth


14th and P Street, NW

On Friday we broke the sad news that Dolcezza’s logan location was closing. Four more are unfortunately closing too. From DOLCEZZA:

“For the past few weeks, we have been thinking a lot about what the last 16 years has meant to us as a family and the impact this business has had on our lives.

In 2004, we opened a small kitchen in Georgetown with the goal of bringing the amazing gelato from the parlors of Buenos Aires to our home here in Washington, DC.

Since then, our lives have centered around our family business. We have grown so tremendously over these past 16 years with Dolcezza.

We learned the importance of local farming and being guided by the seasons. We became parents of three beautiful little girls. We had family members married from chance encounters in our shops. We hosted dinners at our factory with our chef friends. We officiated weddings and threw concerts. Our little girl’s first job was selling pints with her grandmother at the Dupont Circle farmer’s market.

None of this is unique to Dolcezza — we are all crafting indelible stories in the many ways we interact with each other every day. But that takes nothing away from the overwhelming honor and appreciation we have for everyone who has been a part of our simple Dolcezza dream: our amazing employees, customers, farmers, chefs, makers, neighbors and city. You have made this an unforgettable ride and we only hope we have affected you in the same incredible way you have affected us.

So it is with these beautiful thoughts in mind and the sobering effect that COVID-19 has had on our industry that we are announcing the closing of five of our store locations: Logan Circle, City Center, Wharf, Dupont Circle, and Bethesda. These shops will be closing during the month of October. (more…)

“Washington Monument to reopen October 1”

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by Tim Brown

Ed. Note: Info on the recent Smithsonian Museum re-openings here.

From the National Park Service:

“The Washington Monument will reopen to the public on Thursday, Oct. 1, at 9 a.m. after a six-month closure. The monument will be open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a new set of safety and cleaning procedures to keep staff and visitors safe from the spread of infectious diseases. Tickets will be available online starting Sept. 30.

In order to promote physical distancing and reduce queuing for tickets, tickets for the Washington Monument will be available online only from recreation.gov; there will be no tickets distributed on site. Tickets become available daily at 10 a.m. for the next day’s visits (more…)

“It is with a heavy heart that we have had to close Acqua al 2 at our Capital Hill location”

By Prince Of Petworth


212 7th Street, SE

Ed. Note: Last week learned that Ghibellina, formerly on 14th Street, NW had moved to Ivy City.

Thanks to Beth for passing on “I just saw this on their website – SO SAD. I think we knew this was going to happen but still it hurts!”:

“Dear Acqua al 2 family, friends and neighbors:

It is with a heavy heart that we have had to close Acqua al 2 at our Capital Hill location in Washington, DC. It has been a true joy serving you all and getting to know you for the last 10 years.

We are, however, excited to announce that we have found a way to keep the spirit of Acqua al 2 in the neighborhood though the Acqua al 2 Sauce Shop! (more…)

Another Starbucks Permanently Closing or Closing for “electrical issues”?

By Prince Of Petworth


1110 Vermont Ave, NW

Thanks to LeftyBri for sending:

“the Starbucks at 1110 Vermont Ave NW is permanently closed. Employees were packing up and carting stuff to another location today. The sign says “electrical issues” but one does reference the closure being permanent, and the workers are shuffling product off to other store locations.”

On Friday we noted Woodley Park and Penn Quarter Starbucks closings. Updates when we learn more about this space.

Mayor Bowser announced a pilot that will allow six venues to host live entertainment indoors and up to nine more for outdoor entertainment

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by Tim Brown

From the Mayor’s Office:

“Today, Mayor Bowser announced a pilot that will allow a limited number of venues to host live entertainment. The pilot creates an opportunity to resume live entertainment in a controlled environment that can be scaled up or down and that District officials can learn from for future guidance. The six venues that are invited to participate in the pilot include: City Winery, GALA Hispanic Theatre, Pearl Street Warehouse, The Kennedy Center, The Hamilton, and Union Stage.

Any participating venues are required to submit and execute detailed plans for operating and will be monitored closely by the District. The pilot will go through 11:59 p.m. on Friday, October 30. During the pilot period, the District will not be accepting waiver applications from any other venues.

In addition to the pilot, which is limited to the six venues listed above, the District is inviting operators of outdoor entertainment venues who have already submitted plans to the DC Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency through its waiver process to review the criteria for hosting live entertainment and resubmit their plans. The organizations that have been invited to resubmit plans for outdoor entertainment include: Adams Morgan Partnership BID, Arena Stage, Busboys and Poets, Capitol Riverfront BID, District Wharf, Et Voila Restaurant, Heist Group at the Kennedy Center, and The Bullpen.

The criteria requires that venues:

Sell or distribute tickets in advance of the event;

Have a maximum of fifty (50) persons, including attendees, performers, staff, and all other persons in the venue; (more…)

Missed Connection – “Lady with Bike seeking Man with Rake”

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by angela n.

“Thursday eve… I was walking across 16th and columbia with my bike- gold pants and a white seinfeld tshirt. You were walking the opposite way with a rake- in some sort of blue jacket. My glasses were on my forehead (stupid mask fog) and I couldn’t tell if we we’re making a ton of eye contact, were we making a lot of eye contact?? I think we were.

Regardless, I was in a huge hurry to fix my bike before close and you were clearly going somewhere very urgent with that rake. Was this a missed connection?”

Ed. Note: If this is you, please email [email protected] so I can put you in touch with OP. PoPville is not affiliated with either party, please proceed with any potential connection at your own risk using caution as you would any online encounter. For those curious about past missed connections, some have been made and when possible I’ll try to update when/if more are made.

Looks Like Merzi Closed in Penn Quarter

By Prince Of Petworth


415 7th Street, NW

Thanks to J. for sending:

“They haven’t responded to any outreach yet, but it looks like Merzi in Chinatown/Penn Quarter may be closed for good. Their social media stopped a few months ago. Their Merzi Cares site (which organized a lot of good help for medical professionals in the middle of a pandemic) now 404s. Most tellingly, all their furniture and the usual “fast casual” serving line has all been removed from the floor. (more…)

“’11-7 at Daikaya’ offering an eclectic assortment of Japanese goods, beverages, and bites perfect for stocking the pantry at home.”

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by Kyle Schmitz

From a press release:

“Beginning today – Friday, September 25th – Daikaya Ramen Shop 1F (705 6th Street, NW) is launching their new online konbini (mini market) ’11-7 at Daikaya’ offering an eclectic assortment of Japanese goods, beverages, and bites perfect for stocking the pantry at home. The name ’11-7 at Daikaya’ is a reflection of the times customers can place their orders online at the market. All of the featured items at the convenience store will be available for order online with scheduled pickups available at Daikaya.

In addition to the mini market offering a wide variety of popular Japanese products ranging from Daikaya Group-branded goods, beverages, snacks, candy, specialty flour, rice, Japanese bread from resident Pastry Chef Mary Mendoza, instant soups/noodles, sauces, and spices, the market will also feature a rotating assortment of freshly prepared foods from Chef Katsuya Fukushima and team including bento, a selection of onigiri, spam musubi, a variety of sandwiches/sandos – tuna, egg, katsu, amongst other crave-worthy options. Plans are also in the works for the mini market to add some alcohol selections ranging from sake, beer, and cocktails. (more…)

Dolcezza Gelato & Coffee Closing Logan Circle Location Next Friday

By Prince Of Petworth


14th and P Street, NW

Earlier this week I started to get multiple sad reader reports:

“I was just at the Dolcezza at 14th and P and heard the Barista say that they are closing that location soon.”

I was really hoping for a false alarm when I didn’t hear back from emails sent. Alas, I placed a call to the Logan location and they confirm that Dolcezza’s last day in Logan Circle will likely be Thursday October 1st. This is terrible, terrible news. (more…)

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