New Flea Market in the Wholesale Food District

I noticed this sign last Saturday morning. There is new flea market located in Gallaudet's overflow parking lot (located right next to the DC Farmers Market). I didn' go in, but I walked by carrying my groceries from Litteri's & the farmers market. It looked like a mix of items. There was new merchandise as well as a sizable collection of garage sale worthy items.

Rose's Liquor Store (on Bladensburg) Fined

Rose's Liquor, not to be confused with Rose's Dream, is mentioned in an article from today's Post. The store was fined for providing alcohol & "go cups" to a minor. Rose's Liquor is located just around the corner from the starburst intersection of 15th & Maryland (& H Street).

Roof Top Films

Now here's a neat idea. Sort Screen on the Green with a NY twist. They show indie films on rooftops.

Trinidad Concerned Citizens for Reform Meeting Tonight

What: A Community Status Discussion re: ANC 5B 's Neighborhood Stabilization Strategy
Where: Community Methodist Church -1525 Levis Street, NE
When: 6pm Wednesday June 29
Light refreshments served.

Strengthening Neighborhood Partnerships for Sustainable Community Revitalization.

Meetings Tomorrow Re: Intersection of 15th & Maryland

The city is trying to make the intersection more pedestrian friendly & work begins very soon (only a few months!) on this project. Attend one of the meetings to hear the plans and provide feedback on proposals.
2 meetings:

1
When: 12pm-2pm Thursday Jun 30
Where: R&B Coffee (1359 H Street NE)

2
When: 6pm-9pm Thurday Jun 30
Where: Delta Towers -Community Room
(last building on the 1400 block of Florida)

A Gym Coming to 10th & H?

Sorry to re-use this picture, but I didn't have one of the front of this building. I heard last night that a gym is looking to move into this space (the New York Furnishings space at 1005 H Street). Things are still being negotiated, but the building's owner called the deal "pretty definite."

H Street Last Weekend -Trashier Than Usual?

I'm not sure what happened last weekend, but walking down the street I almost has the feeling someone had scattered the contents of a big dumpster all down the street. I snapped the photo about at about 7:15 Saturday morning. I think it is definitely time we do something about this trash. Look at this, it's ridiculous.

Join the Trinidad / Ivy City Garden Club

I just finished setting up the yahoo group (so nobody else is subscribed yet), but if you are interesting in the group go ahead and sign up, or at least check out the group here. I promise the list will be very low traffic. The garden club is dedicated to building community while beautifying our surroundings. The next meeting will be held on Tuesday July 5th (most meeting will be held Monday evenings).

When: 6:30pm Tuesday July 5th
Where: 1159 Morse NE

Join the yahoo group, attend a meeting, or contact Thalia Wiggins at 202-397-7470 for more information.

1238 H Street

The stone building (1238 H Street) is the future home of Dr. Granville's. The gray building nextdoor (1236) is where the H Street Lounge will be opening in a few weeks disregard the for sale sign, this is an old photo).

Dr. Granville's (1238 H Street)

I noticed that there is now a notice posted in the window of 1238 H Street. Joe Englert mentioned at last Tuesday's ABL meeting that he planned to open (but had not yet put in a liquor license application for) a new establishment called Dr. Granville's, but he did not provide further details. I mention in a previous post the rumor that the space would be transformed into a Belgian beer & food themed spot. The posted notice confirmed that rumour & also mention that the tavern would feature a jukebox & a singer accompanied by live piano playing.

2nd Meeting of Trinidad Beautification & Gardening Group

The Trinidad Beautification & Gardening Group will hold its second meeting Moday night.

When: 6:30pm Monday June 27th
Where: 1159 Morse NE
What: a new group seeking to beautify Trinidad while building community feeling & pride.
Anyone can join & all are welcome. Attend the meeting, or contact Thalia Wiggins at 202-397-7470 for more information.

A Grocery Store at 3rd & H

You've probably noticed the demolition of the boarded-up gas station at 3rd & H Street (across from the Abdo condos). You've probably also heard that there are talks about a mixed use development with housing upstairs & possibly a grocery store (hence the Harris Teeter rumors) downstairs. It would make sense to put a grocery store in the space (local coverage is not good for grocery stores). At 6th & H you've got Murray's (which though much upgraded from what it was a few years back) probably won't do it if you need anything other than basic fruits, veggies, milk, eggs, butter, or sandwich bread. The Farm Fresh market in the 600 block of H Street offers locally produced breads, veggies, fruit & cheeses, but it only operates on Saturday mornings & is closed in the winter. You could walk to the DC farmer's market on Florida, but there again you have limited hours (although there is an extensive selection of meats & the veggies & fruits are decent). If you want gourmet sausages, or cheeses, you'd better get to the Florida market before 2pm of Saturday, because that's what time Litteri's closes. The next closest shopping is the Safeway at Hechinger. That Safeway is hit or miss. Frequently the produce is less than stellar & sometimes you get fresh herbs there, but sometimes not (plus it's over a mile from 3rd & H Street). Beyond that you'r either into Eastern Market, Yes! Organic Grocery, or you're taking the metro to Giant.

H Street Farm Fresh Market Tomorrow

The H Street Farm Fresh Market will be open tomorrow June 25th.
When: 8:30am-12:30pm
Where: the 600 block of H Street NE
Featuring: a variety of veggies, fresh breads, homemade cheeses,& more.

Green House on Wylie

New Entertainment Endorsement for Liquor Licenses

Here is an article from today's Post about new stricter requirements regarding the information entrepreneurs must provide about their restaurants, taverns, night clubs, ect. prior to obtaining a liquor license. The requirement, which takes effect this month, is concerned with entertainment & dancing that may be provided by the establishments. It will apply only to businesses seeking class C or D licenses (restaurants, taverns or hotels with dancing or entertainment), restaurants and taverns with dance floors in excess of 140sqft, or businesses that charge a cover (if it doesn't cover food or drink).

Tonight's Public Safety Meeting

Highlights:

-The burning body discovered on Sunday was male and had a record. This victim had been victimized in a similar manner recently (police believe this was someone finishing the job). The body was burned in an alley behind Danny's & a carpet store (1200 block of H Street). The victim was shot before being set on fire. It is not clear whether the shooting also occurred in that same alley. So far, it does not appear that the victim had ties to this community, but this is only a preliminary assessment since his next of kin has not yet been notified.

-Much discussion centered on alley safety & police enforcement in that alley & others nearby. calls for basics like the city installing better lighting, or trimming trees were heard. We were all reminded that psa 102 has had dramatic decreases in crime overall & that this incident was an extreme anomaly. After the meeting concluded police walked back to the alley with residents to view the scene.

-Another topic was the long requested establishment of a local police substation. Apparently the police are trying to get ( the now vacant) Minor elementary school. The issues are that a charter school, which has first right of refusal, wants the space & also that the school would need to be renovated. The vacant [sorry, not truly vacant since it is sometimes used for HSMS meetings. I guess the plan would be for HSMS to share the space with the police] Bank of America building (10th & H) was mentioned as a possibility, but the police had turned the space down when it was offered to them on the past. There was one mention of the possibility (mentioned at the previous evening's ABL meeting) of using the second floor of 1224 H Street. The police stated that they would be interested in a larger space, similar in size to Minor.

Last Night's ABL Meeting Part 2

* The 4th application is for The Red & The Black (CT in the 1200 block of H), a New Orleans themed establishment that will feature menu items like gumbo & etoufee. The Red & The Black will also host live music.

*Mr. Englert also mentioned that he plans to open another place called Dr. Granville's (1238 H Street). He provided no details on the place, but I had heard an earlier rumor that the space was to be tranformed into a Belgian beer spot. I can't confirm the rumor, but I really like the idea.

There was a discussion of parking issues. One resident suggested that Mr. Englert should demolish one of his buildings and construct a multi-layer parking garage. Mr. Englert explained that his plan for parking did not include construction of any parking garages, but would instead involve renting spaces from local churches & businesses (he is currently negotiating arangements). Commissioner Fengler reminded all present that the recent lifting of rush hour parking restrictions on H Street provides hundred of extra spaces.

Three more points the meeting touched on were noise, public drunkenness and garbage.
-Mr. Englert promised to consult specialists about how to best minimize the noise level heard outside his establishments.
-He insisted that he would have a well trained staff that would prevent underage drinking and rowdy behavior. He also encouraged meeting attendies to visit one of his current establishments if the needed reassurance that his bars would not be havens for the chronic drunks that currently inhabit H Street.
-Mr. Englert promised to exercise vigilence in all sanitation matters & to be respectful of his neighbors when arranging trash pick-up times.

After all was said & done, the board made clear it intended to draft voluntary agreements for these four applications, rather than to oppose the applications. Be sure to check out part 1 of this post (part 1 links to photos of most of the proposed sites).

BP Station at Morse & Bladensburg Robbed

Adding to a very abnormal week is a gas station robbery that occurred at 6:53am this morning. The station, located at Morse and Bladensburg, was the third one robbed by the same individuals today. It is thought that the suspects stole the vehicle in a car-jacking on the other side of the Anacostis & proceeded to rob two gas stations on Benning Road & the one Bladensburg before heading into PG County.Here's the Post article.

1400 block of H Street

South side of the street looking west.

Last Night's ABL Meeting

We had a really great meeting last night. There were a range of opinions expressed, but the contentiousness & tension that marred the last meeting were largely absent this time. Joe Englert spoke in detail about the establishments he hopes to open. Here are a few highlights from what was said (bear with me on this, as mistakenly left my notes at home):

*In the next few weeks a base of operations for Joe Englert's H Street operations will open on the first floor of1224 H Street. This will provide an easy way for community members to get access to Mr. Englert and his associates.

*Mr. Englert is talking to the police about possibly opening a new substation on the second floor of 1224 H Street. This is however, only in the discussion phase, so it might not happen.
-On a related note, Commissioner Joe Fengler spoke for a few minutes about
successful ANC efforts to centralize complaint response on H Street.

*Joe Englert said that he hopes to open the Argonaut (CR in the 1400 block of H Street) within the next 60-80 days. He said that although most of his places will not initially be open before 5pm, he does plan to have earlier hours (lunch and brunch at some of his establishments) after the businesses have settled in. The Argonaut will be a restaurant and will be one of the more family oriented establishments Mr. Englert plans to open.

*Mr. Englert also responded to community member questions about what he would provide for local youth. He said that Show Bar: The Palace of Wonders (CT in the 1200 block of H) would be similar to a Ripley's Believe It or Not, or a wax museum. There would be rotating exhibits & the establishment would be open for school tours during the day. In the evenings Show Bar will be a tavern featuring light food like cotton candy and popcorn. It will feature old circus decor.

* The Beehive (CR in the 1200 block of H) will be a restaurant serving upscale burritos with a theme decor.

* Mr. Englert says he would like to use the Rock and Roll Hotel (CT in the 1300 block of H) to offer free musics lessons (this is still in the planning stages, & is not a done deal) on various instruments, to local children.

There is a lot more to say, but this is getting long, so I will return to the topic later. Here is link to photos of these locations (except for the Argonaut).

Letter from Commissioner Fengler re: Linden Body

This went out on a couple of listservs. I tried to just link to it on their page, but I don't think it's posted yet:


June 21, 2005

Residents of Single Member District 6A-02,

As some of you may have heard, the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) discovered a burning body behind a building on the 1200 Block of Linden Place, NE early Sunday morning. As reported in the Metro section of the Washington Post, the unidentified man was taken to the medical examiner's office, where he was pronounced dead. The officers spotted the fire about 3:00am and MPD is investigating the case as a homicide.

In the wake of this unfortunate incident, I would like to encourage all neighbors to become more involved with H Street renewal and related public safety efforts in the area. While many conditions have been improving, public safety remains a real concern, and there is still much room for improvement. To that end, Old City Capitol Hill Neighborhood Association is hosting a meeting on June 22 at 7:00pm at the Atlas Theater located 1333 H Street, NE. Unfortunately, I have prior a commitment and will not be able to attend. Ms. Kim Tomadjoglou, a resident on Linden Place, has graciously agreed to attend on my behalf. However, I wanted to share some of my observations regarding the activities that surround this alley.

First, that this particular alley was involved is frustrating because it does not accurately reflect the hard work that community members have invested in improving this alley. As many of you know, since March 2005, we have been working with the Mayor’s office on a Multi-Agency Plan (MAP) initiative for the area bounded by Wylie Street, Linden Place, 12th Street and 14th Street NE. This MAP initiative brings the city’s many resources to bear on a very small, targeted area. The next MAP meeting is scheduled for July 14, 2005, from 6:00pm to 7:00pm at Miner Elementary School. Following this incident, we will be working with the MAP team to explore, among other things, the installation of motion-sensing lights in that part of the Linden Place alley. A description of the MAP is at enclosure one and a sampling of the efforts and progress in the first few months of the MAP are provided at enclosure two. Enclosure three provides a picture of the alley and our request to Mr. Peter Jones, team leader of the MAP, regarding increased lighting.

Second, the continued hard work of MPD and the citizen volunteers of Police Service Area 102 need to be recognized. Last year, we worked with MPD and Councilmember Ambrose to create a single PSA to enable a comprehensive approach to combat crime on the H Street Corridor. As a result, crime is down in PSA 102. In particular, homicides are down from 9 to 2 over a one year period. Enclosure four provides the latest crime statistics for PSA 102. On the third Thursday of the month, PSA 102 meets at Sherwood Recreation Center at 7:00pm to discuss crime and public safety issues. The next meeting is scheduled for July 21, 2005. In addition, ANC 6A holds a monthly Public Safety Committee meeting on the third Wednesday of the month also at the Sherwood Recreation Center. The ANC 6A Public Safety Committee focuses on issues that affect both PSA 102 and PSA 103. The next meeting will be July 20, 2005 at 7:00pm.

Third, our ANC is working with the businesses on H Street to explore opportunities to make the H Street Corridor cleaner and safer. At our next Economic Development and Zoning committee meeting on June 28 at 7:00pm in the Capitol Hill Towers Community Room, we will be providing a public forum for residents and business leaders to discuss the possible implementation of a clean and safe program for H Street similar to the Business Improvement District on 8th Street SE.

In close, we should not minimize the concerns that surround the discovery of this burned body. The purpose of this letter is to let the community know that I will continue to work with MPD, PSA 102, Councilmember Ambrose and the Mayor’s office to improve our neighborhood. Tragic events such as this may help bring more of us together, to participate in and contribute to our public life. I strongly encourage attendance at these community meetings, as they provide constant and continued input both to city officials as well as our elected leaders and often offer opportunities for neighbors to engage in specific, concerted efforts to continue to improve our neighborhood.

Respectfully,


Joseph Fengler,
ANC6A-02 Commissioner
(202) 423-8868
Joseph Fengler, ANC 6A02 Phone: 202-423-8868
Please visit our website - www.anc6a.org

Kidnapping/Carjacking at 21st & Benning Road

And east of here (about a mile east of me) there was a kidnapping/car-jacking early this morning.

Don't Forget Tonight's ABL Meeting

Tonight's meeting of the Alcoholic Beverage Licensing Committee will focus on 4 applications from Joe Englert for restaurants & taverns he hopes to open on H Street.

Sherwood Recreation Center
10th & G Streets NE
7-9pm

Emergency Public Safety Meeting Tomorrow

There will be a meeting tomorrow night at the Atlas Theater (1333 H Street NE)
to discuss the burning body discovered on Linden Place Sunday morning. From the Old City Website:
Where: The Atlas Theater 1333 H Street, N.E.
What: Community Meeting on The Murder in our community

Early Sunday morning neighbors awoke to police activity of the worst kind. A murder in our community! While the fight continues on the eradication of drugs and nuisance crimes, a homicide had not occurred here in three years.A Shot burned body found in the north alley, Drugs returning to some of the corners we have cleaned up. H Street quality of life issues are pouring over into the neighborhoods. Community members are deeply concerned about the homicide this weekend. Its time to have a community meeting to address the outstanding police patrol issues and how to prevent a crime like this from happening again. The crime scene was horrifying and sends the wrong message about the residents and businesses who have worked hard to make life better along the H Street - Maryland Avenue corridor. Join us Wednesday evening at the Atlas with Councilmember Sharon Ambrose,the Office of the Mayor, Metropolitan Police, government and community members for a very important meeting. The police will provide information on the burned body and other crime issues. www.oldcitycapitolhill.org

A Neighborhood's Tipping Point

The New York Times, which currently features a number of articles on neighborhood change, has an interesting piece in which individuals look back & try to pin point the moment they knew their neirborhoods were changing.

Trinidad Trees

Shot on Sunday morning while walking down Montello.

Another H Street Development Article

An article from the Washington Construction News (free online subscription) on H Street development. There are some errors in the piece &, like some other articles I've seen, the piece credits Abdo with leading the revitalization. This article came to my attention via the ANC6A listserv.

H Street Martini Lounge Website

Check it out.

A Strange Discovery

Speaking of yard work, I was digging up roots & fence posts out back yesterday when I unearthed (in a single shovelfull, but I'll take that as coincidence) a small serrated kitchen knife (with a rotted wooden handle) & a slightly rusty unfired .32 Smith & Wesson Long bullet.

New Trinidad Beatification/Gardening Group Forming

A new community beautification & gardening group will hold its first meeting tonight:

6:30pm
1130 Montello NE

The group hopes to focus on beatifying the Joseph H. Cole Fitness Center (located at Montello & Morse) & the larger surrounding community of Trinidad. Membership is open to all. Attend the meeting, or contact Thalia Wiggins at 202-397-7470 for more information.

900 block of 11th Street

Metrobus Article

Here is a nice article from today's Post on a review criticizing the Metrobus system & proposing ways to improve.

PSA 504 Meeting Saturday

PSA 504
10am-12pm
Developing Families Center
801 17th Street, NE

powdered donuts & juice

Free WiFi

After seeing Intel's list of the 15 most unwired (i.e. w/wifi) cities (DC ranks #14) I thought I would list the H Street businesses that provide free wifi. These businesses are:
Phish Tea Cafe
R&B Coffee
H Street Playhouse

All three businesses are located in the 1300 block of H Street.

Luna Laundromat

Another one of those expressive signs. Luna Laundromat is located at 410 H Street.

NY Times Article on ARM Risk

Here's another article on concern over rising interest rates and adjustable rate mortgages.

ABL Committee Meeting 6/21

ANC6A's Alcoholic Beverage Licensing Committee will meet:

Tuesday June 21
7-9pm
Sherwood Recreation Center
10th & G Street

This meeting will focus on the voluntary agreements for 4 new alcoholic beverage license applications from Joe Englert. These consist of 2 restaurant licenses & 2 tavern licenses to be spread from the 1200 block to the 1400 block of H Street. The restaurant on the 1400 block (the one currently being renovated) will replace an existing extablishment with an alcoholic beverage license (I'm not sure if the current license is a CR, or a CT). The meeting is open to the public, and Joe Englert will be there to answer questions.

Camera Captures Attack on Metrobus Driver

Here is an article from The Post about an attack caught on tape by one of the new Metrobus cameras. If you ride the bus much you probably know that Metrobuses are generally safe places, but the occasional disruptive, angry, crazy, or drunk passenger is not always shy about making himself heard. According to the piece, only 100 of 1,460 Metrobuses are outfitted with cameras.

National Wholesale Liquidators Article

The most recent Hillscape column leads off by talking about Hechinger Mall's National Wholesale Liquidators, and also touches on the ATF's 10 year lease on the new site at 1st & M NE and ANC6A's push to get ward liasons for DCRA.

Houses on Staples

H Street Food Co-op Organizing Meeting

The food co-op is holding a meeting tonight to discuss its vision for a storefront co-op on H Street. The co-op, which once collectively purchased food from the farmers at the H Street Farm Fresh Market, has suspended these purchases in order to focus more fully on a brick & mortar operation. Here is the info:

Monday, June 13th
7pm
Sherwood Recreation Center1
0th and G St. NE
RSVP: holly@emaesmith.com
–or-
(202) 374-0368

From their email:

Hour one: Vision and Concept!
Everyone who wants to be a part of the Coop should be part of this dynamic process. On June 13th we will be discussing vision and concept as a group, based on our underlying principles of:
1) Voluntary and Open Membership
2) Democratic Member Control
3) Member Economic Participation
4) Autonomy and Independence
5) Concern for the Community
6) Education, Training, and Information
7) Cooperation Among Cooperatives.

This is a great opportunity to contribute to the conceptual formation of H Street Community Market!

Hour two: Committee Work! We will break into our four committees: (Slightly modified from the one you signed up for. Feel free to switch!) The committees will be charged with making a plan for this summer. For example, there is a chance we can get matching funds of up to $10,000 for any money we can raise by October!

Planning Underway for H Street Festival

No details on this, I just know it is being worked on. The H Street Festival, traditionally held every other fall, has generally been organized by the H Street Merchants' Association. Last year H Street Main Street attempted to take the reigns & put more of an arts & humanities face on the festival. Due to various problems, the festival was cancelled. I think this is an H Street Main Street effort (but I'm not certain). The festival will be held in September.

ABL Meeting June 21st

From the ANC6A listserv (please note that the Argonaut will go into the space formerly occupied by Ledbetter's -which already served both food & alcohol. Note also that Mr. Englert is planning to feature outdoor seating at the Argonaut. The other establishments will open in spaces that have long been vacant). UPDATE: Mr. Englert states that The Beehive is a restaurant license, not a tavern license. This is not a new decision on his part, just a correction to the email I posted.:

At the next ABL (Alcohol Beverage Licensing) Committee meeting, we will discuss the four new liquor license applications which have been filed for the 1200-1400 blocks of H Street. The meeting will be held June 21, 7PM at Sherwood Recreation Center (Corner of 10th and G). A representative of the establishments has been invited to the meeting to provide information.

There are three CT applications (those are on-premises tavern licenses) and one restaurant (CR) license filed for these three blocks. If you have an opinion about these applications, please attend and let the Committee know what you think. After hearing community comment, we will send a recommendation to ANC 6A on each application to either negotiate a voluntary agreement or to protest the application.

Here is a summary of what was filed with ABRA:

1) The Argonaut, 1433 H Street, NE - Restaurant
# of Seats: 88 Inside with Sidewalk Cafe of Additional 39
Hours of Operation: Sun-Thurs 5 PM-2AM, Friday 4PM to 3AM, Sat 5 PM to 3AM
Hours of Sale of Alcoholic Beverages: Same
Hours of Food Service: Sun-Thurs. 5PM-12AM Friday 4PM to 1AM, Sat PM to 1AM
American Grill Food/No dancing/No live entertainment

2) The Beehive, 1224 H Street, NE - Tavern
# of Seats: 99 Inside with Summer Garden of Additional 38
Hours of Operation: Sun-Thurs 5 PM-2AM, Friday- Sat 5PM to 3AM,
Hours of Sale of Alcoholic Beverages: Same
Hours of Food Service: Sun-Thurs. 5PM-12AM
Neighborhood tavern serving appetizers and burritos/no live entertainment/jukebox/billiards electronic games.

3) The Rock and Roll Hotel, 1353 H Street, NE - Tavern
# of Seats: 399
Hours of Operation: Sun-Thurs 5 PM-2AM, Friday- Sat 5PM to 3AM,
Hours of Sale of Alcoholic Beverages: Same
Hours of Food Service: Sun-Thurs. 5PM-12AM
Hours of Live Entertainment: Thurs-Sat 8-1PM
Appetizers, Burgers, American Food/Eleven Themed Private Dining Rooms/Regional and local bands on Thurs-Sat/Occasional DJ/Rock and Roll Music/Billiard Tables/Video Golf/Video Bowling

4) The Red and Black, 1212 H Street, NE - Tavern
# of Seats: 99
Hours of Operation: Sun-Thurs 5 PM-2AM, Friday-4PM to 3AM, Sat 5PM to 3AM,
Hours of Sale of Alcoholic Beverages: Same
Hours of Food Service: Sun-Thurs. 5PM-2AM, Friday 4PM to 3AM, Sat 5PM to 3AM
Hours of Live Entertainment: Thurs-Sat 8-1:30 PM, Friday-Sat 9PM to 2AM
Snack Foods/Two levels- First level tavern, 2nd floor live rock and roll music/Billiard table/Jukebox

I welcome comments or questions to my email address at mbeatty6a05@verizon.net.

Mary Beatty
ANC 6A ABL Chair

R. L. Christian Library

Corner of 13th & H Streets

Development in DC

Not particularly relevant to the neighborhood, but of interest to DC in general. The WBJ reports that a very large site just west of Catholic University (NE DC) is soon to be developed & might house a large number (more than 7000) residential units. UPDATE: Use this new link instead. The new link refers to the development being in NW, not NE as the original WBJ article stated.

African Art in 1104?

I recently heard about an African art gallery trying to open in 1104 H Street (across from the American Rescue Worker Thrift Store & down the street from Subterranean's space).

H Street Farm Fresh Market Saturday

The farmers' market will be held Saturday & there wil be birthday cake (a belated celebration of last week's one year anniversary). Buy a variety of items including (but not limited to): strawberries, potted plants, fresh herbs, arugula, salad greens, apples, dog treats, goat cheese, goat cheese tarts, yogurt, eggs, pork, fresh bread, scones, bacon, scrapple, fresh flowers & sorbet.

8:30-12:30
600 block of H Street NE

Jamaican Food Coming To H Street

Here is a shot of the sign for the new place coming to the corner of 6th & H Street.

New Egyptian Cultural Center Open on H St.

Have you noticed that something new is occupying the space at 421 H Street? The new neighbor is IKG Cultural Resource Center. According to the website, "IKG is an educational organization that is devoted to the re-discovery and application of ancient African history, culture and wisdom." They offer publications, classes, presentations, and a tour called Egypt on the Potomac that seeks to explain "how the shape, orientation and location of the District of Columbia reveals a plan, crafted by America's founding fathers, designed to recreate the spiritual essence of Egypt along the Potomac. "

12th & K Street

Mid-repainting.

Students Make Plans for Crummell Site

DCist mentioned this Washington Times article on local junior high students studying urban planning and focusing on the redevelopment of Ivy City's historic Alexander Crummell School (or click here, here, or here). The school is located across the street from the nightclub Dream (LINK PLAYS MUSIC). In the past, the owner of Dream had talked about redeveloping the school as a privately run community center. He had the support of some local ANC commissioners, but others objected loudly. Questions were also raised about Dream securing a lease of the school property for parking purposes (dream has a long history of parking issues), and about a fence that was erected (perhaps without a permit) on the site.

Foreclosure Rescue Scams

Saturday's Wahington Post featured this very nice article on scams that victimize frightened homeowners who fall behind on their mortgage payments. The article references a recently released report from the National Consumer Law Center. The report, entitled "Dreams Foreclosed: The Rampant Theft of American's Homes Through Equity-Stripping Foreclosure Scams," is available here. (As a side note, the DC metro area currently has a very low foreclosure rate because most people know they can sell their homes for obscene amounts of money before foreclosure could actually occur).

13th & Wylie at Night

H Street Farm Fresh Market 1 Year Anniversary

Come celebrate tomorrow from 8:30am-12:30pm.
600 block of H Street.
Atwater Bakers will have cake.

All manner of tasty treats will be available & you can also pick up some live plants for your garden.

Hill Rag Article on Joe Englert & H Street

The June issue of the Hill Rag has a nice article on Joe Englert, his plans on H Street, and the community's reactions to those plans.

Horton's Curl Parlor

1400 block of H Street.

Gentrification & Neighborhood Change in Boston

Here is a Boston Globe Article on a neighborhood that undergoing a gentrification process, but still managing to maintain its distinctive character.

Some parts of the article could actually be talking about H Street:

It is home to two dollar stores, a Rent-a-Center and a Goodwill thrift
store, sub shops, a day-job center, a store that sells only cash registers, a half-dozen nail salons, and more bad Chinese food per capita than perhaps anywhere else on the East Coast.

Parking Restrictions in an Entertainment Corridor

Here is a Washington Post Article on newly implemented parking restrictions in Adams Morgan. H Street will likely soon have changes to its own parking restrictions (I don't recall the precise proposed hours at this moment). The crowds in Adams Morgan are a far cry from anything we see on H Street, but I still think we can look at how they handle their parking issues.

Corner of 13th & I

Post-gutting.

More Dumping on H Street

Once again I saw numerous bags of junk illegally dumped outside of one of the thrift stores on H Street. This time it was the American Rescue Workers store (1100 block). I'm not sure how we can prevent dumping that comes in the middle of the night (perhaps it will taper off when more businesses occupy vacant storefronts, and when more people walk the streets at night). The day time dumping, which generally takes place outside the Salvation Army on Sundays, is probably the more easily solvable problem. I imagine that increased sidewalk traffic will act as a deterrent (hopefully witnesses will also note & report license plate numbers). Where shame can't do the job, big fines will.