Friday, July 13, 2018

Local Briefing: Solid State Grand Opening, Plus Assorted Hazards: Raining Chessmen, Airbnb Guests & Vacant Houses

DSC_0151
Solid State Books back when they were camped out in their temporary digs

Solid State Books (600 H Street NE) will hold a grand opening celebration to show off their new permanent space. From the announcement:

We'll be giving away galleys (advance copies of books; while supplies last) with book purchase, holding a raffle to win Solid State and other merchandise, and there will be balloons galore. We're got fully stocked shelves, a beautifully decorated space, and extended hours. Come and hang with us, pick up a #SolidStateBingo card, and find a great new book to escape with this summer!  

Solid State is open every day 8am–10pm Sunday–Thursday, and 8am–midnight Fridays and Saturdays. Check their events calendar or subscribe to their newsletter to find out about all of the shop's upcoming events.

The tale of giant chess pieces that came raining down from the roof of a local apartment building has been making the rounds recently. I first read about the incident in the Washington Post (Giant chess pieces tossed off apartment building roof in Northeast Washington onto vehicles). For years Senate Square (201 I Street NE) has provided a jumbo size chess game on its roof for residents to enjoy a little game play in the open air. On recent Monday night (July 10th) someone decided to toss the pieces off the roof. The chessmen damaged some parked cars, but thankfully no one was injured. Twitter user Nathan Kron (@KronDC) tweeted pictures of the scene.

People were quick to jump on the idea that drunken interns might be behind the act, but I also heard that it may have been kids who followed a resident into the building.

The intern/Airbnb theories were likely fueled at least in part by a recent Washington City Paper story (Longtime Residents of a Luxury H Street NE Building Battle Short-term Guests) on some rowdy behavior at Station House (701 Second Street NE). Long-term residents are upset by churlish behavior from what appear to be short-term renters booked through Airbnb and similar websites.

In other news, DCist ran a story yesterday about how some neighbors are hopping mad at Taylor Gourmet (1116 H Street NE) founder Casey Taylor Patten over a house he purchased in 2015 and began renovating before work seemed to just stop. It's a detailed article that holds up the property as an example of a common problem in the District, unfinished renovations that can leave neighbors with vacant and sometimes hazardous conditions next door.

No comments: