WP: Country Club in Spring?

The Post contains a short update on what's new and suggests that the H Street Country Club, which will open in the vacant space previously occupied by Phish Tea, will be open this spring. The Country Club is a tongue in cheek venture from Joe Englert and co. that will serve burgers and other American fare amidst a nineteen hole DC themed mini-golf course. Sorry about the barely literate version of this that was up earlier today, I got distracted miscomposition & didn't post the corrected version.

WP: What's Brewing on H?

The Post lavishes more attention on Dr. Granville's(1338 H Street), and also pays a visit to the Pug(1334 H Street). It sounds like the Pug is now serving up hot dogs though plans to serve paninis are still in the works.

Tax Hike for Vacants?

Some members of the Council want to raise the vacant tax rate from $5 per $100 in accessed value, to $10 per $100. Read stories on the topic from the Examiner, and DCist.

Tonight @Dissident Display

H Street Co-op Fundraier @Sidamo

Coffee and Dessert Night at Sidamo Cafe
To Benefit the H Street Community Market

Help bring a co-op grocery store to the H Street Corridor by joining us for a night of Coffee, Desserts and Traditional Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony at Sidamo Cafe.

Event date: October 20th (Saturday) from 6-8pm
Place: Sidamo Coffee and Tea / 417 H St. NE

Ticket Price: $20
Description: The night includes coffee, desserts and participation in the Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony

To purchase tickets, go to our website at: http://www.hstcommunitymarket.org or email raynor@tcgillc.com

VOH: In Your Neighborhood

The Voice of the Hill focused the column on bloggers this week. Click through to see the short piece on the keepers of JDLAND & Frozen Tropics.

Washingtonian: Meet Me on H

The Washingtonian does a nightlife round-up on H Street.

H Street Update

The following is a reposting of an email recently sent out on a few local listservs by Derrick Woody:

H Street Constituents:

I am having posted a pictorial update of most H Street development to the ANC 6A and 6C yahoogroups sites and asking that it is posted to the Old City Capitol Hill site and others as well. The update is a five year overview of most of the changes that have happened over the last five years (2002-2007) since we began the discussions and planning for reviving H Street until today- from plan to progress. The document could be longer, but it should also get the point across that a great deal of our collective work is showing results. What the overview also shows is where more work needs to be done.

The great news is that H Street NE is definitely on the investment map by the private sector now! Larger development projects are planned or newly completed within the Urban Living section of the plan and some properties are being improved. At the east end, new businesses have opened around the H Street Playhouse and the Atlas Performing Arts Center and an Arts and Entertainment experience can be had on H Street. These things did not exist five years ago.

But within all of this there is still a need to really assist the folk who have been on H Street for some time and need help and a need to attract more entrepreneurs to fill vacancies. In Fiscal Year 2008 (FY08) which begins October 1, 2007, the focus on Great Streets within the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development will be on the following:

Launch H STREET NE - Great Streets Neighborhood Retail Priority Area.

In July 2007, DC Council approved the establishment of six neighborhood retail priority areas and the potential spending limits for Tax Increment Finance bonds. Up to $25 million in bond issuance was approved for H Street NE. DMPED is working with Councilmember Wells' office to determine the process by which these potential resources can leverage amenities for the businesses and residents of H Street NE. In earlier meetings with property and business owners and neighborhood constituents, it was requested that priority be given to building rehabilitation grants and loans, mix income/mixed use projects, anchor retail tenants, strategic public parking and some potential transit enhancements. In conjunction with Councilmember Wells, DMPED anticipates using available resources to support key, anchoring development projects on the corridor as well as to augment resources targete d toward smaller property and business owners.

At the moment, DMPED is working with the Office of the Chief Financial Officer and the Office of Tax and Revenue to iron out some issues related to this important resource, but we are confident that we will reach a resolution.

Actively Target Building Improvements - Corridor Wide.

Despite all of our work, the corridor still looks and feels underinvested. In partnership with other District agencies, DMPED plans to launch a building improvement campaign targeting vacant, unattractive and potential unsafe structures on H Street NE. The Retail Priority Area resources married with Great Streets resources may be used to begin this process.

DMPED has been coordinating with and through Councilmember Wells' office to address the issues of vacant and abandoned properties on H Street NE. This collaboration will continue moving forward.

Select a Development Team to Build a Mixed Use / Mixed Income Project on the 1100 Block South Side.

In order to encourage reinvestments by private land owners, the District needs to address how it uses its own vacant or underutilized land. A Request for Proposals was issued for 1113-1117 H Street NE. Two responses were received. They are being evaluated now. A selection will be made in early FY 2008.

Find a Mixed Use Development Partner to Build a Bigger and Better R. L. Christian Library in a Mixed Use Building.

Here again is another opportunity to leverage public land to produce a number of public benefits, i.e. new library, new housing or offices.

There has been some community concerns about a mixed use library site development on H Street-some for and some against, but at the core of it, everyone wants a new facility for all residents to take pride in and patronize.

DMPED plans to competitively offer the R. L. Christian Library site for mixed use development in early FY 2008. The new building will contain a larger library facility on the ground floor and housing and/or office uses above. $510,000 has been set aside to temporarily relocate the library to another facility on the 1300 block of H Street NE northside until the construction period is completed.

Work More Closely and Strategically with the H Street Community Development Corporation.

DMPED recently met with William "Bill" Barrow and Eric Jones of H Street Community Development Corporation. We are excited about future opportunities to partner with the HSCDC to bring about certain improvements on H Street NE.

Coordinate even more so with DDOT during the Streetscape and Transportation Improvement Process.

The H Street NE streetscape and transportation improvements are slated to begin in either late fall or early spring according to DDOT. The Improvements will be phased in nine phases over a 30 month period. DMPED and other agencies will be actively working to assist as needed and where possible to mitigate impacts on local businesses. It is important that all of us continue to remind business owners now that the improvements are coming and to plan accordingly. DDOT staff can provide more detail information on the scope and the timeline. Call 202.671.2542 or email karina.ricks@dc.gov with specific questions related to these planned improvements.

CONCLUSION:

H Street is well underway to becoming a greater street! There is a lot more work for all of us to do. DMPED is open to new and innovative ideas and thinking about addressing some of the challenges and opportunities ahead. We welcome your input. Please feel free to contact me via email at derrick.woody@dc.gov > so that I can more easily maintain a record or any responses and ideas.

NOTE:

Burnham Place and Station Place final phase will be included in future iterations of this document. If any of you have images of other new investments on H Street that are not include here, please share with me via email. You will be credited.

Thanks! See you soon.

Derrick Lanardo Woody
Coordinator - Great Streets Initiative
Office of the Deputy Mayor for
Planning & Economic Development
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Suite 317
Washington, DC 20004-3001
202.727.2981 phone

The pictorial update to which the author refers is not yet posted.

Florida Market Planning Phase Two

From the Office of Planning:

Phase 2 Public Workshop and Open House
Wednesday October 3, 2007
3:00pm-4:30pm
The Market Lounge
1305 5th Street, NE (Upstairs)
OR
6:30pm-8:00pm
McKinley Technology High School
151 T Street, NE

The D.C. Office of Planning (OP) invites property and business
owners within the Florida Avenue Market, neighborhood residents and
stakeholders around the Market area to attend this workshop as we
kick off phase two of the Florida Avenue Market Study. These two
meetings will cover the same information. Please attend whichever
is more convenient.

Our goal is to:
Provide an update on where we are in the planning process
Discuss how we will complete Phase Two of the small area plan for
the Florida Avenue Market

For more information contact Deborah Crain or Jeff Davis at
202.442.7600

WP: Rising Rooflines Raise Eyebrows

I received a number of emails mentioning this Post article from yesterday's paper. The article concerns the often unfortunate phenomena known the pop-up roof (where someone decides to add an extra story to an existing structure). Richard Layman was interviewed for this article, but he also has his own post on the topic.

WSTJ: If You're Feeling NIMBY Tonight...

Photo by tobyleah: www.flickr.com/photos/tobyleah/
Originally found at: www.flickr.com/photos/tobyleah/330934743/
Used under a creative commons license
...or even if you're falling in the alternate camp, you should read this Wall Street Journal article on a neighborhood tiff over clothlines.

SeattlePI.com: Streetcar

I'll forgo the easy jokes. The article concerns an urban streetcar in Seattle.

WIRED: BRT

Wired covers Bus Rapid Transit in four parts:
Part I
Part II
Part III
Part IV

Music Is Bulletproof

Coming Soon: SOVA

This picture was taken a coffee sampling during the H Street Festival. SOVA (1359 H Street) will be opening soon, but the date has not yet been set.

1300 Block of H Street

During the festival.

Collider @The Red & the Black

Hey, a friend sent me an email regarding this show tomorrow night (his friend is a member of Collider). It sounds like a cool show. Below is the blurb he sent.

Collider--a DC area hard rock band--is making their H Street debut at the Red & the Black (1212 H Street) tomorrow night with friends, Kilketura. Kilketura will start off the show at around 9pm. You can check out some of Collider's tunes at www.myspace.com/colliderdc. Cover is $8.

*****************************
UPDATE
*****************************

The band will start at 9pm, not 8:30 as previously reported. I just got word.

WP: Prostitution Fans Out

Check out the diagonal line that shoots up out of Florida Ave on this map. That is West Virgina Ave., which is definitely known for prostitution. Read the full story from the Post here.

WP: MPD Overhaul

As part of Metropolitan Police Department reorganization plan both the First District and the 5th District will get new Commanders effective Sunday. The new Commander for 1D will bw David Kamperin, and in 5D we'll get Lamar Greene (who comes to us from 1D where he ran a substation).

WP: How Loud is Loud?

The clash between neighbors and amplified street preachers at 8th & H makes the Post again.

NYT: Capital Gains

The New York Times writes about the District in its Travel section & the first neighborhood it mentions is over here? Absolutely!

The H Street corridor is starting to hum, with cafes and bars including the Rock and Roll Hotel, a new music club that hosts bands like Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Solillaquists of Sound.

That's about the only mention we get, except that the author also calls the corridor "newly trendy." Read the full article here. What a nice surprise on a Sunday Morning. Oh, and congrats to Rock & Roll Hotel (1353 H Street) for the mention.

Wild Style Review

Check out this one from Soul Bounce. This exhibit at Dissident Display (416 H Street) runs through October 14th.

First Book-->Book Drive

Too many books taking up too much room at home?

This week you can do something about it—and help benefit local kids in need!

First Book, a nonprofit organization, has teamed up with the Veterans of Foreign Wars, SunTrust Bank and SunTrust Mortgage to host a book drive in Washington, DC up through this Sunday, September 23rd. The drive will enable First Book to achieve its mission of providing children in low-income families the opportunity to read and own their first new books. Social venture company Better World Books will sell the books online and First Book will use the proceeds to bring thousands of new books to children in need in the DC community.

Between now and this Sunday, September 23rd, you can drop off your used books at DC SunTrust locations, or, if you don’t live in the area, donate them by following the instructions on our webpage: www.firstbook.org/betterworld. This site also provides guidelines on which kinds of books are most helpful.

Argo 2nd Birthday Tonight!

Two Rivers Has Space Left

Two Rivers Public Charter School (http://www.tworiverspcs.org) is still accepting applications for the 2007/2008 school year for 3rd and 5th graders.

Two Rivers uses Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound, an educational model that emphasizes interactive, hands-on, project-based learning. The school focuses on the whole child, recognizing the importance of character education and the social-emotional needs of children while helping them achieve academic excellence. The Two Rivers staff share a strong belief that all children can learn and be high achievers. The curriculum at Two Rivers is rigorous, standards-based, and provides opportunities for students to excel in all areas. An integrated arts program and a content-based Spanish program augment the school’s demanding academic program. These elements come together through learning expeditions that allow students to incorporate and apply their classroom learning through real-world experiences.

Students receive instruction in language arts, math, science, social studies, music, performing and visual arts, Spanish, and physical education. Special emphasis is placed on literacy, the arts, and Spanish language instruction. Two Rivers also has a strong commitment to special education and English as a second language (ESL) instruction.

You can apply online at http://www.tworiverspcs.org or call 202-546-4477 for more information.

Wednesday Night on H

The 1200 block of H Street around 9:30 last night.

Gearing Up @ 12th & Florida

If you've recently seen police escorts speeding down Florida Ave with semi trucks hauling huge black wrapped boxes you may have watched parts of these massive pre-fab homes on their way into town. Currently there are a couple of stacks over at the 12th & Florida site & more sitting in the big parking lot (the one belonging to Gallaudet that hosts a weekend flea market) at the Florida Market. Both sites are reportedly under 24 hour guard (we did see patrols). Tonight a massive crane arrived at the construction site. Apparently we should see at least some fully assembled buildings by Friday.

A truck parked across from the site (it was dark, so I messed with the exposure so you could see it better).

House parts await pick-up at the Florida Market.




These pieces are the tops of the buildings and look like they are part of a walkout roof-top deck.

RB: It's Desirable v. It's Supportable

Richard writes on the gap between the retail people want and the retail that the market will actually support.

Dancing in the Streets

Dancers from Joy of Motion entertain the crowds at the H Street Festival last Saturday.

Wells Advocates Papering Reform

Press Release: September 17, 2007
Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells

Immediate Release Contact: Charles Allen
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Room 408 (202) 724-8072
Washington, D.C. 20004 www.TommyWells.org

Councilmember Tommy Wells Again Calls for Reform of Police “Papering”

(Washington, DC) - On Monday, September 17th, Councilmember Tommy Wells called again for a reform of the burdensome requirements on Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers to personally take booking information on an arrested individual to court at 7:30 a.m. the morning after an arrest takes place - a practice commonly known as “papering.” Councilmember Phil Mendelson, chair of the Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary, held a public hearing on the “Sense of the Council to Reform Police Court-Papering Requirements Resolution of 2007” introduced by Councilmembers Wells and Mendelson earlier this year.

“Our challenge is to do something different, not just do what we do today a little bit better,” stated Councilmember Wells after hearing several MPD officers testify about the demand the papering process puts on their time. Wells added, “Too often, I hear stories of officers forced to sleep in their car when their shift ends but before they are required to go back on duty, on overtime pay, for the 7:30 a.m. papering call at court.”

The current papering process is required by the MPD, the Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, and District of Columbia Superior Court and takes officers off the streets, creates significant overtime costs to MPD, and puts an undue administrative burden on MPD officers - creating a system that hinders an officer's ability to make arrests.

In an earlier letter to Council on the subject, MPD Chief Cathy Lanier reported that for the week of January 24 through January 31, 2007, MPD reported that it paid 1,616 overtime hours dedicated for officers to comply with papering requirements for lock-up cases, approximately $90,000. Over the course of a year, the papering process is costing the District nearly $5.0 million in overtime pay - an amount that could pay for at least 52 additional officers a year.

Officers also testified that the papering burden leads to low morale, hurts officer retention in the force, and occasionally contributes to whether a criminal is arrested late at night when an officer knows they will be required to stay on the job after their shift ends for several hours the following day when the courts open.

“The time of day should never be a factor in whether an arrest is made. No one has taken responsibility for solving this chronic problem and passing the buck has hit our front line officers the hardest,” commented Mr. Wells. He concluded, “Our police retention rate takes a hit with every overtime hour paid due to papering.”

This Sense of the Council Resolution calls on MPD, the US Attorneys Office and the District of Columbia Superior Court to work together to develop a streamlined, less burdensome, and less costly court-papering process, benchmarked against neighboring and similar jurisdictions, to keep MPD officers in the field to protect and serve the residents of the District of Columbia.

Post Short Coming Up Short?

This Washington Post announcement regarding the H Street Festival was brought to my attention this morning. I'm not sure what the author was thinking (I actually suspect that her knowledge of the Corridor is probably limited to what's she gleaned by looking up recent Post mentions of H Street), but the language does seem more than a little unfair (not to mention ill-informed). But decide for yourself. Follow the link above to see the full announcement, but here's the quote (referring to H Street) that's ruffled a few feathers:

"Whether you love it because it's your favorite place to spend Saturday night (come on, where else can you see a flea circus?) or you abhor it as a symbol of gentrification and crass "newcomer" commercialism..."

Umm, "crass 'newcomer' commercialism"? It sounds like someone's been cruising the Style section archives & that flea circus article is only a couple of weeks old. If you are going to write something about a topic on which you are completely ignorant (which the author seems to be, but then you can't visit every venue hosting an event) it is not only good to do a bit of research (like the Post archive search the author clearly performed), but it is also probably a good idea to stay away from more extreme/gratuitous (and slightly inflammatory, to say the least) language. I look forward to reading similar Post entertainment announcements casually mentioning how Dupont has lost its soul by going all straight corporate yuppie and U Street isn't cool anymore because there are too many trendy white young people around these days. Any thoughts?

Looking Back on Morse

Unfortunately this guy remains boarded up (this photo is from a couple of years ago). He does have a new roof and door, and every so often someone stops by to consider whether they should purchase him (corner of Montello & Morse).

Talk Like a Pirate & Celebrate a Birthday

Two nights at the Argonaut, two separate events:
1. Talk Like a Pirate Day
2. The Argonaut's 2nd Birthday (still so young, but growing up fast!)

Check Into Cash Into Tequila

In addition to check cashing and liquor, Rose's has also been known to provide its patrons with "go cups" (ideal for all those times when you just can't wait to get home before you start drinking). And if history is any indicator, they aren't too picky about that whole being 21 thing either.
Lurking in my inbox was this little gem from Cockeyed.com where they apparently went on a fun quest to document the proximity of check cashing places to liquor stores in Sacramento. Silly people of Sacramento! When will they learn what we all know here...that it saves time if you just cash your paycheck IN THE LIQUOR STORE! Check cashing places are for getting payday LOANS when you have no money!

Is this man planning to cash a check?

H Street Festival & Farmers Market Tomorrow

Start your festival day off right by hitting the farmers Market in the 600 block of H Street. This is a producers only market that sells fruits, veggies, honey, jam, breads, meats, pies, cheeses, sauces, sorbet, scones, & more. The market is held every Saturday from 9-12 and runs through the end of October. Sidamo Coffee (417 H Street) is also sold at the market. Another good option for early tomorrow is Naby's Island Restaurant (corner of 12th & H). Tomorrow (beginning at 10am) is the grand opening. Naturally there will be door prizes, and customers spending $20 or more will be entered to win a cruise.


12-7pm on H Street between 12th & 14th. The festival will feature live music & dance, food, drink, and all manner of arts and crafts, as well as informational booths from local business.

VOH: New Off Campus Policies @ Gallaudet

Check out this Voice of the Hill piece on combined efforts on behalf of Gallaudet, the community, & the police to take wild off campus student behavior.

NYT: Cinema Flashback

The New York Times reviews The Brave One (Jody Foster's new movie). This is a tale of a senseless urban crime that leads a city dweller (and city lover) to fear the very streets she once roamed with relish. It's interesting to me that though the reviewer references the past, he (Anthony O. Scott) never references Bernie Goetz. For many people Bernie Goetz probably epitomized the urban vigilate who acted on the fear and anxieties of early '80s New Yorkers. He was the ultimate urban avenger (which I'm not saying was a good thing since he shot four young men -not minors- on the subway [ I'm linking to the wikipedia site, but I don't think it is totally accurate]) and is clearly part of the inspiration for Foster's character. Of interest:
The New York State legal standard for the self defense justification use of deadly force shifted after rulings in the case. New York jurors are now told to consider a defendant's background and to consider whether a reasonable person would feel imperiled if that reasonable person was the defendant.
This quote comes from the Goetz wikipedia site. To the best of my knowledge jurors cannot generally consider a defendant's past unless the the reasonable person was aware of that past at the time. [but please don't take that as any authority, or leagal advice since I'm not qualified to give either]. I also do not know if the above iterration of NY's law is at all correct (in fact, I suspect that it is not). But, Bernie Goetz is worthy of mention because of his rather iconic status. Although Mr. Goetz faired quite well during his early court forays, this was not the case when he faced the court later for the same matter. This has sometimes been (accurately I think) attributed to the tremendous drop in crime in the interceding years. People no longer believed the subway (or the city) as a war zone, and so they could no longer identify with Mr. Goetz's actions. Perhaps desperation breeds desperation? Buy it? Now you can see the movie. Others not to miss:
Taxi Driver (I stil find this hard to watch)
Alphabet City (pulply, but still)
Smithereens pre-Desperately Seeking Susan (and better)
7th Street TMNT, 'nough said
Obviously there are tons more (many from Woody Allen, but...), if you have any can't misses that deal explicitly with the urban issues, as opposed to other stuff, let me know & I'll see what I can do (though I'm clearly asking for trouble here).
So how does this stuff fit in with DC's "urban condition" to you (specifically around here)?

Morning Fire on Maryland Ave

An early morning fire struck some vacant buildings located at 14th & Maryland. Luckly Scott Magnuson of the Argonaut had his camera on hand and was able to send in some photos of the scene.

Washingtonian: Best Bites->Dr. Granville's

More good reviews for the H Street Newcomer.

Sample SOVA Saturday

Frank Hankins, the owner, plans to open up at about noon and give away FREE espresso shots until they run out. He doesn't have his certificate of occupancy yet, so you won't be able to purchase anything from him, but this is a chance to meet him and sample the wares a bit. The second floor is being used for festival stuff most of the day. Accordingly, those desiring a look at the full space should stop by after 4pm. SOVA Wine & Espresso (they will be opening without a liquor license, but hope to obtain one soon) is locate at 1359 H Street in the space formerly occupied by R&B Coffee.

Dissident Display Event

Thanks to Kerry for the heads up about an upcoming event at Dissident Display. The event, Wild Style: the Exhibition & Book Signing, takes place from 7pm-12am on September 14th. Wild Style, celebrates directer Charlie Ahearn's 25 year old film of the same name and its exploration of urban life through hip-hop, breakdancing, and graffiti art in the early 1980s. On display will be 15-20 photographs, a documentary film, and a special mural painted in, or rather on, the gallery space. The evning will also feature the stylings of Chief Rocker Busy Bee on the mic and DJ Stylus spinning. This event is free. The exhibit runs through October 14th. Dissident Display is located at 416 H Street.

400 Block of H

H Street Festival Next Saturday

Missed it last year? Don't make the same mistake this time! The festival will be held from 12-7pm on H Street between 12th & 14th. Look for a number of local vendors (i.e. local businesses), as well as plenty of new faces.

Some event highlights (as sent to me by a festival organizer) include:



-A live music stage with performances from local artists

-Smokey’s Grill (a hit last year)

-A fashion show featuring up and coming designers

-A performance by Lil’ Dutch and The Bittersweet Family Friendly Burlesque Troupe

-Free popcorn at The Palace of Wonders

-Grand opening of Naby’s Island Restaurant at 1128 H Street

-Outdoor dance demonstrations by Joy of Motion (ranging from Hip Hop to Belly Dancing)

-Body Art by Lucretia

-Meet and Greet opportunities with Councilmember David A. Catania, Councilmember Tommy Wells, Councilmember Harry “Tommy” Thomas Jr., Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, and Mayor Adrian M. Fenty

-And a myriad of other amazing things to see, eat, win and listen to.

The organizer also asked me to let everyone know that there are still free exhibit spaces available for groups, businesses, & individuals in the Trinidad & H Street area. Paid sponsorship opportunities are also still available. Interested parties can visit the website, or contact Leonard A. Howell, Exhibit Coordinator H Street Arts & Humanities Festival by email or phone: lahowell@gmail.com 202-997-3784

**********************************
Update
**********************************

There seems to have been some confusion over the fact that the list above didn't include Tommy Wells. I'm assuming that this (the above list is really more of a press release that was sent to me) was simply an oversight. At any rate, I'm assured by his office that he will be attending the festival for most of the day, following a community walk in Near Northeast that morning.

Farmers Market Tomorrow

What: a producers only market selling breads, fruits, veggies, cookies, flowers, cheeses, yogurts, meats, jams, & more.
Where: the middle of the south side of the 600 block of H Street
When: 9am-12pm every Saturday through Halloween (making it a great place to buy a pumpkin).

Abandon

Florida Ave.

Connor Contemporary's New Home

Apparently I was lying when I claimed not to have any photos of the place. It's just that I can't ORGANIZE my photos. So, here is a old shot of the site (formerly Singletary Auto). 1358 Florida Ave. Here is more info on the gallery.

Naby's Island to Open September 15th

They'll have music, door prizes and more (including a chance to win a cruise if you spend $20 or more). My understanding is that Naby's will be a sitdown restaurant serving inexpensive Caribbean fare. Check out their website for more details.

FOOTBALL

Come watch your favorite NFL team

At

The Argonaut
1433 H St., NE

10 TVs
Every NFL Game

Half-priced wings
$8 pitchers of bud light
$10 pitchers of booty beer

*Also, the Argonaut's 2nd birthday is coming up & they are planning a bash for September 20th. The celebration will be sponsored by Cruzan Rum.

WP: A Shifting Landscape for Connor Gallery

The Post covers Connor Contemporary's move to Trinidad (roughly one-two blocks from 14th & H).

First Heritage Trail Meeting Sept 19th

Interesting in helping set-up a heritage trail on H Street? Now's your chance to get involved. The group is holding its first meeting Heritage at 7:00 PM on Wednesday, September 19th at the Atlas Theater (1333 H Street).

The Wiz @ Atlas

September 5-September 9 2007

The Wiz

Presented by Expansion Dance Project

Book by William F. Brown; Music and Lyrics by Charlie Smalls

Based on the story The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L.Frank Baum



Expansion Dance Project presents an exciting rendition of the 1975 Broadway Musical.



A young girl from Kansas is whisked away by a tornado on a colorful adventure in a strange new world. Throughout her journey, she makes a host of new friends and faces a plethora of challenges, eventually coming to the realization that "there's no place like home."

Hans Bachmann, Director

Alana Hill, Producer/Artistic Director

Sarah Chilcote, Musical Director

Featuring original choreography by some of DC’s leading choreographers, including Joseph Nontanovan, Omoro Omoighe, Stefan Sittig, Aysha Upchurch, and Douglas Yeuell.

Tickets are available by calling 202.399.7993 or online at www.atlasarts.org

The Atlas Performing Arts Center is located at 1333 H Street NE

**Valet Parking now available for ALL performances**



Jen DeMayo

Communications Director

Atlas Performing Arts Center

1333 H Street NE

Washington, DC 20002

o. 202.399.7993 ext 125

m. 202.253.9989

e. jdemayo@atlasarts.org

www.atlasarts.org

Hill Rag: Arboretum Place & Heritage Trail

Arboreum Place (the development on the old Sears site behind Hechinger Mall) is coming & so is a heritage trail on H Street. Read about it here.

Major Gallery Moves to Florida Ave

The former home of Nifty Thrift, located immediately west of new gallery.
The news is finally out [Express] (with public confirmation) that Connor Contemporary is relocating from Dupont to the 1300 block of Florida Ave NE. They closed a couple of months back & are currently transforming the space to meet their needs. With a little luck we may see the gallery up and running sometime in spring. The numbers I've heard (I believe the article's numbers only cover indoor space) fall around 12,000 sqft. That includes an outdoor space slated for use as a sculpture gallery and possible staging ground for multimedia events. This is not only the largest visual arts development in the H Street NE area, but huge news in its own right. The 12,000sqft site will (as the Express points out) make this the largest commercial gallery in DC. Huge news. Enjoy!

Photo by Richard Layman (creative commons). The long defunct Quick Stop lies immediately to the east of the new gallery.

WP: A Treat of Frites on H

The Sunday Source samples Dr. Granville's. The author mentions the curry mayo. Is it back on the menu?

Sidamo Open Until 2pm Labor Day

Hey, Sidamo is open until 2pm monday, so if you are considering your Labor Day options, please consider our local coffee shop. Also, SOVA will be open soon (possibly within a month).