Local News Roundup

I spy myself, a photo by theqspeaks in the Frozen Tropics Flickr pool

It's been a busy December, so posting has been a little light. Life, however, marches on. Here's some of what's been happening.

Ward 5:

Ward 5 Councilmember Harry Thomas Jr. can't be happy about his new fake Twitter account that recently popped up. This account is way more active than fake Kathy Henderson (a local Ward 5 gadfly). The City Paper points out that Thomas has acknowledged the fake account (which is clearly a parody) in a tweet clarifying that it is not his.

Transportation:

The streetcar WILL go up the hopscotch bridge after all. That's quite a relief to some 3rd street residents who worried that the streetcar might run right in front of their homes. WJLA has some video, and rather humorously misquotes the Mayor on this point.

Tuesday night, Mayor Vincent Gray agreed and told city officials what residents have been waiting to hear.

"Those streets are just as narrow, which is H Street," Gray said.

Fear not, he wasn't really muttering gibberish into the mic. He actually said "We're going to do this the right way, and that is on the main thoroughfare, which is H Street." The City Paper has full coverage from the recent meeting (TBD also has info). Did you miss the meeting? If so, you might want to check out all of these meeting materials online. You can also read all the live tweeting from the meeting. Oh, and the new goal for streetcars to be up and running is the summer of 2013. This should please District Cuisine, who thinks the streetcar will play an important role in the H Street dining scene.

Development:

Friday night marked the launch party for Popularise, a crowdsourcing venture from the team that acquired both the Autozone lot, and 1351 H Street. 1351 was previously home to a dollar store, but you would never have known that from the party Friday. The space was gutted, and populated with couches, chairs, tables, houseplants, and two bars. Servers moved through the crowd offering appetizers. Downstairs they had three computers set up allowing guests to submit their own ideas for what they'd like to see in the space (you can do the same by registering on the site), and a large screen and stage. They gave a short presentation regarding Popularise, and how they hope it can connect the development to the community, and thus bring in what residents want. One option is a flagship store for local men's clothing line DURKL, which is losing its space on I Street NW. The City Paper lays it out for you.

Arts:

Examiner.com has a nice review of Black Nativity, which runs through December 31st at the H Street Playhouse (1365 H Street). Tickets to Theater Alliance's production are $35.

Retail:

Glam Soup takes a look at C.A.T. Walk boutique (1404 H Street), which sells a mix of new and vintage clothing items.

Dining:

Toki Underground (2nd floor 1234 H Street) gets attention from Eat More Drink More, Prince of Petworth, and Doing the District. Eater reports that you will probably have to wait until spring to try out Taylor Charles Steak and Ice (1320 H Street). Based on their track record (the same team opened Taylor Gourmet at 1116 H Street), it should be worth the wait.