Murals Galore When POW! WOW! DC Returns to NoMa May 2–12

The POW! WOW! DC mural festival kicks off its fourth year in NoMa starting early May. On May 2 artists will begin creating works for the ten day long festival. A team of 16 artists, some local and others visiting from around the world, will team up to paint the town (or at least NoMa) with a dazzling array of colors. We'll have a chance to witness these artists in action. The festival, which launched in 2016, is a partnership between the NoMa BID and POW! WOW! DC, the local chapter of the worldwide POW! WOW! collective, based in Hawaii. “We cannot say enough about POW! WOW! DC and what this festival has meant to the neighborhood,” says Robin-Eve Jasper, president of the NoMa BID. “The incredible, dynamic artworks that brighten up NoMa are beloved by residents, workers, and visitors. We are proud to be the site of so much creative expression by local, national, and international talent.”

Opening September 22 at Gallery O on H: Michael Horsley's Photos in "House of Champions"

Gallery O on H (1354 H St. NE) will show photography from Michael Horsley for an upcoming exhibition titled "House of Champions." Even if you don't immediately recognize the name Michael Horsley (which I suspect many will), the chances are good that you have seen some of some of his photos before. Horsley is known and loved for his images that captured the District and its residents in decades past. If you love this city, or just street/documentary photography in general, don't miss this show.

“House of Champions” is an exhibition in three dimensions capturing the essence of Horsley’s mission: to forge a fleeting, momentary look at a dynamic and very personal cityscape. In the late 1970s and throughout the 80s, Horsley wandered the District with his camera, documenting a city bustling and alive despite its plywood windows and lack of attention from the federal government. Hop on the White House Tour Bus and view a Washington never seen by tourists! Wander broken bottle alleyways, junkfilled empty buildings, drink at late night diners or hang out at punk rock bars in the living and breathing city. Who knows, you might get lucky and pick up a Polaroid discarded by a tourist!

The Red Boat (Viet Fusion) Slated for Former Micho's Space

The X2Bus blogger spotted a sign at the former location of Micho's (500 H St. NE) announcing that a restaurant called The Red Boat will occupy the space. The Red Boat, which serves Vietnamese fusion cuisine, has two locations in Baltimore and is in the process of preparing to open four new locations. Aside from H Street, the new locations will be in Glen Burnie, College Park, and Boca Raton, Florida. The restaurant's website describes their menu as "[t]raditional Vietnamese food meets  variety of flavors." Some of those fusion dishes feature flavors that will be familiar to fans of Korean food. The restaurant describes its phở as traditional, and based on a family recipe. In addition to the phở and bánh mi sandwiches you'll find some vegan options on their menu, and also tacos. It looks like the menu varies by location, but here's the basic set-up (with some examples).

Local News Round-Up: Ramen & The Little Grand Coming, O-Ku & The Eleanor Opening, & Solid State's New Home

We have a bit of a news places news round-up this morning. A little over a year ago a post from the @TheX2Bus twitter account caught my eye with news that IMM on H Thai & Sushi Lounge (1360 H Street NE) was expanding into the space next door at 1362 H Street NE. At the time, they appeared to be actively working on the space. It seems plans have shifted a bit. Laura Hayes of the Washington City Paper tweeted Monday that Kitsuen Ramen + Hookah Bar is now coming to 1362 H St. NE, and that the new ramen restaurant will share owners with the nightclub Saint Yves (1220 Connecticut Avenue NW).

The H Street Farmers Market is Back this Saturday

The H Street NE farmers market reopens this Saturday (April 7th) for its 15th season. As in previous years, you'll find the local FRESHFARM outpost just off 13th & H Street NE.  Most vendors are returning, and you'll also notice some new additions.

Local Briefing: Host a Fringe Artist, NoMa Summer Screen & Food News

Host a Capital Fringe Festival Artist

Each year the Capital Fringe Festival draws out of town performers from across the country, and beyond. Fringe artists often do not have a lot of money to spare, and so Capital Fringe annually appeals to community members to open their homes to host an artist during the Festival. While a spare room would be perfect, an empty couch or clear floor can work too.

Local Briefing: V Street Heads to H Street, It's Dyngus Day, & a Little Neighborhood Love

Last week's full moon as seen from Trinidad

A Veggie Take on International Street Food

The Washington Post reports that the team behind Philadelphia's famed vegan restaurant Vedge will bring their V Street [LINK PLAYS MUSIC] concept to a space in the Apollo building (600 H St.). V Street serves vegetable-based takes on street food from around the world, as well as some tempting sounding cocktails. The food menu for their Philadelphia location has items such as dan dan noodles ($13, five spice mushrooms and zucchini, with red chile-sesame sauce), and carrot asado ($11, red chile bbq and smoked black beans with curtido, and avocado).

Local Briefing: The Eaglet has Landed, Belfast-Beltway Fundraiser, & One Eight Distilling Hiring

There's a new eaglet in town. © 2017 American Eagle Foundation, DCEAGLECAM.ORG.

Stop by the Pug (1234 H St.) tonight for a Belfast-Beltway Boxing Project fundraiser (8 p.m. to 10 p.m.). You've likely seen posters for past events during visits to the Pug, but for those who might be wondering:

The Belfast-Beltway Boxing Project is a Washington, D.C.-based 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to providing support for at-risk youth through cultural exchange and international athletic competition. The purpose of the Project is to offer an annual cultural and athletic exchange program, and also to provide equipment donations to non-profit organizations that offer athletic and after-school programs for young people.

So take your friends, and raise a glass for a worthy cause.

Weekend East City Event Round Up: July 22 – July 24 Edition

Recent work by Pedro Boaventura.  Image courtesy Gallery NK

Friday, July 22

Touchstone – 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Unscripted by Lina Alattar in Gallery B and Immersion by McCain McMurray in Gallery C open this Friday.
Touchstone is located at 901 New York Ave. NW.

Grand Opening for Asian Inspired Pow Pow Saturday 5/7

Pow Pow, a new fast casual restaurant opening soon at 1253 H Street, comes to us via familiar faces Shaun Sharkey and Stephen Cheung, who have big plans for the space. Sharkey is well known for his local music and dj activity and Cheung owns Capitol Hill farm to table Italian restaurant Lavagna.

Pick the Flicks for NoMa Summer Screen

Photo by Sam Kittner (from the NoMa BID newsletter)

There's a fine list of films on the list of candidates for this year's NoMa Summer Screen, and you can vote for your top ten. Many of these are films that have been shown at past Summer Screens, and brought out big crowds (movies like "The Princess Bride" and "Jurassic Park"). The complete list appears below, and you can vote for your favorites. This year's theme is Choose Your Own Adventure, so all of the possibilities are pretty action-packed. Summer Screen runs from June 1st to August 24th. All movies feature closed captions.  As in years past, Summer Screen is a free outdoor movie series that also includes music, food trucks, picnicking, giveaways, and more at Storey Park  (1005 First Street).

Got New Year's Eve Plans?

The end of the year is the perfect time to reflect on the changes we've seen this year, it's also cause for celebration as we embark on a new year. Those looking to celebrate out on the town have no shortage of quality local options. A partial list appears below. Please feel free to add any events in the comments, as I'm sure I have inadvertently omitted some.

WaPo: Longtime Merchants Feel the Squeeze at Florida Ave Market

The Washington Post ran a piece on changes at the Florida Avenue Market. As Union Market and other higher end businesses flock to the Market, the rents are rising and many longterm merchants fear they will have to leave as their buildings are sold to developers like Edens. The story of what's happening right now at the Florida Avenue Market is a long and complicated one.

Capital Fringe Seeks Hosts for Festival Artists

Each summer the District draws visiting performers from around the country for the Capital Fringe Festival. It's a two week free-wheeling festival of plays, musicals, and other performances (July 9th-26th this summer). This year they have 129 groups slated to perform. This is also their first year operating out of their new Trinidad home base at 1358 Florida Avenue. Not all of their performances will be at 1358, in fact, they won't even all be in NE DC. But they will have a lot of their events in the Trinidad, Gallaudet, and H Street Corridor neighborhoods. Right now they are seeking kind folks who may have a spare room/couch/living room floor and a willingness to host a visiting artist during the festival.

Stay Safe

I was reading a list of safety tips sent out over a local listserve. I don't quite agree with all of the tips and I thought I'd draft my own version. Feel free to critique my tips and add your own in the comments.

Gallaudet 6th Street Development Means Big Changes

Rendering by Dangermond Keane Architecture (from GU's 6th Street project page)

There's a ton of recent local development news coming out and I wanted to particularly highlight what's happening with Gallaudet in the Florida Market (Florida Avenue and 6th Street).

Gallaudet is ready to move on their much discussed Florida Market development that is intended to serve as a gateway between the University and the larger neighborhood. They will apply DeafSpace principles to the project. This means a heavy emphasis on space and light, and how those can both be used to facilitate ASL communication as people move through the spaces. I would expect that we'll see wide hallways and a de-emphasis on sharp corners, as well as attention to surface choice. In past discussions Gallaudet representatives have stressed that this development is meant to be welcoming to both Deaf and hearing individuals.

Fringe Purchases CONNERSMITH Space on Florida Avenue

CONNERSMITH show in 2012

The Washington Post broke a huge bit of news last night. CONNERSMITH Gallery at 1358 Florida Avenue is being sold to Capital Fringe. CONNERSMITH ushered in a vibrant new arts scene in Trinidad when the gallery re-located here in 2007. Prior to their move, the space had been an auto body shop. But Trinidad's Gallery Row was not to be immortal, part of that block later sold to a developer planning a mixed us residential/retail project. This sale to Capital Fringe does four really important things: allow CONNERSMITH to continue to pursue projects in various locations (some out of town); give Capital Fringe a much needed homebase; ensure the space is permanently (as permanent as anything can be these days) preserved for an arts use; enliven the performing arts scene in the larger Trinidad/H Street area (weakened by the loss of H Street Playhouse).

Large Swath of the Florida Avenue Market for Sale

Image from the listing

Reader Matt Ashburn alerted me to the fact that 300 Morse is for sale. This is actually a huge building that houses several businesses. These businesses include (non-exhaustive list) a couple of butcher shops, two places that specialize in West African ingredients, a tofu manufacturer, a produce vendor, a bakery, a shop that sells (among other things) Latin cheeses, and dried chillies.

Capitol Hill Book Club Meeting 3/2

Announcement:

My co-ed Capitol Hill book club is going to meet on March 2 at 7pm at Wisdom - 1432 Pennsylvania Ave.  We usually meet at a bar somewhere on the Hill.  In 2012 it was usually Sova and the Biergarten Haus.
Our next read will be a novel, Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn - http://gillian-flynn.com/gone-girl/

Next Meeting of Capitol Hill Book Club

A reader sent in this note about a local book club:

My co-ed Capitol Hill book club is going to meet on March 2 at 7pm at Wisdom - 1432 Pennsylvania Ave. http://www.dcwisdom.com/
We usually meet at a bar somewhere on the Hill.  In 2012 it was usually Sova and the Biergarten haus.

Our next read will be a novel, Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn - http://gillian-flynn.com/gone-girl/

Would you post this info for any newcomers that may be interested?  We thought March 2 would give people enough time to read the book.