As my posting-name, MadrigalBlogs, suggests, I'm one of the recent resident additions to one of the Triangle's recent building additions: I'm in the Madrigal Lofts. By my count, I was one of the first four or five to move in and start calling this new building my home. While the first few weeks were construction-filled, things seem to have settled down, and I couldn't be much happier with where I am. Of course, having a short walk to work and time in the morning to cook fresh muffins or pancakes makes it easy to like wherever you live.
My hope for participating in this blog is that it can help to bring the new wave of residents—of which I am one—into the Triangle. One of the reasons that I decided to move here was the strength of the community as seen through the local blogs. This is a community that does have much to do, but also clearly has many sharp people working to get it done. Though I had only just stepped onto the sidelines when Fun Fair was closed, I couldn't help but be elated. Having watched the endgame of that story unfold on the MVSNA blog, it was clear that the commuity had accomplished something big. I hope to be part of that.
This is meant to be somewhat responsive to the previous post. I want this blog to participate in our community, in particular by helping to integrate the new buildings into what has already been established. There is a constant trickle of people moving into my building, many of whom I expect know less about this community than I do. And, tucked as we are into the far corner of the Triangle, hidden behind the construction of the Dumont, I expect that we've so-far been hidden from the view of the community. We've not been here long enough to even think that this is a "problem," per se. But it is something that should change: we want to be part of the community, and if this blog can help, so much the better!
That said, one of the things that I hope to do is keep the community updated on the construction progress that I walk through each day. Sadly, I forgot to bring my camera to work this morning, so I couldn't take pictures of the gulch that was just dug along the north side of the Dumont. But take my word for it: where the sidewalk one day will be, between the edge of the street and the street-level exterior wall, there is now a 15-foot wide and 15-foot deep gorge running from the corner of 4th & I about 40 feet down the block. Given the work that I've seen Pepco doing right by there over the past few evenings, I expect that this might be for the electrics vault—but that's just my speculation. (The best part, for me, of this blog is that I now have an excuse to chat up idle workers to see what they're doing!)
Since I didn't have my camera while walking home, I ventured up to the roof of my building this evening, well after dark, and battled the cold to take some pictures of the views to the southeast and southwest. Mostly I did this to make sure that I knew how to take the pictures and get them online... but also, I'm not to proud to admit, because I love the view. Here they are.
(To the southwest, with the Washington Monument sneaking over the skyline.)
(To the southeast, over the 395 interchange, with the Capitol in clear view.)And to all a good night!
--MLB
