Arts on Foot - Sep 10th thru 12th

The 2009 Edition of Arts on Foot will take place in less than two weeks. The event begins with the Art Market on Thursday September 10th which highlights local, regional and national artists. The event concludes on Saturday with a Festival that supplements the Arts Market with entertainment and sampling areas from participating restaurants and wineries.



You may follow Arts on Foot on facebook under the name The Washington Examiner's ARTS ON FOOT sponsored by Wines of Argentina.

Express Night Out: Neighborhoods to Watch

Express Night out is currently featuring an article entitled Neighborhoods to Watch: Where to Buy Your Condo that highlights Four Washington-area neighborhoods (Logan Circle/Shaw and Mount Vernon Triangle in the District; and Fairlington/Shirlington and Centreville in Virginia).

The following is an excerpt related to the Triangle:

Mt. Vernon Triangle
When native Washingtonian Danai Mattison recently decided to buy her first place, she looked to the new CityVista development in D.C.'s up-and-coming Mt. Vernon Triangle.

"I grew up in the suburbs of Northwest," she says. "It's exciting for me to come downtown." Mattison, 22, also works as settlement coordinator for CityVista, so she can attest that many fellow first-timers have been flocking to the project. To her, taking advantage of the tax credit to buy a City Vista pad was a "no-brainer." "It's an investment in the area," she says. "That's the benefit of the tax credit — more people can make it work who might not have been able to come to the city otherwise."

The project has breathed new life into the former void through the opening of a shiny new Safeway grocery, Busboys and Poets (1025 5th St. NW) and Fifth Street Hardware (1055 5th St. NW), plus coming-soon retail such as a second branch of H Street NE's Taylor Gourmet Deli.

Buyers wary of downtown's concrete jungle can find refuge at Vista Green, a private one-acre park in the middle of the CityVista complex. One bedrooms at CityVista start in the $300,000s.

Shakespeare Free for All

Tim from The 42 Bus brought my attention to the Free for All event by the Shakespeare Theatre Company at Sidney Harman Hall (610 F Street NW).


There are 21 shows of Taming of the Shrew running between now and September 12th. An accompanying Family Fun Fair will be sponsored by Target on Saturday August 29th.

Linked up: Noise pollution, vandalism and gunshots

Shaw: Cary Silveman notes that Ward 2 gunshot call volume is concentrated nearly entirely in Shaw. [TheOther35Percent, CCCA]

Downtown: Miles Groves discusses downtown noise pollution. [DC DNA]

5th & Mass: A DC urbanism/transit blog notes the changes to the 5th & Mass intersection. [Greater Greater Washington]

Judiciary Square: The starting price for rentals at the Ashton at Judiciary Square is just shy of $4K/mo. [DCMud]

H Street NE: Feature on the 850 s.f. apartments the owners of Taylor Deli built for themselves above their original store. [WaPo]

Thomas Circle: Signs for Yale Lofts and The V Apartments vandalized on Mass Ave. [DCMetrocentric]

Penn Quarter: A Restaurant Week patron endorses Cedar Restaurant. [Urban Bohemian]

Image Credit: Darko Zagar (The Washington Post)

WaPo: Concessions Help Upscale Buildings Fill Apartments

From Tuesday's Washington Post:

Adam Paper moved into an apartment at the V at City Vista in the District this summer after the landlord waived the $600 upfront amenities fee, the $500 security deposit and two months of rent.


"I got an awesome deal, and I wasn't even pushing hard for it," Paper said. "We're paying $1,616 a month for a one-bedroom, one-bath apartment with a 10-foot-high ceiling in a building with amenities you would not believe. . . . I've been blown away by this place."

Continue reading on WashingtonPost.com

Hat Tip: PQResident

ReadysetDC features DURKL

Related to Sunday's posting of the new window lettering for DURKL apparel at 443 Eye Street, I've noticed that the ReadysetDC blog recently posted a "lookbook" feature on DURKL.


Yes, that's the blue auto body garage in the background.

Press on latest PFZ in MVT

The Washington Post Express and NBC Washington feature content regarding the latest Prostitution Free Zone (PFZ) in Mount Vernon Triangle.



Andy Shallal's sound byte referring to the PFZ as "comical" really stirred the pot. I guess I'm letting him off easy. He's the social injustice guy, so preference for focusing on the percieved root causes rather than policing the existing problem is what I'd expect out of him. Getting upset at Shallal for that would be like getting mad at Denis Leary for telling dick jokes or CEOs for being conservatives. But I digress, why shouldn't both the carrot and stick be used?

Restaurant Week is Here!

by KimFromTheK

Summer 2009 Restaurant Week (RW) has arrived! For those who are unaware, RW typically takes place twice a year--in January and August (usually coincides with Congressional Recess) and offers diners a 3 course prix fixe meal--$20.09 for lunch and $35.09 for dinner. Menus, and the value that comes along with them, vary widely. Some restaurants allow diners to choose any 3 course meal with minimal limitations and few up-charges, whereas others provide more limited menu options.

I typically try to check out a few RW favorites. This year I'm going to Charlie Palmer and Siroc for dinners, and Cafe Atlantico and Zola with some coworkers for lunch.

A copious number of restaurants are in walking distance to our neighborhood, with an overabundance in the Gallery Place/Penn Quarter area, including PS7, Rosa Mexicano, Zaytinya, Poste, and Zengo. The full listing of restaurants participating at available Washington.org while the Capital Spice blog has created a Google Maps Mashup.

A neighborhood zoom of the Capital Spice map; click to visit interactive version

There are many other posts out there tauting which restaurants to avoid and which are must-visits (as well as whether to take advantage at all!), so no need to rehash those conversations. Instead here are links to a few of them:

DC Foodies listing of menus and any restaurants that are extending beyond the standard week.

• The Washingtonian's RW Dining Guide plus critic Todd Kliman's recommends.
  
• Chowhounders' crowdsource their opinions

What are you waiting for? Make your RW reservations on Open Table now and bon appetite!

Eye Catching Displays

Below are snapshots of two signs posted in the neighborhood over the last few days.


The remodel of the office building at 425 Eye is in full force and the Paramount group recently erected the gigantic banner above along the structure's rear. I do think the slogan "Here comes the neighborhood" is a bit ridiculous for an office building. If you're going to spin it that way atleast hype the 28,000 s.f. of retail elsewhere on the banner. Overall I am pleased the blank wall has been dressed up.


Also of note on Eye Street is that DURKL apparel now has lettering in their front window. They reside in the blue & white garage at 443 Eye Street.

Photo from the MPD Bike Ride

Photo from the Mount Vernon Triangle MPD Bike Ride on August 20th, 2009.


On the MVSNA blog Si Kailian has recapped the outing and shared 8 additional photos.

Pets of Mount Vernon Triangle

Dan Silverman of the Prince of Petworth has been running contest called Coolest Pet in PoPville for the last 5-6 weeks. Well over a hundred pets have been featured on the blog during the contest.


I'd like to experiment with the concept but stay hyper local rather than citywide like PoP. I hope this should be a fun diversion that promotes some community spirit among neighborhood pet owners. Any resident of the Triangle (plus Yale, Mass Court, 400 Mass & Meridian) who would be interested in having their pet showcased on the blog please send the information below:

• Name of Pet
• Photograph (be creative or adorable)
• Either a caption for the photo or a short pet biography
• The name of the apt/condo you and your pet call home

Please email your submissions to mvtriangle|at|gmail|dot|com by Friday September 11th.

Photo Credit: M.V. Jantzen

Compilation CD artwork

Below is a flyer CD cover art related to Sonic Circuits prominently featuring the Triangle's I-395 air shaft (aka the Nixon Memorial).


Photo caption from IntangibleArts says:

Front panel of the very fab compilation CD of DC-area experimental music. Will be released this September, in conjunction with the 2009 Sonic Circuits Festival. Rock on like bitter freaks!

Linked up: 600 Mass, Franklin, and Union Station

City Center DC: In this development slowdown should the Old Convention Center site be converted to parkland? [DCMetrocentric]

Franklin Square: Plans to transform the Franklin School (13th & K) into a home for one or more charter schools have failed. Did they really have a chance? [TheOther35Percent]

Chinatown/MVT: A preview of the CORE Architects renderings for 600 Mass - a LEED Silver 380,000sf office project. [DCMetrocentric]

600 Mass rendering from CORE Architects

Union Station: A plan is being put before Congress with intent to streamline Union Station's role as a transportation hub with an intercity bus terminal. [DCMud]

Mount Vernon Triangle: Justin from ReadysetDC bestows love on MVT bikes and bike racks. He also shares a glimpse inside of Gold Leaf Studios (443 Eye St NW)

Twitter updates

I created a Twitter feed for the blog back in late March and embedded it in the right sidebar. Updates were sparse and sometimes 3 weeks apart. Now that I've upgraded to a 3G phone I'm using the medium more.

Twitter will be a source for shorter and quicker updates that share facts that aren't worthy of a full blog posting or hint at posts to come. I don't anticipate relying on the tool too heavily as I know over 140 of you subscribe through Google Reader and thereby don't benefit from the feed and other sidebar content I've embedded on the blog.

Here are a few tweets from the last several days:

• The DuMont served notice of infraction (re: standing water/algae) by DCRA today and will be served violation if still unresolved on Friday (5 PM Aug 18th)
  
• DCMetrocentric posts a rendering for 600 Mass (sporting an urban moat?): (9:09 AM Aug 18th)
  
• Contractors have begun working inside Taylor Gourmet at City Vista today! HT @john_thompson (5:25 PM Aug 17th)

Is a great face enough or does the entire body have to match?

Walking back to the Triangle from a brunch by Union Station a fellow Madrigal resident shared that she was not impressed by the new Ashton Judiciary (750 3rd St NW). "They invested money into a nice facade on the front of the building then went cheap on the sides and back" she said, and continued "that would irritate me if I lived there."

Ashton Judiciary; click to enlarge

I think the Ashton Judiciary looks fairly good. I appreciate that The Hanover Company didn't settle for a bland 3rd street facade. I had rather than have an architecturally distinctive contribution to the public space than a building that has a consistent yet bland look on all sides.

The Mather Studios; click to enlarge

Pictured above, the Mather Studios at 916 G Street NW, is another example of a building with a distinctive street facing facade that lacks the same detailing on the sides. Again, I think this is perfectly acceptable, but I do think a small mural or Trompe-l'œil on the bare concrete side would be an appealing improvement. This building has several artist studio residences - has beautifying the first 20-30 feet of the alley ever been proposed?

DC United trophy tour

The DC United's We Win Trophies Tour will be stopping at pubs nearby over the next few days. To launch the tour last night the trophy appeared at The Pug on H Street NE.

• Tues, Aug. 18 from 5:00 - 7:00 PM @ Fado (808 7th St NW)
  
• Fri, Aug. 21 from 5:00 - 7:00 PM @ The Irish Channel (500 H St NW)
  
• Tue, Sept. 1 from 5:30 - 7:30 PM @ The Green Turtle (601 F St NW)

At the event you may:

• Take your picture with the 2008 U.S. Open Cup Trophy.
  
• Enter to win merchandise, memorabilia and four sideline seats to the 2009 Open Cup Final

Visit DCUnited.com for the full list of DC metro area wide tour stops.

MVT CID Marketing Committee Meeting Agenda

MVT CID Marketing Committee Meeting
August 18, 2009; 6:00 p.m.
City Vista L Community Room (440 L Street NW)

The Marketing Committee promotes Mount Vernon Triangle through branding and organizing events. If you are interested in volunteering, please attend the next Marketing Committee meeting.

AGENDA

• Welcome and introductions
  
• Approval of the agenda
  
• Community Picnic at Mount Vernon Square – September 19; 11:00-6:00
  
• Walking Town DC Fall 2009 Edition – September 19; noon
  
• GWCAR's Real Tour – September 24
  
• Park Clean UP – October 3 or 10?
  
• Work Plan for FY10
  
• Adjourn

Past agendas and meeting minutes for the MVT CID marketing meeting can be found here.

A new voice in the Triangle

[Ed note: Please welcome our newest contributor Kimberly. She will be posting under the name KimFromtheK]

---

Long Time Reader, Occasional Commenter, and First Time Blogger Kim here. I live in The K at City Vista (hence the name KimFromTheK) and have been in the neighborhood since the summer of 2005 (renting at 400 Mass before we closed on our condo last fall). I moved to DC in 2004 and really enjoy living and working in the downtown area. My friends consider me to be a foodie as I'm always interested in the newest restaurants and trying new cuisines, so I'm guessing that my posts will lean towards food-related topics but hopefully I'll expand my horizons as well.

I hope to share a new perspective on life in Mount Vernon Triangle with you, loyal readers.

To kick it off, I thought I'd share with you the top things I love about living in Mount Vernon Triangle:

• Meeting my neighbors--old and new--who are excited about living here
• I walk to work
• Penn Quarter Farmer's Market on Thursday afternoons
• All of the new development and retail slated for the near future
• Having a supermarket in my building after living in DC for 4 years and needing to drive to get groceries
• Being greeted by name at my favorite sushi place (Momiji) since I'm there about once a week
• Accessibility to public transportation via the circulator and 3 metro lines (plus 2 more if I'm willing to walk a bit further) when I want, but also easy access to 395 and NY Ave
• My new favorite cheap eat restaurant, Taylor Gourmet, is coming to my building very soon!

Despite all the great things about the neighborhood there are a few things I think we're lacking (namely, a quality nail salon!) but I'm curious what everyone else enjoys about living here. Please share in the comments--maybe I'll discover something new to explore.

MVT Community Bike Ride with Police this Thursday

The Mount Vernon Triangle Community Improvement District (MVTCID) has organized the second edition of the annual neighborhood MPD bike ride. The ride will take place on Thursday August 20th beginning at 6pm at 555 Mass, wind its way through the neighborhood, and end at Golden Rule Plaza.


While I'm certain MPD is fully aware of the prostitute congregation at the 5th & Mass pocket park those participating in the ride should use this opportunity to express concern directly to the officers.

GGW: Mount Vernon Square circa 1887

Kent Boese offers a little history behind Mount Vernon Square on Greater Greater Washington.

Image from Flickr user DCKaleidoscope

Follow the link for more.

Triangle under consideration for new 6,000 seat theatre venue?

On Wednesday the Washington Business Journal created enormous buzz with news that the Madison Square Garden LP is aggressively scouring D.C. to identify a site for a new theatre venue. The article suggested MSG would open a venue of a 6,000 seats or more, requiring up to 100,000 square feet near shopping and public transit.

A day later, WBJ reporter Jonathan O'Connell unveiled more specifics on the locations under consideration. Two locations are in the immediate vicinity of the Nationals ballpark. The other three strike much closer to home:

• The Wilkes Company - Mount Vernon Place. Sandy Wilkes apparently met with the MSG team and he is planning 2.2 million square feet of development two blocks east of Mount Vernon Square. Not much further from the action.
  
• Douglas Development - Mount Vernon Triangle. Ever since assembling 1.2 million square feet across from the convention center, Douglas Jemal has been pursuing an entertainment attraction.
  
• Hines - CityCenter DC. The old convention center site will be the city's most high-end major development and has 111,460 square feet along New York Avenue between 9th and 11th Streets. Close to downtown, subway stations and dining options, it may be the most New York City-esque part of D.C.

How big would a 100,000sf venue be? Nearly double the size of the 59,000sf City Vista Safeway. From a capacity standpoint it would be 6X that of the 930 club, 3X the previously proposed House of Blues, and 1.5X the size of DAR Constitution Hall.

Proposed MSG venue would have 1.5 times the capacity of DAR Constitution Hall

What are reactions to this? I can't believe Mount Vernon Place is a serious contender. By my rough math neither of MVP's two largest remaining continuous assemblages of land on K Street is > 45000sf. City Center could definitely accomodate this project if desired. Douglas Development might have problems because of all the holdouts (Marrakesh, Rupperts) and historical properties they have to work around.

Where ever this project lands I hope MSG has a commitment to producing an architecturally beautiful building befitting a grand theatre rather than a value engineered blank box like the Convention Center or the 6th Street frontage of the Verizon Center.

UPDATE (8/18/09 7:10PM) - I've talked to an industry insider and while MSG needs 100,000 sf for the venue the required land footprint would be 50,000sf. Mount Vernon Place still is a non-starter as their largest land assemblage is 45,000sf which falls shy even before you have to carve a few thousand square feet out on the ground level for supporting infrastructure like parking garage egress, loading docks, etc...

Pictures from the Walker Jones School ribbon cutting

A few pictures from Tuesday's ribbon cutting ceremony for the Walker Jones School.


Clockwise from top left: Mayor Adrian Fenty; DCPS Superintendent Michelle Rhee (crouched); interior shot of library; ANC6C commissioners Mark Dixon & Lena Brown

Micro updates

A few small updates this morning:

• Several readers have pointed out that DDOT installed much needed physical barriers at 5th and Mass over the paint striped areas. See photos from John and Kim. While the barrels are a bit much this sort of temporary solution was needed to address the safety hazard DDOT created by leaving the intersection modifications they started incomplete.
  
  
• The water being pumped out from the DuMont onto the street is pooling along the yellow curb and producing Algae. The MVTCID has approached DCRA and they will send out an inspector.
  
  
• The prostitutes that previously congregated at 4th & L have relocated to the 5th & Mass triangle park next to the House of Ruth and Circulator bus stop. A few days ago I saw a man with no pants on wiping up after dropping a deuce. Please call MPD if you see any violations of the law.
  

Bye-bye Billboards

The MVSNA and other Shaw leaders have been successful in pushing DCRA to crackdown on illegal billboards in the district. Many of these billboards are simply revenue streams for absentee landlords to profit on a vacant lot or nuisance property. The community is left to deal with the daily blight as the dilapidated lots are habitually littered with trash and in some cases the billboards provide cover for nefarious activity. The neglected property at 300 New York Ave (pictured below) was a prime example of a trashy lot accompanied by a sloppy billboard.

former billboard at vacant 300 New York Ave lot; photo from Cary Silverman

Not all billboards are created equal. The large signage on the north face of the Hampton Inn (6th & K St NW) is not in the same category as those erected in the Shaw nuisance properties. I may be in the minority, but I've found a few of the Hampton Inn signs refreshing including last year's Hancock ad and this year's Spread Peace message from Yoko Ono.

Smart Water billboard at 11th and K St NW; image from Daquella Manera

My favorite billboard at the moment is the Smartwater Jennifer Aniston advertisement nearby at 11th & K. This gigantic wrap around billboard is on a vacant Douglas Jemal building and probably does need to be removed to be even handed with the regulation enforcement. However I would point out that unlike many of the other Shaw offenders it is a sheik advertisement fastened to a well constructed billboard. Contrast that with the aforementioned 300 New York Ave plywood wall of cheap posters and flyers for cancelled TV shows and DOA movies. Perhaps the Smartwater billboard can find a more legitimate home elsewhere.

Finally, there was some question surrounding the sales banners on Triangle condos. Several of my sources have relayed to me that in correspondence with DCRA these banners are deemed allowable during the initial sales period. As a neighbor I never found the City Vista sales banners to be aesthetically obnoxious. I do however wonder if you lived in the unit with a balcony next door to one would you hear it flapping violently on a windy day?

Just two months left in the trapeze season

Two months ago we highlighted the arrival of the Washington Trapeze School at City Center (9th & H). With just two months left in the "semester" I was wondering who has tried getting their high flying acrobat on?


Yelp does presently have 3 reviews for the local incarnation of the Trapeze School - each of which grades the class as a five star experience. Juliana from Chevy Chase writes: "I feel like a limp noodle, my hands are blistered and my arms are all scratched up, but damn if that wasn't one of the most fun evenings I've had in a while."

Lastly, it's worth mentioning that these classes are cheaper than you might think - roughly ~$50 for two hours.

Photo credit: Oddlittlebird

Looking for new voices

I just wanted to remind our readers that we have a standing open invitation to community members to join our blog.

We would love to have a contributor representing each of the buildings that reside within or share a border with the Triangle such as Yale Lofts or 400 Mass. Equally important to us to represent a diversity of perspectives. I tend to gravitate towards development news but would love to have this forum touch on a wider array of community related topics.

If you have interest in joining the writing staff for the Triangle please contact me via email (mvtriangle|at|gmail|dot|com).

Humanitini night at 5th & K Busboys

The Humanities Council of Washington is hosting an author event to discuss dating today at the 5th & K Busboys and Poets at 6PM this Thursday.

Humanitini: The Death of the Date
What's a date? Is a date when a man takes a woman out and buys her flowers? When the two parties go "Dutch," agreeing to split all costs? Or is the date now just a prelude to a "hook-up?" Join the Humanities Council of Washington for Humanitini night to discuss and debate the rules of contemporary dating. Invited guests include Janks Morton (What Black Men Think), Omarosa (The Bitch Switch) and Dr. Dana Treistman (District Psychotherapy Associates).

Omarosa? Isn't she just one of those people famous for being famous? From what I hear she wasn't effective at the business tasks on The Apprentice - just drama prone. Her wikipedia page says she has gone on to appear on 20 reality TV shows.

Walker Jones School Ribbon Cutting

This upcoming Tuesday the office of the Deputy Mayor of Economic Development (DMPED) is holding a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of the Walker Jones School.

The new facility, located at New Jersey Ave and L Street NW, is the first new school built by the Fenty Administration. It will serve as the education (K-8) and recreation anchor for Northwest One, one of the District's four New Communities projects.


While Walker Jones sits just across the street from the Mount Vernon Triangle's official boundaries it does serve as the voting precinct for residents of several Triangle buildings including City Vista.

Citypaper Sexist column highlights K Street sex trader

Jason Cherkis from the City Paper describes the life of a sex trader named Diane who drives her white Mercedes SUV to 6th & K Street NW to prostitute herself.

Diane has been a sex worker for about 10 years. Before the luxury condos, bright grocery store and trendy coffee shop moved in, the area used to be a real hang-out spot. 600 K Street wasn’t just a stroll. The block had a party atmosphere when she started coming around. Not every girl was a sex worker. But soon, she couldn’t help but notice the bills changing hands.

When Diane first started working, she used her earnings for clothes and accessories—what she calls “fashion.” Then she started using PCP. The money could more than cover her habit. She says the night of a Howard homecoming was her best—she made $2,500. But some nights are just a lot of standing around leaning suggestively against a Mercedes SUV.

Nando's Peri-Peri Sangria Happy Hour

Jo-Ann Neuhaus' PennQuarter.org email blasts send out information about deals in the neighborhood on an a frequent basis. The Sangria special below from Nandos Peri Peri (819 7th Street NW) caught my attention:

Nando's Peri-Peri
Sangria Happy Hour

Monday - Friday
4:00 - 7:00 pm

32-ounce pitcher of Sangria $4.95
(Normally $14.95)

Has anyone tried the Sangria? How is it? Any other feedback on this Nando's in general? The reviews on Yelp seem solid and I have to say that after getting past the unconventional ordering system I agree it's good solid cheap eat.

Streetcar network could include K Street

The Washington Business Journal shares elements of DDOT director Gabe Klein's vision for a streetcar network with Jonathan O'Connell's piece: D.C. wants to revive streetcar plan.

Anthony Williams, the mayoral predecessor to Fenty, originally laid plans to build two pilot streetcar lines in H Street NE and Anacostia. Three streetcars had been purchased but have sat idle in the Czech Republic as the projects stalled. Klein wants to not only jumpstart those lines but build a network. How will it be different this time?

Although the Williams administration planned to build a streetcar network without federal dollars, as Portland, Ore. did with its model system, Klein said meetings with Ray LaHood, U.S. Department of Transportation secretary, have convinced him that the federal government will be a partner.

LaHood "is extremely supportive. I think he’s pretty excited about the possibility of it running right in front of the Department of Transportation headquarters,” which is on M Street SE, Klein said. He said the city plans to seek funding through the federal New Starts program, in which the Federal Transit Administration partially finances locally planned and operated transit. Klein said the program was being transformed under LaHood into an attractive option.

As we anticipated from our April discussion on a K Street streetcar, Klein would like to build a streetcar network that would include a route through downtown. The Downtown BID and other stakeholders have been pushing for the K Street line.

UPDATE [8/7/2009 12:10PM]: Greater Greater Washington recapped the DDOT public forum on streetcars that was held last night at the Atlas Theatre.

DDOT's facebook page has a photo album of the ongoing track installation on Benning Road NE. If K Street will be part of the streetcar network our track installation should ideally occur the same time as the streetscape improvements so that residents and business only impacted by construction only once.

Lastest on 5th and Eye from DCMud

The latest from DCMud entitled Mount Vernon Triangle Waits for All that Jazz offers an update on the status for The Arts at 5th and Eye.

To reintroduce the Donohoe/Holland project to readers the piece begins by outlining the familiar details including the plans for the ME by Melia luxury hotel, bicycle shop, café and new space for Zenith Art Gallery.

Rendering from original Donohoe/Holland proposal

DCMud learned from Holland that the most substantial shift from the original plan is that the Boisdale Jazz club will likely be located at 5th & K, in a property which Donohoe is negotiating terms for, rather than within the anchor hotel.

Image of Louis Rogue from Mr T in DC

This confirms the rumors I have heard that Donohoe aims to acquire the Louis Rogue property from the Sigalas brothers to locate Boisdale in the historically protected structure. This change in direction should be outstanding for accelerating the transformation of 5th & K. The arrival of the London based Jazz club could align closer to the timeframes for the renovation of a 3-story building rather than the lengthy construction of a 12-story hi-rise hotel. Also, in the longer run, as DCMud notes, it frees up space in the Melia hotel for another prominent restaurant.

Linked up: Mc-B, Ashton, and Banners

• Chris Ballard, of McWilliams-Ballard, tells the Washington Business Journal that "the local condo market reached bottom months ago, and predicts there will be a supply shortage within 12 to 18 months."


• DCMud features the new Ashton Judiciary Square rental bulding which is bring some much needed 3BR inventory to downtown.
  
  
  
  
• The District Chatter considers the sales banners at City Vista and Yale as illegal billboards and applauds DCRA efforts to have them removed.
  
  
  Image from Sean Robertson

Carmine's coming to Penn Quarter

PQLiving got the scoop that popular NYC Italian restaurant Carmine's will be arriving to 425 7th Street NW next Spring.

I came across the a Fox Business video that unveils more details straight from the CEO Jeffrey Bank. Twenty-thousand square feet, 10 private dining rooms, and seating for 650!

Missy Frederick's WBJ article states the restaurant will have a separate entrance that secret service and foreign dignitaries can take advantage of.

DuMont still a sinking ship? **UPDATE**

The DuMont continues to sit on the market as Ideal Realty Group attempts to attract buyers. While the current lending environment is unquestionably hindering progress on this front as a neighbor it's more puzzling why the building continues to take on water. Flood Control trucks were a common sight in December of 2008. Here we are 9 months later and the building still is pumping water out of the garage after heavy rains.



UPDATE [8/7/2009 12:30PM]: From a reader email it appears that today Pepco is pumping water out of the DuMont's electrical vaults.

National Night Out ** UPDATED**

UPDATE [8/4/2009 2:37PM] I'm now hearing the PSA 101W NNO walk will begin at 7th & H at 6:30PM rather than Golden Rule.

---

National Night Out (NNO) is an annual event, sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch, that takes place on the first Tuesday in August. Each year, the Metropolitan Police Department actively participates in National Night Out by rallying community members throughout the District of Columbia to join with neighbors and police officers in their PSAs to be a part of this annual event.

I'm still trying to track down more hard specifics, but here's what I've heard so far for NNO in the Triangle:

From Lt Royal:

"PSA 101 is going to do a walk from Chinatown to the Golden Rule building (1050 NJ Ave NW) for an ice cream social and then back. Starts at 6:30pm. Residents can use the walk to point out issues to the police".

Additionally the MVSNA National Night Out group will meet at Safeway at 7:30PM.

UPDATE [8/3/2009 5:37PM]
From DNA President Miles Groves:

National Night Out is scheduled for tomorrow night, Tuesday, August 4. This year we start with an ice cream social at The Golden Rule Plaza located at 1050 New Jersey Avenue NW at 6:30PM.

Following this “meet and greet” social hour, Lt Craig Royal will partner with members of the 101W neighborhood for a community walk from Golden Rule along the K Street Corridor to Chinatown and back. Throughout the night crime prevention literature and discussions will be held for community members. It will be an opportunity to point out areas of concern along the walk as well as sharing other parts of the neighborhood that deserve greater focus. This is a great opportunity to meet with neighbors, walk the neighborhood, and discuss issues with police officers responsible for the downtown neighborhood.

This is an important way to show our support for our neighborhood police officers, so please try to attend.

The V Apartments Marketing

The V apartments marketing campaign (www.thevatcityvista.com) incorporated an option for potential renters between 2 months free rent or participation in the unique “generoCITY” concession offering. The “generoCITY” program offers up to $5,000 in savings at the on-site retail at CityVista including Safeway, Busboys and Poets, Results, the Gym and 5th Street Hardware.


I couldn't ever imagine selecting the “generoCITY” program over two months free rent unless the dollar values made the spending program a winner by a large margin. If it is designed as an even value proposition, which it likely is, I don't understand the usefulness. It seems purely like a marketing gimic to stand out - not that there is anything wrong with that.


To round out this posting I discovered the online spotlight and case study from Merrick Towle Communications for their City Vista marketing campaign (pictured above).

Street Soccer USA Cup

This weekend Kastles Stadium at City Center DC is hosting the Street Soccer USA Cup. Mayor Fenty Tournament games accompanied by DJ music will go on throughout the weekend with the final game scheduled for 3pm on Sunday. Admission to the event is free.


From the SSUSA website:

Street Soccer USA offers the most excluded a chance to get in the game. SSUSA is national league of street soccer teams, which grows the game in urban areas while helping the homeless and impoverished move off the street and back into education and jobs. As official partner of the Homeless World Cup, SSUSA competes in the 56 nation international tournament each year. We also host the Street Soccer USA Cup, the nation's premier sport for social change event. Visit www.streetsoccerusablog.com. Get in the game yourself by playing with us and investing in the lives of our players.