Saturday, February 28, 2009

Open Houses scheduled in and around Bloomingdale for 3/1/2009

I'm pleased to report that last week's price reduction and Open House for 70 Rhode Island Ave NW #202 resulted in a contract. Hopefully, we'll have another new neighbor soon.

Here are the Open Houses for Sunday 1 March. There's a new listing on Adams that is described as fully renovated.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

7th Street Garden has been renamed Common Good City Farm!

Good day all!
First off, if you haven't heard yet, the 7th Street Garden has been renamed Common Good City Farm! Stay tuned to www.commongoodcityfarm.org for upcoming events, workshops, and information.

And second, please come out to the new site at 3rd and V Streets, NW this Saturday 11am - 1pm. We'll be spreading soil, lasagna gardening, tilling and more! Work gloves and tools will be provided. Bring water to drink and a snack if you'll need one. Email info@ CommonGoodCityFarm.org with any questions. (*Please note* Children under 16 must be supervised by an adult.)
Stay warm, see you soon,
Liz, Susan and Common Good Staff

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

In recognition of Black History Month, the Bloomingdale Civic Association, and the Bates Area Civic Association cordially invite you to the
First Annual A-W-E Festival
a celebration of Artists Writers, and Entertainers.


St. George's Episcopal Church
160 U St NW
Saturday, February 28, 2009
1:00 pm to 4:00 pm

The afternoon program will include award winning photographer, Jason Miccolo Johnson, author, Natalie Hopkinson, artist, Sylvia Jackson, classical vocalist, Dimery Mowery, story-teller, Jennifer Ashburn, and musicians James McKinnery and Will Smith. Importantly, several of the participants in the program have roots in the surrounding community. St. George's was asked to partner with these indigenous community organizations on this project because of the welcoming spirit St. George's exhibits and the outreach it continues to extend to the residents of the neighborhood. --- Bloomimgdale and Bates Civic Association Presidents: Cassandra Costley, and James Berry, respectively.

Monday, February 23, 2009

Cheryl's Gone Reading Series February 26 - 8PM

Cheryl's Gone Reading Series
February 26 - 8PM

Ryan Walker (poetry)
Sara Hov (fiction)
Zein El-Amine (poetry)
Spoonboy (music)

Big Bear Cafe
1st & R Streets NW
Washington, DC
**FREE**

Ryan Walker has lived and worked in Washington, DC since 1999. He enjoys latin america, partying, coffee and light. He blogs at www.bathybius.com.

Zein El-Amine was born and raised in Lebanon. He came to the US in the Late 80’s and worked for 20 years as a Civil Engineer. He quit engineering to pursue his writing. He is now finishing his MFA in poetry and working as Assistant Director to the Writers’ House where he teaches creative writing and leads Study Abroad literary trips to Egypt. He is a founding member and a frequent contributor to the award winning LEFT TURN magazine where his contributions include lead editorials; articles on the prison industrial complex, gentrification and education; and book and movie reviews. His poems have been published by Beltway Quarterly, DC Poets Against the War Anthology, Penumbra, GYST, and Joybringer. He has won the Tallahassee Writers’ Association Annual Poetry and Haiku Contest.

Sara Hov writes kick-ass fiction and received her MFA from George Mason University in 2008, & she writes good po etry too. (Perhaps I'll have a more formal bio for her posted to the website soon...)

Spoonboy plays guitar and sings in the Max Levine Ensemble, a DC-based punk band who play poppy, punky songs with insightful and political lyrics. He’s released a solo CD, “I Love You, This Is a Robbery”, on Plan-It-X records, and is an active force in the local music scene.

www.cherylsgone.com

Le Droit Park House on Curb Appeal

a rowhouse in Le Droit gets a facelift

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Open Houses in and around Bloomingdale scheduled for 02/22/2009



The list of Open Houses scheduled in and around the neighborhood for Sunday can be found here.

I'd like to specifically mention two. One is my listing, and I must say, wholeheartedly, that this is a great deal! I have a loft-style true one bedroom listed in The Providence at 70 Rhode Island Ave NW for $229,900. It will be open from 1-4pm on Sunday. This awesome unit features a fireplace, a spacious kitchen with granite counters, washer/dryer in the unit, and loads of natural light. For pics, click on the link above and click the camera icon at the top left of the 70 Rhode Island Ave listing.

I'd also like to mention a For Sale by Owner Open House that isn't in the list scheduled through MRIS. 125 Randolph Place NW will be held open from 1-4pm on Sunday. It is a fabulous full renovation by an architect. It has 5 bedrooms total and 3.5 baths. Priced at $599,000., it is really worth checking out.

Friday, February 06, 2009

The 2nd Annual Urban Gardening Forum.

Rooting DC 2009. The 2nd Annual Urban Gardening Forum.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2009

Who: Are you a community gardener in Washington, DC? A teacher with a schoolyard garden? A member of a garden club or block club interested in beautifying your neighborhood? Involved with a non-profit leading a gardening program? Or, are you interested to get involved with such community projects? If so, you are invited to attend this forum designed to bring DC Gardeners together to reconnect. Join us to share resources and foster partnerships between those who are working towards common goals of a greener, healthier DC!

REGISTER here. http://www.rootingdc.org/

Keep Rooting DC Free: DONATE here. http://www.rootingdc.org/donate

VOLUNTEER! Contact Liz Falk at 7thStreetGarden@gmail.com to help either the weeks prior to the event and/or during.

Where: At the beautiful and historic Carnegie Library, 801 K Street NW.

When: 10 am - 4pm, a light lunch will be provided.

How Much: Just like last year, this event will be FREE and open to the public!

Sisters Pizza and Mussels

Sisters Pizza and Mussels in NoMa is open and apparently they deliver.

I used to actually go to Lake Hopatcong all the time as a kid, so may just as well have eaten at the place that inspired the owners. Pizza and Mussel places are pretty common in Northern New Jersey.

anyone been yet?
i can't find a phone number, but they are located at 2nd and n NE.

the white and colored playground

crazy thing to call a playground, huh?
according to some posts over at the truxton circle discussion board, thats what the playground at First and New York avenue NW is called.

commenter joycepaul said

According to documents at the MLK Washingtonian, "In 1911 Congress created the Public Playground Department. In July 1951, the Recreation Board voted to change the NY Avenue Playground from a white only to a bi-racial use playground, staffed by the negro division." This was the first playground staffed by the negro division. Neighbors soon designated and began refering to the playground as the White and Colored playground. African American families came from all over the DC area to utilize this facility along with Caucasian family as a intergrated place where all children could play and have fun. Activities were planned for the whole family and this facility won numerous awards and competitions.






reading that reminded me of a conversation i had a a few years ago.

On the 50th anniversary of brown vs board of education, a neighbor of mine, Columbus Rich was interviewed ( and appeared on the cover !) for Washingtonian Magazine. Here's his part in the article:

Columbus Rich, 66, a retired manager for the National Education Association, moved to the Bloomingdale neighborhood near DC's whites-only McKinley Tech High School in 1949, when he was 11.

McKinley's field was beautiful. There was a guy who took care of it named Jessie. We'd go over there to play baseball, and Jessie would come out and run us off.

We got to the point where we said, "Let's stop running away. Let's just all spread out and let Jessie chase us." So Jessie came out: "You get off this field"--he had a very heavy German accent. He'd bring the hose and shoot water at us, and we'd scatter. We figured he wasn't going to catch all of us.


Columbus Rich was a 1957 graduate of McKinley Tech.





Interestingly enough, the article mentions Sidwell Friends School.

The Rest of the article can be seen HERE

Selections From the Barnett-Aden Collection: A Homecoming Celebration

old african american art gallery

2 mentions in the post about the Barnett-Aden Collection

HERE and HERE.
the neighborhood


The Barnett Aden Gallery, the first privately owned black gallery in the United States and one of Washington, DC's principal art galleries, was founded in 1943 by James Vernon Herring (1897-1969) and Alonzo Aden (1906-1961).


more info about the gallery on cultural tourism dc

Free Diapers and Baby Formula for Working Parents -

Free Diapers and Baby Formula for Working Parents - 2/12/2009 - 4pm-7pm



FAMILY AND CHILD SERVICES OF WASHINGTON DC, INC
PRESENTS
BABY BASICS
BABY BASICS is a Program to provide free diapers and/or formula to working low-income families who are in need but do not qualify for state or federal assistance
On February 12, 2009 from 4pm to 7pm
Diapers and Infant Formula will be distributed to eligible families.
Assistance is based on the following requirements:
· DC Residency
· At least one working parent/guardian
· Family is NOT receiving federal or DC assistance (i.e. Medicaid, TANF, Food Stamps)
· Family meets income requirements (based on WIC guidelines)
· Child is under 3 years old
As parents pick up the diapers and formula they will receive also receive "Helpful Hints for Parenting" information.
Family and Child Services is located at:
1509 16th Street, NW
For more information / to set-up appointment, Call:
Ann McCombs (202) 289-1510 ext. 1180
(Please leave a message if no one is available to assist you immediately. They will call you back to do a phone in-take) ****Parents will be asked to sign a brief form indicating that they meet the stated criteria. Pay stub, Proof of DC residency and Picture ID will be required.*** *

seems the firehouse project might not be completely dead

Twyla Garrett, the restaurateur of the project, might still make a go of it......

i sure do hope -something- happens there.
oh .. and i saw people working on it today.....

Thursday, February 05, 2009

Community Presentation on the Development of the McMillan Sand Filtration Site

The Neighborhoods of EYA and Jair Lynch Development Partners.

WARD 5 COUNCILMEMBER HARRY “TOMMY” THOMAS, JR.,
THE DEPUTY MAYOR FOR PLANNING & ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT, THE MCMILLAN ADVISORY GROUP, &
VISION MCMILLAN PARTNERS

Invite You To A

Community Presentation on
the Development of the
McMillan Sand Filtration Site

Saturday, February 7, 2009
10:00am to 12:00pm
Trinity University Social Hall
125 Michigan Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20017

Vision McMillan Partners, the development team for the site, includes:

• EYA
• Jair Lynch Development Partners
• StreetSense
• The Alexander Company
• Smoot & Urban Service Systems Corporation


A TOWN HALL MEETING TO PRESENT CONCEPT PLANS FOR THE SITE, BASED ON PRIOR COMMUNITY AND DISTRICT FEEDBACK AND FEEDBACK FROM THE COMMUNITY MEETING ON DECEMBER 13TH.

WE ENCOURAGE STRONG ATTENDANCE AND WANT TO SEE YOU THERE!

Discussion Topics will include:

• Presentation of Revised Concept Plans Based on Feedback from the December 13th Community Meeting at Trinity - Will include Open Space, Historic Preservation, Mixed-Income & Multi-Generational Housing, Community Serving Retail and Restaurants, Job Creating Office Space, Hospitality, and Community, Education, and Cultural Space

• Key Community Issues - Context and Density, Traffic/Smart Growth, Infrastructure, Community Benefits, LSDBE Participation, Job Creation, Sustainable/Green Development, and Other Community Issues


Light Food and Parking Provided

For More Information, Contact:
Vicky Chambers, Office of CM Thomas, at 202- 727- 8204
John Basile, EYA, at 301- 634- 8600

Tuesday, February 03, 2009

overrun with drunks and homeless guys

"overrun with drunks and homeless guys"
pennywise

commenting about bloomingdale over at the Prince of Petworth Blog on a post about the firehouse

over at DCists take on the project we have this gem by "northcap" :
In order to succeed, a bar in Bloomingdale needs to have the following:

1. Beer
2. Chairs (optional?)