12/4/00: Sources indicate Crunch, a popular gym franchise, will open its first DC gym in paint store location at 15th & P (SE corner). Crunch has multiple locations in NYC and Atlanta, plus outposts in SF, LA, Orange County, Chicago and Miami. See http://www.crunch.com Fresh Fields due to open in 8 days. Next-door CVS opened on Nov 26. On that same block of P St, the Haute men's couture shop got a nice article in the Blade. See http://www.washblade.com/point/001103c.htm Hamburger Mary's (14th St) no longer plans on having a dance floor, due to pressure from neighbors. Visit the new ANC 2F Web site for a few tidbits regarding 14th St improvements and new residential projects. See http://www.anc2f.org Expect removal of rush-hour restrictions on 13th St, returning it to a more neighborhood-friendly environment. See email from Jim Graham below. We have a new art gallery: Kitchen K in the Winter Building on U St between 15th and 14th - they feature well-designed store-bought objects. See http://www.kitchenk.org Julio's (16th & U) will be transformed into a new restaurant, gourmet carryout, caterer and drink bar by David Hagedorn, chef of Food & Friends (and formerly of Trumpets fame). He is now looking for people to invest in the project. He's offering investors a large monthly food credit to be used at the restaurant or carryout in addition to a percentage of the profits. The Washington Post ran a great article on Thursday on home furnishings stores in Adams-Morgan and U St. See http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A3539-2000Nov29.html and http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A3520-2000Nov29.html HRC store is now open in basement of former Circle bar (next to The Left Bank). See http://www.washblade.com/local/001124b.htm The Ann Taylor shop coming to Conn Ave will be an "Ann Taylor Loft," which apparently sells clothing that is more casual and more moderately priced. (Let's see if they also offer size 11 shoes.) See WBJ for more info, plus mentions of U St's Urban Essentials: http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2000/12/04/newscolumn7.html Co-owner of Shark Clubs has bought 1337 Conn Ave, former site of Vertigo Books (and Republican National HQ before that). Expect two stories to be used as a restaurant, bar, and/or nightclub. Mayor Williams will host a holiday party and toy drive at Badlands on Wednesday Dec 20. Washington Flyer has a short but interesting article featuring local fixer-uppers: http://www.fly2dc.com/articles/2000/2000_11_02.asp The passenger ferry service along the Potomac has been delayed, but will hopefully stop at Georgetown sometime this summer. See http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2000/11/13/story3.html and http://www.riverjet.com Previous report of Crate & Barrel opening a CB2 nearby (hipper, younger version of C&B) must be retracted, as local management preferred Virginia, and nationally no new CB2s will be built in the next 12 months. (see http://www.cb2.com) Barnes & Noble at 12th & E is now open. New Christmas display windows at Woodies will be unveiled soon. The New York Times ran a article called "Washington Sets Its Sights on Downtown" - See http://www.nytimes.com/2000/12/03/national/03DEEC.html For more development news visit new Web site for the Planning and Economic Development Office - http://www.dcbiz.dc.gov Read about plans for NoMa at http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2000/11/20/story4.html Girlfriends magazine rated DC as 7th best lesbian place to live (ahead of San Francisco but behind Seattle). Washington City Paper brought to my attention an odd museum in LeDroit Park - the Squished Penny Museum. See http://www.squished.com (Anyone interested in going?) When shopping for Christmas, please remember to support local merchants who help make Dupont a vibrant, unique neighborhood. (Home Rule, Millenium, Universal Gear, Reincarnations, Simply Home, Coffee and the Works, The Left Bank, Ginza, Teaism, Good Wood and Rock Creek, to name a few.) I posted a new cartoon called "Snow Day" at http://www.announce.com/khein/michael/theatre/ (sign guest book SVP) Finally, if anyone ends up watching the Kennedy Center Honors Dec 27th, watch for my brief appearance at the end of the tribute to Placido Domingo - in the group of opera goofballs on stage, I'm the priest holding the banner. (The costume assignments were made based on size, not merit!) See http://kennedy-center.org/honors Have a merry Christmas! Michael PS - Please note I have a new e-mail address! (mvs202@yahoo.com) ****************************************************** DATE: Thu, 30 Nov 2000 17:59:17 --- In columbia_heights@egroups.com, GrahamWOne@aol.com wrote: Dear Friends: Last night, in Ward 4 at a meeting convened by Councilmember elect Adrian Fenty and myself, we took another step toward returning 13th Street to nonrush hour conditions. What this would mean is an end to rush hour parking restrictions (no more switching sides of street). More importantly, as the speed limit will be dropped to 25 mph and the lanes narrowed to one each way, the traffic will be slowed. There will be no more "I-270 extended" feeling to what is a residential street. What that will result in is a pedestrian- and neighborhood-friendly road, with fewer accidents and injuries than are experienced today. The area under consideration stretches from Missouri Avenue through Ward One to Logan Circle. By the way, Councilmember Evans (Ward 2) has voiced to me his support as well. As the traffic experts from DPW pointed out, there will be a period of transition (extra police presence would help), but that after a few weeks people will adjust to the fact that 13th is not what it used to be. DPW also announced plans for traffic modifications on Georgia Avenue and 14th Street, to insure that those streets would also be safer for those who live in those neighborhoods I was very pleased to see that Eleanor Hudgins-Jordan, chair of ANC 1A and Scott Pomeroy, President of the Cardozo Shaw Neighborhood Association, both were in attendance as advocates of the change. Both organizations have played leadership roles in this issues. With strong support from Ward One residents, I am going to continue to press this issue. In doing so, we will send a signal to suburban and other commuters that DC neighbhorhoods will not overly accomodate, as they have in the past, the movement of auotmobiles, often at unacceptable sppeds, through bl;ocks were poeple live and children play. Its all a matter of balance. But in the past, as 13th Street was widened and sidewalks narrowed all to make way for cars, we struck a balance far too much in favor of commuting. As a member of the Metro Board, I believe in mass transit and public transportation. Our friends in neighboring jurisdictions who wish to come into jobs in DC, need to have greater reliance on that form of transportation. The next step from here, is to finalize the DPW rulemaking and issue the new rule for 13th Street. DPW appears ready to take that step. I will work to insure that the Mayor's people are in support, and permit that action to go forward. Please voice support for this neighborhood friendly action. Bests, Jim Graham, Ward One Councilmember |