Tonight I have another opportunity to reflect on the neighborhood we call home. It is appropriate to do so on Groundhog Day, as we look at the shadows of the past and contemplate the future.

North of the circle, along Connecticut Avenue, the old Kemp Mill space was handsomely refurbished into a new home for Blue Mercury. National sandwich shops moved in, with the new Potbelly, in Midi's old home, outshining the designs of the new Subway and Quiznos. Irvine Contemporary Art replaced Troyer Gallery. Comfort One Shoes moved a fourth store into former Fuzio cafe, with AT&T moving into the old shoe store. Import shop Hong Kong closed its doors, to be replaced soon with clothing shop Daddy & Son. Candleman opened up in Blue Mercury's original home.

City Lights of China expanded next door into former Viareggio space. La Tomate's owners opened Mouaryo, a new Greek restaurant. Sette Osteria opened up in a space once used for Dupont's claustrophobic theatres.

The long-vacant corner space at S St was announced to become home to Commerce Bank, but the absence of progress makes that seem unlikely. Nearby, a new lounge has been proposed for the space above the dumpy Royal Palace strip club. One of Dupont's best assets, Visions cinema and lounge, closed its doors.

A few blocks east on 18th Street, Wazuri closed but happily opened the door for Straits of Malaya to return. Regent Thai replaced 88, once known as Grille 88, and before that 1910, and before that Mediterranean Blue.

On to 17th Street, the most neighborly town center in the city. This stable street doesn't see much change, but an electrical fire brought an end to the dumpy pizza part of Trios. Steam Cafe opened in the space vacated by Aster Florist. Gift shop Infuzion is now home to Circle Boutique. After giving up on using the upstairs for a bar, the space above Peppers became home to a hair and nail salon. Most recently, Pena Market was closed by the city; their fate is unknown.

On the southern stretch of Connecticut Avenue, Internet Cafe Ben n'Mo shut its doors. Fast-food chicken outlet Kookoo Roos moved in with Fuddruckers.

On P Street, Mr P's shut down but was promised new life under the ownership of Odeon's owner, but there has been no apparent construction. 21P replaced BeDuCi. DC Hot entered the sandwich shop competition. Cocoį replaced Pan Asian, once upon a time my favorite restaurant. Special thanks go out to Mimi's American Bistro which decided to go smoke-free. The Radisson Barcelo Hotel was bought by Kimpton, the stylish company behind The Rouge, Topaz and Helix.

The new business that got the most press was Krispy Kreme, opening in the prominent tip between 19th and Connecticut. Elsewhere, The Chocolate Moose moved to its new home at 17th and L. Nusta Spa opened at 20th & L. Cineplex Odeon Inner Circle 3, at 23rd & M, shut down. Heurich House re-opened to the public. Savino's shut down but will soon re-open as Cloud. Beacon Bar & Grill opened in the newly-expanded Beacon Hotel, formerly the Governor's House.

The area once shyly known as Dupont East has blossomed into a dynamic presence on its own. After losing so many book stores in Dupont and U St, it was a welcome surprise to see Candida's World of Books open near 14th & Q Streets. Another fun retailer, 100% Mexico, Hecho a Mano, opened nearby. 14th Street's reputation as an arts district grew when the former Sign of the Lamb building became home to a handful of art galleries. Plans were announced for yet another new art gallery, Plan B, nearby. Meanwhile, Studio Theatre completed their expansion into two neighboring buildings. The cluster of furniture stores will be getting a new entry when Storehouse opens at 14th & Church. Source Theatre went dark.

The 1400 block of P Street matured, with TCBY closing, but a dry cleaners opening across the street. The new DeSoto building will soon be home to a Wachovia Bank and restaurant Merkado. A new gay lounge, Halo, opened above Empire Video. It was first noted for its clean style, and then made news by declaring itself to be smoke-free. May we see similar announcements in the coming year.

Along U Street, I'll start at 16th Street, where yet another Subway shop opened up. On the 1500 block, Trade Secrets moved upstairs to replace Sisterspace and Books. Pizza Boli's moved in next door. Boutique shops Junction and Sweet Magnolia opened up. Further east, Simply Home Cuisine brought us the city's most design-conscious take-out, from the team behind Rice. Cozy and acclaimed restaurant Kuna shut down, and then re-emerged as Opera. At 13th & U, Alero and Sala Thai opened up in the Ellington, under a new landmark neon sign.

I've given up trying to keep track of every coming and going in Adams Morgan. The highest-profile new restaurant is probably Leftbank, which replaced Cities. But the big news is construction finally began on the old Kilimanjaro building, which is expected to get a health spa and cafe, among other uses. A new weekly arts market opened up on the 18th Street courtyard of Marie Reed. And just a few blocks away, at 17th & Kalorama, Harris Teeter announced its intentions for a new grocery store in the former roller skating rink.

In May, Adams Morgan Main Street sponsored a transportation charrette. A nationally-recognized transportation consultant was brought in to help neighbors and business owners develop a proposal to improve access and safety. Among the recommendations were a proposal to ameliorate the "super-block" around Marie Reed by re-opening Champlain Street and extending Wyoming Avenue between the park and the school to connect 18th Street to Champlain. The goal is to have more streets with smaller traffic flow, rather than a single wide street with all the traffic. 18th Street needs major modifications in order to be part of a walkable community; certainly the sidewalks must be widened.

Another significant proposal was to replace Marie Reed with a multi-purpose building that would add residential and commercial space alongside a new school. From what I've seen of this poorly-designed building, it deserves to be torn down.

The West End has several significant projects in the works, one of which will become home to the city's first Trader Joe's.

Georgetown completed its new streetscape. The project clearly gave priority to cars over people, ruining a rare opportunity to transform Georgetown's business district into a first-rate walkable community. Yet just south of M Street, Cady's Alley grew with more new businesses, offering a car-free outdoor space.

The big star downtown was the new Gallery Place. With a new cineplex and a slew of nigh-profile retailers, this stretch of 7th Street is barely recognizable. And soon a new bowling alley will make Chinatown a true destination.

Back in Dupont, the DC government was persuaded to tear down the steel canopies erected over two trolley station entrances in 1993. The vast space below remains unused, and in spite of a judge ruling the lease to be in the hands of a former tenant, the DC government is claiming the original contract to be invalid. So this valuable real estate will sit idle. It is being eyed, some say, as a new home for businesses displaced by the baseball stadium, but its future is very murky.

Nearby, we welcome the return of Iraq's embassy, as the world watches their first democratic elections.

There was progress for local cyclists, as bike lanes were added to parts of Q and R Streets. This is a great start. Let's continue improving access until bicycling becomes a welcoming and convenient mode of transportation for everyone. Dupont is already a crossroads for so many avenues for cars; let it also be a crossroads for bike routes from the National Arboretum to Rock Creek Park, and from Adams Morgan to the Mall.

A gay community center was proposed for Stead Park, which now seems unlikely. The DC government then proposed renovations of Stead Park as well as S and T Street parks. The design for Stead would turn this underused park into a neighborhood gem. One proposal suggested that 17th St's businesses be encouraged to open up their rear facades to make the alley an attractive promenade.

Guerilla Queer Bar opened a DC chapter, and turned unlikely straight bars into gay community centers of a different sort, one night at a time.

But then, that's the appeal of our neighborhood, one giant community center.

In a place with so many well-traveled residents, we benefit from exposure to the best in the world, and hope we can bring back examples to our home town. As Ayn Rand wrote in "The Fountainhead," "Show me your achievement, and the knowledge will give me courage for mine."

Can you imagine visiting a capital city where the fountains are not lit at night? Dupont's own fountain lies in shadows at night. As an anchor for Embassy Row, as the heart of the city's most vibrant circle, this fountain must be given underwater lights.

This is our built environment. We are as much a product of it as it is of us, to paraphrase Winston Churchill's aphorism "We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us." We are blessed to live in a community with a wealth of buildings with character, not just the historic survivors but, rarely, new construction as well. Ayn Rand noted "A building has integrity just like a man. And just as seldom."

Happy birthday, Ayn. 100 years.

How lucky we are to be surrounded by such good fortune. Let us both appreciate our inheritance and work for improvements to leave behind.

And special thanks to the West End Guide, whose Web site offers well-written local stories with helpful illustrations. It's been a welcome news source.

Best wishes for the coming year. Party on, and be excellent to each other.