It’s all about the neighborhood
WAMU reporter Martin Austermuhle published an article today about Grant Circle residents being sued for $25 million dollars. The developer, Jay Gross, is accusing residents Oscar Beisert, Thomas Woodruff and Stephen Wright of "conspiring to stop him from renovating and expanding" three rowhouses located on Grant Circle (7, 14 & 15 Grant Circle).
Read more about the lawsuit and the developer's complaint:
Read MoreWalking along Illinois Avenue with a friend yesterday. We stop to admire this car, and she says, "Gosh, what size rims are those?"
I look over at her and say...
"28s..."
Walking across Grant Circle can be a risky choice, one that has been frustrating residents for many years. Emails have been sent to DDOT, the DC Council and others for several years, looking for improvements to the circle that will ensure better pedestrian safety and greater traffic calming measures. Previously, the DC Department of Transportation (DDOT) hadn't been as responsive as it should have been to resident emails.
I've been in communication with DDOT's Acting Director of Communications, Keith St. Clair, about this issue and he's done a good job of following up with me and with ANC Commissioner Joe Martin about Grant Circle. As a result of resident and Councilmember Brandon Todd's attention (and perhaps a blogger article or three), DDOT is now planning on implementing the work outlined in their recent Notice of Intent (see my previous article, "Painting safety into Grant Circle")...
Read about the changes coming to Grant Circle after the break:
Read MoreThe Petworth Dance Project third performance was on Saturday, July 11th at Petworth Park (8th and Taylor St NW). This time was a bit unusual, even for Petworth, as the first performance was in the spray park. And it was a cool experience.
"It's all about community," Sara said after the show with a big smile. "It's great to be able to do this in Petworth."
Read more and see a gallery from the night after the break:
Read MoreWhen ANC 4D04 Commissioner David Sheon was campaigning as a first-time candidate for ANC last Fall, he spent a lot of time walking from house-to-house in his Single Member District (SMD) asking every person he could find what they would like to see changed in their community.
And like any dedicated community leader, he kept track of the responses. Improving how traffic and speed on Illinois Ave was managed was at the top of the list of concerns.
Read about the concerns, and what DDOT is proposing to do to resolve them:
Read MoreResidents who live around the 14th and Kennedy Street Farmer's Market (located on Saturday mornings on the 5500 block of Colorado Ave NW) met last night to talk about some concerns that have been raised among residents.
I didn't get an exact headcount, but it was a crowded event of around 40 or 50 people in the basement of 1365 Kennedy St NW. All the residents were local and from (in order of what I heard) Colorado Ave, 13th Street, Jefferson, Longfellow, Nicholson, Kennedy and 16th Street. The meeting went really well, was very low-key and was a great example of people getting together to talk through concerns.
Read more after the break and see a photo gallery from the meeting:
Read MoreThere are many ways to help your neighbor, especially if getting a balanced meal for a child is a problem. To help, the DC government has a program called DC Free Summer Meals Program (FSMP) that offers free breakfast and lunch to all persons under age 18 who stop by the Petworth Rec Center (8th & Taylor NW). They serve meals Monday through Friday.
The program runs June through August with most sites opening June 22 and closing August 22. Meal times and dates vary by location.
Hunger doesn’t take a summer break.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), known in Washington, DC as the DC Free Summer Meals Program (FSMP), provides reimbursement for free nutritious meals and snacks served to children 18 and younger. These meals help children in low-income areas get the nutrition they need to learn, play, and grow throughout the summer months when they are out of school.
When school is out, the meals served as a part of the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program are not available, and due to families' limited budgets, or other circumstances, children will often miss wholesome meals. The FSMP fills this gap and parents benefit from some help in stretching their food dollars and by knowing that their children are receiving healthy meals in a supportive environment.
The Free Summer Meals Program has served over 1 million meals to children and youth in the District of Columbia in the past three summers.
My friends at 4Site Studios, a web and video firm in Columbia Heights, invited me to a casual conversation over beer and recorded a podcast about neighborhood blogging and what it takes to build a "digital community" in their Digital Engagement 4Cast series.
If you're interested in learning a bit more about me, hearing how Petworth News came about, my obsession with metrics, what I think about when I write and more, you can find the podcast on iTunes (it's 4Cast #8).
I find myself thinking a lot (and writing a lot) about what it means to live in a neighborhood. I’ve talked about the Petworth Dance Project, the Jazz Project, Socials, trash clean-ups… residents coming together to meet and hang out. People enjoying their neighbors. And now I think I can add the Petworth News Shindig as another great example. That’s pretty awesome.
I think last night’s Shindig was pretty successful. I estimate about 70 people came by over the... Read more to see a huge photo gallery...
Read MoreWill paint and pylons keep drivers from zipping around Grant Circle, nearly running over pedestrians and driving with a little more sense of calm and respect? DDOT thinks so.
Over the past couple of weeks, ANC 4C Commissioners Joe Martin and Kathleen Crowley, along with several residents including myself, have contacted DDOT looking for clarification on the status of the Pedestrian Safety Plan (see my prior article) for Grant Circle. This plan called for some rather large changes to the Circle, including eliminating... Read more after the break and see the proposed solution from DDOT:
Read MoreYesterday I had the pleasure of attending the 89th birthday party of my neighbor and an active Petworth resident, Joan Thomas. Ms Thomas is the epitome of a pillar of the community and has been awarded throughout the years by mayors, councilmembers, and her church... Read more and see a photo gallery after the break:
Read MoreCourtesy of Corey Wallace
Update: Tonight's Jazz Project is cancelled due to the rain. Next month!
I highly recommend you go to the Petworth Jazz Project at the Petworth Park (8th & Taylor St NW) on Saturday, June 27th from 6-9pm if you:
a) like jazz
b) have kids
c) like good pizza
d) wanna hang with neighbors
e) all the above
Courtesy of Baba Ras D
Baba Ras D will perform at 6pm for kids (if you don't know Baba, he's like the Bob Marley for 3 and 4 year olds, they love / are obsessed with him). He's also an incredibly nice guy.
The Corey Wallace DUBtet will perform at 7pm for everyone, and should offer a great show. From listening to some of Corey's music, we're in for a treat.
And lastly, Timber Pizza Co will be onhand with their portable brick-oven and will be making outstanding pizzas.
Here's hoping the weather cooperates!
Timber Pizza Co. had their portable brick oven set up at the Kennedy Street Festival on Saturday, and getting a pizza from them was high on my list of to-do's for the day. By the time I got there, there were only three pizza doughs left -- they clearly had a good day, and I clearly was lucky to get there in time.
I finally got the chance to meet owners Andrew Dana and Chris Brady in person, after doing a phone interview with Andrew a few weeks back. Both are very excited about opening up the restaurant on Upshur Street later in the winter (though with the amount of work 809 Upshur St needs, I'm thinking this might be an early 2016 opening).
Owner Andrew Dana making me a pizza with two kinds of cheese and pepperoni.
Then we got down to the business at hand, and I ordered a half-pepperoni, half-cheese pizza (a small one to split with the family). I watched Andrew stretch the dough, put the sauce on, then the two kinds of cheese (low-moisture mozzarella/provolone, fresh mozzarella), then a couple of thin pepperoni slices.
Into the brick oven it goes...
Into the brick oven it went with the long-handled pizza spatula. Before I knew it, "Pizza coming out!" was shouted and the pizza came back out of the oven, steaming and bubbling. After walking around the festival for a few hours, at this moment my growling stomach and I were both very focused on the pizza.
Over it went to Chris, who offered to put on basil (and they had some very fresh-looking basil waiting) but I declined -- not sure my 4 year old would go for it. Chris then grabs a large "rocker" pizza cutter and quickly cuts the pie up into 4 large slices. The pie went onto a perfectly cut, perfectly sized round piece of cardboard and I think I mumbled a quick "thanks" as my impatient appetite pulled me over to the entryway of a closed business where my family was sitting and waiting.
Even with a bandaged hand, Chris is a master with the rocker.
This was a good pizza. The cheese was thick and melty, and there was good oil on the pizza without making a total mess everywhere. The bottom of the crust had that slight wood-burnt crunch, and the edge soft and thick. It folded up perfectly. The pepperoni was tasty -- cut thin so the flavor was there but it didn't overwhelm the slice. I was really hoping the pizza would be good, and Timber Pizza did not disappoint.
No seriously, it was delicious.
My 4-year old daughter said, chewing around her second piece, "Daddy, when they open, I want to go eat there every night." Yeah, me too.
You can try them out for yourself this upcoming weekend. Timber Pizza Co. will be at the Petworth Jazz Project on Saturday, June 27th at the Petworth Park (6pm - 9pm). I highly recommend you show up to grab a pizza -- before they run out of dough.
Find them online at TimberPizza.com.
The 2nd annual Kennedy Street Festival kicked off at 11am on Saturday, and between all the artists, booths, vendors, the guy dancing to the Michael Jackson music, and tasty food trucks, it was a great event. I tried to talk to a few different vendors and get an idea of what was being sold, drawn, crafted or showcased.
Read more to see pictures and video and learn about some of the vendors.
Read MorePetworth News, a neighborhood blog on local news, information & events about the Petworth area in Washington DC.
Petworth News is a news site about Petworth area neighborhoods in Washington DC, written by Drew Schneider and other amazing contributing writers. It features facts and objective reporting, as well as an occasional subjective point of view and opinion.
Volunteer with the Friends of the Soldier's Home!
