November 30, 2015

Being thankful for things you don't always notice

November 30, 2015/ Drew

I was complaining to my father over the holiday weekend about all the leaves in the streets. "They should keep street cleaning going a few weeks more," I said. "Look at all the leaves!" Everywhere you look, leaves in the gutter, along the curbs, under cars. I watched some people bag their leaves, others pushed the leaves into the street. Now what?

I was thinking about coming out with my own rake and doing my street. The hard part is finding the daylight time (and frankly, the motivation to rake the whole street).

And then this morning, I saw the city's solution.

November 29, 2015

West Elementary is fundraising for school technology

November 29, 2015/ Drew

If you have a youngster at West Elementary (1338 Farragut St NW) or live in the area, the school is holding a fundraiser next weekend to help get computers and other classroom supplies. Considering the time of year, they're selling Christmas trees and wreaths.

November 28, 2015

President Obama visits Petworth for the third time

November 28, 2015/ Drew

Upshur Street Books got its most prominent customers today around 1pm when President Obama and his two daughters stopped by the local bookstore to shop for books on Small Business Saturday.

November 26, 2015

Happy Thanksgiving Petworth!

November 26, 2015/ Drew

Happy Thanksgiving, neighbors!

I'm thankful for many things in life, one of which is you. Thanks for reading, commenting on Facebook, subscribing to the newsletter and supporting this weird hobby of mine.

Whether you gather together with a large group of friends and family, keep it intimate, eat tofu turkey or break out the fryer, I hope everyone has a wonderful day.

November 25, 2015

How to register for a visitor parking pass for 2016

November 25, 2015/ Drew

When you have guests staying for more than two hours, you can do them a solid and let them use a visitor parking pass to avoid parking tickets in your RPP area (residential parking permit). Passes are free, one per households with existing RPP.

Read more about visitor parking passes and how to register, after the break:

November 25, 2015

Some changes coming for Petworth News: small, medium and XL

November 25, 2015/ Drew

I’ve been thinking about ways to keep things fresh and help the blog reach a larger audience in Petworth. (And no, I have no interest in going citywide… this is a Petworth area blog.) Feel free to share your thoughts on the ideas in the article, and suggest your own in the comments.

Read more about changes coming to Petworth News after the break:

November 24, 2015

Twisted Horn cocktail bar opening soon on Upshur Street

November 24, 2015/ Drew

I spoke with Sabrina Zahid who works for Twisted Horn, and she told me that work on the building has progressed pretty far. At this point, they're looking to open...

Read more, after the break:

November 22, 2015

Upshur restaurants: It's going to be a full menu of options in 2016

November 22, 2015/ Drew

Upshur Street along the 800 block is becoming restaurant row. We already have the critically and customer acclaimed Crane & Turtle, the long-standing neighborhood favorite Domku, and the local hangout Petworth Citizen. There's Dannie's and Cuzzin's for quicker take-out, and on the non-food side, Town & Country convenience store, Bentley's Antiques, Phillips Shoe Repair, Willow Fashion, Fia's Fabulous Finds and the hair care storefronts.

Coming in late Spring and early Summer 2016, Upshur Street will see the opening of four new restaurants. Read more about the new restaurants, after the break:

November 22, 2015

Funny cabbie, here's your pic!

November 22, 2015/ Drew

When I was at 7th and Decatur taking pictures around Sherman Circle yesterday, a city taxi drove up to the corner and started calling out to me. I realized he was saying "Take my pic!"

I went to oblige him when I noticed, sitting right above him on the roof, was his snack: a container of red grapes. "You might want this first," I said, grinning and handing it to him. He was totally confused at first, then he laughed.

"You're the Petworth News guy, right?" he said, "Yeah, I know you. I live right up there, a few streets back!"

We both had a good laugh, and I took his picture as he offered me a grape to share. Unfortunately, another car came along and I didn't get the chance to ask him his name, but he wanted to see his picture. So, here's your picture funny cab man!

November 22, 2015

New bookstore coming to Park View in December

November 22, 2015/ Drew

I heard from Brightwood resident Pablo Sierra today that he's opening a new, family-focused bookstore in Park View called Walls of Books. As an avid reader (and admitted Kindle addict), I'm thrilled at the idea of another hardcopy bookstore opening up in the area.

Learn more about the bookstore, after the break:

November 21, 2015

A terrible assault and a group of neighbors working for change

November 21, 2015/ Drew

I heard from two readers that there was an assault and attempted robbery in the early evening of November 19th just above Sherman Circle at 7th and Decatur, so I spent time trying to figure out what happened since it didn't appear in MPD's email crime stats. Here’s what I’ve pieced together from multiple sources about the assault.

Read about what happened, and what happened next, after the break:

November 20, 2015

What happens when you call 911 or 311: An evening with the Office of Unified Communications

November 20, 2015/ Drew

I was invited to attend a tour of the Office of Unified Communications (OUC) along with MPD’s 2nd Cohort of the Community Engagement Academy. The OUC handles all 911 and 311 calls in DC, so when you call to report a crime or a broken street light, the call goes to a modern-looking building at 2720 Martin Luther King Jr Avenue SE.

We met the new OUC Chief Operating Officer and acting Director, Jeff Wobbleton. In the position for 11 weeks, he said his focus is on customer service and fixing the broken or ineffective processes and policies.

Read more about the OUC, after the break: