ReNewShaw Twitter

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Shaw in Brief

Here’s a tasting of what I’d like to make more in depth posts about if I had time presently:

+ Vagrants have been hanging out on the stoops of the NPS’s Carter Woodson properties a lot lately. If you haven’t seen them camped out there (sometimes sitting on a lawn chair), evidence of their presence frequently abounds, such as: cans of food stashed under the stoops; empty liquor bottles littering the sidewalk; human feces in nooks and crannies along the block; and empty fast food boxes. A call to the National Parks Service police to report the problem (per NPS instructions at the February Woodson update meeting) was apparently addressed this morning (days later): 3 maintenance workers from the NPS came by and picked up trash for a few minutes, then left. Unfortunately they left behind un-sealed areas under the stoops and leading down into the basements of 2 of the buildings, thus leaving an open invitation to the vagrants’ return, and weeds about a foot tall growing in front of the Woodson structures. I saw the same workers meticulously weeding the nearby Mary McLeod Bethune front yard a few minutes after they left the Woodson home.

+ Chan's Mongolian Grill and Tokyo Sushi is set to open any day now: indeed every time I’ve stopped in recently to ask when it’s going to open, the response has been “possibly later today.” As a sushi fanatic, I’m optimistic that this will become my go-to destination (although I’ve been a fan and regular patron of Sushi Taro on 17th for quite some time now).

+ Illegal Posters reappeared on the front of Shiloh’s vacant building at 1526 9th Street on Sunday night.

+ I’m 1 degree of separation from the couple opening the yoga studio on the corner of 9th and N. The one person separating me from them (who is pretty cool and zen-like himself) tells me that the couple is really cool; he’s setting up a yoga studio upstairs and she’s setting up a jewelry store downstairs. Work is ongoing, and the spaces should open soon. I think this will create great synergy for the Long View Gallery, Ninth Street Gallery, The Space, BeBar, and our burgeoning lower 9th Street retail/arts/nightlife/culture district.

+ Walnut Street Development sold off both parts of its Blagden Alley development (917 M Street and 1212 9th Street). While it’s clear that the 917 M Street project is being developed as workforce housing by Self-Help, I haven’t been able to find out what, if anything, is to become of the 1212 9th Street portion of the original Walnut Street project. Anyone know?

+ The asparagus at Vegetate is DELICIOUS.

+ The DIY network is playing reruns of the This Old House project that took place in Shaw a few years ago.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Any word on the Veranda restaurant at 11th and P?

Shaw Rez said...

Construction crews were inside working when I passed by earlier today....

Anonymous said...

Your post made me think of another issue we haven't heard anything about in a long time...status of Kelsey Gardens?? Does anyone know what's going on there?

Shaw Rez said...

Good question indeed; unfortunately I'm unsure of what's going on.

I believe that Off Seventh has been in touch with the owner and/or management company and promised a post on point soon.

Anonymous said...

With a new yoga studio at 7th and NY Ave (link) this area is becoming a haven for yogis!

si said...

oh goodie! yoginis everywhere nah mah staying!

Anonymous said...

Good places to go relax, de-stress and practice breathing after thinking about Shiloh, dysfunctional ANCs, crime, etc. :\

Anonymous said...

And my 2 cents to add.
Veranda seems to be slow going. I've seen people in there working, but the place still looks pretty run down.

Work seems to be pushing along at the 9th street location with the blue tarp. The place near Wag Time. I'm not sure what they are up to.

Oh and I'm still complaining about trash :-) Nothing new there.

Anonymous said...

Think I've figured it out. The vagrant couple that has been stashing stuff behind the deserted pizza place on the corner of 9th and Q, move their things under the stairs of the Woodson properties when there is a threat of rain -- like last night. I confronted them the other day about the dumping and they lectured me about coming up in the neighborhood. They thought they were protecting the Woodson site. Go figure.