V.w.verweij

Prior to completion, the Washington Monument was an eyesore, sitting as an unfinished stub. For some time, it was used as grounds to raise cattle and inside, they would slaughter the cows for beef.

“Beef Depot Monument” – 1862

Source: Library of Congress

The post Beef Depot Monument (i.e., Washington Monument) appeared first on Ghosts of DC.

Back in January 2013 we learned of plans for a new restaurant and bar called The Hilltop, coming to the corner of Girard and Sherman Avenue, NW.

From owner Sam Jahanbeen:

The Hilltop needs your help! We’re going in front of the Board of Zoning Adjustments to get a special exception – it’s the final step that’ll allow us to open our (and your) new neighborhood restaurant. It’s an easy process but its very important that we show the neighborhood has our back. With that said, if you have moment – please print, sign, and return this letter of support (below). If possible please send them no later than June 14th, 2013.

Thanks for supporting us – and we look forward to seeing you on opening day!

Letter of Support (PDF)

We did a post on the construction some time ago. Here’s another great photo of it from DDOT.

Dupont Circle underpass construction

Source: Flickr user ddotphotos

The post Dupont Circle Underpass Construction appeared first on Ghosts of DC.

smalllindsay:

We made a thing for Anthony Clark because we love him.

It’s so good! Thank you so much

If you have any animal/pet photos you’d like to share please shoot me an email to princeofpetworth(at)gmail(dot)com with ‘Animal Fix’ in the title and say the name of your pet and your neighborhood. Your photos will go into the queue (usually 3-4 weeks wait) and will be posted in the order I receive them. If you’ve already entered your pet and would like to do so again – that’s no problem – just space the entries out a bit.

“Frankie lives in Logan Circle.”

“Kiska from Adams Morgan.”

“Pierre in Dupont Circle isn’t quite ready to wake up and face the day.”

This is a great shot of what Columbia Heights looked like in 1951 (according the the label). It’s the intersection where, today, you’ll find Wonderland and the soccer field behind Tubman. The streetcar tracks are running down 11th St. (looking left is south) and the street to the right, where the man is crossing, is Kenyon, heading back toward 13th St.

11th and Kenyon St. NW in 1951

Pretty cool find.

The post Awesome 1951 Photo of 11th and Kenyon appeared first on Ghosts of DC.

If you have any animal/pet photos you’d like to share please shoot me an email to princeofpetworth(at)gmail(dot)com with ‘Animal Fix’ in the title and say the name of your pet and your neighborhood. Your photos will go into the queue (usually 3-4 weeks wait) and will be posted in the order I receive them. If you’ve already entered your pet and would like to do so again – that’s no problem – just space the entries out a bit.

“Zadie, a shepherd mix and a Lucky Dog rescue, in Chevy Chase, DC.”

“From this May’s Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival”

“This is Lemekin, from Mt. Vernon Triangle, enjoying is catnip carrot.”

From Mike Silverstein, Commissioner, Dupont Circle Advisory Neighborhood Commission:

Dupont Circle ANC has invited members of the Gardner Family of Machias, ME to be their honored guests at this year’s Capital Pride Parade. They live about an hour from the Canadian border, a four hour drive to the Portland Airport, and none of them have even been to Washington (at least not since the end of WWII).

91-year-old Harlan Gardner, a World War II veteran and retired mailman, featured his family in an ad for Equality Maine that many considered a game changer in the Marriage Equality referendum in Maine.

With four generations of his family seated around the table at their home, Mr Gardner mentioned that he and his wife Dotty had “been together for 59 years,” and that “marriage is too wonderful a thing not to share.” Harlan mentions how proud he is of his granddaughter Katie, and Dotty says she “hopes to see Katie and (her partner) Alex married legally.”

The ad resonated in Maine, went viral on the internet, and was the subject of a column in the New York Times that called Mr Gardner “the unlikely hero” of the Maine referendum campaign. Marriage equality forces in other states took note of the themes underscored in the Gardner Family ad, and sought to capture the “family values” issue for equality.

Harlan and Dotty Gardner, their granddaughter Katie Kurz, and Katie’s partner Alexandria (correct spelling) Patel will be flying down to Washington with Katie and Alex’s 13-year old daughter Mikayla. Other members of their family are hoping to meet them here.

Commissioners and community members have donated frequent flyer miles to help bring the Gardners to Washington, and a member of a classic car club has offered to drive them during the parade in a fully restored Chevy Corvair convertible from the early ’60s.

Dupont Circle ANC 2B is host to the parade, which begins and ends within its borders. The Parade is this Saturday, June 8th and it steps off at 430pm at 22nd & P Streets, NW.

Meet Huggins, a spirited bulldog and this week’s Arlington Pet of the Week.

Here’s what his owner had to say about him:

Huggins is a four-month-old English bulldog named after the beloved coach of the West Virginia University basketball team. He came home with me during March Madness and was the perfect excuse to be lazy and stay home to watch basketball all day. He spent most of that time taking naps and would go for short walks during commercials or halftime.

This pooch is extremely friendly, loves people, other dogs, and is an attention-getter to all who see his little wrinkled face. The typical response from men and women alike is ‘awwww… oh my God he’s so cute!’ While he is not very fast and doesn’t like to run, he is like a linebacker and will tackle and pin down his other canine friends in the neighborhood. He is excited for the day that he is big enough to pin down his bulldog cousin and best friend, Porkchop.

Even though he is a well-behaved dog, Huggins is currently enrolled in puppy kindergarten to refine his skills and learn some tricks. He managed to be fairly cooperative while my friend Jill, a professional photographer, captured some great puppy pictures.

Huggins’ favorite activities include napping, chewing anything I’ll let him chew, and meeting all who pass by while I enjoy drinking outside at William Jeffrey’s Tavern. Did I mention he likes to sleep? He is the only dog I know that when asked ‘wanna go for a walk?’ runs to hide underneath the bed.

The Arlington Pet of the Week is sponsored by Dogma Bakery, which has locations at The Village at Shirlington (2772 S. Arlington Mill Drive) and the Lee Harrison Shopping Center (2445 N. Harrison Street).

Want your pet to be considered to be the Arlington Pet of the Week? Email steph@arlnow.com with a 2-3 paragraph bio and 3-4 photos of your pet. Each week’s winner receives a $25 Dogma gift card.

If you have any animal/pet photos you’d like to share please shoot me an email to princeofpetworth(at)gmail(dot)com with ‘Animal Fix’ in the title and say the name of your pet and your neighborhood. Your photos will go into the queue (usually 3-4 weeks wait) and will be posted in the order I receive them. If you’ve already entered your pet and would like to do so again – that’s no problem – just space the entries out a bit.

“This is my new dog Cami. She is a rescue from the New York Avenue Dog Shelter. She moved into my home about a week ago and I live in Petworth.”

“This is our “Diva in Parkview”, Zoozo, after being woken from a nap.”

“This is Leroy from 16th Street Heights. He was adopted through City Dogs Rescue back in February and despite being a little shaky in the car has been a wonderful addition to our family. He loves long walks, meaty treats and snuggling on the couch.”

This house is located at 930 Hughes Mews Court, Northwest:

View Larger Map

The listing says:

“Walk to METRO/Gtown/Dntn/West End/Kenn.Ctr. LUMINOUS! New 2006! Dramatic 2560 sf ULTRA Modern–UNIQUE–the only det home in area w rare roof deck! Designed by owner architect, this 3 BR, 3.5BA is made with top of the line materials, inside and out. Weru windows, lux master ba with fp, soaking tub, dramatic shower, skylights! MBR sitting room, lib nook top flr, in-law ste! Grt income potential”

You can see a virtual tour here.

This 3 bed/3.5 bath is going for $1,350,000.

If you have any animal/pet photos you’d like to share please shoot me an email to princeofpetworth(at)gmail(dot)com with ‘Animal Fix’ in the title and say the name of your pet and your neighborhood. Your photos will go into the queue (usually 3-4 weeks wait) and will be posted in the order I receive them. If you’ve already entered your pet and would like to do so again – that’s no problem – just space the entries out a bit.

“Daisy of Cathedral Heights is so over bath time.”

“Cricket, Brookland”

“This is Wallace from H Street/Atlas District. He’s not super thrilled about his fractured toe, which is keeping him from his friends at Kingsman dog park.”

America is the world's fourth-largest producer of wheat; wheat is the third-largest non-meat American farm product, almost a $9-billion industry. Half of U.S. wheat goes overseas. Now we get to find out if Monsanto destroyed the entire American wheat export industry, now that its abandoned genetically modified pesticide-resistant wheat has been found growing in Oregon. Japan has already banned U.S. imports. Wheat prices are on their way down. There will be lawsuits! And very big settlements. And then everyone will stop worrying for a while.

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"This is New York: We all like things our own way. We all think we’re the best. I love New York City — every inch of it, even Staten Island, but I prefer to live in Manhattan. So, what? My friends love Brooklyn. Great! I think it’s time we shelve this antiquated story line about which borough is better and leave it for the Knicks and the Nets to decide. Live where you want. Do what you want. Be nice to people."
—What's more irritating about all your friends who have moved to Brooklyn, the way they expect you to give up an hour of your life to the F train so that you can come visit them and eat overpriced Italian food that is only notable for the fact that it is being served in a borough where a mere two generations ago a collection of angry old ladies in black would have dumped you in their garbage river for attempting to sell the cuisine of poverty at that ludicrous price point or the way we're all supposed to pretend that people who have moved to Brooklyn haven't given up, that they can't handle the intensity of Manhattan any more and would rather live in a less crowded space where you get more room for your money and everyone isn't on top of you all the time and the pulse of existence is better suited for the gentle souls who would prefer to take things a little bit more slowly and avoid all the aggravation and nonstop craziness with which those of us who make the effort to stay in town contend? Like, terrific, good for you, move where you're happy, but don't expect me to participate in your little charade that you're still living in New York, okay? You go to your adorable rummage sale in Fort Greene and then get your fancy $13 cocktail on Smith Street and pat yourself on the back: you may live in a suburb, but you live in the best suburb there is, because it is the closest to the greatest city in the world, and that's something to be proud of. Anyway, here are some further thoughts.

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Two rage comics that capture well the true human tragedy that is FRIENDZONING, both of which I found in the awesome Blue Pill subreddit. The one above is by dont_buy_me_gold; the one below by SaltyChristian (who is, incidentally, a CERTIFIED ALPHA).

I have heard rumors that the entire Blue Pill subreddit is not actually a hangout for super alpha dudes but rather a parody of the Red Pill subreddit but I choose not to believe them, much in the same way I choose not to believe in the supposed “law” of gravity. It’s A THEORY, people!

(Note: These are both parodies, by the way, in case there is any confusion.)

We’re back after a Memorial Day break, refreshed and ready to go!

If you fall with pillows wrapped around you, it won’t hurt … at least that’s what this little girl hopes.

Aug. 8, 1936. Washington, D.C. “Safety first for this Miss. Equipped with bumpers fore and aft, 4-year-old Betty Buck is taking no unnecessary chances as she tries her first pair of roller skates.” Harris & Ewing glass negative.

The post Innovative Pillow Safety: Little Girl on Skates appeared first on Ghosts of DC.

If you have any animal/pet photos you’d like to share please shoot me an email to princeofpetworth(at)gmail(dot)com with ‘Animal Fix’ in the title and say the name of your pet and your neighborhood. Your photos will go into the queue (usually 3-4 weeks wait) and will be posted in the order I receive them. If you’ve already entered your pet and would like to do so again – that’s no problem – just space the entries out a bit.

“Paxton is a big fan of El Chucho’s grilled street corn. -Van Ness”

“Berwyn and Jackson sharing a branch at Langdon Dog Park. Berwyn is a 3-month-old Treeing Walker Coonhound mix living near U Street, and Jackson is a 4-month-old basenji from Brookland.”

“Meet Jazz, the newest resident of Cleveland Park.”

From our friends at the recently-renovated section of the Union Market:

Union Market, the highly acclaimed food market redeveloped by EDENS, one of the nation’s leading retail real estate owners and developers, will host Gospel Choir Brunches the first Saturday of every month at 12:30PM.

Experience Union Market’s Gospel Choir Brunch on the first Saturday of every month with a dynamic performance featuring the soulful sounds of the Israel Baptist Church.  The Israel Baptist Church is a local church that has been in the community and in Ward 5 for over 20 years.

Brunch is available from vendors like Buffalo & Bergen, Peregrine Espresso, Neopol’s Smokery & Border Springs Farm.  The next Union Market Gospel Choir Brunch will be Saturday, June 1, 2013, whereby the Youth Choir will perform.

For more information on Union Market, please visit www.unionmarketdc.com.  For more information about the Israel Baptist Church, please visit www.israelbaptistchurch.org.

WHEN: Saturday, June 1, 2013, 12:30PM

WHERE: Union Market, 1309 5^th Street NE, Washington, DC 20002

Meet Oliver, a one-of-a-kind guinea pig who overcame great odds as a piglet and now lights up the lives of everyone around him.

Here’s what his owners had to say about him:

This is Oliver, and he lives in Barcroft neighborhood. Adopted on January 10, 2012, his vet estimates that he is between two and three years old. Before moving to Arlington, Oliver was neglected and abandoned, and when adopted, was expected to pass away due to trauma. With a lot of love, Oliver began to eat better, socialize more, and he ultimately recovered.

Once shy and afraid of other animals and people, Oliver now thinks everyone is his friend. He regularly plays with cats and dogs he encounters during gatherings with friends and family, and absolutely loves to cuddle with his human friends. Due to the struggles in his past, Oliver has many personality traits that have even baffled the staff at his piggy doctor, like sleeping on his back. One of Oliver’s current favorite pastimes is to “dress for the occasion” and visit with young children or the elderly, where he is often called the “therapig” because he loves to snuggle and give kisses (he knows how!).

Oliver gets lots of love and attention from family, friends, work staff, and dog and cat friends. He’s always ready to talk when your phone rings, since he has decided everyone who calls wants to talk to him. He also loves to watch Friends, where he’ll impersonate the squawking of the chick and duck on the show when he hears them. He’s a personal alarm clock, entertaining to be around, and always ready to give hugs and kisses – you just have to ask him.

The Arlington Pet of the Week is sponsored by Dogma Bakery, which has locations at The Village at Shirlington (2772 S. Arlington Mill Drive) and the Lee Harrison Shopping Center (2445 N. Harrison Street).

Want your pet to be considered to be the Arlington Pet of the Week? Email steph@arlnow.com with a 2-3 paragraph bio and 3-4 photos of your pet. Each week’s winner receives a $25 Dogma gift card.

A new group has been formed to oppose backyard hens in Arlington.

“Backyards, Not Barnyards,” as the group is called, is intended to be the answer to the Arlington Egg Project, which is strongly advocating for a change in zoning rules that would allow Arlington residents to raise egg-laying hens in their backyards.

Arlington County’s Urban Agriculture Task Force, established in 2012, is expected to make a set of recommendations to the County Board on Tuesday, June 11, including whether or not to allow backyard hen raising. Advocates for the change say that backyard hens are “a critical part of sustainable, small-scale home agriculture,” producing “eggs that are both superior in taste and nutrition” and “excellent fertilizer for your home garden and lawn.”

Jim Pebley, a former president of the Waycroft-Woodlawn Civic Association, helped to form Backyards, Not Barnyards with Darnell Carpenter, a former president of the Langston Brown Civic Association. Pebley says both he and Carpenter had unpleasant prior experiences with backyard chickens. They’re now hoping to attract “some grassroots opposition to this silliness.”

Backyard egg production, according the group, negatively impacts neighbors. Hens produce “excess animal waste runoff,” attract pests like insects and rats, and actually require more energy and resources than simply buying organic, sustainably-produced eggs at a local farmers market. Plus, they say, backyard hens are smelly and noisy.

The Arlington Egg Project has countered those points on its website, saying that hens are hygienic and won’t disturb neighbors.

Backyards, Not Barnyards also raises questions about regulation. If the zoning change only allows smaller-scale egg production, “Who would be in charge of counting [the chickens]?” the group asks.

Pebley has previously failed to get the Arlington County Civic Federation to adopt a resolution opposing backyard chickens. This go-round, he’s hoping to gather online petition signatures to help sway the Arlington County Board before it considers any chicken-related zoning changes.

Backyards, Not Barnyards will be holding an organizational meeting tonight (Wednesday) at 7:00 p.m. at the Langston Brown Community Center (2121 N. Culpeper Street). Snacks — including deviled eggs — will be served.

If you have any animal/pet photos you’d like to share please shoot me an email to princeofpetworth(at)gmail(dot)com with ‘Animal Fix’ in the title and say the name of your pet and your neighborhood. Your photos will go into the queue (usually 3-4 weeks wait) and will be posted in the order I receive them. If you’ve already entered your pet and would like to do so again – that’s no problem – just space the entries out a bit.

“Peebles. Even though she wears doggie diapers, she is still a star!”

“Sphynx “helping me” reorganize my books. Capitol Hill East.”

Riley, Petworth

Would you like to see John Malkovich perform Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" on Russian television? You would? You sicken me. Here. God, I can't even look at you. Disgusting.

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This unit is located at 520 N Street, Southwest:

View Larger Map

The listing says:

“Your nest in the trees! Private double balcony. Efficiency with loads of closets. 2 BLOCKS TO METRO. Indoor Pool, workout area 24/7 security. Rental covered pkg available. Sales price inc underlying mortgage bal $9702. (124.02 mo.) Coop fee inc all utilities, cable, internet, property taxes. Ask gatehouse for entry into bldg.”

You can see more photos here.

This studio is going for $145,000 ($552 monthly fee.)

I got to pet, poke, and prod a couple of sedated black bears last week.

Amulet of Power!

Leo is back!

This edition of Eating Around Town was written by Abbey Becker. Abbey previously wrote about El Chucho. She lives near Eastern Market.

Little Serow (1511 17th St NW) is a sliver of a place, but its size doesn’t match its reputation. The basement restaurant seats 28 at a time, and if you want to sit on one of their bar stools, you have to get in line before the 5:30 opening time each night to put your name down.

As someone who gets off at work at 5:30 in Bethesda, making it here in time proved a challenge the first time. I got there at exactly 5:30 on a Friday (so I left work a little early…) and stood behind probably 15 people. While I was looking for a table for four, I figured, hey, 15 people in front of me? We’ll at least get a late reservation. Unfortunately, this was not to be the case–they couldn’t give us a table that night, though they might have been able to seat us at the bar around 10 or 10:30. I was not willing to wait five hours for a full meal that may or may not have happened.

The next time, I went on a Wednesday evening, and I sent my boyfriend on ahead of me to get in line before 5:30–he gets out of work much earlier. We tried for a table for two and ended up with a 7:15 reservation, which gave us time for a drink or two around the corner.

If you’re looking for cocktails or beer, you may want to drink them before you sit down for dinner. Little Serow doesn’t serve cocktails, and they offer 5-ounce pours of their beers from bottles at $5 each. Don’t get me wrong–a six-course meal for $45 is a great deal, especially when the food is as good as it is here, but that much for a small pour of beer is, to me, a little ridiculous. I wish they’d at least made it a deal to buy the bottle instead, but each large-format version of the pours was $24. Wine ranges from $10-$12 per glass, which isn’t outrageous, but when you’re a young, semi-poor diner and you’re already paying $45 for dinner before tax and tip, you start to consider using your credit card instead of your debit card.

That being said, we had a really excellent dining experience. Let me reiterate that it is an experience here, not just dinner. The service is like nothing I’ve experienced in DC–there were a few waitresses circulating throughout the restaurant, and we interacted with all of them. Each one served us at least one dish, refilled our water, or gave us more sticky rice or cucumbers. Each one offered a friendly suggestion of how she liked to eat that dish or mentioned that this dish was her favorite. They made us feel welcomed and not at all like we were guests–we could have been at a friend of a friend’s house for the first time.

Continues after the jump.

There’s no point in reviewing individual dishes, as the fixed menu changes weekly. It’s always six courses, it’s always $45, it’s always Thai food, but that’s where the commonalities stop. As someone who is a somewhat picky eater, let me give you a bit of advice: don’t read the menu. When I saw some of the ingredients included in that night’s dishes, my stomach turned a little. Snakehead fish? River weed? Salted fish? Yuck.

But seriously, none of these dishes tasted at all like what I imagined these ingredients to be. Maybe there was snakehead fish mixed with the bamboo shoots and rice powder, but to me, all I got was the crunch of the shoots and the hot-sour-salty-sweet combination typical of Thai food, plus a bit of smokiness. Little Serow is the kind of place where you make a point to try everything you’re served, whether or not you think you’ll like it, because you know that they are the masters of their craft. They are going to make these ingredients taste as good as they can possibly taste because they have that skill. Its chef-owner, Johnny Monis, just won a coveted James Beard award. He knows how to cook river weed properly.

I’m not sure I’d go back right away, or even in the next few months. This was a process from before the meal to its end. You’re not guaranteed a seat and you’re eating a six-course meal–this is the kind of dining experience that takes planning and patience, even on the part of the diner. I think I’d need a bit of time off to be willing to risk not getting a spot, and to truly appreciate what a good meal this was. I know I won’t be able to afford Komi anytime soon, so perhaps I’ll be back sooner than I think to try Monis’s cooking again.

Photo by PoPville flickr user evegophotos

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Photo by PoPville flickr user quemac