Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Neighborhood thoughts...

Just a few short, disconnected thoughts that I've had rattling around my head for a while.  Take 'em for what they're worth...


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It makes me happy to hear jazz pouring out of HR-57's front door on Wednesday evenings, because it means the week is more than half over.  Conversely, I am less than thrilled when the Sunday Night Football crowd gathers at Stoney's.

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Events like last weekend's Mid-City Arts Festival and August's "Dog Days" event are great for the neighborhood--they bring a lot of people into the area and provide critical support to local businesses and artists.  It would be great of organizations like the Mid-City Business Association could organize more events like it--a monthly artist/gallery hop, for instance?

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ChurchKey's beer selection is awesome.  Really.  If you love beer, you must set aside time to visit this establishment.  That being said, it appears that weekends there are going to be quite busy.  Mr. and Mrs. 14thandyou stopped in on Saturday evening and, after standing around and bumping elbows with the bartenders for about the 1000th time, decided to cash out after one pint.  We can't wait to go back when it's slightly less crowded--but good for them for attracting such a crowd.

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I'm concerned about the safety and general well-to-do of the gentleman who has been living near the mailbox at the corner of 14th and R streets, particularly as the weather turns colder.  I would hope that when the temps begin dipping down to near freezing, he'll have the sense to check into the shelter across the street.

On a similar note, I wonder if the panhandler who has been singing in front of the P Street CVS has been having success with his approach?

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Speaking of the P Street CVS, I wish an employee there would have the decency to turn down the piped-in music, or perhaps turn it off completely.  Peter Cetera, Christopher Cross and Taylor Dayne played at an unreasonable volume does not improve my shopping experience.

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Is it just me, or has the house at the corner of 12th and S streets been undergoing a renovation since the dawn of time?  Ditto the mansion at the corner of 13th and S.

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The Post Office near 14th and T streets gets a bad rap because the building is ugly and poorly maintained, and the staff is surly.  But, credit where credit is due:  I must say, the last few times I have been in there I have received wonderful service from the women working behind the counter.  Which is more than I can say for many of the restaurants in this city.

14 comments:

Jim said...

ditto the house at P & Logan Circle (west side)

11th and U said...

I also have been surprised by the wonderfully cheery welcome I've been getting at the 14th and T post office ladies!

Jimmy said...

Your thoughts on the soon to be dueling crepe's places on 14th street?

Mr. Other Upper NW said...

I think it's unintentionally hilarious...but I'll have more up on it later today. The thought of "Crepe Wars" sounds like the genesis of a Monty Python skit.

joced said...

1st I love how informative your blog is.

Church Key is great, they dropped some serious cash to build that place. It sucks that it's going to be so busy all the time, great for them, bad for trying to get a seat at the bar.

who needs 2 crepe places?

Erica said...

"...onthly artist/gallery hop, for instance?"


Great idea! I lived in Austin for a long time and saw them develop an idea called First Thursdays. But its 2nd / 3rd year, it had exploded into a huge monthly party. On the first Thursday of every month, all of the galleries and shops on South Congress would put out nibbles and free wine, and stay open late. Folks would wander in and out and shop, party. live music was eventually added - because of course its Austin - and now its a huge great fun event. We need to do the same thing on 14th street.

Anonymous said...

oh, i miss being back home. two crepe places? excellent! (think "two hamburger places in a neighborhood in france...)

thanks for the musings, as i pine for the day that i will once again walk 14th and u streets.

happy autumn everyone!

Vastu Design Clique said...

Totally agree on the post office service. Definitely better in recent days... Looking forward to your 'crepes' post!

Anonymous said...

Does anyone know what on earth the city is doing on 15th Street? Are they really getting rid of an entire lane of parking? While I totally agree that a bike lane is needed, eliminating much needed residential parking on 15th Street seems INSANE.

Mr. Other Upper NW said...

They're not getting rid of a lane of parking, they're installing a contra-flow bikelane (a southbound bike lane) that will reside between the row of parked cars and northbound traffic. The parked cars are meant to act as a protective buffer for the cyclists.

Anonymous said...

Don't you mean that the bike lane will reside between the parked cars and the curb? Otherwise, they're not really a buffer.

Mr. Other Upper NW said...

Oops, yes. The bike lane will be between the parked cars and the curb--not the parked cars and the traffic.

Anonymous said...

About a month ago I spoke with one of the neighbors of the almost-finished house at 12 and S. It seems the owners ran out of money. The windows have been partially boarded up, and as of yesterday the boarding on the big front bay window had been tagged with graffiti.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the bike lane/parking info re: 15th Street. Very much appreciated.