Humanities Council of DC Honors U Street Businesses

Last night under threatening skies, the DC Humanities Council held their inaugural "Celebration of U Street" event. In attendance were local business owners, community leaders, District government officials and interested citizens.

At the event, the Humanities Council presented three U Street-area businesse were honored for their "contributions to the rich urban history and world-class reputation of U Street."



Nizam Ali of Ben's Chili Bowl, Richard Lee of Lee's Flower and Card Shop, and Suman Sorg of Sorg Architects (architects of area buildings such as the Solea) were all on hand to both accept their respective awards and participate in a brief panel discussion hosted by author Blair A. Ruble, who wrote "Washington's U Street - A Biography," a history of the street and its surrounding neighborhood. (A must-read for anyone interested in the tremendously rich history of the U Street neighborhood.)

Lee spoke briefly about what he views as the three defined stages of U Street's life: as the epicenter of African-American life and culture, as a decaying neighborhood plagued by neglect and under-investment in the aftermath of the 1968 race riots, and as a neighborhood reborn and resurgent in recent years. I couldn't help but notice that the crowd in attendance--a mix of people of different ages and races--seemed fairly emblematic of today's U Street.



There were some interesting facts and anecdotes that came out during the discussion and subsequent q&a. For instance, Ben Ali--founder of Ben's--never ate one of his restaurant's notorious half smokes, because he kept halal. Richard Lee, who is himself not a native Washingtonian but was actually born in Montreal, spoke of living around U Street before and after the desegregation of the District. Most interestingly, he noted that while U Street was the preeminent African-American neighborhood in DC, the People's Drugstore at 14th and U was a segregated store, and didn't allow African-Americans to sit at the lunch counter until after repeated sit-ins led by the likes of Mary Church Terrell and Mary McLeod Bethune.

Following the discussion, each business representative, along with Blair Ruble, received awards from the humanities council that reflected their individual and collective contributions to the neighborhood.

The Humanities Council of DC, which is based on U Street, "is a non-profit organization that provides grant support for community programs that enrich the lives of DC citizens through the humanities disciplines." More information about the Council, as well as how you can offer your support, can be found at their website, www.wdchumanities.org.

Logan/Shaw/U Street Businesses Clean Up in City Paper Poll

The City Paper's annual "Best of..." issue was released last week, and area businesses could be found in abundance amongst the winners.

Beer-lover's paradise ChurchKey scored big wins as "Best New Bar" and "Best Beer Selection" (although, considering that no one can get in the door at this place, it's questionable how useful this information is). Garden District won as "Best Garden Store", Nellies won for "Best Sports Bar", Miss Pixies got the nod for "Best Home Furnishings Store" and--in a bit of a surprise--Thaitanic was selected as the city's best Thai restaurant.

Now, keep in mind that this is the City Paper's readership poll, so many of the results are likely to be a popularity contest. (Whole Foods is the best specialty foods market? Really?) And there's a certain level of predictability--Ben's Chili Bowl will likely hold the title of the city's "Best Drunk Eats" until the Rapture. Still, the poll is nothing if not a statement on how dominant the Dupont-to-Shaw corridor is in terms of the District's commercial world.

Borderstan has a run-down of all the area businesses who won (or were runners-up) in the poll, including those who aren't members of the Mid-City Business Association. Go vie it a look-see; meanwhile, I'll be taking by out-of-town friends up to Busboys and Poets.

Snowmageddon '10 - Who's Open?

Edit: Mid-City Caffe is open this morning, so if you're up to venturing out and need your morning caffeine fix, stop by. And do keep the reports of other businesses that are open coming. I'm sure they could use all the business they can get today.



So, the Mrs. and I just got back from cheering on the Caps at Nellies, and it's an understatement to say that it's snowing like crazy. I can't think of many storms I went through growing up in Ohio that were this severe. According to local forecasts, a foot of snow is pretty much a foregone conclusion, a foot and a half is quite possible, and 2 feet isn't out of the question.

Craziness, I tell you.

So, in spite of all this craziness, there are still some places in Logan and U Street that are open so you can get your eat and drink on this evening. (This is by no means a complete list, but Mr. and Mrs. 14thandyou weren't exactly able to go scour the neighborhood and provide a complete list.)

Nellies, as we mentioned earlier, is very much open--and quite busy. All of the tables were full when we left, which was shortly after 9:30.

Both Vinoteca and Solly's were open and serving, as was Dukem. Ben's was serving chili dogs, and Cravings was doing a brisk business as well.

Down along 14th Street, both Policy and Masa 14 are open. We're told Saint-Ex is as well, but we weren't able to confirm that.

Now, there are some places that are very much *not* open. If you are in need of supplies to last out the storm, you may be SOL. Both the CVS at U STreet and 10th, and the Rite-Aid at 13th and U were shuttered. A number of businesses that would normally be operating appeared darkened. If I had to guess, I would venture that those businesses who draw their employees form outside of the neighborhood are probably having a hard time opening, or simply elected to respect the safety and well-being of their employees and not open at all.

Any other tips for who is operating this evening? Or tomorrow? Please do share them in the comments. Together, we shall ride out the great Snowgasm of 2010...perhaps with a drink or two. Stay safe!

Ben Ali Tribute Tomorrow at Lincoln Theater

Just received this note from Natalie Avery at MidCity:

MidCity BA President, Kamal Ali wrote today to say that there will be a Memorial Tribute for his father Ben Ali on Friday October 16th at 12 Noon at the Lincoln Theater. He said the Ali and Ben's Chili Bowl family thanks you all for your love and support.

No further details that I could find, so if you're interested in attending...I guess you just show up?

Ben Ali Dead at 82

Sad news this morning, courtesy of the City Paper: Ben Ali, owner of U Street institution Ben's Chili Bowl (as well as the recently opened Ben's Next Door) passed away yesterday evening at the age of 82. According to a statement from the family, Ali died peacefully around 9 PM yesterday evening.

Ben's Chili Bowl, one of the longest continually operated businesses in this area of DC, celebrated its 50th anniversary last year, and also received a visit from President Obama (whose family, along with Bill Cosby, are the only individuals allowed to eat for free at Ben's).

A statement on Ben's website reads: "The Ali Family and all of the Ben's Chili Bowl and Ben's Next Door Family want to thank Ben Ali for leading this legacy and allowing us to follow in his dream. We miss you and love you."

R.I.P. Mr. Ali.

Ben's Turns 50

Whatever your feelings on their greasy half smokes, soupy chili, or scary-good milkshakes, one thing everyone can agree on is that any business that manages to stick around in the same location for 50 years (particularly when that location is the volatile U St. corridor) deserves some accolades. Today is your chance to share some love with that venerable DC institution, Ben's Chili Bowl, as they turn 50 years old.

U St. between 12th and 13th Sts. is closed to traffic all morning and afternoon in order to make way for the festivities, which outspoken Ben's patron Bill Cosby (the only person who eats free at Ben's) will be MCing. When I walked by this morning on my way to the Metro, it looked like they had a couple of moon bounces set up, seating for a couple hundred or so, and a live broadcast from local radio station 93.9.

So, if today's travels brings you around to Ben's neighborhood, stop by for the festivities. If not, Ben's is open late for your daily craving of saturated fat and grease. Mmmmmmmm....grease...

For more details about Ben's 50th anniversary festivities, you can visit their website.

1200 Block of U St. to be Closed Tomorrow

Apparently, some greasy spoon that serves chili dogs is having some sort of celebration for being around for 50 years. This event is expected to attract a fair number of people, and as such DDOT is taking the (unusual?) step of closing a block of U St. to traffic throughout the day on Friday.

Fortunately, the street will only be closed during the daytime, reopening at 4 PM. So all you Virginia and Maryland U St. party-types can still drive into the city on Friday night, become confused at the DC street layout, and end up parking in front of our building and blocking a fire hydrant. Hooray!

(If you decide to hit up Ben's to celebrate their 50th, make sure you bring your Rolaids.)

The full release is below.

***TRAFFIC ADVISORY***

U Street Closure for 50th Anniversary of Ben’s Chili Bowl

One Block will be Shutdown for August 22 Celebration

Media Contact: John Lisle at (202) 671-2004

WASHINGTON, DC — One block of U Street, NW, between 12th and 13th Streets, will be closed on Friday, August 22nd, for the 50th anniversary celebration of Ben’s Chili Bowl.

The roadway is scheduled to be blocked off beginning at 7am and reopened to traffic at 4pm. Parking restrictions will be in effect 1200 block of U Street and the 1200 block of Florida Avenue.

Ben’s Chili Bowl, located at 1213 U Street, NW, opened on August 22, 1958.