Nellie's Robbed at Gunpoint; Mid-City Caffe is Really Cool

It appears that Nellie's was robbed this afternoon at gunpoint; Borderstan has the scoop.

I can't tell you how upsetting it is to learn that businesses we love have been the victim of a violent crime. The Mrs. and I have watched more Capitals and Buckeyes games at Nellie's (and played a few rounds of Jenga) than we can count. Thankfully, no one was injured.

On another note, I wanted to pass along a positive story about one of our local businesses. Over the weekend, I inadvertently left my debit card in a local ATM. Aside from being risky to your bank account, it presents all kinds of headaches for your day-to-day activities--including paying for your morning coffee and bagel. I had to hang around the neighborhood a bit this morning in order to wait for the bank branch to open up so I could retrieve my card; while I did so, I decided to pop into the Mid-City Caffe for some breakfast and a coffee.

After placing my order, it immediately dawned on me that I had no cash to pay for it. Seeing my predicament, the guy working the counter said "no problem, just pay us the next time you're in," and promptly delivered my bagel and latte. Now, he certainly didn't have to do that...but it was really cool that he did. So, thank you Mid-City. You've certainly earned yourself a loyal customer.

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!

Brave or stupid? You decide.

Via Borderstan, this interesting piece from the weekend:

The victim of a Saturday-night mugging on the 900 block of U Street NW fought back with the help of two friends and caught the mugger, according to a friend who saw the incident.

Seems a would-be mugger picked the wrong group of guys to accost on U Street on Saturday night. After snatching something from one of them, the mugger took off east on U Street--followed by the three men. They caught up with him in front of Nellie's, where they proceeded to administer a beat-down in front of cheering bystanders.

Now, there is a part of me that relishes this. After all, muggings have been plaguing our neighborhood in increasing numbers for some time, and there's a certain sense of justice in seeing one of them "caught in the act." Who knows--if it had been me, I might have done the same thing. God knows it can be infuriating to have your purse or wallet taken forcibly by some thug.

But this could have ended much worse for all parties. Luckily for the three men who gave chase, the mugger was not armed; otherwise this incident might have become a homicide. (Although it seems that even homicides aren't attracting that much ire from prosecutors these days...) As it was, it made for a nice story of vigilante justice--but what about next time?

So what do you think: were the actions of the three man vigilante crew an act of justice-seeking bravery, or spur-of-the-moment stupidity?