RSS FeedDC Public Schools Beautification Day Tomorrow – Volunteers Needed
From the DC Public Schools, we learned about DCPS Beautification Day taking place tomorrow. D.C. Public Schools will hold its ninth annual Beautification Day on Saturday August 24 from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. DCPS needs volunteers for a variety of projects to help clean up and spruce up schools in preparation for the first day of school. Activities will include gardening and landscaping, organizing books and libraries, painting, flower planting and more. More than 4000 volunteers will participate so it will be a good time for all involved.
Volunteers are needed at nearly 100 schools city-wide. This is a great opportunity to contribute to neighborhood schools. Please click here to volunteer or donate supplies.
The two schools on the list closest to Penn Quarter/Downtown are:
a) Walker Jones Education Campus, 1125 New Jersey Ave NW (Mount Vernon Triangle neighborhood)
b) Cleveland Elementary, 1825 8th St NW (Shaw neighborhood)
More information about DCPS Beautification Day can be found at www.dcps.dc.gov/Bday2013
Mangia Mangia
If you love Italian food, wine and cooking, check out the cooking classes offered by Elisir (427 11th St. NW). Chef Enzo Fargione offers the classes here in DC or in his native Italy.
Classes at Elisir
Saturdays at 10 am: $129++ for approximately 3 to 4 hours of demonstration and hands-on cooking.
In Italy
September 15-21: A cycling and food tour of Puglia led by Chef Fargione.
Buon appetito!
Penn Quarter Link Roundup: Heard In The ‘Hood
Photo above: It’Sugar (714 7th St NW) is open for business.
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Here’s what we were reading recently about neighborhood news in DC. Have something to add? Leave it in the comments!
Have any tips? Send them in confidentiality to: pqliving [at] gmail.com
Penn Quarter – As PQ Living noted by Twitter last week, It’Sugar opened at 714 7th St NW. It’s all candy all the time…we haven’t seen this many Pez dispensers in one place since our youth (see photo below). The Washington Post provides a good backgrounder on the store and we have links to its online outlets also. [PQ Living Tweet] & [WaPo] & [It’Sugar website] & [It’Sugar Twitter] & [It’Sugar Facebook] & [DC store opening photoset – Facebook]
Downtown – The wise cracking crowd at PoPville (aka Prince of Petworth) comments on their impressions of CityCenter condos (925 H St NW and 920 I St NW) as a GDoN (Good Deal or Not). Many commenters on the post feel the condo fees are high but one commenter who says they’re in commercial real estate thinks the per square foot pricing of the units is lower than the targeted number. Dichotomy? You be the judge. [PoPville]
Penn Quarter – This one’s interesting because it shows activity in a building where a controversial business used to operate in Penn Quarter. We’re talking about 915 F St NW which had been home to the Platinum nightclub that attracted nightlife, for better or for worse. This building had been a dance club for decades going back to the 1980s. Douglas Development will modernize the rear of the building by putting on a five story structure while restoring the main portion of the building. We agree with Douglas…it could be one cool (our editorial adjective) restaurant. [Washington Business Journal] & [Previous PQ Living coverage of 915 F St NW/Platinum]
All Over DC – Restaurant Week is on this week until Sunday, August 25. Some restaurants extend the RW menus beyond the official end of RW and most every major restaurant in downtown DC and Penn Quarter participates. Get out there and eat! [Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington]
Penn Quarter Crib of the Week – Nothing…zilch…bupkus for this week. Check again next week.
Photo below: Pez dispensers at It’Sugar (714 7th St NW)…that’s a lot of Pez!
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Let’s Be Careful Out There
One of the common complaints about DC is that no one ever gets pulled over for traffic violations. You see people speeding, running red lights and stop signs, talking or texting on their phones. It can be frustrating, unsafe, and lead to anger on both sides of the automobile. That’s why we’ve found it so interesting that one block of PQ has lately become a police trap, of sorts.
For the last 6 weeks or so, on seemingly random days, we’ve seen an MPD officer park his car on the 400 block on 9th street (next to the FBI, between D & E), stand in the right hand lane, and flag people coming south down 9th. The officer will get 4 or so cars pulled up behind his, and then visit them all in turn. We assume the violation is that these individuals have been riding down 9th street in the right hand bus/bike only land, but are not turning onto E and rather continuing straight down 9th (using the bus/bike lane as a through lane).
Light cycle after light cycle, the officer will flag down offenders, visit them, and the pull over a new batch. We don’t have any idea if MPD is handing out tickets, or just warnings, but we hope to see this kind of enforcement more often at other trouble spots in the city.
We suppose some people might think we’re doing a disservice by alerting the scofflaws to this potential trap, but if this post can make a few people think twice about riding in the bus/bike only lane, then we believe we’re only helping to keep that lane clear for the proper traffic.