RSS FeedDC Link Roundup: Heard In The ‘Hood
Photo: July 4 fireworks a la Penn Quarter rooftop
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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!
Hill East – One D.C. United player decides to live within blocks of RFK Stadium making it a very, very easy commute. We know exactly what that’s about. Smart man! [WaPo]
Chinatown – We are privileged to have the Dalai Lama performing a Kalachakra at the Verizon Center over the next two weeks. [Kalachakra 2011 Website] & [Kalachakra FAQ]
Penn Quarter – Tom Sietsema puts his official stamp on Hill Country BBQ on 7th St NW and we generally agree with his assertions, although we haven’t tried the desserts…yet. [WaPo]
Woodley Park – Washington’s annual awards ceremony, the RAMMYs, hosted by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington took place last week. Congrats to the Penn Quarter and Downtown DC winners including Carmine’s (Power Spot), the Old Ebbitt Grill (Where Magazine Visitors’ Choice Award), Ryme Lansari of Café Atlantico/minibar (Restaurant Employee), The Source by Wolfgang Puck (Fine Dining), and José Andrés (Duke Zeibert Capital Achievement Award). [RAMW website] & [RAMMY photo site]
Capitol Hill/Penn Quarter – Tommy Wells, Ward 6 Councilmember, gets a new website. TommyTV…allright. Nice! [CM Wells website]
Penn Quarter – America Eats Tavern is open for business. It won’t be long before all the foodie bloggers descend on the place. Once in a while, that mean us at PQ Living![Cafe Atlantico website] & [DCist]
Mount Vernon Square – An update from columnist John Kelly on the fate of the Washington Historical Society and the Carnegie Library building (8th and K St NW), such a grand space that needs to be put to good use. [WaPo]
NoMa – One viewpoint on billboard style signs that drape building sides in DC. Technically, they’re called “special signs” and there are only 32 of them. Technically. [Greater Greater Washington]
Penn Quarter – Is this right? $250 to $300 per square foot to lease retail space in the development at the northeast corner of 7th and H St NW. Holy cow Batman! That’s some serious coin. [DC Metro Urban Diary]
Mount Vernon Triangle – A patron in Taylor Gourmet on K St NW captured Saturday night’s stormapalooza in a photo that begets images of hurricane Andrew. [Taylor Gourmet Twitter feed] & [Adam Z Twitter/Yfrog feed]
H Street NE – DC Brau, DC’s production brewery, is now selling and pouring growlers. Life in DC gets better. [Washington CityPaper]
Penn Quarter Living is looking for writers. If you enjoy all that the Penn Quarter and downtown DC offer and like to write, drop us a line at: pqliving [at] gmail.com
Independence Day To Dos (July 4)
The middle of the year is here and that means it’s time to celebrate July 4, Independence Day, in the Penn Quarter. We’ll be enjoying the usual festivities with family and friends, and hope you will be also. A few links follow to provide information on how to navigate what’s taking place on the National Mall and in our neighborhood. The fireworks begin at 9:10 pm.
Happy 235th to the United States of America!
- July 4th Events Near the National Mall [WaPo]
- July 4th Events at the National Archives [National Archives website]
- 4th of July Parade on Capitol Hill [Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells Twitter feed]
- Catch the Steel Wheels playing their brand of country music at Hill Country (410 7th St NW) [Hill Country July Music Schedule [PDF]]
- Attend an urban picnic at one of the PQ restaurants offering up July 4th fare [PQ Living]
- Take heed of road closures and parking restrictions [NBC Washington]
Riot Act Comedy Theater Opening August 3
UPDATE (July 24): The new opening date for Riot Act is August 11, 2011. Please see PQ Living’s update post here.
Lots of activity marks the space at the corner of 8th and E St NW (801 E Street, NW) as the Riot Act Comedy Theater undergoes construction. The good news is that it’s nearing completion and the theater announced its opening day to be Wednesday, August 3.
Washington native, restaurateur and bar owner, Geoff Dawson (Buffalo Billiards, Iron Horse Tap Room, Rocket Bar), along with partners Marjorie Heiss and John Xereas are behind the effort and once open, it will be open every day of the week. The two-story, 13,000-square-foot facility with a 330 seat showroom will feature a host of collective offerings that include a School of Comedy, movie screen backdrop, weekly open “mic” nights, cabaret style dining with full table service, digital recording capabilities and high-tech broadcast resources. Riot Act will also feature two bar areas that operate outside of the showroom with the capacity to provide video highlights, major telecasts and onsite television viewing of sold-out performances.
DC’s own king of comedy, Tony Woods is scheduled to headline the theater’s opening week August 3 to 6. Woods is an original member of Russell Simmons’ Def Comedy Jam on HBO and P. Diddy’s Bad Boys of Comedy. The DC born and bred comedy veteran has made universal appearances from Showtime at the Apollo to Late Night with Conan O’Brien.
Fantastic for local area comics, there will be a regular open mic night on Tuesdays. Wednesdays will be “theme” nights that will cover everything from “Gay-Larious” to the “Geek Comedy Tour.” Thursdays through Sundays will feature local and national headliners.
The initial website is up and running at www.riotactcomedy.com and the full website goes live next week.
PQ Living staff are already brushing up on their jokes for open mic night. I just flew in from Cleveland and boy are my arms tired! Ba-dum-pa.
Photo Of The Week: Incense On 10th
Walking past the Ford’s Theatre, we spotted (sniffed) some incense burning on this street sign. Perhaps it was placed there to offset the aroma of sweaty visitors walking in the summer heat?