RSS FeedPresident’s Holiday Weekend Track Work On Metro
We want to remind readers that major track work is taking place this upcoming weekend (President’s Day holiday weekend) on DC’s subway and the Blue-Orange line is effectively being severed into two segments with the Smithsonian and Federal Triangle stations closing temporarily. A shuttle bus will bridge L’Enfant Plaza and Metro Center for the Orange-Blue line so plan your trips accordingly. One alternative is to use the Red line via Gallery Place-Chinatown as a way to make the jump from Metro Center to L’Enfant Plaza if you want to stay underground. There will also be single tracking on the Red line in two locations with the DC location being between Rhode Island Ave-Brentwood and New York Avenue-Florida Avenue-Gallaudet U.
Need the full monty? This WMATA press release provides the details.
Wishful Thinking
Late last year we took a trip to Portland, OR, and like everyone else who has been there lately we fell in love with the food carts. A wide variety of good food (for a reasonable price) spread all around the city.
DC, of course, now has more to offer than just the half smoke carts that dot the city. Food trucks have popped up all over the metro area, tweeting their daily locations and also serving a wide variety of good food for a reasonable price.
But we still think DC could be well served by some fixed location food carts just like Portland. Granted there appeared to us to be a lot more vacant lots in Portland, the kinds of places where these carts could easily set up. DC does have some streets with wide sidewalks, and we think the sidewalk in front of the MLK Library would be the ideal starting point.
Like much of Penn Quarter the library is located within 2 blocks of all 5 Metro lines, the sidewalk in the front of the library is gigantic, and it would make the library a destination for tourists & locals alike. While we’re big fans of the food trucks in DC, we would also love to have specific vendors accessible in the same place for months at a time.
It will probably never happen, but we think 6 or so food carts in front of the library would make that stretch of 9th Street NW one of the most popular blocks in our neighborhood.
DC Link Roundup: Heard In The ‘Hood
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Here’s what we were reading last week about neighborhood news in DC. Have neighborhood thoughts? Leave them in the comments!
Penn Quarter/Chinatown – Beverage dispensing techology takes a leap forward at the Verizon Center – beer fills from the bottom up! We’re waiting for the home version to be made available at the Bed Bath & Beyond on 7th St NW. [DCist]
Penn Quarter/Chinatown – The Going Out Guide reviews Redline at 7th and G St NW (formerly Indebleu). [WaPo]
Mount Vernon Square – Vacant properties that are neglected are a blight so it’s good to get a sense of where they stand on the tax rolls. Our neighbors to the north let us know…nice color coding too! [Life In Mount Vernon Square]
Penn Quarter/Chinatown – We’re a go-go-go neighborhood per this rundown. [UrbanTurf]
Chinatown – A nice personal account of this year’s Chinese (lunar) New Year’s festival. [Run In DC]
Georgetown – Noisy nightclubs and restaurants are not only a “downtown” DC matter. The residents in Georgetown are grappling with their own version of the issue as a venue asks that an existing voluntary agreement be nullified. [The Georgetown Dish]
Shaw – The City Market at O makes progress – renderings and updates . [Renew Shaw] & [DC Metro Urban Diary] Hat tip: Cheryl
Rasika, 701, Bibiana Restaurateur Profiled in WaPo
Ashok Bajaj, restaurateur of a number of popular restaurants downtown such as 701, Bibiana, and Rasika, was profiled recently in the Washington Post. 701 (Continental cuisine) underwent a makeover about a year ago and we always enjoy the live jazz on Friday and Saturday nights there. It’s one of two spots where one can enjoy live music in the Penn Quarter. We visited Bibiana (Italian food) after it opened and think the lounges that line the entrance are great date spots. (The pizzas are the best deal on the menu.) Although we haven’t written specifically about Rasika (Indian cuisine), it’s well known as a fab restaurant. We get takeout from the bar and frequently see lots of smiles on patrons’ faces. A hat tip goes out to Ashok Bajaj for investing in downtown DC and keeping dining in our neighborhood tasty, fun, and varied.