RSS FeedDC 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!
All Over DC – The Mayoral race is now in full effect. [TBD.com]
Downtown – Wayback machine in effect…a look at Washington’s first sidewalk cafe – Bassin’s on Pennsylvania Ave. [Streets of Washington]
Downtown – Our memories get a little fuzzy going back to the ’80s and ’90s but the future hot spot referred to here on Vermont Avenue may have been The Insect Club back in the day. [WaBizJo]
Mount Vernon Triangle – A farm springs up in the middle of the city. [The Triangle]
Downtown – A review of the Plume restaurant at The Jefferson hotel. [Two DC]
Mount Vernon Triangle – Results Gym at CityVista will be closing. [The Triangle]
Shaw – The EFN Lounge, fomerly BeBar, on 9th St NW closes. [14th and You]
Downtown – Tax woes for Douglas Jemal. [WaBizJo]
Tea Partiers Cometh, Declare Penn Quarter Safe
To our dear fellow Penn Quarter residents: You will be proud to know that the Penn Quarter has been declared a safe zone for Saturday’s Glenn Beck March on Washington. Also, one of our favorite Penn Quarter restaurant’s, Jaleo, is highlighted as nice (but pricey) restaurant that is also close to the National Mall. That’s nice, considering that the author seems to heavily recommend that visitors stay and patronize establishments in northern Virginia.
While the unofficial guide to DC perpetuates many stereotypes, like avoiding all of the hipsters on the green line, we can’t lose sight of the likely intended audience of the guide: Tourists.
DC’s National Aquarium – Don’t Go For the Fish
After our visit to DC’s National Aquarium we were set to tell our readers not to waste their money. But a little online research has us changing our tune, just a bit. We still wouldn’t recommend it as a major family outing, but it might be a worthwhile visit… just not for the obvious reasons.
A couple of weeks ago a friend came downtown for an afternoon with his own one-year old daughter and we decided to meet up at the Museum of Natural History. PQ Mom had taken our daughter there earlier and she loved the mammals exhibit with all the large animals. On this occasion, however, we hit the museum at the wrong time and there was a huge line just to get in the door. Lacking patience, we decided to go somewhere else and walked over to the National Aquarium on 14th Street, since neither of us had been there before.
If you don’t know already, the DC’s National Aquarium (not to be confused with the identically-named aquarium in Baltimore) is in the basement of the Department of Commerce building at 14th and Constitution Ave, NW. Admission is $9 for adults, $6 for kids ages 3-11, and free for kids under 3. There are military and group discounts available as well.
As we approach the entrance with kids in tow we notice a banner promoting shark week (we assume this coincides Discovery Channel’s Shark Week) and after we get in, we watched a video of sharks on screens designed to look like ship portholes. That’s it, there are no other sharks to be seen in the aquarium, and no live sharks at all. It was not impressive to say the least. The aquarium itself is equally disappointing; essentially it is just a really dark room with several fish tanks installed into the walls. For us, the overwhelming feeling was more of pity for the fish stuck in the dingy tanks than anything else. It’s so small that, even at a one-year old’s non-walking pace, you can easily get around the entire aquarium in about 10 minutes. When you combine the small public viewing area with the lack of light (it was so dark that our daughters could hardly see the fish unless they were right up against the glass), well, we left thinking that we won’t be able to get those 15 minutes back.
It was in researching the background of the National Aquarium for this post, however, that we came across some facts that were pretty interesting. According to the National Aquarium FAQ:
- The DC National Aquarium is the nation’s oldest aquarium;
- The National Aquarium was first established in 1873 in Woods Hole, MA as part of the Federal Fish Commission. In 1878, The National Aquarium moved to the site of the Washington Monument, and consisted of holding ponds, known as “Babcock Lakes;” and
- The Fish Commission became part of the Department of Commerce in 1903, and moved into the building of the Department of Commerce Building in 1932.
It’s funny how a little thing like “Nations Oldest Aquarium” can change your attitude. While our recommendation stands at “don’t go there to see the fish,” it might be worth $9 to you for the historical side of things. You get to check out the nation’s oldest aquarium and see a little bit of history of the Commerce Department. For us, that part of the aquarium is more interesting than the wildlife held in the tanks.
[Editors Note: Image courtesy of the DC National Aquarium website]
Everything Must Go!
A few weeks ago we walked by the once vacant address at 908 F Street NW to find tons of antiques and other things for sale – literally hundreds of items. This space is connected to the Ventana Condo building, and this particular retail address is still being shopped around by Douglas Corporation for an established tenant. We thought it was a bit strange for this location to, apparently, all of a sudden have tons of items for sale. We asked around and found out that the items for sale are from the recently closed Kalaroma Bed and Bath and other buildings. If you’re looking for furniture or are interested in antiques, you may want to pass by for a look. Be aware that the hours of operation don’t always seem to be consistent so it may take a try or two and they are open until sometime in mid-September. More photos follow…