RSS FeedDowntown DC/Penn Quarter News Roundup: Heard In The ‘Hood (Revived!)
Photo: Closed Radio Shack/Sprint store at 732 7th St NW
We haven’t written up a Heard In The ‘Hood, links to newsworthy stories in the Penn Quarter and Downtown DC neighborhoods, in a while. In fact it’s been over two years! Here we go:
Metro HQ Might Be Going on Sale (Chinatown) – Metro is seriously considering selling its headquarters on 5th St NW. It is now very prime real estate and the value has done nothing but go up since its construction. They’re really seriously considering it. Seriously.
Metro Service and Fare Changes Take Effect (DC) – Speaking of Metro, please be reminded that the service and fare changes announced earlier in the year will take effect on June 25. The minimum rail fare rises to $2.25 and the bus fare to $2. Bus and rail service hours change also.
New Street Meter Parking Rates in Effect on May 30 (Penn Quarter) – New parking rates go into effect in the real time parking rate zone in Penn Quarter. The new cost ranges will be from $1 to $4 per hour according to the DDOT press release.
Long Time Business Weschler’s Decamps from E Street for Rockville (Penn Quarter) – Our favorite local writer, John Kelly, chronicles Weschler’s moving its auction business to Rockville, Maryland. We hope it works out well for them and we miss them already. We’ll keep an eye out for what will happen next to the building.
Apple Store Coming to Carnegie Library Won’t Be “Big and Loud” (Mount Vernon Triangle) – Many are elated that DC and Apple are getting together to come up with store number two which will be at 8th and K Streets NW in the former Carnegie Library. Rest easy folks, it won’t be big and loud.
Radio Shack (aka Sprint Store) on 7th Street Finally Meets Its Demise (Penn Quarter/Chinatown) – We went in to the 7th Street NW (see photo above) store to get a stereo cord two months ago. Judging from the customer service it was clear that this store was not long for the world and that indeed turned out to be the case.
Jazz In The Garden Starts Tomorrow In Sculpture Garden (Constitution Ave – 7th to 9th St NW)
Summer hasn’t officially started until Jazz in the Garden starts in the National Gallery of Art’s Sculpture Garden. And, it is starting tomorrow running through August 25 every Friday evening from 5 pm to 8:30 pm.
A few reminders from the Penn Quarter Neighborhood Association:
- Concerts take place in front of the Pavilion Café but may be cancelled due to excessive heat or inclement weather
- There is no charge for the concerts Sculpture Garden hours are extended to 9:30pm.
- Picnickers may bring blankets
- Alcoholic beverages and coolers are not permitted
- The Pavilion Café and carts located on the patios offer a seasonal light fare menu and cold beverages
- The Sculpture Garden location is just south of Constitution Avenue between Third and Seventh Streets NW
The May and June schedule is shown below:
May 19
Matuto
Brazilian bluegrass
May 26
United States Coast Guard Dixieland Jazz Band
Dixieland jazz
June 2
Leigh Pilzer
Saxophone
June 9
Dan Bárta & Robert Balzar Trio
Czech jazz
June 16
Michael Thomas Quintet
In collaboration with the DC Jazz Festival
June 23
Juanita Williams
Blues singer
June 30
Victor Provost
Caribbean jazz steel pannist
Hen Quarter Restaurant Now Open (750 E St NW)
We dropped by Hen Quarter (750 E St NW) for brunch yesterday and can confirm that it is up and running. The interior has a more open feel to it than the former Austin Grill that resided in this location. The filament light bulbs and use of exposed wood give it a somewhat rustic feel and the basic seating, kitchen, and bar arrangements remain in the same locations as before. Outdoor seating is an option as patrons will see a line of chairs and table on the street outside the establishment.
The menu is southern influenced (lunch, dinner, and brunch) with helpings of fried chicken, catfish, pork belly, and summery fruits sprinkled throughout. We tried the Hen Quarter (HQ) waffle, eggs, and sausage combo for brunch. The waffle is made of a corn, scallion batter and the sausage was tasty almost matching the size of a small hamburger. Eggs over easy came as ordered. While interesting tasting, we’d opt for the regular waffle batter to preserve that brunch taste we’re used to. It’s a bit loud inside as there are no absorptive surfaces to buffer sound but it’s not as loud as another nearby restaurant that opened recently. Of note, the restaurant is open Monday to Friday for breakfast from 8 am to 11 am which is a nice addition to an otherwise sparse set of weekday breakfast sit down options in the neighborhood. Pricing is about average for this type of restaurant. Our bartender offered the basics when it came to service but was still a bit green behind the ears as our empty water glass required a few extra reminders.
Amazing food and experience? Not yet. But, the basics are in place and we’ll check back in a month or so to see how it’s evolved.
Studio Xfinity From Comcast Coming To Former City Sports In Chinatown (715 7th St NW)
Now we know what is coming to the former City Sports location at 715 7th St NW. The new tenant is Comcast who will be opening a Studio Xfinity in the fall of 2017 per the recently updated window signage. Studio Xfinity is a “transformational retail environment” designed to showcase all the home goodies you can buy and set up using Comcast’s service offerings. The only Studio Xfinity we can currently find open is in Chicago although Comcast does have a fairly new Xfinity store in Cleveland Park on Connecticut Avenue. (The DC location is also hiring by the way.)
