RSS FeedWhen Your Burger Comes With A Side Of Gucci
A few days ago, a news story broke about a restaurant scam going on in the DC area. Certain restaurant servers were stealing credit card numbers from restaurant patrons and using them to run up bills at stores ranging from Gucci to Target. Unfortunately, a couple of PQ restaurants were affected. Here’s a link to the full story.
DC Link Roundup: Heard In The ‘Hood
Rhode Island Avenue – Don’t ride any old G8 bus. Ride the super duper G8! [bloomingdale (for now)]
Shaw – Shiloh Baptist makes motions that they’re going to build on an empty lot they own on 9th Street NW. Now if they’d only do something productive with the rest of their boarded up properties. [Renew Shaw] and [bloomingdale (for now)]
Georgetown – Nathan’s at the corner of Wisconsin Ave and M Street NW is sticking around for now. A classic and Carol Joynt’s Q & A Cafe avoid the chopping block. [Georgetown Metropolitan]
All of DC – A second update on the legality of keeping chickens in DC. Film at 11. [InShaw]
Nats Park – We couldn’t pass this up and it’s not a neighborhood blog but a comprehensive list of the beer available at the Red Porch at Nationals Park is now available. We have to ask if Peroni really goes with baseball? [WaPo – D.C. Sports Bog]
ANC6C – Agenda for tomorrow’s ANC meeting for region covering part of downtown. [The (Mount Vernon) Triangle]
Chinatown Park (5th/6th St and Mass Ave NW) – Notes on importance of attending ANC6C meeting for one of our very own downtown parks. We agree that keeping parks thriving is important to an urban existence. [The (Mount Vernon) Triangle]
Sometimes Your Zipcar Can’t Go Home Again
PQ Zipcar users are in an enviable position when it comes to renting cars; namely we’re surrounded. There are a wide variety of Zipcars all around us, from the fun to drive Mini convertible, to the cargo-hauling Honda Element. When we reserve a Zipcar though, we think about more than how close the car is to us and what model we want to drive. We’ve been Zip/Flex car members long enough to know you also have to think about when you’ll be returning the car; that is, how likely is it that your Zipcar’s street parking space will be empty for you when you get home.
In only the most desperate of times do we ever take either of the cars at 11th & G (pictured above). In our experience, if you take one of those cars with the intent to return anytime other than early morning (photo taken Sunday morning) forget about your space being available. We like to reserve the Honda Civic Hybrid (“Crippen”) at 5th & F for short runs as it is the cheapest car in the fleet (hourly only @ $7.75 per hour) but we never take it if there is an event at the Verizon Center. To do so is to guarantee a stolen parking space. It’s hit or miss with the Element and Mini convertible on 8th ST near the Archives. With those spaces being right in front of Zipcar HQ they’re policed better than others, but we’ve still had experiences with them being taken by others.
The garaged cars are obviously a much safer bet, the Embassy Suites at 10th & NY house many Zipcars for which you’ll never have to worry about losing a space. You do, however, have to add a little additional time to picking up and dropping off the car, as a valet must do that for you. That may add to the cost too, as we always give a tip for that service.
We love the service Zipcar provides, we get the benefits of car ownership without almost any of the downside. But when you’re coming back from a long weekend on the shore or even a short hop to the suburbs, there is little more aggravating than finding out your Zipcar space has been taken.
Le Paradou, Willard Room To Close
Le Paradou, the contemporary French restaurant at 601 Pennsylvania Ave NW, will be closing on April 25.
The Willard Room found in the Willard Hotel at 1401 Pennsylvania Ave NW will also close but be repurposed into a dedicated private events space. The Cafe du Parc and Occidental tied to/near the Willard Hotel will continue operations.
Since these announcements were widely covered in other outlets, below find the linkfest for perusal.
Le Paradou Is History, But What About Yannick Cam [Washington CityPaper]
Le Paradou To Close At End Of Month [Metrocurean]
La [sic] Paradou to close [Washington Business Journal]
Closing: Le Paradou and Willard Room [ZagatBuzz – Washington D.C.]
Willard Room to become private events venue [Washington Business Journal]
Hat tip to a PQ Living reader for putting us on to this news.