RSS FeedMore Daylight To Enjoy Penn Quarter!
At 2am this morning, we sprang ahead 1 hour for daylight saving time. The bad news is that we lost one hour of sleep, but the good news is that we gained one more hour of daylight at the end of the day to enjoy Penn Quarter! How will you spend your extra hour?
With some warmer weather coming soon, this blogger will be enjoying a sunset while jogging on the National Mall after work.
CityVista Update (Safeway ETA, Busboys & Poets)
We have a couple of updates regarding retail at the CityVista project at 5th & K St NW.
Life in Mt. Vernon Square has the scoop on the Safeway opening date. It may open as early as June or as late as late July, early August September. The issue that affects Safeway’s opening date is whether or not they decide to put in a drop ceiling. No drop ceiling means, a June opening!
While we’re on the topic of CityVista, a building permit was approved on 02/12/08 for the Mt. Vernon Triangle outpost of Busboys & Poets! For those not familiar with Busboys, it is a local chain that rolls up a lounge, restaurant, cafe, coffee shop, and bookstore all into one cozy place.
02/12/08
1025 5TH ST NW
TENANT FIT UP FOR BUSBOYS AND POETS RESTAURANT. TO INCLUDE MECHANICAL, ELECTRICAL, PLUMBING AND FIRE PROTECTION
BUSBOYS INC
The “I Need a Swanky Bar That Isn’t 5 People Deep Yet” Edition
Monday night I drove home from … well…from out of town… and…driving home from anywhere can be exhausting… so when I got to 7th Street, and discovered that a Caps game was gearing up…threatening to make the night a crowded fiasco of trying to get a bite of dinner and a simple cocktail to help wash away the dusty drive home…well…maybe my shoulders slumped a bit at the prospect of fighting the crowd…
until…
I spotted Victor on the corner of 6th and G…Victor is the head barkeep of the new Lee Loo Lounge (521 G Street, NW)…and well…if he is standing outside…that means the neighbors haven’t figured out he is open yet! … I waved … and could tell he wasn’t quite sure who I was…but when I whipped into a parking spot in front of him…he recognized me…and waved back a bit more enthusiastically. I unpacked the car, started some laundry and walked toward the Lee Loo Lounge…by this time the neighborhood was flooded with Caps jerseys…and…even though I tried sneaking in the back door…near the bar… I was quickly greeted by Max (the proprietor) and Victor who by now was manning his busier bar….(if you’ve lived here long enough you may remember Victor who worked the bar at Andale before moving to Miami for a bit).
A couple that moved to the neighborhood recently, a Caps fan who works in the PQ, and a fun group of Bruins fans (who swore they rooted for the Caps when they weren’t playing the Bruins) kept me entertained at the bar…they even came up with an extra ticket in case I wanted to see the game. It felt like a nice neighborhood gathering…and while I haven’t tasted everything…I’ve had the steak…yummmmmy…I’ve had the shrimp and scallops…yummier…and I’ve had a few of Victor’s vodka tonics…I can wholeheartedly recommend them all.
Lee Loo Lounge is at the corner of 6th and G and is officially open…it’s slightly swankier than your average joint but not as pretentious as some of the soopa swank places here in the neighborhood (you know where I mean!!!)…the prices run on the higher end but good service can be so hard to find in DC…I think you’ll find it is worth it….sooooo stop in and introduce yourself! Max and Victor…are looking forward to making your acquaintance…xoxo
Six New Artist Studios Coming To Penn Quarter! (Plus A Little History)
The neighborhood keeps getting better. First, we had Mather Studios (912 G St NW) and its 12 units of affordable housing dedicated to full-time artists.
Now, Penn Quarter has 6 more units on the way. According to the DCRA permit approved on 02/21/08, the Downtown Artist Coalition is constructing 6 units (3 on the 2nd floor and another 3 on the 3rd floor) at 975 F St NW!
We tried to find out more information about the Downtown Artist Coalition, and came up with one document (pdf) that offers a look into neighborhood dynamics prior to revitalization. According to this document, Penn Quarter isn’t gaining 6 artist studios, it is regaining 6 artist studios.
Before Akridge’s Carroll Square project broke ground, artist studios already existed in some of the buildings on F St. Also, the Washington Stage Guild called Carroll Hall (part of St. Patrick’s Church) its home. Saint Patrick’s Church owned all of the buildings and land that the Carroll Square project now occupies and was planning to destroy Carroll Hall as part of the project.
Facing displacement, the artists and thespians joined forces to ensure that they would be able to return to the neighborhood after development. It appears that the plan is coming to fruition with 6 new artist studios on F St and the Washington Stage Guild regaining a home in Penn Quarter in the DLA Piper building at 9th & E St NW, a couple of blocks away from its old home.