RSS FeedA Day In The Life…Why I Moved To The Penn Quarter
Ed. Note: Today we have a guest writer. LiveAndWorkinPQ, a frequent commenter on PQ Living and a bonafide Penn Quarter resident, narrates about why living downtown is enjoyable.
I had an experience last week that reminded me about why I moved to the Penn Quarter and despite the complaints about tour busses, trash pick-ups and homeless problems, why I enjoy living downtown so much.
I had tickets to the Wizards vs. Knicks game one Tuesday night in February and an early morning meeting at work the following day. In the days of living in the suburbs (ESPECIALLY the old days of the Cap Centre), the evening’s schedule would have entailed leaving work early, rushing home or somewhere in between to meet my wife and then rushing to the game. Inevitably, this turns into getting stuck in traffic, irritated that I had to pay $20 for parking and eventually joining the game’s crowd mid-first quarter. Starting halfway through the 3rd quarter we would be looking at the scoreboard debating when we would leave…We’d agree, “If the Wizards are down by more than 10 points with 5 minutes left we leave.” or “If they don’t score this time down the court then we leave.” Even if we left early we’d have to wait to get the car out of the parking garage and then drive home (or ride on the Metro and then drive home from the Metro station). The next morning I would skip my morning workout because I was tired, had to get up early to beat traffic and get into work for my early morning meeting.
Flash forward to living and working in the PQ in the here and now…going to the Wizards/Knicks game meant leaving work at 6 pm to change clothes and eat dinner at home. We walked out our door at 6:50 pm and were in our seats by tip-off. Unfortunately, some things don’t change….the Wizards lost in overtime. Fortunately, other things do change. We enjoyed our 5 minute walk home, most likely sitting in our living room while some people were still waiting for a Metro train or getting their car out of a garage. I was able to get a good night’s sleep while still having enough time for an early morning run on The Mall before getting in to work while; many of my colleagues were likely sitting in traffic or on the Metro on their way in to work at that time.
I’m sure many people in other neighborhoods have similar moments, whether it’s enjoying a July 4th barbeque with friends in your backyard in Vienna, savoring a Sunday morning coffee at Dean & Deluca in Georgetown or being able to walk your children to the local elementary school in Bethesda.
This was just my moment…what is yours?
Color Field Redux
Seems like we were just celebrating the color field school, but we’re happy to report that the Smithsonian American Art museum is now showing “Color As Field: American Painting, 1950-1975.” Mrs. Columbo & I are big Gene Davis fans, can’t wait to check out this exhibition which runs through May 26th.
Pic courtesy of the DC Newsroom. You may remember it from our May 10th, 2007 article.
Poll Results: PQ New Year’s Resolution
We asked our reader community “What Is Your Penn Quarter New Year’s Resolution?” and here are the results from the 131 votes cast:
(1) Shop At The New Safeway In Mt. Vernon Triangle (5th and K) – 68 votes – 51.9%
(2) All Of These Choices – 29 votes – 22.1%
(3) Attend The Opening Of The Newseum – 21 votes – 16.0%
(4) Attend The Opening Of The Crime & Punishment Museum – 7 votes – 5.3%
(5) Attend The Opening Of The Textile Museum – 6 votes – 4.6%
Looks like grocery shopping is on everyone’s mind for the new year! The Safeway will be here and open before we know it. Thanks for voting and check out the new poll on the right where we ask you if and when you’ll visit the Newseum after it opens on April 11th.
CookingLight Talks PQ Restaurants
Washington, DC caught CookingLight’s attention ranking our Nation’s Capital third in a national list for “eating smart” (whatever that means!). Poste (a favorite of this writer), Cafe Atlantico’s Minibar and the Penn Quarter Fresh Farm market all got mentions.
Cooking Light Best Cities: Washington, D.C. [CookingLight]
Hat tip goes to PQ Living reader Lindsay for sending us the reference.