RSS FeedLast Day For Penn Quarter Urban Outfitters Is Tomorrow (737 7th St NW)
We learned over the holiday that Urban Outfitters (737 7th St NW) will be open one more day, tomorrow (Dec 27, 2020), and then close its doors. The store has been a neighborhood mainstay on 7th St NW. The closest Urban Outfitters will now be in Georgetown. This store has the largest street presence of all the stores on 7th Street with its two story configuration and all glass frontage. The earliest reference we can find is back to 2007 meaning the store has been around for at least 13 years. A creative future use might be to turn it into a mini-mall with pop up stores set up inside. Its closure along with that of Bed, Bath, and Beyond earlier in the year means that the last major retailer open on 7th St that doesn’t sell food, pharmacy, banking, or telecommunications products is the Ann Taylor Loft (707 7th St NW) and Pua Naturally (400 7th St NW). What a year.
Dine Out On Eighth In Downtown DC Through Oct 25 (8th St NW From H To K)
Photo: Dine Out on Eighth tents lining 8th and H Streets NW
The Downtown DC BID in cooperation with several downtown DC restaurants including Cuba Libre, Cranes, Modena, Olivia, and City Tap are running the Dine Out on Eighth program weekends through Sunday, October 25. These five restaurants have covered, socially distanced, outdoor dining tables set up on 8th Street NW between G and K Streets NW. One tent runs along H St NW between 8th and 9th Streets NW too. Open hours are Fridays 5 pm to 10 pm and Saturdays/Sundays from 12 pm to 10 pm. Reservations are encouraged. Other participating pop-ups and food trucks can be seen on this web page. For additional information please consult this press release from the Downtown DC BID.
William Hill Sports Betting Thriving At Capital One Arena (601 F St NW)
We chanced upon a line of people Sunday morning around 10:30 am during a donut run. Quizzical at why people would be standing in line for over an hour on a Sunday morning we were reminded that sports betting operation William Hill opened over the summer. It is now in full swing at the Capital One Arena (601 F St NW). Sports betting was legalized in DC in late 2018 and it took 2 years for an operator to set up a retail location. This article indicates that William Hill took in $9.1 million in bets in August 2020 and based on all the foot traffic we see, we believe it.
There are two ways you can place a bet in the betting “hall.” One way is at a ticket window where a customer service agent takes your bet. The other is at a self-service electronic kiosk. The kiosks line the street side of the hallway and the ticket windows normally used for purchasing Capital One events tickets are now in use taking bets along the opposite side of the hallway. LED boards show odds for different sports above the windows and in other parts of the betting hall. Security guards monitor and regulate people entering and exiting the hall. Upon approaching the line you may see bettors on F St NW consulting with each other on their opinions. With the Capital One Arena closed there now remains street activity during all hours that the venue is open which is from 10 am to 11 pm weekdays and 9 am to 11 pm weekends.
Introducing Ms. Gigi Nelson Running For ANC2C03 Commissioner In Penn Quarter
Today we’re introducing you to Ms. Gigi Nelson who is running in the Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 2C03 district which lies in the southern portion of the Penn Quarter neighborhood. The Penn Quarter and Chinatown neighborhoods are spread across 3 Single Member Districts (SMDs) within ANC 2C (Advisory Neighborhood Commission) which is the starting level of elected leadership within the District of Columbia. One elected Commissioner represents the needs and interests of the population within an SMD. We recommend looking at the Open ANC website which has a clickable map allowing readers to see who is running for SMD Commissioner positions all across the city. It is updated as the DC Board of Elections data is updated. On to the introduction!
Ms. Gigi Nelson – Candidate for SMD ANC2C03 within Ward 2
Instagram: @gigi2c03
Twitter: @Gigi_ANC2C03
Email: Please visit the ANC website at https://www.anc2c.us for Gigi’s current email contact information.
Hello! My name is Gigi Nelson and I am running to be the commissioner of ANC 2C-03. I am originally from California, and I spent many years living in various places around the country and around the world because my father was in the Army. I attended college and graduate school in the South (War Eagle!) and obtained both my degrees in history. After a stint as a college history professor, I took a historian position with the Air Force and moved a few more times. But I always knew I wanted to make the District my permanent home.
It only took 30 years, but I was finally able to make that happen! I moved from Italy to DC in the fall of 2017 and immediately jumped into learning all I could about my new home. I bought nearly every book available on DC history–not so much the federal presence, but the actual city history–read all the articles I could find, and attended various lectures around town to better understand the roots of the city and how it has evolved into what it is today.
Last year I began attending our ANC 2C monthly meetings because I wanted to get a better grasp of issues at the local neighborhood level. I also took the minutes for our ANC meetings, so I was really kind of embedded into ANC 2C from that experience. I thoroughly enjoyed working with Kevin Wilsey, Michael Shannkle, and Jamal Burton. Kevin leaves large shoes to fill, and if I am elected, I will do my best to justify his faith in me!
My goal is to be a representative voice for all of the residents and small business owners within our great community , so please don’t hesitate to reach out to me via email or on social media. I will always be happy to hear from you! Additionally, I am available virtually to attend your condo or apartment association meetings and to meet in small socially-distanced groups.
I welcome your support and I hope that you’ll vote for me, Gigi Nelson, during either early voting which begins October 27, or on November 3rd.