Results tagged “clevelandpark>”

After a few months where we wondered if any business could maintain an open storefront in Cleveland Park, it looks like two of the most quizzically empty spaces in the neighborhood have plans to be filled. Posters to the neighborhood's ubiquitous listserv have passed on the information that the space at Connecticut Avenue and Porter Street which formerly held a 7-11 could house an urgent care office. (Urgent care next to the new Walgreens? Convenient!). Meanwhile, the former McDonalds at 3407 Connecticut -- which has literally been empty for years -- could potentially become a diner. A fun place to get some awesome breakfast before or after a weekend matinee at the Uptown sounds utterly delightful.

We've written about the sizzling drama inside the Cleveland Park Citizens Association before, and now the Ward3DC blog reports that the "UNITY" slate, headed by longtime resident John Chelen, has been declared the winner of Tuesday's election. Chelen replaces long-serving president George Idelson, the man who was ridiculed by local media earlier this year for accusing new members of CPCA, drawn to join due to the endless bickering over the Wisconsin Ave. Giant grocery store plans, among other development issues, of attempting a coup. Idelson eventually chose not to run again, leaving Jeff Davis and his "Reform" slate to oppose Chelen.

We had been hearing about the imminent demise of Cleveland Park's 7-11, located at the corner of Connecticut Ave. and Porter St. NW., for a while, but after being reminded by City Desk that the convenience store did indeed shut its doors on Thursday, joining the Starbucks and the Magruder's Market on the growing list of neighborhood retailers who are giving up rather than face increasing rents amid a bleak economy, it's still hard to fathom. Who knew 7-11's, in all their ubiquity, could even go out of business? Granted, this location was at the top, rather than the middle, of Cleveland Park's commercial corridor, perhaps making it not quite convenient enough, but still. Are people really buying fewer Slurpees, packs of gum and nutritionally questionable taquitos? And wouldn't these Cleveland Park landlords trying to raise the rent prefer to have some kind of paying tenant, rather than no tenant at all?

I was all prepared to write about the unabated decline of retail in the heart of Cleveland Park (even the 7-11 is closing, people!), but a much more interesting topic about the area was thrust into the public eye yesterday: implications of latent racism on the neighborhood's listserv, which will, no matter what, always take precedent over the unfortunate disappearance of Go-Go Taquitos.

Resident Jeff Davis shared the news with the Cleveland Park listserve this morning that the years-long battle to allow Giant Food to remodel its store at Wisconsin & Newark appears to have finally come to an end. The project dates as far back at 1998, though it was revived in its current form in 2006 before being derailed once again by NIMBY concerns over traffic and parking. You'll recall that more recently, the Cleveland Park Citizens Association experienced a coup/meltdown in the wake of the impending Giant plan approval.

Nothing breathes a little life into a slow news week like some neighborhood listserv drama. The comments and tips line have been buzzing about the Cleveland Park Citizens Association turning the area into a "banana republic." How? Well, let's start from the beginning.

The Cleveland Park location of D.C.-area based Margruder's Market is closing its doors this weekend, according to Nbcwashington.com. Saturday will reportedly be the last day of business for the market, located at 3527 Connecticut Avenue NW, at the intersection of Connecticut Avenue and Porter Street NW. It's a bummer for the adjacent neighborhood, as Magruder's was a convenient spot to be able to pick up essentials. Magruder's locations in Gaithersburg, Rockville, Kemp Mill, Vienna, Falls Church, Alexandria and Chevy Chase will remain open. The rising cost of rent is cited as the reason for the closing.

Do you live in Cleveland Park or its surroundings? If you do, chances are good that much like this editor, you are a walking zombie today courtesy of a terrifyingly loud alarm that went off early this morning at the University of the District of Columbia.

WTOP is reporting a partial street collapse on Connecticut Ave. NW, just north of the Cleveland Park Metro station. Some metal plates that were covering up utility cuts on the southbound lanes collapsed this morning, leaving only one left lane for traffic. No injuries have been reported, but you might want to steer clear of the area while crews work to replace the metal plate.

The Cleveland Park listserv is teeming with arguments in favor of and against eliminating the reversible traffic lanes on Connecticut Avenue, which many people claim to be unsafe for drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists alike; of course, others (read: commuters) are crying bloody murder at the potential increase in traffic jams during the morning and evening rush hour on one of the cities main arterial roadways.

>> A second suspect in the kidnapping and sexual assault of a Prince George's County woman is under arrest after he was ID'd by a Metro transit investigator. [NBC4] >> D.C. firefighters and medics responded to the scene of an accident in Cleveland Park today that left a woman seriously injured after she crashed her car through a wall of her brick carport, collapsing part of it onto the car. [AP/WJLA] >> "If you're...

We all know that Washingtonians love to complain about the lack of enough good grocery store options within the city, so perhaps this bit of news will bring us all some Friday cheer: local Giant Food stores, often considered some of the worst stores in D.C., are going to be getting makeovers. Dubbed "Project Refresh" by the company, the updates will include things like new floors and lighting, and focus on improving product quality in...

Good morning, Washington. The weather-related headlines today are all generally pretty disappointing -- The Post proclaims that "Rain Likely to Dampen Area But Not Douse the Drought", and others have followed suit. But waving like a lone reed in the pessimistic sands of weather prognostication is CapitalWeather.com, who just minutes ago put up a prediction, based on a brand new model, suggesting that "several factors are finally lining up to bring the potential for...

If you're a smoker still smarting over the ban on lighting up in District bars, fear not -- a Cleveland Park watering hole is now your refuge. According to the AP via WJLA, the District has granted its first exemption to the 10-month-old smoking ban, with the prize going to Aroma in Cleveland Park. The bar, which sells cigars and claimed a loss of 20 percent in the six months after the ban was imposed,...

Good morning, Washington. Flickr user zenfrisbee went down to the West Lawn yesterday to catch the festivities surrounding the Dalai Lama's visit and acceptance of a Congressional Gold Medal. China, naturally, had "solemnly demanded" the cancellation of the event, which saw President Bush appear with the Dalai Lama in public -- something no sitting U.S. president has done before. Bush dismissed China's concerns over the event, saying he didn't think it would severely damage relations...

It's no surprise to this Hill resident, but it might be to those of you who live in relative cesspools like Logan Circle, Clarendon, Silver Spring, or "North" Cleveland Park: Eastern Market has been named one of the Nation's ten best neighborhoods. Thank you, American Planning Association, for giving credit where it's due. In its first annual "Best Places" awards, the APA heralds the Eastern Market neighborhood for "its continued success in balancing the demands...

Can't anyone get D.C. right? Today the Post's Reliable Source reports that Nicole Kidman's newest thriller, The Invasion, makes a number of relatively amateur mistakes in trying to use the District as a backdrop, even though a good part of it was filmed here. Among those: - Kidman, who plays a D.C. psychiatrist, buys magazines at one of those big sidewalk newsstand kiosks -- the ones all over New York but not on any corner...

>> The Red Line has resumed normal service after a suspicious package closed the Dupont Circle, Woodley Park, and Cleveland Park stations for several hours. >> Temperatures hit 102 at Reagan National Airport at 1 p.m., breaking a nearly 80-year-old record by one degree. [WaPo] >> The Adams Morgan Safeway closed briefly Sunday evening due to a bomb scare. [City Desk] >> Damage from the Capitol Lounge/Trover Shop fire is estimated at about $100,000...

UPDATE #2 WMATA reports that all three stations have re-opened, though some delays may linger in order to get everything back on schedule. Enjoy your evening, Washington. According to an alert from Metro, the Dupont Circle, Woodley Park, and Cleveland Park stations have been closed due to a suspicious package aboard a train. Metro will be running shuttle buses between Van Ness and Farragut North to connect to the stations. We hope the package turns...

Via The Examiner, it looks like it's finally been long enough that we can start to measure the financial impact of the District's smoking ban, thanks to reported tax revenues on both alcohol and cigarettes for the fiscal year now being available. Overall, the news is good: alcoholic beverage tax revenues are up 1.6 percent for fiscal 2007, while cigarette tax dollars are down a whopping 7.5 percent for the year. Taken at face value,...

A flurry of frantic, angry emails began around 6 p.m. last night on the Cleveland Park Listserve and moved seemingly all over town by 8 p.m. It was the end of civilization as we know it! A catastrophe of epic proportions! Alert the National Guard! The Uptown Theater might be closing! Thankfully, cooler heads have now prevailed. Turns out the rumor got started because the Jews for Jesus outfit McLean Bible Church put up...

Good morning, Washington. It's hot again out there today, with highs expected in the upper 90s, and folks in the city are understandably getting a little hot under the collar. Take Duane Stillions, who ABC7 reports was attacked by a pit bull on July 4 while walking his two small dogs. One of his dogs, Molly, a ten-pound Bichon Frise, is hospitalized in intensive care at a cost of $1,000 a day, and Stillions is...

There are certain defining moments in the relationship between any father and son. Times when a father passes down the wisdom gained through the years, when a son asks those burning questions he doesn't feel comfortable asking his buddies, the guidance counselor, or the older guys in the gym locker room. And the father sits his son down and they talk long into the night. About why you should get flowers for a girl when...

Thanks to a tip from the writers at WeRiteGoode, we are letting you know of yet another fast food giveaway (well, almost).

In honor of National Burger Heritage Awareness Month, our favorite Internet travel buddy Gridskipper opted to run a post lauding the awesomeness of Washington's hamburgers. We have no quarrel there; they are awesome, and we feel it completely appropriate to exalt their bovinity. Hmm. Bovinity. Where have we heard that word before? Bovinity, bovinity, bovinity, bovinity... But Gridskipper's list is certainly respectable — incorporating true burger all-stars like Colorado Kitchen and Tallula — even if...

We gotta say, Mother Nature is a moody lady. She gives us Saturday's near-perfect conditions to watch the Idiotarod in all it's idiotic glory, then follows up with Sunday's frigid bluster. This week, she's gonna drop the winter hammer again, with highs in the thirties and – dare I say – the possibility of snow. Stay tuned to DCist to see if the forecast warrants scaring up the ol' Snowpacalypse Warning System. Alleged Cocaine Dealers...

Dine Out For Life On March 8 If you've been feeling guilty about all your meals out lately, get ready to wash that all away next week. The annual Dining Out For Life benefit will take place next Thursday, March 8. If you're unfamiliar with the charity affair, it's one day each year when dozens of area restaurants donate at least 25% of their profits to local charity Food and Friends. The event, which takes...

Last week the City Paper reported on moves to ban the sale of single beers along the up-and-coming H Street stretch in Northeast, part of an attempt to reduce the quality of life crimes, like public urination or disorderly conduct, that seemingly go hand-in-hand with 24-ounce cans of Bud Ice and 40-ounce bottles of Old English Malt Liquor. Of course, the proposal is nothing new -- Mt. Pleasant adopted a similar ban in 2001, and...

The roads are clear and dry, and city life is back to normal as we stand down from the state of high meteorological alert that was Snowpacalypse '07. OK, so that's just a dream, and we're still seeing people stuck in the ice on the side of the road with alarming regularity. But, there's a thaw coming soon, and before you know it, you'll be able to stop launching yourself backwards at 25 mph just...

Personally, I'm going to go in an ale and eggnog coma starting, oh...in seven hours or so, but if you feel like getting up and about, here are some holiday weekend options for you. FRIDAY >> Nothing says Friday before Christmas like...a little Latvian punk-rock. Yup. We've heard wild things about both the music and antics of Latvian punkers Macitajs on Acid (and if Latvian musicians can drink anything like our Latvian friends, we're sure...