Over at City Paper, Lydia DePillis makes the case why Trader Joe's is the inevitable centerpiece of a new retail and residential development going up at 14th and U streets NW. If she's wrong, she'll shop at Walmart. more ›

Good morning, D.C. Welcome to your first weekend of March. Today is shaping up to be the winner of the weekend with highs in the 60s, while tomorrow looks like rain. So go out and enjoy the nice weather while you can. more ›

Via bloomingdale (for now), it looks like Harris Teeter has committed to open a location in a new development project called Constitution Square at 1st and M Streets NE, right next to the New York Ave. Metro station. The news was first posted on the ANC 6C05 blog maintained by commissioner Alan Kimber. Kimber reported that Harris Teeter had originally been interested in an approx. 40,000 sq. ft. space at 3rd & H Streets NE... more ›

Once again, the country is in a tizzy over a conservative Republican senator doing naughty things. According to a Post report, Sen. Larry Craig (R-Id.) was arrested earlier this month in an airport bathroom in Minnesota after he became a little touchy with an undercover police officer. (Similar allegations were made against him here, though they allegedly occurred in a Union Station bathroom.) Our favorite part? That during an interview with police after the... more ›

The Columbia Heights listserv has been a heated battle ground of thinly veiled race and class issues of late. When they're not sniping back and forth, many of the posters have been loudly bemoaning the Ross and Marshalls discount clothing stores coming to the new DCUSA development at 14th and Irving NW. They also complain about the incoming Lane Bryant, Foot Locker, and Mattress Discounters. The listserv has been abuzz with messages such as "How... more ›

Seattlest has a talk with the photographer from last week's "Segway Mom" and then experiences some dissension in the ranks over the question of wine vs. beer. It's not West Side Story, but about as close as they'll get. They're also still waiting on some inbox relief after a spammer is arrested. As Chicagoist counts down the days to its third anniversary party, they found all-organic pizza to be underwhelming amidst the hoopla, tried... more ›

Spring appears to have, er, sprung, at least temporarily, in most of the Ist-A-Verse, so naturally, we're all feeling pretty good. (Yes, we know that spring doesn't officially start till later this month. Just let us enjoy our weather!) And that makes us that much more eager to share all of the nifty things we're up to... Over at Sampaist, spring has more than sprung: it's sweltering! But, as everyone knows, museums are an ideal... more ›

When architects, developers, and laborers set about transforming the former Columbia Hospital for Women into the massive Columbia Residences complex at the intersection of 25th Street, L Street, and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, they placed the area within a protective cocoon of chain-link fences. Inside the fences, just across L Street from the back door of Marcel's restaurant, went a little-known monument commemorating a joint international agreement to reduce military forces patrolling the Great Lakes. With... more ›

Fall is the season of festivals, so I hope you've stretched properly over the last few weeks, because this weekend is chock full of 'em. more ›

If you're looking for a change of pace and need an industry that is sure to remain in business for years to come, consider escalator repair. Taking after DeVry and ITT Tech, Metro has kicked off a $1.5 million training lab for escalator repair, writes the Post. The lab will train the next generation of escalator repairmen, who, as we all know from experience, will have no shortage of work anytime soon -- on... more ›

Earlier this week Matthew Yglesias took us to task for referring to a "Mid-City" part of town when discussing a campaign for a new Trader Joe's near U Street. Matt is actually quite wrong to suggest "shady real estate cabals" are the architects of the term Mid-City, but the fault for his misinformation is likely ours. You see, last winter we ran a post mocking the MidCity Business Association's moniker, basically accusing them of trying... more ›

The last time we discussed a citizen-led campaign to convince a certain specialty grocer to open in D.C., we discovered our readers have a lot of opinions about their grocery store options. Well recently DCist met with Lydia Charles, the organizer of another similar effort to convince her favorite grocery store to open a store in the U Street NW neighborhood. Charles has just launched WeWantTraderJoes.com, the online arm of the petition she began circulating around MidCity at the beginning of this month. After abruptly losing access to a car, Charles said she became more aware of how limited shopping options are in her neighborhood, and believes the addition of a Trader Joe's would be the best option for the rapidly growing area.

The Union Row development project on 14th and V streets has yet to confirm what retail stores will occupy the ground floor. Opening a Trader Joe's grocery store in one of the two available spaces would not only provide another shopping option in the neighborhood, but one that's mission is to offer quality products at everyday affordable prices. Such a store would meet the diverse tastes and incomes of the Greater U Street community.

DCist's hard-hitting grocery store coverage continues, but here's a new one: the non-corporate corner shop. Sure, we love Trader Joe's (and his internationally named alter egos). And Whole Foods fetishism can gives you a grocery high, yes. But if we're gonna pay extra, why not do it at a good corner shop every now and then? Yes, they close before the workday ends and their prices are often high, but there's something special about knowing the details of your cashier’s personal life and saving the trouble of a long walk. Even better, you might be able to go those few steps barefoot. more ›

As part of DCist's new commitment to hard-hitting grocery store coverage, we're sad to report that the new Trader Joe's in the District's burgeoning West End neighborhood has a little more gestating to do before it shows its Two-Buck Chuck to the world. Originally slated to open today, the long-awaited Trader Joe's now plans to open its doors in early September. For the past few weeks, workers on the new grocery store in the yet-to-open... more ›

It seems that the folks over at Safeway have started taking the endearing nicknames for all their stores a little more seriously -- and they want to get rid of them. more ›

So this is an odd question. And perhaps not really worthy of your time. But why oh why don't Maryland Trader Joe's sell beer and wine? You can buy beer and wine at other grocery stores. I'm thinking it must be some regulation against discount beer and wine. But I'd love to know, without actually going to a TJ's in Maryland. I mean, hey, one of the main reasons to go to Trader Joe's is for the cheap but good beer. Why waste a trip just to ask a question? more ›

(By DCist contributor Amadie Hart) Forget Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Harris Teeter, and Balduccis. The latest grocery store import to enthrall D.C.-area consumers is Rochester, N.Y.-based Wegmans. The first Northern Virginia branch opened out by Dulles Airport in February, and the retail giant is set to open a second branch in Fairfax in early 2005. Connoisseurs of fresh produce, gourmet prepared foods, and fine wines have flocked to the Sterling branch since its grand opening.... more ›

The West End Guide reports that Trader Joe's, the gourmet Los Angeles-based grocery chain, is set to open its first location in the District by 2006. Trader Joe's is eyeing the old Columbia Hospital site in the West End, which is being converted to retail and residential use. more ›