Before the pandemic, D.C. almost doubled in size every weekday with the influx of office workers. City officials are now wondering what the future might look like if they don’t all come back.

Inspiring, elegant, art-filled or just plain comfy spots to park yourself.

While residents who lept at the chance to live near Nationals Park early in the going might be frustrated at the lack of neighborhood amenities to spring up over the past five years, there’s one portion of the revamped area which has at least made some progress: the Yards development.

In November, we noticed that a can of Steel Reserve High Gravity Lager was part of the décor in Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells’ office. Turns out we weren’t the only ones to notice that newly sworn-in Mayor Vince Gray has some eye-catching mementos lined up in his revamped office, too.

They say that technology has truly arrived when people use it mindlessly in their daily routines. Well, every morning, when I wake up, I get my coffee, check my email, read several local news sites. Then I filter through Twitter, beginning with where I left off the night before, checking for the variety of insights, stories and assorted internet miscellany which the local media hasn’t already covered. It’s a tidy little routine, if a troubling sign of my inevitable descent into obsessive-compulsiveness.

Which stories did DCist readers think merited the most attention this year? Top 10 Most Commented Posts of 2007 10) D.C. Judge Seeks $67 Million for Lost Pants (105 comments) 9) Columbia Heights Listserve vs. Ross (107 comments) 8) Saving the Single Beer (108 comments) 7) This City Doth Protest Too Much (109 comments) 6) Solo Marines Often Refused Entry to Some D.C. Bars (113 comments) 5) Bars Claim Loss of Business Over Smoking…

Happy Christmas Eve, Washington. With the frenzy of last-minute shopping and travel out of the city largely complete, folks staying here for the holiday are being treated to a quieter, gentler D.C. than normal, and it turns out in more ways than one. Over the weekend the Post took a look at a recent decline in the murder rate, reporting that only nine homicides have been logged in the District in the 37 days since…

We’re getting ready for our staff holiday party tonight, so GHA and AT are combined into one super post! Have fun, y’all. We certainly will be. >> Two more people, both longtime friends of Harriette Walters, were arrested in connection with the Office of Tax and Revenue scandal today. [WaPo] >> The Rock and Roll Hotel is hosting a Trailer Trash dance night. 8 p.m. to close, free. >> Sadly we weren’t able to…

Good morning, Washington. With the Christmas holiday looming, things are slowing down in workplaces around the region. Well, most workplaces, anyway — D.C.’s firefighters seem to be keeping plenty busy. Yesterday, of course, there was the fire at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. Since then there’s been a two alarm fire at the Chinatown Red Roof Inn, and this impressive gathering of firefighters just south of Logan around 6 p.m. last night. Here’s hoping…

>> Congress finally, finally went home. [The Hill] >> CFO Natwar Gandhi is “deeply sorry” for the Office of Tax and Revenue scandal: “It’s tearing me apart.” [City Desk] >> An MPD officer has been arrested and charged in a federal child sex sting. [WJLA] >> Gallaudet University received more than $6 million from a Fredericksburg woman who left the bulk of her estate to the university. [AP via WTOP] >> Alexandria’s lackluster Landmark…