The Hill is Home

Photo by María Helena Carey

There are a few reliable signs that spring is on its way to Washington: the cherry trees start unfurling their first precious pink buds; the air starts warming up and getting more and more humid; and the sounds of elephants marching to St. Paddy’s day bagpipes can be heard all over Capitol Hill.  The circus is coming to town and the elephants will be marching down DC’s streets all the way to the Verizon Center, where Ringling Bros. Circus will be holding its Zing Zang Zoom tour shows from the 18th to the 21st of March.  Whether you would like to cheer the elephants on as they march or protest the abuse and ill treatment thereof, here are the details:

When: Tuesday, March 16th, 2010
Time: 1 pm
Where: Starting at Virginia Avenue, SE, (close to Garfield Park) and continuing north on 4th Street toward Union Station via Massachusetts Ave. NE; from Union Station to the loading dock at the Verizon Center.

So gather your friends, children, pickets and/or camera, and enjoy the parade!

Let’s face it:  the 8th graders are coming.  Before they take over the Mall, the Smithsonians and the food court at Union Station, you should try to get in a few of the tourist things that made DC a cultural wonder that attracted 5.5 billion tourist dollars in 2007.  So, this To-Do List will feature my suggestions for doing DC like a tourist — but not one of those tie-dyed CIA t-shirt wearing tourists; more the cool hip tourists who find the best things to do in a weekend.

Friday, March 12
Head straight from your office to Chinatown.  The National Portrait Gallery is open until 7pm each evening.  They’ve got great exhibits and a beautiful indoor courtyard.  It’s a peaceful place to wind down from a busy week.

While you’re in Chinatown, head over to the Verizon Center to watch the Washington Capitals take on the Tampa Bay Lightening.

Saturday, March 13
Take a bus tour of Washington, D.C.’s television and movie sites.  Start at Union Station at 10am and spend 3 hours exploring the sites featured in films including The Exorcist, The Godfather II, Mission Impossible III,  and many more.  The guided tour takes you on a journey of the timeline of filming in the nation’s capital and is led by actors and actresses who share inside industry information.  If you order through Goldstar, it only costs $24 per person.

If you’d like to pretend you’re a little more “high brow” for your culture, head over to the National Gallery for the “Naked at the National Gallery Scavenger Hunt.” Every tricky question on this two-hour hunt involves nudity in some way, shape or sultry form. Highlights include naughty nymphs, a seamonster surfer, eye-catching codpieces, bathing beauties and the original Adonis. No knowledge of art, or nudity, is required. For adults only.  The adventure starts at 2pm and costs $15.25 if you reserve your spot through Goldstar events.

Saturday night, head over to Little Miss Whiskey’s Golden Dollar at 1104 H Street NE to hear DJ Chela starting at 9pm.  The Washington Post called the show “hot hip-hop, Latin and classic sounds from NY mixtape mixtress.”

Sunday, March 14
The Atlas Performing Arts Center hosts “WAM! Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart” at 3pm.  The Washington Ballet’s Studio Company and In Series take a look at the life of Mozart.

What other activities do you suggest for this weekend?

Hats off to spring--even if it feeds the birds. Eastern Market Pocket Park feeder

“Goodbye ugly boots, helloooo heels,” says my friend Heather. We are talking about the onset of spring-like weather, hopefully heralding the arrival of a season of pretty, diaphanous, sugar-spun days, and how we greet them sartorially, at least.

Because these days will soon greet us with their cherry blossoms, daffodils and tulips all in a row (house), it is high time to dump the water-logged, beaten-down suede and pack away the woolens for the moths (or deserving MOTHs) for  next year’s snow battles.

I saw a woman, apparently so excited for spring this week, in burgundy patent shoes accompanied by a patent bag in bright blue for a stroll.  A few steps later was a toddler outfitted in the cleanest, brightest  pair of miniature green Crocs this side of the Potomac.

“My goal in the next few weeks is to pack up my winter clothes and then get my spring/summer stuff from Pennsylvania,” said the Hill’s lovely Jordan S., who works for the U.S. Army but favors jewel tones and high-definition trench coats over Army greens. “I was walking around Eastern Market after church and you could tell people were ready for spring,” she said. [Read more →]

image uploaded by LA Wad on Flickr

If you live along a major artery on Capitol Hill, it’s time to start thinking about street sweeping days again!  Street sweeping resumes Monday, March 22nd.  Tickets, which run $30 a pop, won’t be issued until March 29th, but do our hard working city workers a favor and comply.  Street sweeping helps reduce litter and pollutants which often find their way into the sewers and local waterways.  And don’t forget, those street sweepers are now equipped with cameras (which raised a few questions last year) to make it easier to ticket violators, so pay extra special attention to the signs on your block to make sure you are not on a designated street.

Learn more about the city’s street sweeping and alley cleaning efforts on the Department of Public Works’ Web site.

“When are you going to show movies?”

In my capacity as the Communications Director for the Atlas Performing Arts Center, I have heard this question a LOT since the center opened in 2006. It’s a fair question since in a past life the Atlas was once a movie theater, one of several which graced H Street NE during its mid 2oth century heyday. The 60,000 square foot venue behind the  signature,  Art Deco marquee now boasts two main stage theaters, two Lab theaters, three dance studios,  dressing rooms, cafe space, offices, a green room, a scene shop and a box office but, until two weeks ago, no movies.

Long-time residents of the neighborhood have recounted stories of spending childhood Saturdays in the cool of the air conditioned building watching cartoons, serials and even the original Star Wars.

The building was an empty shell when it was purchased in 2001. The movie theater had been stripped of its screen and seats when the Atlas Theater closed for good in the late 70s.

One of the members of the Atlas Board of Directors, Meredith Ann Belkov, grew up in the neighborhood and has long wanted to see movies return to H Street. So to make that happen she made a donation  dedicated to the purchase of a screen. [Read more →]

The District is filled with vacant homes. Some are constant eyesores, while others find new life—as places of business, condominiums, or simply new homes. For the residents of 11^th Street SE, two very famous vacant Hill homes will soon find new life as high-end, single family homes when business partners JD Schmidt and Jesse Connell of Connell & Schmidt Builders begin construction on the homes at 221 and 223 11^th Street SE.

In mid-March, crews will begin to restore each home’s façade and rebuild each home’s interior—from frame to floors and everything in between.  But don’t think Schmidt and Connell will forget each home’s past.

“The homes will feature an open concept main floor, gourmet kitchen and large master suite,” said Schmidt,  but will be more traditional in terms of design, with “nice moldings, transom lights above the doors, wood floors and marble bathrooms.”

Connell and Schmidt, who met in Wellesley, MA restoring historic properties, started Connell & Schmidt Builders six years ago.

“Our involvement in this profession stems from our interest and passion for building things that last,” said Schmidt, who is originally from the DC area and attended Gonzaga High School. “We believe it is our responsibility to be good stewards with the things we have been given before we pass it on to the next person.”

The pair hope to complete the first home by mid-June.