The Spirit of 79!

Just a brief item of extremely local interest...

Metrobus launched the "MetroExtra" route 79 a while back as a pilot program to gauge interest in a limited-stop commuter route. It runs every ten minutes (in theory) during rush hours, between the Silver Spring and Archives metro stations.

The 79 is a lovely thing, making a quick dash down Georgia Avenue, past Howard University and to points downtown, using maybe one sixth of the typical bus stops on that route.

I just noticed these signs today, posted at stops along the 79: Looks like they're finally expanding service to the off-peak hours as well (9:30am-3pm, and 6:30-7pm). The extended service will run every 12 minutes.

This is great news. I was hoping "the spirit of 79" would catch on, and they'd cover non rush times. I'm sure there are a few other major routes that could benefit from such a thing.

All who commute by bus on Georgia may now join me in a whooping hooray thing.

The militia

Seen on Georgia Avenue, a block south of the Petworth Metro.

Through the Looking Glass (and what Alice drank there)

I suppose this would be an update on a previous post concerning our much-beloved corner pub Temperance Hall, and its acquisition by the folks behind The Wonderland Ballroom.

No, I'm not breaking new ground here, and the topic has been beaten to death by concerned beer-drinking bloggers and their loving commenters. And I'm as guilty as anyone.

The new establishment has been christened The Looking Glass Lounge. Comment threads on other blogs had (prematurely) bemoaned everything about the place: The name, the threat of it becoming as "hip" as The Wonderland (eek, the terror!), menu changes, etc... Yes, there was hoopla.

I've never been accused of being an optimist (again, the terror!) but I refused to crucify the place without a fair trial. And I'd be as devastated as anyone if Temperance was to truly DIE, or be replaced with a savage little shithole. It was Intangible HQ's corner pub, and may God have mercy on its soul...

A few weeks had passed since the sale went down, and I felt it was finally time to enter and sniff around. And dear sweet potato jesus, it was relatively unchanged. Banish the hoopla, we're gonna make it, children: We're gonna LIVE...


The menu seemed the same, for the most part. Or at least, everything I cared about was still there. The BLT was classic Temperance, complete with the garlic mayo. The garlic fries were, actually, even garlicky-er than before, which is sheer awesomeness-beyond-imagination.

I was sad to see the Brooklyn Brown Ale go, but they did have a Baltimore-based (but European-produced) amber lager on tap called The Raven, which was as drinkable as Newcastle, but with more personality. Dan Searing (still there) suggested we try the Raven on behalf of Edgar Allen Poe, whose birthday it was. And it was (1809). And we did.

Dan also says they're keeping many of the great ryes of Temperance Hall, but perhaps thinning down the more expensive varieties.

Overall, at least for now, it has the same great vibe. And the slightly-remodeled upper floor looks great: removing the tall barriers between booths was a genius move: the space feels more open and friendly.

So fear not. Get in there. Have you hugged a bartender today?

Developments

The strip connecting Howard University and the Petworth Metro is in the midst of a spasm of activity these days: The new E.L.Haynes school is springing up with great speed (and architectural weirdness...more on that later) and the condo/retail block above New Hampshire Ave is finally showing progress. Of course there's the change of ownership at Temperance Hall, and who knows what else is brewing.

Now, it looks like somebody's secured financing to build some apartments and new retail on the corner of Georgia Avenue and Kenyon Street.


Which is fine, of course. Perhaps even great. But once again, I find myself staring up at the architect's rendering of the finished project, scratching my head in disbelief. It's hard to imagine seeing THAT, in three dimensions, on that corner.

Georgia & Kenyon isn't a BAD block, but it ain't world-class, either. It's just a decent working-class slab of DC. Sure it could use improvement, but it's real.

But the building in the rendering: Is that real? Will it be real? Here? It should be interesting, and it looks like the cranes are here to stay for a while.

Alas, my temporal temple of Temperance.

BEHOLD this small slice of Lower Petworth in Washington DC.

Temperance Hall: our charming neighborhood bar and much-needed bit of good vibes on Georgia Avenue has been sold to the owners of the nearby Wonderland Ballroom. This has caused a mighty ruckus amongst the Temperance Faithful, and I'll be damned if I can figure it out.

The Wonderland, once the darling bar of Columbia Heights, is now criticized by the hipper-than-thou, simply because it's doing well. It's popular, even. Hell's Toilets, dude, even the accursed "Orange-Liners" are showing up.

As if success was a bad thing.

The fear is that Temperance Hall (soon to be christened "The Looking Glass Lounge") will become some kind of zombie clone of Wonderland. Que Horror!

Perhaps I'm too naive and forgiving, but I love both establishments. Each have their merits: Wonderland has its chili-dog and Dragon Stout, and Temperance has its garlic-fries and Overholt rye. Life is good.

But would the knee-jerk whiners shut-the-hell-up please? It could've been infinitely worse. See the shredded corporate hellhole formerly known as DC's Chinatown, or even Silver Spring for examples. Temperance could just as easily have become a Starbucks.

Incredibly mad props (whatever that means) to Blogger Brethren Prince of Petworth, who has been tracking this story with a depth and clarity which far surpasses any other local media. Many of the comments on his posts showed just how insane folks can be. In a nutshell:

The name sucks, the beer selection is gonna suck, the menu is gonna suck, the popped-collar folks are gonna swoop in from Arlington and destroy our little piece of the world....


But through all the bitching, it's clear what an impact this little bar has made on the neighborhood. There was no finer place to be when a DC United game was on the tube and the sacred nexus of Garlic Fries/Old Overholt was plentiful.

We visited the place last night, to see what changes had taken place already. One positive sign was a Guinness tap, to the far right of several others which I didn't make note of... I mean, hell, if there's Guinness, the others don't matter.

Then, I was shocked and very pleased to find we'd been sitting next to the Good Prince at the bar the entire time, without realizing it. It was like a spontaneous summit meeting between two mighty superpowers.

Yes. Another Overholt please.

The brisk December sky looked down, smiling, upon humble and happy Temperance Hall. I'll reserve judgment upon the new place until it's up and running.

But, *snif*... I will miss the old gal...

Petworth Rising...

Monday was the groundbreaking ceremony for Park Place, the new mixed-use development adjacent the Petworth Metro. Present were councilmembers Adrian Fenty (Ward 4, DC Mayor wannabe) and Jim Graham (Ward 1), as well as several ANC reps and a smiling handful of brass from builder Donatelli Development.

It was a brave feat for all involved, as it was damned hot by 11:00, and there were several speeches to get through.

The Park Place project represents a quantum leap for the Petworth/Columbia Heights stretch of Georgia Avenue, which has been a bit, uh, creepy for a long, long time. The concern, of course, is how far the quantum leap will go.

I certainly don't envy folks like Graham, who must balance economic growth with protecting deeply-rooted neighborhood character. I returned to this neighborhood after some 14 years BECAUSE of that character--it stayed with me through moves to New York, Arizona, and Maine. With all of its warts and bruises, Columbia Heights was still my ideal example of what a great urban neighborhood should be.

Having said that, there's still room for improvement.

I'm sure many of us residents of Ward One would like to feel safer on Georgia Avenue walkabouts, but Donatelli's renderings of the finished block seem TOO NICE. The more I look at these images, the less I can reconcile it with the real corner of Georgia & New Hampshire Ave... Will it ever truly look like that? Who are those faceless drones walking down that immaculate sidewalk?

Now really, I'm pleased that they're finally working on that lot, and that small retail spaces will be included, and I'm pleased that the project may inspire a continued rebirth of the Georgia Avenue strip. But for the love of all that's holy, be careful with this urban renewal thing. It destroyed Tucson's downtown in a few short years, and it could happen here as well.

Sorry Donatelli, those archictect's renderings freak me right the hell out.

Evidently they freaked out some other folks as well, who came to the groundbreaking with signs that could've used a little typesetting help (inset photo). I'm certainly more in favor of the development than these two, but their message is important, and should be considered anytime a councilmember breaks ground in this great neighborhood with one of those gleaming ceremonial shovels.