tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2095284393772305956Sat, 10 Oct 2026 06:14:26 +000014th StreetU streetrestaurantscrimeANC 2FdevelopmentrestaurantU St.MPDShawLoganMetroANC 1BDupont Circlearts overlayliquor licenseshoppingABRAANC2bHolidaysDDOTP StreettransitDupontHomeless11th StreetJim GrahamO Street Marketartlogan circlegarden districtjbgsnowzoningCorkDC CouncilMetro busR Streetcommunity activisimconstructionparking enforcementstreet sweepingarts overlay committeebarscork and forkestadiovoluntary agreementswine17th StreetANCBen's Chili BowlCDCColumbia HeightsFentyPolicybarcondodpwtraffic9th StreetANC 2F voluntary agreementsBorderstanMid-City Business AssociationStreetscapeVerandaanc2fcab meterscapital bikesharecity councilcoffe shopdog daysmidcity arts districtsaint-exwhole foodsBlack CatJack EvansT streetThe Spacecharitychurchkeydog parksfirefurniturehank's oyster barhotelitalian cinemamasa 14peregrine espressopublic safetyretailvacationvince grayward 2weather14wACKCDCDC loveDyerPN hoffmanStoney'sStreet Senseadams-morganarts spaceblackjackcafe salsacirculatorcity paperconvention centercrepesdcradistrict condosenvironmenthistoric districtitalian shirt laundryjazzjeff blackmayor's officemid-city caffemount vernon squarepolicepoliticsproofreal estatesekou biddlesex clubsnowgasmtaxisutopiawhitman-walkerABC BoardDC BashingDanteDee HunterHalloweenHigh Heel RaceS StreetWASAWashington Postanc1bbar pilarbarton seaverbirch and barleybryan weaverchurch parkingcommissarycommunity of hopedc arts districtdc9desperado burgers and bareasy activismflowers on fourteenthfoodghana cafehr-57inaugurationindependent storesjemallocal 16movie seriesnehemiah centernellie'snightlifeoverheardpatrick marapearl dive oyster palacepetsprotestramon estradareal worldroadside developmentsafetysmall businesssmartbikestandardstreetcarthaitanicthird thursdaystransportationu street neighborhood associationvacant propertyverizon buildingvincent orangevotingzoning commission13th Street14thandyou15th StreetDC SCORESDCPDHomeland SecurityLogan ShawMarriottModern LiquorsNYCNationals ParkOld Convention CenterQ StreetQueen of ShebaReedabdo developmentalan pageapartmentsauto theftbang salonbeerbest of dcblackbyrd warehousebroadcast center onebuacapitalscarcelebritycentral union missionchocolatecleveland parkcodmothercoffee shopcork marketdistrict governmentdrivingdupont undergroundel centro dfellis developmententertainmenteric colbertfarmer's marketflorida avenuefurioso developmentgales schoolgallery plan bgarbagegeorgetowngo mama gograygreen linegreenpetsgrocery storeh streethamburgersheight restrictionhilton brothershistoric preservationholiday partyhousing costsjoshua lopezlccalevel2 developmentlincoln theaterlinda welchlost societyloungemeetingmusic clubnonprofitoffice of planningold city greenparkpetworthphil mendelsonphotospitango gelatopoint chaudpolly'spost officepost office bistroprogression placeredevelopmentroad workroom and boardshirt laundryshovelingsnowstormsunit talapatratacqueriatbdtouchdowntrashtrick or treatu street cafevida fitnessview 14vinotecavirginiavolunteerwmata1610 u street1634 14th street1638 14th street16th street18th street7-117th street930 clubAlberto'sAlert DCApril FoolsBernardoBreakwell'sCB2Cathedral Flower MartCornerstoneDCADCCADu Vin OsteriaDupont CurrentFranklin SchoolGiantLa SalsaLeroy ThorpeM St.Marion BarryMarvinMeridian HillMetropoleNRGNational CathedralNationalsNew York. TimesObamaPostSchwartzSourceThe CenterValentine's DayVerizon CenterWashingtonianaddison squareadrian fentyadult venueafrican-american civil war museumalley funamerican ice companyarchitectureazi's cafe; irvine contemporary; anc2fbakeryballpark districtbankruptcybaseballbebarbig monkey comicsbike thiefblack'sblighted propertyblogger beatborfbrunchbudgetburgersburglarycafecafe eaglecafe societycalifornia tortillacameracapital city brewing companycary silvermancerealchain storescheesesteakcherry blossomscitycentercitymarket at oclyde'scomicscommutingconvention center OffSeventhcoolcorcorancostumescourtland milloycravingscsnacvsdakota cowgirldavid von storchdc governmentdc politicsdc preservation leaguedc schoolsdelidemocratsdiamond district seafooddisasterdisgustingdmitry medvedevdogs by daydorothy douglasdouglas developmentdramadresdrum circleduke ellingtondukemefn loungeelectionelena kaganeric fischerevilfarewellfashionfast gourmetfederal governmentfestivalflow yogaflufour pointsfrontiers condominiumsfrozen yogurtfunnyfurniture storegalleriesgallery placegay marriagegelatogeneral idiocygentrificationgll restaurantgraffitigunsh1n1happy hourharrison recreation centerhartland commonshockeyhome priceshomemade pizzahoward theaterhumanities councilidiotsinfrastructurejair lynch associatesjarvis cojayson werthjefferson apartment groupjj's cheesesteaksjusticekeren restaurantkite festivalkoreankwame brownlardlee's flower and card shoplivingsociallocal eventslocal sixteenlogan 14logan hardwarelongview gallerylululemonmadams organmandalaymapsmatch clothingmatchboxmcpherson squaremedia idiocymicrobrewerymid-city artistsmiss pixiesmonument realtymood loungemovamuggingmythbustingnew yearnoiseny timesoffice buildingomar miskinyarone photograph a dayovechkinpacersparcparkingparking. DDOTpasha bistropatioperseus realtypeter raiapillow fightpj clarkespleasant plainspostopricey restaurantsquestionable business practicesrantrckndyred linered wings suckredistrictingredskinsreeves centerreeves center deliremarkably tackyrenaissance projectresults gymrhode island avenuericeridiculous foodrogue statessala thaisaladssandwich shopschonbergerseafoodservice cutsshake shackshiloh churchsingle sales bansmall platesmoothie kingsnowball fightsoleasolly'ssom recordssorg architectssportsstavropoulossteakhousestreetviewstrogastudio theatersublettingsubwaysummerswann cleanerssweetgreentable 14taggingtargettaylor gourmetteakwoodted's bulletinthanksgivingthe dinerthe independentthe saloontheodorethomas circleticket scalperstom browntortilla coasttown halltownhouse taverntransformer gallerytravistreebox vodkatreeboxestrystu street hotelu wine and beerutilitiesv streetvegas loungevegetarianvermont avenue baptist churchvigilantewarrenton condominiumswayne dicksonwdg architectureweekendweirdwhie deathwhisk groupwine barwritten wordyards parkyellow lineymcazipcar14th & Younoreply@blogger.com (14th & You)Blogger567125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2095284393772305956.post-3917584412904013961Thu, 01 Aug 2019 00:56:00 +00002019-07-31T20:56:14.454-04:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="; imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="; width="200" /></a></div>
Hello, is this thing on? This is Ward 2 resident emeritus Mrs. 14th&You firing up the zombie blog maaany years later. And wouldn't
be dusting this thing off if it weren't important. <br />
<br />
You
may have heard that Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans appears to have
gotten himself into a bit of trouble. He has also resigned from the
Metro Board after <a href="; target="_blank">an
ethics investigation found that he repeatedly and knowingly used his
position as board chairman to benefit friends and clients</a>. We know that <a href="; target="_blank">he's currently under federal investigation</a> since the FBI raided his home in late June. As well, <a href="; target="_blank">Evans is being investigated by a law firm hired by the DC Council</a> as his colleagues attempt to determine the scope of this ethical violations and whether it affected his work for the city. <br />
<br />
If
there's a silver lining to this story, it's that we're coming up on an
election year. Many of you readers (if indeed you're still out there)
live in Ward 2 and have a chance to vote for someone else in the
Democratic primary on June 2, 2020. But it's going to be a little
complicated unseating Evans. Right now he has five enthusiastic
challengers. Considering he ran unopposed in 2016, this is progress
(though I see you, <a href="; target="_blank">disgruntled 370 voters who wrote in someone else</a>).
Fewer than 8,000 people voted for Ward 2 councilmember in the last
primary, which in our one-party city is the de facto election. So we're
going to need to turn people out for the primary. We're also going to
need to find a way to avoid splitting the vote so that Evans walks away
with a majority by default. We <i>may</i> loop back to this issue later. <br />
<br />
So here are some steps you can take right now:<br />
<ul>
<li>Start educating yourself about the candidates (other than
Evans--we've already educated you about him). They are, in order that
they announced</li>
<ul>
<li>Patrick Kennedy</li>
<li>Jordan Grossman </li>
<li>John Fanning</li>
<li>Daniel Hernandez</li>
<li>Kishan Putta <br /></li>
</ul>
<li>Donate to a candidate, or several, whom you like. It will show Evans and journalists that an opposition is forming. <br /></li>
<li>If you're a Ward 2 resident, put June 2 on your calendar. You <b>need</b> to show up and vote. If you haven't registered to vote using your DC address yet, get on that. <br /></li>
<li>Go check out <a href=";. When
the Council returns from recess, they'll be mounting a campaign to
pressure our electeds to move forward with sanctions against Evans. </li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">14th & You
blogging on the hyper local DC politics of the 14th Street Corridor.</div>2019/07/hello-is-this-thing-on-this-is-ward-2.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (14th & You)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2095284393772305956.post-2708311538695935658Wed, 26 Sep 2012 03:15:00 +00002012-09-25T23:16:37.357-04:00When one blog closes......another opens.<br />
<br />
This is it for updates on 14th&You folks, unless the Mrs. and I happen to relocate near to this blog's eponymous intersection at some point in the future. Barring that unlikely event, we're considering this blog finito.
But we're starting a new adventure: visit us in Montgomery County at our new online home, <a href=" FlintVille</a>. Who knows, you just might learn something!<br />
<br />
Anyway, we hope to see you around.<br />
<br />
Cheers,<br />
Mr. and Mrs. 14thandyou<div class="blogger-post-footer">14th & You
blogging on the hyper local DC politics of the 14th Street Corridor.</div>2012/09/when-one-blog-closes.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mr. Other Upper NW)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2095284393772305956.post-5338439469217853965Fri, 14 Sep 2012 02:12:00 +00002012-09-13T22:15:57.974-04:00Suburban Town Centers: Friend or Faux?
<a href="; imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="299" src="; width="400" /></a>
<br />
It's 7:00 PM on a Monday evening, and I'm sitting in a chair in the middle of Rockville's "Town Square," situated along a few blocks just east of Rockville Pike and across the street from the Rockville Metro station. A father, his daughter and their dog play on the faux lawn at the center of the square, while a fountain spews water up from the ground behind me. The fountain is situated in front of a performance stage where, several nights a week, musical performances take place. The square hosts a farmer's market on Saturdays that is very popular in the community. Surrounding the square, and branching out along streets in every direction, is a dense cluster of restaurants, bars, shops and galleries, with new ones opening seemingly every week. (Both <a href=" Tap Room</a> and <a href=" Market</a>, an upscale grocery store from Ellwood Thompson, are set to open here next month.) A new library sits at a prominent corner in the neighborhood. And above it all are thousands of residents who are seeking the suburban life without forsaking the conveniences--or feel--of city living. Perhaps most surprising of all, there are people walking about in what once was a deader-than-a-doornail suburban government center off of a strip mall-dominated suburban highway. It's a scene that was difficult to imagine as recently as five years ago.<br />
<br />
Has Georgetown come to Rockville?<br />
<br />
It's a question posed by Washington Post reporter Jonathan O'Connell <a href=" his recent piece for the Post's Outlook section</a>. O'Connell looks at the spurt of "town center"-type developments that have sprung up across the region and the country over the past 15 years and asks whether developers have been successful in exporting city life to the suburbs.<br />
<br />
As a transplanted city dweller who has found himself in the middle of that most suburban of suburbs, Rockville/North Bethesda/White Flint, it's a question I've pondered myself over the last year or so. After all, our immediate neighborhood is Ground Zero for Montgomery County's efforts to "urbanize" the stretch of Rockville Pike around the White Flint Metro Station. It's a neighborhood that, until very recently, was home mainly to an indoor shopping mall, row after row of nondescript strip malls, car dealerships and gas stations. However, with the opening last year of the first phase of the <a href=" Bethesda Market project</a>, and several mega-developments <a href="; <a href=" construction</a> or <a href=" to</a> <a href=" ground</a>, Montgomery County is banking heavily on the "town center" model to attract and retain the young professionals and families that have found places like Bethesda, Silver Spring and Virginia's Orange Line corridor more attractive options.
The term "urban" gets thrown around a lot by both developers and city officials when describing these developments.<br />
<br />
But are these places really "urban"?
<br />
<br />
<a href="; imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="; width="299" /></a>
<br />
The scene I described in the opening paragraph above certainly sounds urban: people, shops and restaurants, density, community. So why do critics, as O'Connell notes, assail suburban town centers as soulless faux-cities, "no more real cities than Disney World's fairy-tale fiberglass-and-concrete showpiece is a real castle?"<br />
<br />
A big part of it, I would argue, comes from where they are situated. Let's consider a neighborhood like Dupont Circle, a description of which wouldn't sound wholly far off from the scene I described above. What makes Dupont "feel" different than Rockville Town Center? There are obvious things like the age of the buildings, which predate those in central Rockville by a hundred years or more. The buildings have a history: what is now an upscale wine bar may at one time have been a mens clothing store that sold Duke Ellington his first suit, or a People's Drug. And there is the make-up of the crowd itself, which is something O'Connell gets into a bit. The people are more diverse, and the eccentricities are more pronounced. Dupont, and other urban neighborhoods, aren't quite so manicured; they look more "authentic." But do people really hop on the Metro in Rockville for a night out in Dupont primarily because they may see a woman with a tattoo?<br />
<br />
The problem with "town center" developments, as I see it, isn't the town centers themselves--it's what's around them. They don't feel like part of a cohesive urban fabric, and they don't mesh with their surroundings. They are the place one goes to feel like you've entered a city, before hopping back in your car and driving home somewhere that doesn't feel like that at all. They feel contrived because they exist apart from everything around them--like building an opulent Victorian mansion in the middle of a Toll Brothers community of by-the-numbers single family homes. When you're in Logan, or H Street, or Columbia Heights, or Dupont, there is a feeling of connected-ness, to go along with a volume of people and an energy and vibrancy that the sometimes admittedly-sterile "town centers" have difficulty delivering.
<br />
<br />
<a href="; imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="299" src="; width="400" /></a>
<br />
I drove up to Rockville Town Center this evening, which is situated several miles north of our White Flint home. I drove on a six-lane divided highway past countless strip malls, car dealerships and gas stations. I drove past a golf course, and a self-storage facility. I drove past stretches of road where the sidewalk was barely visible, and through intersections that even the most hardy of pedestrians fear to cross. Forget bike lanes; cyclists on the Pike are as rare as speakeasy cocktail lounges up here. And then, seemingly out of nowhere, I entered Rockville's own urban utopia, the Rockville Town Center, meant to show that central DC doesn't have a monopoly on enticing, dense urbanity. It doesn't help that the "town center" itself is not focused on or geared towards the area's main thoroughfare, Rockville Pike, making it feel even more cut-off.<br />
<br />
Of course the juxtaposition was jarring.<br />
<br />
But it's not necessarily an indictment of the town center itself. As it happens, I think Rockville Town Center, and others like it, are several tremendous steps in the right direction for suburban development. What's bad about building pedestrian-focused, dense, vibrant, walkable communities? Particularly ones directly across the street from Metro stations? Not much, I'd argue. There is a reason town centers are popular: they deliver a slice of what people say they want. And judging by their commercial success, the people do indeed want it. And clustering people, services and amenities near each other and near transit hubs makes tremendous sense. And yet, something feels missing.<br />
<br />
Dan Reed, who runs the Just Up the Pike blog, <a href=";: "Calling new suburban town centers "fake" is lazy. Everything was new once! If done well, they'll get better with time." I agree with this, but I'd go a step further: not only will these town center developments likely improve with age, but as more suburban developers latch on to the "town center" model, I'd argue that these bastions of supposedly faux-urbanity will begin to feel slightly less "faux" and slightly more "legitimate". Consider what close-in suburbs such as Arlington and Bethesda have been able to achieve along their commercial corridors, and imagine that spread out among father-afield locales such as Rockville and Reston. That, to me, is the future of suburban development. It may not feel particularly "real" to someone used to bar-hopping along Barrack's Row or Adams Morgan, but there was a time when those places were new, too. Just give it some time.
<div class="blogger-post-footer">14th & You
blogging on the hyper local DC politics of the 14th Street Corridor.</div>2012/09/suburban-town-centers-friend-or-faux.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mr. Other Upper NW)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2095284393772305956.post-8472470210877431735Fri, 01 Jun 2012 17:10:00 +00002012-06-01T13:10:40.752-04:00A Dispatch From the MoCo HinterlandsOver the last nine months or so since Mrs. 14thandyou and I packed up our belongings and decamped from <a href=" of the nation's top neighborhoods</a> for childless adults to, as WCP scribe Alex Baca once tweeted "some place called North Bethesda," we've been getting the occasional email and comment asking us what life has been like for us in the land of the strip mall: <i>Have we forgotten how to walk? What does a front lawn look like? And are we suffering from a lack of small plate restaurants serving modern adaptations of casual comfort food? </i><br />
<br />
To that last question, the answer is yes. Sadly, small plates haven't so much found their way up to this section of Rockville Pike that, given the number of names people have given it (North Bethesda, South Rockville, White Flint, That Place With the Mall Where They Drive the Choo-Choo Train Around), seems to be suffering from a bit of an identity crisis. But to other questions regarding our general well-being, I'm pleased to report that we're getting along quite well. <br />
<br />
First, it should be noted that, despite the tremendous differences in character between the Logan/U Street area and our current neighborhood, many aspects of our lives really haven't changed all that drastically. We're a 10 minute walk from the White Flint Metro station--a place within walking distance to a Metro station being my primary requirement when we moved--so although my commute to my Dupont Circle employer is (considerably) longer, it remains car-free and mostly predictable. We're also well-served by several bus lines just steps from our front door, which gives me a somewhat lazy alternative to schlepping across the strip mall parking lot and gravel-strewn sidewalks of Rockville Pike. <br />
<br />
Mrs. 14thandyou still drives to her place of employment (transit not being an option for her), although her commute time has plummeted by about 2/3 of what it was before. We also have considerably more space than we could have afforded in any neighborhoods in DC that wouldn't have made the daily commute a living hell for Mrs. 14thandyou, making our day-to-day lives more enjoyable. Our third floor deck that overlooks a nicely landscaped courtyard is also a pleasant place to enjoy a beer and hang out with the cat. And although our home is adjacent to one of the region's busiest thoroughfares and commercial corridors, it is a remarkably quiet place, which is something we have increasingly come to appreciate. <br />
<br />
<a href="; imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="; width="299" /></a>
<br />
Food and entertainment is a mixed-bag. The nightlife, it must be said, is wholly inadequate, but whether replacing the likes of Masa 14, Estadio and Bar Bilar with Joe's Noodles, Yekta Kabobi and Ambrosia Greek Diner is an overall step down is certainly up for debate. There is something to be said for an abundance of cheap, casual, flavorful ethnic restaurants, which our new neighborhood has in droves. We have not one, but two Jewish bagelrys within a short walk of our home--something that, at least according to most PoP commenters, many in central DC would sell their firstborn (or, as it were, their first dog) for. Tucked away in seemingly every forlorn-looking strip mall is a market, restaurant or store that merits attention. Nine months in, and we still haven't come close to trying all of the new places up here. And it is nice to be able to drop $20 on a meal, rather than simply on your appetizer or first round of drinks. Still, on that occasion when we're looking for a place to sit back and sip a couple of pints, it's basically Matchbox, Gilly's or Ruby Tuesday's for us. Admittedly not the most exciting options. (There is also the notorious Dietl's, which satisfies my occasional urge to drink watery canned beer.) <br />
<br />
As to our physical environment, there's no question that we traded aesthetic beauty and urban vitality for a neighborhood that has substantially less of both. Gone are the stunning, ornamented Victorians of Logan and Dupont, replaced by architecturally bland and uninspired apartments, townhomes and shopping centers that represent the architectural dark ages of the 60s-80s. The streets have little life or energy, storefronts are set back hundreds of feet from the sidewalks and roadways, and to state that the car remains king here would so obvious an observation so as to not warrant a mention. Indeed, some of the pedestrian infrastructure is so poorly designed that it can only be described as either tremendously ill-planned or downright hostile. <br />
<br />
As but one example, consider the case of the parking lot located at Montrose and Rockville Pike, which was (ostensibly) built to encourage individuals to park their vehicles and walk to the Metro or nearby businesses. Except, <i>there is no sidewalk or other pedestrian access that connects the parking lot to the sidewalk on Rockville Pike</i>. Pedestrians, myself included, have instead created a so-called "desire path" (pictured below) where a sidewalk should be. This makes no sense, and the neighborhood is littered with these poorly thought-out examples of pedestrian hosility. <br />
<br />
<a href="; imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="; width="299" /></a>
<br />
And despite Capital Bikeshare's plans to expand the system into Montgomery County, a ride along Rockville Pike is such a harrowing and frightful thought that I can't envision myself doing it, in spite of years spent biking throughout central DC. Helmet or no, it strikes me as particularly unpleasant for a number of reasons. More on that will likely come in a future post. <br />
<br />
And yet, I'd be remiss if I didn't point out that an environment that appears on its face to be quite sterile still has its charms. The nearby Montrose Parkway, with its wide jogging and biking path that leads into Tilden Stream Park is quite enjoyable, as are a number of MoCo's fantastic nearby parks. And as pedestrian unfriendly as the neighborhood may appear, our walkscore of 82 and abundance of nearby businesses does make the neighborhood more approachable on foot than many more "typical" suburban enclaves. <br />
<br />
<strong>So, what to make of all this?</strong> It would be untrue for me to state that there aren't things I enjoy about our new neigborhood--indeed, that there aren't things I enjoy *more* about our new neighborhood than the one we lived in before. I touched on several of them above. And Mrs. 14thandyou and I have established some patterns and rituals that we've come to greatly enjoy. Spend a Saturday morning with us sipping coffee and eating freshly baked scones while wandering Kensington's antique market and you'd get part of the picture. <br />
<br />
But the thing I miss the most about living where we did before is the loss of a sense of community. Dense, people-packed neighborhoods, through various means, encourage--and in some ways force--one to interact with ones neighbors. Whether through my writings on this blog, meeting with local business owners, running into familiar people on the street and in local parks, or sitting in on the local ANC meeting, the fact is that I got to know a lot of people while living in DC. Many I consider friends, and even those who are merely acquaintences helped me to establish a connection with my old neighborhood that I have found to establish in my new one. <br />
<br />
For all of the talk of DC being a rather unfriendly place where everyone is career-driven, I found the opposite story to be true. It's not that people hin our new neighborhood are unfriendly--it's that we simply don't interact with each other. There is a noticeably different mindset and approach to living in a suburban neighborhood--even one that is relatively dense (<a href=" about to become much denser</a>) by suburban standards--than living in a Logan Circle, Shaw, Columbia Heights or any one of DC's numerous hoods. It's true that we haven't found ourselves engaging in local politics and community affairs nearly to the extent that we did while living in DC. Part of that is time demands, but part of that is a lack thus far is establishing a real connection or sense of ownership of where we live to help us get to the point where we want to participate in such things. I had that when we lived in Logan; I haven't yet found it here. <br />
<br />
Perhaps we will get there, and a year from now I will feel differently and will be running for a seat on the Western Montgomery Council Citizen's Advisory Board. And when people ask me how two ex-urbanites are getting along up in the MoCo hinterlands, the answer is: we're doing fine, but there are certainly things we miss. The bars, nightclubs, restaurants, galleries, parks and other physical attributes are lacking but in many ways replaced; however, the human and emotional connection we had with our previous home hasn't been. And perhaps that is the true loss of suburban living.<div class="blogger-post-footer">14th & You
blogging on the hyper local DC politics of the 14th Street Corridor.</div>2012/06/dispatch-from-moco-hinterlands.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mr. Other Upper NW)7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2095284393772305956.post-6214887318545023503Thu, 22 Sep 2011 16:25:00 +00002011-09-22T12:25:15.284-04:00farewellAdios, Amigos...For NowSince we've received some questions about the lack of updates to the blog (because goodness knows there has been plenty going on around the neighborhood to keep updated on), we wanted to share a bit of bittersweet news to explain the lack of new posts.<br />
<br />
In short: no, we weren't kidnapped, we just moved. A couple of weeks ago, the 14thandyous packed up and moved north to Montgomery County. And before we get the questions, yes, we are well-aware of the juxtapositions between a neighborhood like Logan and our new suburban stomping grounds. We have a number of reasons for making the move (and no, mom and dad, a forthcoming little 14thandyou is NOT among them), but thus far the move hasn't been as painful as we initially expected it to be. Being within walking distance to a Metro station helps, as does our proximity to two bagel shops and some fantastic Chinese food. (<a href=" Pavillion</a>, anyone?)<br />
<br />
But I digress.<br />
<br />
We've certainly had a lot of fun on here over the past four years. When we started the blog back in 2007, there were surprisingly few bloggers covering all the issues, developments and day-to-day life around 14th Street and Logan Circle. I don't know how much we succeeded in that, but it was certainly enjoyable and rewarding--and we got to meet many wonderful, engaging people in the process, many of whom I consider friends today. And today, there are terrific blogs like <a href=";, <a href=" Street Girl</a> and <a href=" Street Dirt </a>that are providing all of the neighborhood news, analysis and snark one could hope for.<br />
<br />
As for this blog, we'll keep it up for the time being. I've given thought to continuing to post here from time to time, to offer some perspectives on our new home as compared to a place like Logan, as well as to share some thoughts about the ongoing changes and developments occuring in our old neighborhood. (Just 'cause we don't live there anymore doesn't mean we stopped paying attention...) And we hope to move back to the city someday; both Mr. and Mrs. 14thandyou enjoy the trappings of urban life far too much to permanently replace it with picket fences, two-car garages and cul-de-sacs. So who knows where things will lead?<br />
<br />
But for now, we're considering this blog on extended hiatus. Thanks to all of the followers, commenters, fellow bloggers, community activists, business owners, neighbors, developers and others who made this such a fun hobby for us over the past few years. So, till we meet again...<div class="blogger-post-footer">14th & You
blogging on the hyper local DC politics of the 14th Street Corridor.</div>2011/09/adios-amigosfor-now.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mr. Other Upper NW)22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2095284393772305956.post-4418597273339159939Thu, 25 Aug 2011 23:19:00 +00002011-08-26T00:14:02.465-04:00You down with RPP?(Yes, we're all about the puns here. And perhaps the earthquake added to my naturally loopy nature.)
<br />
<br />Readers, prepare yourselves for a Mrs. 14th & You rant. Having recently celebrated my eight-year Logan Circle anniversary, here are my long-marinating thoughts on our dysfunctional parking system.
<br />
<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Residential parking restrictions protect parking at times when it least needs protecting.</span>
<br />Residential parking restrictions presumably function to preserve parking for residents. In most neighborhoods (including ours), these restrictions exist only during the business day. During regular business hours, most employed DC residents have either left their cars parked near home or driven their cars to work. In neither case do residents need the protection that residential parking restrictions provide. <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Yet, during times when floods of out-of-ward drivers do park on residential streets, there are no parking restrictions. The most frequent challenges are created by out-of-ward and out-of-state restaurant, bar, and club patrons. (I always kick myself for working late on Thursday and Friday nights only to end my day by fighting for parking.) Other challenges to residential parking, such as weekend shopping or religious services, also typically fall outside of the days and times when residential parking restrictions are in effect.</p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">RPP is ward-based.</span>
<br />With my RPP I can park in any legal street space in Ward 2 for an unlimited length of time. Indeed, I have used residential parking in Georgetown, and I once left my car in Kalorama for a few days following a breakdown. Not only may residents of other Ward 2 neighborhoods dish it right back by parking in Logan Circle, Ward 1 residents can also park in much of Logan: Parking within a few blocks of the ward boundaries at S and 11th Streets NW is zoned for both 1 and 2 permit holders. Such flexibility in parking takes the “residential” out of RPP.
<br />
<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Evening enforcement is lacking.</span>
<br />In Logan Circle residential parking restrictions are in place until 8:30 p.m. on weeknights. A casual stroll around 14<sup>th</sup> or U Streets early on a Thursday or Friday evening will reveal plenty of Maryland and Virginia license plates as well asa lot of out-of-ward registration stickers on vehicles parked well before 6:30. And why not take the risk of parking illegally on a residential street? Presence of parking enforcement officers on residential streets is exceedingly rare after 8:30 p.m. Besides, if one is ticketed, the cost is not prohibitive; it’s comparable to two evenings of paid parking in one of the lots along 14<sup>th</sup> and U Streets. As well, with all sorts of lore about whether or not parking fines follow one across state lines, some out-of-state drivers feel free to ignore non-moving violations.
<br />
<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">RPP creates hassles for residents. </span>
<br />Though evening enforcement may be rare, daytime parking enforcement is efficient. Though it is not very common, I do sometimes have weekday daytime guests who drive to my home. They range from out-of-state family members coming to visit to contractors making repairs to our apartment. In such instances, I hate having to think about parking on behalf on my guests. It’s particularly crummy when my husband or I are taking time from work to see friends or family. Are we really going to use this time to go the police station to get a visitor’s parking permit? No. Are we still going to be bummed out if our loved ones are fined? Yes. On one particularly memorable day, my mother drove from Woodbridge to care for me after a surgery. I wasn’t really feeling like accompanying her to the police station to get a parking permit, nor did I really want her to go home after two hours, but a $25 ticket also seemed like a bad option. We ended up just rolling the dice on that one.
<br />
<br />[Edit: In an earlier draft I stated that one needed a valid vehicle registration in order to obtain a visitor permit. While cleaning up some gnarly HTML gone wrong, I double-checked that. My eyes had skipped the words "one of" prior the the list of documents accepted as proof of DC residency.]
<br />
<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Issuing RPPs creates an expectation of parking availability.</span>
<br />When one has paid extra money at the time of registration for the privilege of parking on residential streets near his home, it implies that one be able to park on those streets. This is particularly true since the entire purpose of RPPs is to “<a href=" access to on-street parking for residents in their neighborhoods</a>”. The <a href=" brochure available online</a> states further:
<br />Our neighborhoods are the city’s greatest asset. That is why we developed the Residential Parking Permit (RPP) to help protect them. In the mid-1970s citizens were concerned about the increasing number of out-of-state cars parked on residential streets. Residents could not park on their own block. Commuters were turning our neighborhoods into parking lots. I would argue that it’s no longer commuters turning neighborhoods into parking lots, but the residents themselves. I also imagine that many RPP holders have given up on the 1970s dream of guaranteed parking on their own block. (I have.)
<br />
<br />I ran a quick test of parking availability on my block and the four contiguous blocks. I estimate that there are about 0.67 parking spaces per existing household.* The current rate of parking availability is probably about right, particularly considering the number of condos with off-street parking. Yet, with residential density increasing within a two-block radius, parking will likely get tighter, even if vehicle ownership rates decrease.I make this point because <a href=" is working with Glover Park residents to ease parking congestion in their neighborhood</a>. The blunt instrument that seems most favored by residents is increasing restrictions on out-of-neighborhood vehicles. As Glover Park households are quite affluent and probably more likely to have children than Logan Circle households, their rates of car ownership are probably higher than our neighborhood's. Yet, Glover Park does not enjoy the same level of access to CaBi and Metro as we do, so I don't foresee anyone dumping those cars anytime soon. I don't think this story has a happy ending.
<br />
<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">It's time to create a new system.</span>
<br />If we're going to insist on keeping RPPs, then I wish that DDOT and the DMV would take steps the make it more likely that the residents with RPP stickers can get parking. We'd need to look the the hours that the restrictions are in place and at the ways we enforce the restrictions. If spaces are tight, maybe residents who own off-street parking wouldn't be issued RPP stickers for their vehicles or would be limited in the number of vehicles per household that could get an RPP sticker. If residents would rather not have such restrictions put on vehicle ownership or where they can park, then I'd argue we need to consider going the other direction -- eliminating RPP altogether. After all, for as little good as it does in keeping parking spaces available for the few of us who drive during the weekdays, it causes some headaches.
<br />
<br />*Admittedly, this is a rough estimate: I measured the block lengths using Google maps, subtracted alley entrances, parking meters, hydrants, and the areas near intersections to obtain the parkable street lengths (using both sides of the street, of course). I then divided that distance by 13.5 feet, my estimate of an “average” parking space. To count the number of households, I consulted the real property database. </p><div class="blogger-post-footer">14th & You
blogging on the hyper local DC politics of the 14th Street Corridor.</div>2011/08/you-down-with-rpp.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (14th & You)18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2095284393772305956.post-3246429885330132860Fri, 05 Aug 2011 13:46:00 +00002011-08-05T09:47:55.843-04:00crimeDupont CircleMPDMPD enforcement priority: Dupont Circle jaywalking?Snapped this photo this morning of an MPD officer writing jaywalking tickets to pedestrians crossing against the light at Dupont Circle and New Hampshire Ave. During the 45-or-so seconds I stood there, I witnessed the officer write no fewer than four tickets to unsuspecting jaywalkers. (Not to worry: this blogger escaped the wrath of the vigilant MPD officer by crossing legally.)<br />
<br />
<a href="; imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="299" src="; /></a><br />
<br />
Periodically, it seems that <a href=" goes on a jaywalking ticket spree</a>, posting officers at "high incident" intersections and generating some serious revenue for the city in the form of $20 tickets. But it does beg the question: is this part of a larger effort to clamp down on "minor" crimes like jaywalking throughout the city, or is this nothing more than a one-day spurt that will bring in a few thousand dollars to the city's coffers and annoy a number of pedestrians--most of whom will go right back to jaywalking on Monday morning, when the MPD officer is gone?<br />
<br />
This isn't to completely excuse jaywalkers, but one does have to wonder what ends are being achieved by haphazardly ticketing a handful of pedestrians one or two days a year in a location where tens of thousands of people jaywalk every day? This episode also brought to mind the time several years ago when <a href=" officers started ticketing bicyclists </a>who were riding the wrong way on New Hampshire Ave., just south of 16th Street. of course, <a href=" know how that ended</a>.<div class="blogger-post-footer"