Remainders of Snowmageddon: Watch your step!

Now that our snow banks have largely melted, it's perilous walking out there. No, I am not talking about ice as our temperatures have been relatively balmy this past week, instead I am talking about massive puddles, mud pots, and trash...one also has to pay careful attention to piles of dog crap that litter our sidewalks on nearly every block. Thankfully, I have yet to step in anything but have had to pay just as much attention walking these days as when we really only had ice to worry about.

Really, it's amazing how few people pick up after their pets but when you look at how casually many people discard their trash in this city, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Seattle was pristine when compared to DC and when I was in NYC visiting, I don't recall the same level of dog feces and trash that seem to carpet DC residential and some commercial sidewalks.

If I have any complaints about DC so far, it's the level of uncleanliness in this city.

Support your local coffee shop: Half-price latte-week at Pound!

Just read that Pound (1300 B 2nd Street, NE, right across from NY Avenue Metro stop), the closest thing we have to a local coffee shop in Eckington is having special promotions all this coming week...please try to get out and support them. Apparently, they got hit hard with the snowstorm in terms of lost business (ATF HQ was closed and Metro station across from them was above ground). These are the kinds of businesses we need in our neighborhoods so please check them out this coming week...they have both drink and eats specials so whatever you have a hankering for, they should be able to fix you right up. More on Pound from their owners below and their specials calendar for the week follows...you can check out their website here.

Pound is a very unique premium coffee shop and cafe that specializes in what we like to call "comfort food from around the world." Pound is in the rapidly growing area of NoMa, right across from the NY Ave Metro on 2nd St NE. With a daily Rice & Spice hot lunch special from a different region of the world everyday, on top of our fair trade, organic coffee and special hand-crafted lattes and drinks, we really feel that Pound is something rather special in an area most Washingtonians haven't visited. Both I and my business partner are travel, culture and food obsessed people and we bring those passions into everything we do at Pound. We believe so strongly in what we have to offer that we are launching a half price latte special all week next week from Monday 2/22 through Friday 2/26. All espresso based drinks are 50% off!n We even have a few custom drinks we've created that will be featured each day (Nutella latte anyone?)!

Half Price Latté Week! All espresso based drinks are 50% off regular prices from Monday (2/22) through Friday (2/26). Featured Daily Drinks Monday: Nutella Latte Tuesday: Chocolate Raspberry Mocha Wednesday: Gingerbread Latte Thursday: Peppermint Patty Mocha Friday: Crème Caramel Latte Daily

Lunch Rice & Spice Special ($6.95 everyday) Monday: Feisty Fajitas w/ Shrimp and Chicken Tuesday: Spanish Paella con Pollo y Chorizo Wednesday: Curry Wednesday! Chicken and Sweet Potato Yellow Curry Thursday: Tuna Casserole Friday: Falafel Slider Friday! Homemade Falafel, as good as it get

Advocates of your neighborhood Safeway unite...

Some members of the Edgewood, Brentwood, and Eckington neighborhoods have rallied to the defense of the Safeway in the RI Avenue Shopping Center. Some coverage here.

Advocates seem to have secured the involvement of Councilmember Harry Thomas, Jr. to push for keeping the neighborhood Safeway.

As I already pointed out, I can understand the desire to keep this grocery store as it's a much more convenient store to walk to than the Giant. Comments in the City Paper article made it sound like people were lazy or that they had forgotten the fact that Giant is "just across the street". If you drive to Giant, than it probably feels like it's just across the street but to those of us who use that old fashioned method of locomotion, known as our two feet, it's definitely not just across the street. Especially for those who maybe senior citizens or who prefer not to venture out...navigating the roadways and parking lot up to Giant can sometimes be intimidating. Not that the RI Avenue Safeway doesn't have it's issues and I am sure that those lobbying to save the store were just as disgusted at the recent vermin issue but they still want a grocery store that is more walker-friendly and that's on a more "pedestrian-scale". That really is the future of neighborhood and urban development in the U.S....small, densely-populated nodes of development providing amenities within walking distance and that seems to be what DC Gov is going for in it's 'Great Streets Initiative' for Rhode Island Avenue. Of course, we'll see how well that plans holds up and whether it takes into account what residents actually need instead of building some pie-in-the-sky flashy monstrosity.

Snowmageddon Fallout...

Well, I think I am still on planet Earth...crazy drifts, buried cars outside but all seems Earthly enough. Sunday afternoon, I got out to evaluate the situation post-Snowmageddon. I had been calling that storm Snowpocalypse but apparently that was the name of our Dec. 19th storm...I didn't even know it had gotten a name. Anyway, our latest edition striking Tuesday night and yesterday was Sn'overkill...doubt I will get any pictures of that today but maybe by tomorrow, I will have a few.

Also, I found out, courtesy of eckington...way better than spotsylvania blog, that some Eckington denizens constructed an igloo down off of Eckington Place and across from Sirius XM's offices. I will hope to check this out tomorrow...it doesn't look like there will be too much melting today so hopefully it will still be around by then but you can check out EWBTS to see the pics. Now on to Snowmageddon pics:

The local Safeway predicament...

Safeway was my favorite grocery store when I lived in Seattle but since coming to DC, I have not been as impressed with the stores here. I would still shop at the one on Rhode Island but the produce selection was often lacking and the checkouts seemed too few (w/ no self-checkout) for the volume of business the place receives. I do like the location though as the Giant (having to go under the railroad overpass) often seems farther than I want to journey when I just need to pick up a few items on the spur of the moment. Anyway, it's with good reason that I viewed this Safeway with a bit of skepticism (compared to the ones in Seattle)...several weeks ago they found evidence of a rodent infestation at the store and were ordered to close on the spot by the health inspector.

You can read the full report here.

Of course, I am a little behind on this story between temping and some positive leads on the job front so my apologies. The store subsequently reopened two days later...

But now word is the store will be closing permanently...News Channel 8 reports here. Of course, the article outlines how they are loosing quite a bit of business to Giant but as many people interviewed mentioned and I concur, the Safeway is in a more convenient location than the Giant for those who are traveling via foot or bus. If you're hopping off MetroRail at the RI Avenue station, Giant is convenient but other than that, the store is essentially geared towards folks who drive. Word on the street is that another grocery store may take Safeway's place but the size of the space and the existing dynamics cited as the reasons for closing would remain unchanged so not sure what other grocery purveyor would be able to succeed in that environment. While I now will have a bit longer grocery store run at least I won't need to worry about rodents cavorting with my food.