Price Point: Comparing Real Estate Sales In and Around D.C.

PETWORTH
Condo: The Madeleine
3917 7th St. NW, #5

» $299,000: Three blocks from the Georgia Ave.-Petworth Metro stop on a residential strip bookended by churches, two once-vacant 1910-built matching brick stand-alones have been gutted, revamped and repainted cheery seafoam green. Now they each house five identical condos. This top-floor, 800-square-foot unit squeezes in two comfortably sized bedrooms, two bathrooms, minimal closet space and a metal balcony with steps that lead down to a locked gate and parking ($10,000 per space) off the back alley. The comfortable master suite has recessed lighting and a Jacuzzi tub, and its large street-facing windows let residents keep an eye on neighborly happenings. Ten-foot ceilings maintain an airy feel; the L-shaped kitchen can fit a four-person dining table but spills into the teeny living room. Stained glass above the balcony doors injects a splash of character. (Listed through Long and Foster Real Estate, Inc.)

SILVER SPRING, MD.
Condo: Argent Condos
1200 Blair Mill Road, #307

» $324,900: Rubbing elbows with Discovery Communications' headquarters amid downtown Silver Spring's growing condo farm, this 816-square-foot one-bedroom unit is an easy jaunt to the Metro — which is particularly great since owners of Argent Condos' one-bedrooms won’t get on-site parking. Marketed as a "boutique building," you'll find all the must-haves of a new and shiny condo, complete with a front desk attendant. Think granite counters and maple cabinets, 9-foot ceilings and stone tiled baths, stainless steel appliances and a combo of gleaming hardwood floors and cushy carpet. Though the floor plan is spacious and inviting, you might wish for more closet space and bigger windows. Grand opening incentives tempt with two years' paid condo fees and $5,000 toward price/closing costs. (Listed through The Mayhood Company.)

The Coolest Beans: The District's Top Iced Coffee

AS THE HEAT and humidity in the District reach rainforest levels, the thought of a steaming cup of coffee matches the appeal of pulling on a sweater.

The solution? Ice it down. And for a small but growing group of java enthusiasts, the best way to do that them keep heat out of the picture entirely.

Cold-brewing is a method of making coffee that involves steeping coarse grounds in water for hours before straining them to create a concentrate. When thinned down and combined with milk and sweetener, they result in a smooth drink with hints of chocolate and vanilla, and a remarkable absence of the bitter kick iced coffee can sometimes carry.

While most coffeehouses still use the more prevalent technique of making hot coffee, chilling it and serving it over ice, cold brews can be found in a few local spots.

"We don't sell many iced drinks in the winter, but during summertime, we just can't keep up with the demand," said Connie Lee, owner of Jolt'n Bolt Coffee and Tea House, a small cafe in Adams Morgan with a funky, purple-trimmed alleyway entrance. "We have to make it in a big 5-gallon container."

Continue Reading "The Coolest Beans: The District's Top Iced Coffee" »

Bicentennial Bargains: Happy Hours for Lincoln's Birthday

YOU MIGHT NOT have heard (since Abraham Lincoln isn't in vogue or anything), but Lincoln's 200th birthday is this week. To celebrate, you don't have to dress up in costume or emancipate anything. You can remember our 16th president through discount food at or around some of the Lincoln landmarks that dot our fair city.

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Not Wanted on Ga. Ave., Shelter Looks Downtown

THE CENTRAL UNION MISSION is facing a logistical quandary. Two years ago, the homeless shelter sold its building at 14th and R streets NW, pictured here, to condo developers and used the $7 million from the sale to purchase a four-story building on redeveloping Georgia Avenue where it would have enough space for 100 beds.

But residents in the Park View, Petworth, Pleasant Plains and Columbia Heights neighborhoods have vowed to stop the move, saying it isn't a good fit for their revitalizing community. While Central Union has not yet decided to turn its back on the Georgia Avenue space — a special zoning hearing has been postponed until fall — The Post's Paul Schwartzman reports that the mission is starting to work with D.C. officials to find a new space downtown, where there is the most need for such a facility. D.C. Council member Jim Graham, who opposes the Georgia Avenue location, tells The Post that there are several possible locations downtown for the shelter, but declined to name them.

The clock is ticking. Central Union has until October 2009 to vacate its 14th Street building.

» "Central Union Mission in Talks For New Site in Downtown D.C." [WaPo]

Photo by Linda Davidson/The Washington Post

D.C. Poet Laureate Honors Metro's Art Program

FOR THOSE WHO who aren't in a rush to get up or down the long Q Street NW escalators at the Dupont Circle station, the inscription of Walt Whitman's poem "The Wound-Dresser," which was carved into the exit portal's circular walls last year, can offer a momentary poetic escape from the daily commuting grind. On the surface, a poem by Howard University professor E. Ethelbert Miller surrounds a circular bench.

The use of poetry at Dupont Circle and other Metrorail stations — including another Miller poem adjacent to a new sculpture at the Georgia Avenue-Petworth station, pictured here — has attracted a new honor for Metro's Art in Transit program. Last month, D.C. Poet Laureate Dolores Kendrick recognized the program for its creative vision and commitment to poetry.

Over the years and through partnerships with organizations like the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, art installations have been slowly expanding across the rail system.

» "Art in Transit" [WMATA]

Photo courtesy WMATA

Fenty Announces Tax Incentives for 'Great Streets'

D.C. MAYOR ADRIAN FENTY stopped by Looking Glass Lounge on Georgia Avenue on Tuesday to announce that the slowly revitalizing commercial corridor in Petworth is eligible for new tax incentives to encourage neighborhood development as part of D.C.'s Great Streets program.

Petworth is one of six areas in the District that's poised to benefit from $95 million in new special financing. As The Post's David Nakamura writes, the D.C. government "will finance development bonds using tax increment financing, a process by which the debt service is paid off with increased tax revenue that results from the growth of new businesses."

Here's how the money's expected to be parceled out: $10 million for Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE/South Capitol Street; $25 million for H Street NE; $25 million for Seventh Street/Georgia Avenue NW; $10 million for Petworth; $15 million for Minnesota Avenue/Benning Road; and $10 million for Pennsylvania Avenue SE.

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Petworth's Blog 'Prince' Offers a Filling Tour

ON A RECENT Sunday, Prince of Petworth blogger Dan Silverman, pictured above, sat at the bar of the Looking Glass Lounge (formerly Temperance Hall) with a Boddingtons, talking to bartender Eric Stier. "When Eric is working, the music is fantastic," he said of the bar's Old 97's, Drive-By Truckers, The National, Wilco and Billy Bragg playlist.

Silverman would know. Posts about quality-of-life issues, real estate, neighborhood crime and restaurant and bar news are among his most-read. When it comes to bars and restaurants, Silverman has in his rotation a handful of places that capture the spirit of the neighborhood.

Among his favorites is the Hitching Post. "Now that's a real neighborhood place," he said of the restaurant that has anchored the neighborhood for more than 40 years. With its red vinyl seating and Charles Mingus and Marvin Gaye on the jukebox, the Hitching Post serves up fried chicken, mac 'n'cheese, pork chops and collards.

For a leisurely brunch, Silverman cites W Domku, pictured at right, as his go-to spot. "It's a great place to grab a seat on the couch, talk to people and stay awhile," he said. Gravlax, Swedish waffles, omelets and Norwegian savory crepes are among the selections at this eclectic restaurant that offers free Wi-Fi, as well as live music on Wednesdays and some weekends.

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Elevator at Petworth Station to Close for 3 Months

FIRST, METRO shut down one of the escalator banks at the Georgia Ave.-Petworth station because of construction at the corner of Georgia and New Hampshire avenues to build the Park Place condos. Now, access to the station will be more restricted: The elevator on the western side of Georgia Avenue — which had remained open — is scheduled to close for three months starting Wednesday.

Metro says shuttle buses to the Columbia Heights station will be available every 10 minutes for passengers unable to use the escalators.

» "Georgia Ave-Petworth Metrorail Station Elevator to Be Closed Temporarily" [WMATA]

Big Plans for D.C.'s Armed Forces Retirement Home

ROCK CREEK CHURCH ROAD to the east of Petworth is one of the District's more beautiful, but quiet, thoroughfares. On one side are blocks of rowhouses, on the other is the aging fence that rings one of the city's largest open spaces. The Armed Forces Retirement Home sits on a 272-acre site to the north of the Washington Hospital Center and to the west of North Capitol Street — and for the most part, it's closed to the general public.

While some planners dream of creating a "Central Park" for the District — tying together the Armed Forces home property, Fort Totten Park and the McMillan Reservoir and abandoned sand filtration plant — a new draft final master plan for the property released this month calls for the introduction of some mixed-use development to the hilly, shaded space where President Abraham Lincoln escaped the downtown heat in 1862 to pen the Emancipation Proclamation.

Part of the reason: Money. The cash-strapped Armed Forces home sold off 46 acres of its land to the Catholic University of America in 2004 for $22 million — and officials are looking to a similar land sale to ensure its financial survival. Although the home is overseen by the Defense Department, it does not receive taxpayer dollars, just "50-cent-a-week paycheck deductions from enlisted military personnel," The Post's Petula Dvorak reported in 2005.

So, parcels of the home's land are slated for redevelopment. The draft final master plan calls for areas at the edge of the property, along its Park Place border with the Park View neighborhood east of Columbia Heights and its southeastern quadrant, pictured at left, adjacent to the cloverleaf interchange between North Capitol and Irving streets near the Washington Hospital Center and Catholic University.

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An Emerging Columbia Hts.-Petworth Food Split?

IN PETWORTH AND COLUMBIA HEIGHTS, the food and dining options have expanded considerably over the past year or so as redevelopment and neighborhood investment have spread north from the U Street corridor and east from Adams Morgan.

The newest option for Petworth? Nigerian cuisine.

As blogger Prince of Petworth notes, an empty storefront on Shepherd Street NW near Georgia Avenue now boasts sign saying that Lagos Cafe is "Opening Soon." The prospect is exciting news to some commenters on the blog, but others aren't exactly keen on Nigerian cuisine, which includes dishes like amala (a form of ground-up yam), eba (a doughy yam-based dumpling) along with items you might find at other West African and Caribbean restaurants, like fried plantains and fufu (a porridge made from root vegetables, including, you guessed it, yams).

For the yam-phobic, Columbia Heights is just a short walk away. And its restaurant scene is sprouting more mainstream dining options, including the mainstreamiest of them all: Ruby Tuesday.

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