Taxi

I have a feeling I may have written on this before but the problem with a gentrifying neighborhood is that it is too bad for a taxi to search for fares but not bad enough that you try to hail one. When I was at Ella’s I spent a good 10 minutes plus watching a group of three white people trying to hail a cab at Florida and North Cap. They gave up and hopped a bus. Note: don’t try hailing a cab on North Capitol. If you do see a cab, it is usually full. The only place I have sucessfully caught a cab on North Cap is down by Kaiser Permanente.

My cab catching attempts on Rhode Island and New Jersey have been hit or miss. They are not looking out for you. The time I did catch a cab on New Jersey I was hard to miss, I was in a full length evening gown. Other times, nothing.

Calling the dispatcher, also hit or miss. That’s why I was on New Jersey Avenue hailing a cab in an evening gown.

Anyone know of the secret street corner I need to stand at to catch a cab around here?

BACA Octoberfest

Via Jim Berry

Neighbors,

It is with pleasure that I invite and encourage you to participate in

Oktoberfest 2004 — an event that is being sponsored by the Bates Area

Civic Association, Inc. and co-sponsored by Council Member Vincent B. Orange,

Northwest Cooperative Homes, the Metropolitan Police Department, Mount

Sinai Baptist Church, the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency,

Soul Day Spa, Ben’s Chili Bowl, Polly’s Cafe, Safeway, Inc., City Year

Americorps, John F. Cook School, Ebenezer Baptist Church, Perry School Community

Center as well as the DC Department of Parks and Recreation.

Octoberfest 2004 will take place this coming Saturday, October 30 2004,

between the hours of 11:00 a.m and 3:00 p.m. at the triangle park

located at First and Florida Avenue, NW. The day’s activities will include a

Chili Cook-Off, games, raffles and prizes. In addition, there will be a

modest flea market, information tables featuring various community services;

there will be a moon bounce for the children, along with face painting, arts

and crafts and a kick-boxing demonstration.

Oktoberfest 2004 is the first of a series of events that are being

scheduled to take place in the triangle park as we continue to make a serious

and a sustained effort to transform this location into the safe space for

children that it was intended to be. Won’t you please join us in this

initiative.

We are in need of plenty of volunteers to make the activity a success.

If you have some time to volunteer on Saturday, please let me know as

soon as possible. That is, if each of us contributes a little, no one will

have to do a lot.

For more information regarding the event, you may visit our website at

www.oktoberfest.bacaDC.org.

Looking forward to hearing from you as well as to seeing you Saturday!

Best,

Jim Berry

ANC 5C