Day: February 23, 2005

Robbie pointed out in the comments a post on the DCist site about the city’s redevelopment plan for Shaw. Well that’s Ward 2’s Shaw. Those of us over on the other side of New Jersey Ave are just screwed or not, depending on how you look at it. Also I feel a bit slighted because one could come away looking at this plan that Truxton Circle isn’t in Shaw.
I took a quick look and I’ll make a few quick comments, with the choice of coming back to this topic and posting at length when I’ve read the whole plan. First, I am very wary of an Eastern Shaw Historical District. I love history but it can be a burden. I’ll write later this week on this. Second, I see the recommendations for the area around the Convention Center are okay but I worry about the type of retail. Hair & nail salons are retail. Got them a plenty. There is a coffeeshop (Warehouse)but it needs something, what I don’t know. But anyway it is something beyond signage and facades that the 7th and 9th street areas around the Convention Center need.

For those who are slightly following the SCOTUS arguments of Kelo vs City of New London, the Post has an article in it’s business section about how the outcome could impact the Nationals Stadium and the Skyland shopping center over in Anacostia. Yet I am trying to figure out how the stadium fits into all this, as I thought (correct me if I am wrong) the stadium would remain the property of the city. My idea of public use does include stadiums, provided they are publicly owned so if the city needed to, it could have other city functions during the off season or decide to blow it up when the Nats leave DC for a prettier much younger city.
The area in SE where the city is thinking about plopping the stadium is not the greatest part of town, but that’s just my outdated opinion. I haven’t been out there since Tracks closed down. Wait? Am I thinking of the right neighborhood? And really I’m a bit less sympathetic to commercial property being seized for a commercial but publicly owned project. I do feel a bit bad for the sculptor working over there, as good studio spaces are hard to find and art a pain to move.
I am very thankful that areas around and near southern Shaw were nixed as places for a stadium. Shaw is coming out of it’s blighted stage. We haven’t reached the non-blighted, non-transitional stage yet, but at least we are in little danger of the the city grabbing large parcels of land.

Comment policy: No cussin’, no name callin’, no spittin’. Anonymous posters must use initials at the end of their post or risk having that post deleted.

Okay, I’m walking home with my neighbor B and there is this guy in a big black SUV honking in front of the house across the street from ours and he’s just honking. B remarks that this has been going on since Valentine’s Day with the guy and the on going honking.
Honk
Me (loudly): Little pig, little pig let me in
Honk, honk
Me: Little pig, little pig, let me in!
Honk, honk, honk
Me: Then I’ll blow
Honk
Me: And I’ll blow
B: I think I saw movement
Me: And I’ll blow my horn and your house down
guy drives off
Me: House of bricks, still standing

And the big bad SUV wolf sped away and the little piggies inside the 100 year old brick house lived happily ever after.
THE END

I really hate it when people use their car horns instead of walking up to the house and knocking. I can understand it for cabbies. Maybe I can forgive one honk, but honking over and over deserves an egging.