Tag: Bloomingdale/Eckington

Condo conversion suit

Read the following:

DCRA Announces Guilty Plea in Condominium Warranty Case
From DCRAs Communications Team
GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs Announces Guilty Plea in Condominium Warranty Case

(Washington, DC) Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs Director Linda K. Argo announced that on Oct. 5, Mudasir Khan plead guilty to one count of False Statements in a Condominium Registration Application and one count of Failure to Post a Bond or Letter of Credit for 45 R Street NW.

Under District law, condominium developers or building owners are required to warrant (or guarantee) their construction work with the Condominium and Cooperative Conversion and Sales Branch. They secure this obligation by posting warranty security. Several forms of security may be posted under the statute, including a letter of credit, bond or another form approved by the Condominium Branch.

[SNIP info on warranties]

Under the plea agreement, Khan must:
Pay a criminal fine of $15,000 on both counts – totaling $30,000.
Post a warranty security for $5,000 for 45 R Street NW.
Pay a $250.00 Victims Compensation Fund fine on each count – totaling $500.

Khan was sentenced to 30 days in jail on each count, to be served consecutively. The sentence was suspended and Khan was placed on one year of supervised probation for each count to run concurrently. Khan must report to his probation officer on October 23.

[more SNIPing]
“DHCD understands the critical mission served by the Rental Conversion and Sale Division,” said DHCD Director Leila Finucane Edmonds. “We will also hold developers responsible for complying with District law and take strong and decisive action against those who do not.”

Not having spent too much time paying attention to the structures on “historic” R St (they had banners saying so), I’m guessing this was a townhouse conversion. Correct me if I’m wrong. Townhouses converted into condos have always been a big question mark for me. But then again, I didn’t want to be bothered with condos in any shape or form so I never paid that much attention. There are many town homes around Bloomingdale and Shaw, large town homes, converted into 2 or three condos. Is that a good thing? I don’t know.

Buncha Bloomingdale Stuff

Ya know there are like 2 or 3 Bloomingdale blogs.
Farmers market still the neatest thing since sliced multi-grain bread. Every time I go there I think, damn, this/my neighborhood is so cool. Yes, technically in Bloomingdale, but right on the TC/Shaw border. It’s the vibe. You run into neighbors and people with kids, people with dogs, people with people. Some of the vendors at the market take WIC so there is an income mix and fresh food goes to the people. The market goes on until sometime in November, so if you haven’t experienced it, go.
Friday, North Capitol Main Streets had a beer and wine tasting at Bloomingdale Liquors. That was an interesting social experiment. ‘Cause you get a mix of people going in and out. There was a beer table and a wine table, and a big crowd. I only got one little cup of wine, and the merlot wasn’t that great, but I was told the other higher end but lower priced red was much better, Unfortunately, they were out of the better red by the time I made my way back to the table. The store seemed to be doing some fairly brisk business. Of course it was Friday night. Before I bought my tequila (for a great shrimp tequila cerviche dish) I was asked if I was going to bother reporting about the ‘secret meeting’ that occurred two days before. Not a secret meeting, because I posted it in the announcements.
DC GOP hold meeting in back of the St. George’s Episcopal church basement to meet with 3-4 Ward 5 Republicans and an Independent. The goal, as I’m remembering this off the top of my head, is to hear what the people want. Lower crime, lower taxes, and better support for small businesses, which this city seems so hostile to, seems to be desired.
And lastly, circling back to the market area, check out the Big Bear if you haven’t been there lately. There is a thing in the corner, which was supposed to be there till Oct 14th, was still there when I passed by Friday, so hopefully the Bear got the extention for this installation piece.

Wine tasting in Bloomingdale

I should have posted this earlier on the announcements part of the blog. Anyway this Friday night there will be a wine tasting from 6-8 at the corner of 1st and RI NW. Gotta go there anyway, I’m running low on tequila.

Tonight: First-Ever Fall Wine Tasting at Bloomingdale Liquors from 6 pm to 8 pm

Wine tastings are popular because they override the limitations of sampling wine alone, at home. How many wines can you taste on your own (unless you don’t mind throwing away nine-tenths of every bottle)? How many wines are you willing to buy on your own? And how much can you learn by tasting wine in isolation or with a friend whose expertise is no greater than yours?

At wine tastings, you can learn from your fellow tasters, as well as make new friends who share your interest in wine. Most importantly, you can taste wine in the company of some individuals who are more experienced than you, which is a real boon in training your palate.

NCMS invites you to come out to taste great wines and beers, mingle with neighbors and friends and get to know your neighborhood purveyor of Fine Wines and Spirits, Mr. Singh of Bloomingdale Liquors.

North Capitol Main Streets
First-Ever Fall Wine Tasting
Bloomingdale Liquors
1st and Rhode Island Avenue NW
Friday, October 19, 2007
6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

The Washington Post finally gets it

Praise be to G-d, they lost the ‘neighborhood change’ template all the reporters keep reusing to describe places like Shaw and Bloomingdale. In today’s Post there is an article by DeNeen L. Brown “Change is Clear” in the Style section, page C1 about change in the Bloomingdale neighborhood centering around the image of Windows Cafe. The old template goes, setting black poor neighborhood, evil wealthy white people come in change things and displace the black people, tsk, tsk, tsk, and throw in the word ‘gentrification’ in a disparaging manner.
This article acknowledges that the changes have been made by both blacks and whites. Even better a black gay (okay I’m assuming gay) couple who restored a house are quoted. The whites in the story, have been in the hood for about 15 years, hard to call them newcomers. One of them, Scott Roberts, 52 year old SPF 10,000 guy, has some of the best quotes, which I may write about later. Really, those quotes are money, gems.
Good job all.

Restaurant Review: Windows Market & Deli

I’m going to try something, restaurant reviewing. I will attempt to go to places in eastern Shaw or on the border of Shaw in LeDriot, Bloomingdale, Eckington, or within a 4 block radius of my house. The general criteria is that there must be seating and cannot be a carry out. The list of places to go is very short.
Yesterday I wandered over to the corner of 1st and Rhode Island to the Windows Deli. It is a very new looking place. I was attracted to it by its big windows that looked out on to Rhode Island Avenue and it’s bright interior. Inside the decor says Ethopian/ Swedish, mainly because I recognize the furniture being IKEA and the staff is pretty much Ethopian. In the corner there is a display case of tiny coffee cups and an African(?) vase. You have a choice of about 3 blonde wood tables to sit at or two other chairs sans table. The table near the window is good for people watching.
The menu is extremely limited. Basically you have coffee, tea, and cold sandwiches made to order. This is more coffee shop than restaurant. I had a tuna sandwich. The tuna was ok, a little heavy on the relishy ingredient and a bit more soupy than I am accustomed.
Looking around and thinking about it a bit more, the place seems very cabbie friendly. If your main thing is to sit, wait, get coffee, leave, then this is a suitable spot. Sunday, when I spotted this place, I noticed a decent mixed crowd sitting, reading the paper, drinking coffee.
Up the stairs (3 steps) is the market part of Windows, which is a quickie mart with drinkable wine and a few veggies. I saw tomatoes and onions. I didn’t look too hard at the wine, but it wasn’t Boones Farm or wino wine (that I can recognize easy). Not to be too out of place there were some ghetto drinks and single cans of beer for sale in the refrigerated cases.
I hope this business does well. It is good to have a big windowed people watching coffee shop so close. I wanna ‘nother, closer to my house.

Next time I might try B&J or BJ’s on 3rd and Rhode Island.