Red Line Accident Resonated, Even Outside of DC

As a Washingtonian, daily Metro rider and proponent of public transit, I was shocked and very distressed watching the reports of Metro's Red Line collision last week. At the time I was in New York about to leave the hotel for dinner. The local NYC news station broke from programming to report the incident, even before it aired on CNN and other cable news channels.

The night unfolded, and I found myself checking the news reports at the dinner table, trying to keep up with the tragic events miles away in DC. The local NY media, including print and television did a surprisingly thorough job of reporting on the incident, even featuring Fenty, some crash victims, and allowing the story to be told enough that I had a good idea of what was happening even though I was several metropolitan areas away. It probably wasn't the topic of first concern for New Yorkers, but it was right up there near the top of the 11:00 hour news.

Now over a week out, I can see that some nerves are still frayed, within Metro and those of customers as well. Until there is a definitive answer about the equipment problems, especially those within the trackbed itself, some may never feel completely comfortable riding the train. We can get over operator error, which does not appear to be a major cause for this incident. The driver of this train was likely failed by equipment, mechanics and design. But if the design is faulty, how do you reconcile that? That's a system wide problem. I'm not speculating that there is a system-wide failure, there is no evidence of that. But if there is a system-wide potential for failure, that's a problem for me.

Riding Metro is safe. I will continue to ride. The statistics show that travelling in a car is more dangerous than riding Metro or other subways. But the perception that a hidden fault could have caused this accident is troubling. Do I think this should be made into a political issue? No. Should Virginia, Maryland, the District governments agree to create a permanent funding stream for Metro? Yes. That has been true for years, well before this terrible collision took place. Peace to all the families and friends involved. Keep riding the trains and buses to work and play. And to Metro: Please, as best you can, find out what contributed to this collision and work as hard as you have ever worked to correct it.

Officials Seek Clues in Train Crash : New York Times

D.C. Metro Red Line Crash : Washington Post

DC Metro Crash: Who Will Die Next Because We Throw Money at Billionaries and Scrimp on the Public Good? : Alternet

New Street Front for Safeway

Adams Morgan's Safeway store is getting a face lift. The tired looking store is in the midst of construction to rebuild the façade and complete some small cosmetic changes inside the store. This is by no means an entire renovation of the store. Lately this Safeway has looked extremely dated due to the openings of new Harris Teeter and Giant groceries. In addition, the new-design model Safeway at 5th and L Sts NW has proven that the potential for a decent shopping experience is possible at the chain.

Apparently, Safeway wanted to expand into the adjacent empty retail spaces, but the asking price was too high. Work has started at those sites as well, rumored to be a future CVS. I look forward to looking upon the new storefront, but not sure that will get me any closer to going in.

Apartment Houses: The Imperial

At 1763 Columbia Road NW. Formerly apartments, renovated in the late 1980s; now condos.

Technical Difficulties

If you ever devlop even a minor computer problem, never take it to Staples. Even if they offer really cheap computer "repair." Even if they are within walking distance of your house. Even if the guy you dropped the computer off with seemed capable. Even if they have the so called easy button. I pushed the easy button and the computer that was at 85% capability is now at 15% capability.

C'est la vie. You get what you pay for. "There's an old saying in Tennessee. I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee, that says: Fool me once, shame on... shame on you. Fool me... you can't get fooled again." Insert another colloquialism if you wish.

Anyway, the blog is sort of impaired as I try to get the issues resolved over the weekend. Technology; the money's in the maintenance.

Vegan Cake, Buses, Natürlich

Well, I was wrong. A few weeks ago I complained that the District Department of Transportation wasn't doing enough in the way of promotion of the Circulator's new routes. Well, I wasn't looking hard enough. A simple internet search would have unearthed this YouTube channel just for the Circulator. DDOT got a little creative in an effort to show that the Circulator bus can take you to interesting and perhaps unknown spots all over the city.

Sticky Fingers, Peregrine Espresso, Good Food Eatery and Garden District are among the businesses featured. I like the adds and they seem to show DDOT making a creative effortto get the message out. So, my apologies Circulator! DDOT, you are trying, I failed to look before I spoke. I like the ads, very nice. If I could only bake a vegan cake in under 30 seconds...

Refilling SmarTrip Card Now Marginally Easier

Save yourself a trip to the Columbia Heights Metro station or the nearest bus stop. You can now refill your SmarTrip Card right here in Mount Pleasant. We long for the day when SmarTrip cardholders will be able to refill their cards online. Seems easy enough infrastructure to build. And that day will come soon. However, until then, recharging just got a little bit easier. Metro has teamed with businesses around the city, Virginia and Maryland to offer another point of sale for adding value to the "e z pass" of the DC transit world.

Previously the only ways to load up a card were to visit a Metro station and wait in laboriously long lines or hop on a bus and add the cash manually to the card. There aren’t nearly enough SmarTrip machines in the Metro stations, something that WMATA acknowledges. Adding money on the bus is easy enough, although tough to do one-handed for some if the bus is moving. And personally, I don’t like to hold up the line adding money to my card.

In Mount Pleasant, there is one retailer who has the new system, Distribuidora El Salvador Del Mundo, at 3108 Mt Pleasant Street NW. Employees have to actually add money to the card through a device behind the counter. They accept cash and credit. It was not clear if there was a service charge. The other close location is the Giant Grocery at 1345 Park Rd NW. Again, you have to hand over the SmarTrip at the customer service desk for refill. Giant charges a $0.25 fee for refill and you can pay with cash or credit/debit.

For me, this is only marginally easier than standing in line at the stations, because, you're just as liable to have to stand in line in either Giant or Distribuidora and wait for the transaction to take place. However, another option is another option, so I won't complain too much. Keep it coming Metro, and don't give up on online credit card refills. We will be grateful!

Friday Fun Post: Clizzle Dizzle

Photos: Bikes Away

From last Friday's Jazz in the Garden. 7th and Constitution NW, every Friday this summer. What a wonderful sight. I love DC.

Mandu!

Please, if you know, tell me why I had never been to Mandu in all the years I've been in DC. Walked by, biked by, even drove by. Never stepped foot into this place until the last week. Forgive me! Forgive myself!

Mandu is a locally owned family Korean restaurant on 18th Street NW (1805, across the street from the BP). This location is in the middling border area between Dupont and Adams Morgan. Anyway, Mandu is great! The happy hour is one of DC's best (according to me anyway). Two dollar beers and half off "sojutinis." Soju is Korean rice vodka, and the sojutinis come in various fruity flavors. Appetizers are only $3.00.

Even if you miss happy hour (until 7pm), the regular menu is totally vegan friendly and generally the bee's knees. I had the veggie bibim bap. Felt as if I was cheating on Mt Pleasant's own Adam Express, but this affair was totally worth it. It was served warm (hot!) in a clay pot. The vegetables were served over rice. Simple, plentiful and tasty. Sorry I don't have other adjectives to describe it. Palatable, delicious. Whatever. All of the above. Very impressed and sad that I had never ignored Lauriol Plaza occasionally to try this place out. A+ for you Mandu.

Despite Shows, The Real, Real World Persists

DC is in the midst of a mini reality show boom. We're currently in a tizzy about the Real World, whose house is rumored to be quite close to the 42 bus line. I also wrote about it a few months ago, to varying amounts of praise and criticism. The show is about a small group of 20-somethings mostly living carefree in a ridiculously appointed house and no responsibilities to pay for rent, food or drink.

And that news was right on the heels of another television announcement: Real Housewives is taping a DC show. This Bravo network series is about he extravagant and ostentatious lives of mostly wealthy, married (or not) women. There are more scenes filmed at the mall, than at the "house."

Finally, lest you've forgotten, the Blond Charity Mafia has wrapped on filming and is set to air on the CW this fall. I'm not making a joke. The name of the show is Blond Charity Mafia. It's about some Georgetown A-listers who run the party circuit and related social scenes that go along with that whole culture. I never have and never will. But I'll watch an episode or two.

All of the lavish, reality-for-some, exaggerated-reality-for-others, spendy, edited for TV shows bend the definition of "reality" but are popular for the most part. Contrast that with this article form the New York Times: Parental Lifelines, Frayed to Breaking. Each of these kids, having lived their own version of the Real World, on their parents expense, are now having the rug pulled out form underneath. No more subsidized Brooklyn lofts. No more artificial rent ceilings created by parents' 401K. No more really attractive people TRYING to look bummy. And no more really busted people TRYING to look attractive (thanks Bri!). Maybe in another 25 years Williamsburg and Greenpoint will revert to their normal state, with reasonable rents to match.

See, that's the reality. Maybe it will hit DC at some point. Sure, the rich have to let go of one of the maids. Or send the youngest child to $10,000/year private school instead of $25K. The reality is not $1,000 per plate fundraisers or 3 nights a week partying at Halo. It isn't that second pair of Jimmy Choo shoes or living cost free in a mini mansion on S Street. The reality is your parents pulling the plug on 25+ years of total financial support. Or taking a second job to pay the rent. Or giving up on your grad school dream. Or realizing you might not be able to pay the mortgage next month. That's the reality I see in DC every day. But a hit TV show, does not a sad story make. Escapism, yes. Reality, not so much. Will I watch? Certainly.

Friday Fun Post: Return of Screen on the Green

We thought it was dead, but we were wrong. According to the Washington Post, Screen on the Green has made a comeback. The outdoor movie series looked like it was going the way of the dinosaur when the major sponsor, HBO, decided to end its financial support. But, petitioners, including some who created a Facebook group, contacted HBO and other interested parties. Result: HBO will share the sponsorship duties with Comcast and the Trust for the National Mall. The first film shown will be Close Encounters of the Third Kind, on July 20th. There's a very slim chance of it being shown, but I'm hoping for my favorite summertime movie, Bring it On. Doubtful, yes, but there's always hope. Maybe I'll start a Facebook group.

Apartment Houses: The Argyle

17th Street and Park Road NW

Free Saturday Music Series in Adams Morgan

Walking around in Adams Morgan last weekend, and lo and behold, there was a free jazz performance at the corner of 18th and Columbia NW. The trio (if memory serves) was just wrapping up a performance in front of a seated crowd. That corner has been expanded quite a bit, with a larger pedestrian bulb out. It awaits some public art work, too. In the meantime, he Adams Morgan Partnership BID and the Adams Morgan MainStreet organizations are sponsoring the music series.

It happens every Saturday from 5PM-7PM. The posted schedule at the moment includes:



June 6: Pablo Grabiel (Latin jazz)
June 13th: Northeast Jazz Trio feat. Maureen Andary (jazz)
June 20th: The Ash Lovelies (acoustic light-indie)
June 27th: Kid Goat (folky rock-country)
July 11h: The Public Good (indie, ex-The Popes)

Add this series to the list of free events and available around town. And a nice touch to add an organized event at this corner to give residents and visitors alike another weekend entertainment option in Adams Morgan. Good show, good show.

42 Route Finally Gets New Bus Design

Nearly a year ago I wrote about the new styled Metro buses impending takeover of DC streets. Metro ordered a few hundred of the buses, including some special accordion style articulated buses for longer routes. I've seen the new buses around town, but never as the 42. Yesterday I got a chance to ride on a newer bus running as a 42.

The buses are lower to the ground, much like the Circulator buses. No need to walk up steps to get onto the bus. The floor is level with the sidewalk. The seats are set apart from each other. Less rubbing of elbows with other passengers and your bum gets its own seat. There are more standee polls and even a few strap hangers near the front of the bus. Near the rear door, a new sign. Posted in bright yellow on the floor of the bus: PLEASE NO STANDING IN THIS AREA. This sign should help alleviate some of the people bunching near the rear door that can slow exiting of the bus. I am often "guilty" of standing in the area near the rear door. Not a terrible offense, but when there is no where else to stand, what's a guy to do. Hopefully we'll see some more of the new buses running the 42 soon.

Friday Fun Post: The Washingtonian Interviews... Me!

As part of an ongoing series for the Washingtonian.com, I was interviewed for Blogger Beat by writer Emily Leaman. I enjoyed trying to be both fun and somewhat sincere with the questions. And I took the occasion to plug the neighborhood, because, well, I think it deserves a periodic talking up.

Thanks to all the readers who visit this blog from time to time, like you. And while you're at it, can you take a stab at one of Emily's, too? What store or business do you most wish would come to Mount Pleasant? For my answer, you'll have to read the interview, but I suspect at least some of you will agree with me on this one. Anyway, whatever it is, feel free to share. No wrong answers! Dreamers, you can dream, and pragmatists, you can, uh.... pragmatize.

New York Ave and 13th Street NW

New York Ave Presbyterian Church, also known as Lincoln's Church.

Chinatown Arch Gets a Facelift

A facelift at 23? For the Chinatown Gateway Arch, yes. Appears to be about time. The arch, which was built via a Beijing-Washington partnership in 1986, is one of the most prominent reminders that the you are indeed in DC's Chinatown. It does look a little weathered, so the DC Commission on the Arts an Humanities has tasked the original architecture firm to paint, replace rotting wood, and complete other upgrades. The relatively cheap job (under $300K) should be completed by summer's end. I'll try to get out for a few before and after photos.

Calm Down, Yoga Coming to Mount Pleasant

A new yoga studio, Past Tense Studios, is planning to open on the northern tip of the Mount Pleasant St retail strip. The address is 3253 Mt P Street, NW. I suspect the building is owned by it's primary tenant, Habitat Real Estate. Habitat used to occupy the first floor space, but has been trying to rent it out for several months now. They still have offices on the second floor.

Past Tense (get it: past tense) may finally get me to become a yoga head. I have been toying with the idea for a while. Especially when so many of my friends participated in DC Yoga Week last month. The gym bores me and although I love bike riding, I should probably supplement it with another form of physical activity. Enter yoga. Everyone I know who does yoga LOVES yoga. And one fellow I know became an instructor after falling in love with yoga over the course of a year or so. Past Tense offer several different classes and don't seem too pie-in-the-sky for a newish yoga person, like me.

Maybe this is a sign. Yoga just blocks away from my home and right on the 42 bus line. And quite a plus for Mount Pleasant Street. Another new business not food or drink or laundromat related. Good luck to PT and maybe look for me there soon.