Thank you and goodbye

From the November 2015 edition of the Glover Park Gazette:

This column began seven years ago, and a lot has changed since then. Restaurants like Blue Ridge (2340 Wisconsin Ave., now Town Hall) and Mayfair & Pine (2218 Wisconsin Ave., now Mad Fox Tap Room) came and went. Vacant storefronts filled with eateries such as Z-Burger (2414 Wisconsin Ave.), Angelico Pizzeria (2313 Wisconsin Ave.), and Bruegger’s Bagels (2334 Wisconsin Ave.) and merchants such as Natuzzi and Ligne Roset (2201 Wisconsin Ave.) and Tennis Zone (2319 Wisconsin Ave.).

Controversies erupted and played out. Wisconsin Avenue was spruced up and reconfigured with a median, then un-reconfigured due to concerns about increased congestion and cut-through traffic. The burnt-out JP’s Night Club (2412 Wisconsin Ave.) surmounted stiff neighborhood opposition to reopen, and then couldn’t make its rent and got evicted. Max’s Best Homemade Ice Cream lost its lease at 2416 Wisconsin Ave.; demonstrators helped extend the shop’s tenancy through the end of the ice cream season, but the building eventually became part of Rocklands. The tan monstrosity at 2136 Wisconsin Ave. went from disruptive, unlicensed nightclub to short-term rental units.

Through it all, I and my much-missed partner in crime, Laurie England—an enthusiastic Glover Parker who died unexpectedly this year—kept an ear to the pavement and brought Gazette readers the news we thought they could use. Writing this column has been a great pleasure, as well as a fantastic way to meet neighbors. I would like to thank the many businesspeople, public servants, and civilians who provided us with information and insight for the column.

Sadly, I must end my service to the Gazette with this issue, due to an upcoming move. If you are an experienced or aspiring journalist in Glover Park looking for a challenging and fun way to serve your community, you couldn’t do much better than volunteering to write a business-news column of your own for the paper. Interested parties should contact Gazette editor Sheila Meehan at sammeeha@yahoo.com.

Town Hall launches trivia contest

From the November 2015 edition of the Glover Park Gazette:

Town Hall (2340 Wisconsin Ave.) now hosts a trivia contest every Tuesday night at 8 p.m. The game is free to enter, and prizes have included gift certificates to the restaurant, concert tickets, Nats tickets, bikes, and other desireable giveaways.

Holiday Inn to close; land sold

From the November 2015 edition of the Glover Park Gazette:

Holiday Inn (2101 Wisconsin Ave.) will close at the end of November, we understand. The property will have a new owner, though we’ve seen no announcement as to who that owner will be. We’d earlier heard that the site was being marketed for mixed-use development, potentially to be anchored by a grocery store.

 

Accord may be near in Savoy Suites deck negotiations

From the November 2015 edition of the Glover Park Gazette:

Negotiations concerning a proposed rooftop deck at the Savoy Suites Hotel (2505 Wisconsin Ave.) were ongoing at press time, but one knowledgeable observer believed that hotel management and near neighbors were close to a compromise that would allow the deck to go forward, while addressing concerns about increased noise and parking issues.

 

GUTS buses quiet down

From the November 2015 edition of the Glover Park Gazette:

The Georgetown University Transportation Shuttle (GUTS) that runs along Wisconsin Avenue is no longer making a ruckus, we hear. Residents of condos on the route had been noticing disruptive engine noise since the 16-vehicle fleet was replaced last spring. But shortly after the Gazette conveyed those concerns to the university’s veep of planning and facilities, the situation was investigated and rectified. Kudos to G.U.

 

Wednesday nite = 1/2 price pizza @ Arcuri

This just in:

We @Arcuri [2400 Wisconsin Ave.] want to inform our friends and neighbors that starting tomorrow October 14th – 4:00pm -10:00pm (Dine in Only) Wednesday – Is officially HALF PRICE PIZZA NIGHT!!!

Bourbon to close for 10-month renovation

Say so long to Bourbon (2348 Wisconsin Ave.). After October 17, the bar will close for an estimated 10 months of construction, according to the Washington Post.

Owner Bill Thomas “has wanted to renovate what he calls a ‘very disjointed’ building for years, but didn’t want to begin any major projects until he was able to purchase the real estate, which happened just over a year ago,” the Post reports. Plans include new plumbing and electrical systems, new bathrooms, a new roof, and step-free access to the front patio and main dining room, according to the paper. Thomas also plans to add 1,000 square feet of space to the rear of the building, which is expected to reopen—with a new name and a more ambitious menu—next fall.

No arrest yet in St. Luke’s murder

From the October 2015 edition of the Glover Park Gazette:

Police are still investigating the June murder of homeless photographer Joel Johnson outside the St. Luke’s Mission Center (3655 Wisconsin Ave.), according to MPD spokesman Sean Conboy. Johnson was stabbed in the center’s portico by an unknown assailant. “We are still asking for people with information to contact us at 202-727-9099 or by text at 50411,” Conboy says. A reward of up to $25,000 is offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone responsible for a homicide in the city.

Drunk snatches smoker’s ID

From the October 2015 edition of the Glover Park Gazette:

One local reveler recently took the concept of “identity theft” a little too literally. Shortly after midnight on August 22, a man was smoking on the sidewalk in front of Good Guys (2311 Wisconsin Ave.) when a person accused him of being too young to smoke, according to a police report. The accuser, who seemed “very intoxicated and confused,” also suggested that the smoker’s cigarette contained marijuana rather than tobacco, the report stated. When the smoker produced his identification to prove his age, the drunk grabbed the ID, hopped into a white BMW, and took off heading north.

 

iPhone grab on Wisconsin Ave.

From the October 2015 edition of the Glover Park Gazette:

When you’re out and about, hold onto your phone. On Wednesday, September 16 at about 4:30 p.m., a woman was walking southbound in front of Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches (2428 Wisconsin Ave.) with her iPhone 6 in her right hand. Someone approached her from the front, snatched her phone and Bose headphones, and ran through the Pearson’s parking lot into an awaiting four-door Ford sedan, according to a police report. The sedan was last seen fleeing southbound on 37th Street.