Author Archive for Jessica Gould

Hardware Heist

Pfeiffer’s Hardware in Mount Pleasant has reshuffled its stock. The screwdrivers, which used to hang low, are now up higher, about seven feet from the ground. There’s a reason for that. “We noticed that they kept going missing,” says Pfeiffer’s General Manager Robert Larson. He doesn’t know how many screwdrivers disappeared during a spate of [...]

Boys & Girls Will Be Boys & Girls

In its heyday, many prominent people supported the Eastern Branch of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington. “It was a central charity of the NBA All-Star Game,” Capitol Hill resident Jim Myers says. “Clinton painted a wall there.”
Last month, however, far less credible advocates lobbied on behalf of the Capitol Hill club. [...]

Rest In Peace Tom Terrell

Veteran D.J. and legendary music scenester Tom Terrell passed away Nov. 29, Bobby Hill, program director for WPFW says, and he will be greatly missed.
"He was a musical genius," Hill says. "He knew dates, he knew facts. Music was his love and he knew a lot about it."
Terrell, who hosted a program for [...]

Driver’s Ed

Sadie Dingfelder and I took to the roads again yesterday, this time with news reporter Ruth Samuelson as our fearless leader. Braving the wilds of Bethesda was challenging. We had to slalom between giant piles of leaves and brake for a soccer ball at one point.
We’re making progress, though, and Ruth had some important [...]

Facebook Ruined Christmas?

There’s been a lot of chatter in recent years about forces arrayed against Christmas. Bill O’Reilly famously called it a war. So who’s Santa’s newest enemy? Facebook. According to a front page article in the Washington Post, the social networking site ruined Sean Lane’s Christmas when it broadcast his recent diamond ring purchase to hundreds [...]

ABC Board Returns Club’s License

D.C. Tunnel will be able to dole out drinks again following a decision by the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board yesterday. Police chief Cathy Lanier suspended the club’s liquor license after a gun battle erupted between a group of men and four police officers outside the club early Saturday morning. The alcohol board decided to return [...]

Patrick Says

I've written before about Patrick, my beloved stylist at Bang Salon & Spa. In addition to giving great haircuts, Patrick also hands out stellar advice. Last night, for example, Patrick treated me to some holiday travel tips as he lopped off my overgrown locks.
1. Don't be afraid to bargain
Over the Thanksgiving weekend, Patrick's flight [...]

Talking Trash

Against the sound of mariachi music, members of the pro-live entertainment group Hear Mount Pleasant rallied outside the Mt. Pleasant Library last night where members of the Mount Pleasant Neighborhood Alliance (MPNA) were meeting. The crowd, which lined the library steps and spilled out onto the sidewalk, waved signs saying “MPNA No Habla Por Nostras,” [...]

Posters Beware

Bonnie Roskes’ publisher usually takes care of shipping the software books she writes, but sometimes she has to ship them herself. When she does, she often goes to the post office. Occasionally, she goes to Parcel Plus in Cleveland Park.
Parcel Plus isn’t Roskes’ favorite place. She thinks the owner is rude and the prices [...]

Restorative Yoga

Some friends and I got together last Friday to try out the Restorative Yoga class at my gym. Now, like any self-respecting 26-year-old, I’ve spent plenty of time at yoga. I’ve sat cross-legged on more mats than I’d like to count, groaned my way through a series of Downward Dogs, and uttered Namaste with the [...]

H Street NE May Cap its Clubs

Just when you thought H Street NE was finally safe for nightlife, Frozen Tropics notes that local residents are considering a cap on tavern and nightclub licenses.
Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Mary Beatty says some residents who live nearby are concerned that noise from the bars could one day become a problem. “It’s not a problem [...]

The Tulip Thieves

In early October, Jon Schwabish decided to spruce up the garden in front of his house. He bought some tulip bulbs, dug a trench, planted them, and prepared to wait for blooms. A couple of weeks later, the Capitol Hill resident noticed four or five divots in his tulip bed. He figured squirrel or a [...]

Party’s Over at Republic Gardens

The party at Republic Gardens is over, at least for now. Whitney Restaurants Inc., the company that operated the club at 1355 U Street, was evicted Oct. 29 due to “over $200,000 [owed] in back rent [and] taxes,” landlord Henry McCall says.
U.S. Marshals carried out the eviction Monday morning. “That building has been gutted [...]

Halloween Ethics

Happy Halloween, Washington. Welcome to my favorite holiday, the one that brings together two of my chief passions: candy and clothes.
I've been monitoring neighborhood Listservs to see how residents are preparing for tonight's onslaught, and I discovered that Capitol Hill is embroiled in a serious debate: Do un-costumed kids deserve candy? If so, what kind? [...]

Note to Whole Foods: More Samples, Less Service

I was running some errands Saturday when I began to feel a bit peckish. No problem, I thought. I have to go to Whole Foods anyway. I can eat there. I wouldn’t buy lunch, of course. I’d compose it from delicious samples.
To sample successfully at the P Street Whole Foods, you go straight to [...]