D.C., of course, has been declaring the end of its status as a "sleepy southern town" for well over a century. Back in 2003, Washington City Paper did a story on the phenomenon: A quick trip to the library revealed historians who'd placed Washington's awakening in the 1890s, a memoirist who traced it to the 1921 arrival of the Warren Harding administration, and popular journalists who gave credit to the glory days of the New Deal.

But to believe today's triple-bylined Post story—its A1 headline in the dead-tree edition is "CAPITAL HIP"—it's the 21st century arrival of the youngsters who now make up 40 percent of the population in booming Wards 1 and 2 who get credit. "A city once renowned as a mecca for workaholics is starting to be thought of as a place that's fun," the paper of record declares.

I'm not quite ready to declare Washingtonian workaholism dead. And I'd argue that the evidence in CAPITAL HIP backs me up. Take, for instance, the case of 29-year old David Helfrich, who the Post scribes catch up with while shopping at the P Street Whole Foods (fun!). An aspiring intellectual-property lawyer, Helfrich's reasons for settling in the District include...."the robust legal scene."

Yes, it's true that this new Washingtonian is a "frequent partier at Josephine and Recess," but I'd lay good money that he'll be putting in some pretty long hours trying to rise in that robust legal scene, too. And I think I'm on pretty safe grounding in assuming that the parents of my generation of Washingtonians—you know, the parents who came for the Great Society and stuck around for the ambitious careerism—had their own favorite nightspots and once thought of themselves as cool, too.

None of this changes the fact that the District's demographic transition towards a younger population is significant news. But all these ambient vignettes of hipness—that guy who "practices yoga and bar-hops not just in Adams Morgan and Dupont Circle, but lately also around H Street, Penn Quarter and Logan Circle!"—seem a bit much, no? He's still a lobbyist, for an insurance firm no less. It's good news for the city that he chooses to live here, and here's hoping he sticks around after diaper-changing replaces bar-hopping on his agenda. I'm just not quite ready to declare a lobbyist who enjoys nightlife as a sign of bohemian transformation.

Just in Time for Free Cone Day: Even though Georgetown University and its neighbors can't get their acts together to establish an easy and coherent process for the university's campus plan, there's one recent plus for local neighborhood development: The Georgetown Metropolitan reports that the Ice Cream No-Man's Land (click through for a map) is no more! "If you are at Wisconsin and O St., you have to walk over a block and a half to find an ice cream shop. Well that awful situation is about to come to an end: IceBerry is opening a second shop where Originals just closed (1332 Wisconsin Ave.)"

No Country for Young Hipsters: Frozen Tropics reports that somewhere, someone is planning a sitcom based in everyone's favorite up-and-coming neighborhood (that would be the H Street NE corridor...or the Atlas District) and observes, "Notable fact: there appears to be no hipster character." The open casting call—with character descriptions like, "Mitch is a young Republican working on the hill as low-level staff. He is from Tennessee with natural wit. Generally wears bow-ties. Can be abrasive with others because he ‘speaks his mind’ and is not ashamed to do so. He knows what the world needs...a Republican president"—can be found here. Frozen Tropics commenters are skeptical. One says, "I doubt that'll get picked up. The DC stereotypes are rather nauseating, I'm guessing H St will get moved closer to the Capitol too," while another thinks, "they made the right move not casting a hipster. Can you imagine having to work with them on a project like this? Trying to direct/teach a whole cast of sticky rice staff types?"

Legally, This Place Could Matter: JDLand has all the details on last night's ANC 6D meeting, where the commission voted 5-0-2 to support the historic designation of the Market Deli building; it falls under the purview of Akridge, the company that owns the building's lot. The structure has been discussed at length on JDLand before ("If you're just joining us, this nomination has already sparked some pretty, ahem, spirited debate. You can see the application, along with the HPRB hearing notice, and read about the city's landmark designation process"), due in some part to its connections to 6D07 commissioner David Garber, who submitted a historic designation nomination for the building. As expected, Akridge was opposed, but didn't come armed well enough to make a case to the ANC: "Commissioner Roger Moffatt was unhappy that the Akridge rep didn't bring any copies of these reports, and Garber was skeptical that they existed at all (referring to "these supposed reports"). Commissioner Andy Litsky felt that if these reports are available, the ANC should be able to study them in order to have more information before taking a vote that would throw the fabled great weight of the commission behind the application."

Tourists vs. Residents: The Triangle follows up on the Post's reporting that the Carnegie Building (that regal, classical structure on Mount Vernon Square) could become a visitor's center. Though it's not a bad use of the space, The Triangle doesn't seem to think that it's the best: "On the surface this sounds like an upgrade as it would bring more life to the square than the status quo. However this is less ambitious than the priority recommendations the Office of Planning devised during the initial phase of the Mount Vernon Square District project. Those priority recommendations included a restaurant with outdoor seating and flexible event space." The blog's commenters agree that a visitor's center would need to be more than, well, just a visitor's center. "A big F A I L goes to the person who thought of using this for the DC Visitor’s Center. This is a neighborhood & needs to benefit the residents, the people that live here day in & day out. With a hoppin’ local vibe in the square, it will inevetably attract tourists (like Dupont Circle does), which it terrific – BUT – this grand building & park deserve MUCH more than this weak concept. All MV Square needs is a cluster**** of tour busses," writes one. Another is equally skeptical, noting "I envision a “visitor’s center” as being a relatively small space with a few volunteers armed with maps and an impressive knowledge of local restaurants and tourist attractions, possibly with some kind of scale model of the neighborhood under a glass case. It’s hard to imagine a visitor’s center filling the entire Carnegie building, so hopefully we’ll still get a restaurant or other local attraction in addition to the visitor’s center."

The Issue: The District Department of Transportation's plan to install a 37-mile streetcar system glaringly leaves Ward 3 out in the cold, without concrete plans for a streetcar to run up Wisconsin Avenue from Georgetown. “One of the reasons they didn’t proceed was lack in community support,” says Glover Park resident Ben Thielen and creator of the Wisconsin Avenue Streetcar Coalition. 

Streetcars for Stella!: “It’s a no-brainer to bring the streetcar up Wisconsin Avenue. It’s one of the most densely packed corridors in the city,” says Glover Park Advisory Neighborhood Commission commissioner Brian Cohen. The area lacks a nearby metro stop and residents often complain about the unreliable buses, Cohen says. The surrounding neighborhood is also one of six areas expected to face the largest population increase in the District over the next 30 years, according to city figures. If concrete plans aren’t laid down now, 10 to 20 years down the line, “whoever’s living in the neighborhood then is going to look back and say, how did they screw this up 20 years ago,” he adds.

Not worth the money: The capital cost of implementing streetcars in the 2030 plan–including tracks, street reconstruction, power systems and streetcars themselves–is $25.8 million per mile, according to DDOT. Some community members question the need and expense of a streetcar line down Wisconsin Avenue, as well as the impact on vehicular traffic, says area resident and trolley champion Andrew Aurbach.

What’s Next: Aurbach drafted a resolution calling for streetcars in Ward 3 that was presented before the local Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 3b in January. Ideally, the streetcar would run along Wisconsin Avenue to either Friendship Heights or Tenleytown and connecting down to Georgetown, he says. ANC3c similarly plans to consider the resolution this evening.

Photo by Oran Viriyincy, Creative Commons Attribution License

The Issue:

Testing, 1, 2, 3: Residents say they only want to protect the peace and quiet of their neighborhood: Miles Groves, a representative for the Downtown Neighborhood Association—most of the buildings neighboring the lounge are DNA members—told City Desk: “There are concerns with noise, early morning crowds, parking congestion, and other issues that accompany a dance club environment. We appreciate the ANC's leadership in providing funding for the noise study. We hope [the recommendations] are adopted.” Other residents say that noise is only the tip of the iceberg: Cary Silverman, writing on the blog Mount Vern0n Triangle, says, “the neighborhood may not want a venue that is shuttered and provides little or no community benefit during the day, and causes headaches (literally) at night.”

Is This a Concert or a Business? When the idea of hiring a sound expert was first proposed in October, some commissioners expressed concern that the ANC was going too far: Commissioner Tom Hamilton told Capital Community News, “What is our role here? What are we actually doing here? I just find this absurd. I’m sorry.” According to the paper, Yousefi had also already contacted a sound engineer independently. He has stressed that he doesn't envision the lounge as a “nightclub," hoping instead it will be a long-term neighborhood fixture.

Next Step: Commissioner Charley Docter says there's a negotiation session with Yousefi today, at which the ANC will present the findings of the sound expert. Groves hopes they will emerge with a voluntary agreement in place. “As long as the crowds and noise are contained within the establishment, everyone wins," he says. "This process gives us all a voice in our neighborhood.” The hearing with the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration is set for Dec. 2.

Photo by Chris Gold, Creative Commons Attribution License

"I have the fortunate task of progress monitoring at least three-quarters of the students in my classroom. To progress monitor a student in the intermediate elementary school grades, the assessment takes approximately thirty minutes to complete. And here's the cherry on this hot-mess sundae — for students identified as high-risk, I have to perform the assessments every two weeks and for the students identified as some-risk, I have to perform them every three-weeks. YIKES!"

Greater Greater Washington goes deep into the archives for a history lesson on Carroll Row.

And Now, Anacostia notes that the Salvation Army building has finally opened.

In Bloom sorta responds to a listserv post asking for Bloomingdale to become a gated community. Someone is fed up with crime! The blogger writes:

"Frankly, if neighboring LeDroit Park couldn't do it from the start, it's a fair bet to say that it's not going to happen here and now. With several major thoroughfares running through the area (First Street, North Capitol Street, and Rhode Island Avenue, just to name a few), it would wreak havoc on traffic as well."

The Georgetown Metropolitan calls off Ginkgogate 2009:

"While the wretched threat of their putrid load still hangs menacingly over our heads or lies under our feet, GM is now confident that a full-blown Ginkgogate 2009 has been avoided.

This time last year we we’re under a deluge of foul smelling berries. The city had switched to a new concoction to stem the growth of the ginkgo berries. It was a total disaster. We had berries straight through the spring."

Frozen Tropics factchecks a WaPo piece on H Street.

Prince of Petworth notes that there will be a community meeting this Wednesday to discuss the recent spike in violent crime in the neighborhood.

The Issue: In early September, patrons of H Street NE began to notice H-shaped planters in the empty tree boxes along the sidewalk. There were 40 in all, each brightly painted and complete with an unappealing plant. So who is behind the mysterious “Project H”? That would be the non-profit DC Greenworks, which had the art installation project approved by Advisory Neighborhood Commission 6A and the District Department of Transportation. Some community members argue that the planters, designed by Criston Mize and built by teenagers in Mayor Adrian M. Fenty’s Green Summer Job Corps program, are the definition of an eyesore—and DC Greenworks is okay with that.

I’d Rather Have a Tree! Although the project was approved by area businesses, some people who walk by the planters every day aren’t as thrilled: Mr. T, commenting on the blog Prince of Petworth, says: “They’re ugly – look like some anti-terrorist barriers on steroids. We have enough concrete planters and jersey barriers in this town, let’s get some real trees and plantings in those tree boxes.”

Keep Talking! The planters are intended to draw attention to the empty tree boxes in the neighborhood. Sara Loveland, interim executive director of DC Greenworks, told City Desk: “There are people saying they're fugly, what’s the point, I would rather have a tree! But now these people are talking about trees for the first time. We wanted to be provocative, so as far as were concerned, the project has been a success.”

Next Step: Loveland says the art installation will be up for about 18 months—or until the city gets around to planting trees. In the meantime, the crew that cleans H Street is looking after the planters, and business owners (and vigilant pedestrians) are supposed to be watering the plants.

Photo by Prince of Petworth, reprinted with permission.

"For a few hours there it actually looked like Bobby Pittman (a well known local gadfly) might be able to stop the Festival through last minute bureaucratic tie ups (NB, [nothing] is wrong with checking signatures, but this was a dirty Bobby move at the last minute). In the end Bobby did not get his way, and the Mayor's office allowed the Festival to proceed. But I'd like to send out a personal Evil Eye to Bobby on this one.  If you really hate seeing all this great stuff on H Street, maybe you should just move dude. Bobby, you have gone on some Don Quixotesque crusade of harassing local businesses (including, but not even close to limited to: Rock and Roll Hotel, the Pug, and the Atlas Performing Arts Center [!]). Aside from the one time I saw you planting flowers on H Street, acting as the PSA 102 Coordinator, and a few other very isolated incidents, I've yet to see you do anything to positively contribute to life on the H Street Corridor, or on Linden. It's one thing to want the laws enforced, and to want good neighbors (both admirable qualities and pursuits). But what you are doing is unacceptable in my opinion, and I hope that others who agree will tell you so to your face. I certainly intend to do so the next time I see you. Until then, Evil Eye to you Pittman."

Barry Farm (Re)mixed expects water rates to go up starting October 1.

Greater Greater Washington has the three finalists up for a public art installation in Adams Morgan.

The Georgetown Metropolitan is urging a Save the Circulator campaign:

"GM was informed that Jack Evans has stepped in to give it another chance and try to convince the Mayor to keep the Wisconsin branch of the Circulator. But now it really is up to us. Please, if you have just one minute, email the Mayor at Adrian.Fenty@DC.gov and let him know that Georgetown has suffered more than enough cuts in its bus service, cutting the Circulator in half would be unfair and short-sighted."

The New Teacher On The Block reports on cutbacks in teacher aides in their classroom:

"However, DCPS is bent on not being able to do anything right, and, as such, they made a decision today that immediately negatively effected my classroom. DCPS has decided to discontinue contracts employment agencies held to supply aides to DCPS classrooms.

These contracts came about in the summer of 2008, when the requirements for assistants changed and many aides were fired for not meeting the requirements. It is my understanding that DCPS was scrambling to find qualified people in a short period of time, and therefore turned to these contract agencies to find aides for the classrooms. All of my classroom aides last year were contractors and 3 of my 4 this year are contractors. However, for whatever reason (probably money) DCPS has decided mid-stream to discontinue this relationship and they want the contractors out. Thus, they are moving them to the most high-need schools in an effort to cover until they hire more people, and then they're getting rid of them. Not sure how this makes sense...but whatever. It's DCPS- who the crap knows?"

Ward 3DC takes on the traffic calming debate, speed bumps, etc.: "The issue of traffic calming seems to have reared its head again in the Ward. Earlier this spring, there was consternation when speed humps were installed on Newark Street in Cleveland Park without ANC or community discussion."

Frozen Tropics reports that construction work has begun on a German-themed beer joint on H Street. Is H Street becoming the Epcot of D.C.? The blog writes: "Expect about 12 beers on tap, and a full menu of German staples."

Barry Farm (Remixed) is thinking about the police and a recent shooting. They write:

"This week has been a bit rough for the residents in the Birney Place/Eaton Road corridor and community members may have felt a bit forgotten when it's only after the fact that the lights and the sirens appear. But this post isn't about the crime (which happens no matter where you live), but the response to it. And I have to give credit where credit is due. For one, the police department was very quick to respond to Tuesday night's shooting. I had just hung up the phone with 911 when sirens blared down MLK and appeared at the end of the street. But more importantly, the next day, when I emailed some key players in 7D and requested a better police presence in the late night hours, they listened. Tonight I got home rather late from dinner with friends, and as I drove through the neighborhood, I saw two patrol cars along the strip. I was pleased by 7D's response to my request and really felt that it solidified their commitment to the community and that the police do hear our voices and do take us seriously. We are a vital part of the community, as are they, and it is imperative we work together."

The New Teacher On The Block wonders why nobody really gives a shit about teachers. It can make teachers feel bad about their job choice:

"I definitely have felt that when I tell people I teach, many of them view the job as not good enough. Many young people in education feel the need to justify their choice by saying "Oh, but I'm a Teaching Fellow" or "Oh, but I'm TFA." I have even caught myself doing this, especially as I come from a family chock full of doctors and lawyers and, upon hearing this, people assume that my parents must be disappointed that I ended up in a job with less social status than theirs (they're not- my parents are awesome and very proud of me). I have heard of people who were demeaned for becoming teachers; my AP Environmental Science teacher in high school was a fresh-faced Duke grad who admitted to us that she had started lying to people at Duke about her chosen job because she had been ridiculed so much for her choice (she never intended to stay in education long-she is now a lawyer. And it was a college prep charter school full of upper-middle class kids, so its not like we were high need)."

Rerouting, ratcheting expenses, delays—the streetcar project is having a bumpy ride so far. The two lines that are planned—H Street to Benning Road in Northeast and Fifth Sterling Avenue to Good Hope Road in Anacostia—are intended to boost economic development. Up to now, they've mostly created frustrations.

So it's time to get the project back on track, D.C. Department of Transportation Director Gabe Klein said Thursday evening in a public meeting at the Atlas Performing Arts Center.

Well over 100 people turned out to hear Klein speak about his long-term vision for an integrated District-wide streetcar system. Audience members expressed irritation about the lack of progress – and a lack of communication – from DDOT. So Klein promised to keep the project moving forward as quickly as possible and to meet quarterly with communities.

To that end, he's made his chief of staff, Scott Kubly, the new "Streetcar Czar." Kubly is putting a large dedicated team in place. He's hoping to get federal funding.

But the question of how to power the cars is still up in the air, as Jason Broehm, transportation chair of the local Sierra Club and streetcar advocate, explained to City Paper last week. When National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) lawyers reviewed the Anacostia project back in 2007, they ruled that an 1889 statute prohibits use of overhead wires in Georgetown and L'Enfant City (basically south of Florida Ave. and north of the Anacostia River). DDOT lawyers disagree. It's been three years since the issue surfaced, but the legal wrangling continues.

Stephen Staudigl, NCPC spokesman, proposed one solution—completely new technology.

"This is a capital city. We are very interested in exploring the development of different propulsion technologies with the District of Columbia." he said.

Back at the meeting, Klein was quick to dismiss this suggestion—a sign of the continuing discord between the two agencies.

Klein admitted to "hedging [his] bets" on wires, after one local resident noted that the foundations for overhead tension poles are already being installed along H Street. The DDOT director didn't rule out the possibility of getting the 1889 legislation overturned, and even suggested that this might be on the agenda over the next few months.

As for the scale of the task ahead, one commentator back in January mused:

Obama may be able to resolve middle east disputes, but getting streetcar wire into D.C. will be more than a challenge ... probably impossible.

There is another option: hybrid cars. Klein has been talking to Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) about a model that is currently being developed in Portland. He reminded people that they could use wires in some areas and battery propulsion elsewhere.

Oregon's streetcar project has been hailed as a model to follow. Blighted neighborhoods have been transformed since its launch in 2001. (The Portland streetcar project was so popular that one establishment brewed up the BridgePort Streetcar Ale in its honor.)

It'll still be a while before D.C. can boast the same. According to current estimates, the Anacostia streetcar route will be ready for 2012. And DDOT can't even guess when the H Street-Benning line will be up and running. On the plus side, it leaves time to dream up names for a D.C. beer. Answers on a postcard.

Frozen Tropics believes that H Street/Trinidad just might be safer than Columbia Heights and Adams Morgan:

"I feel safer living here than in Columbia Heights. Maybe it's just me, but I feel like I know too many people who have been robbed in Columbia Heights. And when I say robbed, I mean pistol whipped, punched, or hit in the head with a brick. None of these people were resisting. By contrast, I only know (personally) one guy who was ever violently attacked during a robbery in this area. That was when he resisted (rightly, because the bastards tried to force him into an alley, and you should resist at that point)...."

JDLand has a review (with photos) of the new beer garden (called I believe the "Bullpen"). She is very kind. That place feels like walking through something Clear Channel barfed: bad cover band, dudes, and the smell of stale beer all in a fenced-in slab of asphalt. On second thought, it's not something that Clear Channel barfed. It feels like a prison yard sponsored by Clear Channel. Awesome redevelopment!

Anyway, JDLand writes: "When I arrived around 6 pm, there was a healthy crowd, and the spirits (emotional and liquid) seemed to be flowing well." How....polite.

And Now, Anacostia profiles a historic piece of Good Hope Road property that's set to be auctioned off on Wednesday.

Penn Quarter Living wonders if work has been completed at 901 E Street NW.

Despite speculation over at DCist, Nick Cho says it's not an April Fool's joke: He's closing Murky Coffee in Arlington and moving back to the District. He and, he says, most of his remaining staff will move over to a new spot, Wrecking Ball Coffee , at 475 H St. NW.

"We just couldn't make the business model work in Arlington," says the barista made quasi-famous for wanting to punch someone on his dick after he was made quasi-famous for not paying his D.C. taxes. The  new shop will have a new owner, thus avoiding that whole lien problem. (DCist says it'll be Cho's girlfriend, Trish Rothgeb Skeie.) Cho says he will collect a salary and keep far away from the money end.  "There are some things I'm good at and some things I'm not,"  he says. "This frees me up to do what I'm good at." Like run for president?

Cho's public announcement, posted to his site, after the jump:

Dear valued customer,

It's with great sadness that I announce that in a few weeks, murky coffee will be relocating from here in Clarendon to a new location in Washington DC.

The property here at 3211 Wilson Boulevard was sold last year, and market rent is simply more than we can afford.

In the coming months, I hope that you'll join us in welcoming a new coffee shop here, brought by the talented folks at the renown "Liberty Tavern" just up the street. They'll be bringing their years of experience, a full renovation of the building, and top-quality service. We are proud to call them our friends, and plan to support them in setting up their coffee program. That said, we ask that you'll join us in welcoming and supporting them.

Our new home (at 5th & H Streets NW, two blocks east of the Chinatown Gate) will be a brand-new shop (called "Wrecking Ball Coffee") in a new neighborhood. While we're excited at new possibilities, leaving Clarendon isn't going to be easy. We've made many friends here, and we're very sad to leave. All of us here at murky are heartbroken about this move, so please be sensitive to our feelings during the transition.

We've been honored to be a place for you to visit over the last four years–especially our regular customers, but also those who we see less frequently.

Thanks for your friendship, love, and patronage. In so many ways, our customers have inspired us to work harder at providing you the best coffee experience we can, and for that, we cannot than you enough.

We hope that you'll be sure to visit us at our upcoming location. Dates for this move are yet to be specifically determined, but renovations will begin soon, starting with the upstairs.

I welcome your questions or comments.

Sincerely,
Nick

Flickr photo by cerbuside.

Frozen Tropics reports on some Catholic University architecture students who are studying H Street transportation. Next study topic: Benning Road. Please. Study it.

Southwest...The Little Quadrant That Could eyes some projects that may benefit from Obama's stimulus package. And there's some news about a new design for the South Cap bridge.

River East Idealist gets R.E.E.L.

Borderstan polls folks on whether 15th Street NW should have two-way traffic. We took on this issue a while ago.

D.C. Foodies takes a trip to the Falls Church farmers market. You decide if its worth the ride out there.