eckington (way better than spotsylvania)

Starting this Thursday, and continuing for a total of 16 consecutive Thursday nights, NoMa BID will be hosting a free outdoor film series at the future site of the Washington Gateway project. The films will start around 8 (darkness) and you are advised to bring a blanket and/or low lawnchairs and food & drink (if you wish).

This is open, and free, to the public as a means of goodwill, but also an advertisement for the nascent NoMa BID. Eckingtonians should take advantage of the, currently, only gathering spot where one can socialize with one’s neighbors.

For residents in the Greater Eckington neighborhood, little has been awaited with more anticipation than the development of EC-12, the vacant 111-year-old firehouse at 1626 N. Capitol St. The fruition of an actual sit-down restaurant is monumental; however, the potential of spillover into neighboring buildings along North Capitol could offer the greatest impact.

So it should be welcome news to all that the deal has been inked, and construction will commence shortly. From the Washington Business Journal:

“(Brian Brown, managing partner of NC Firehouse LLC) purchased the building for $600,000, the value at which the city assessed it, and plans to put another $2.4 million into renovations.

The three-story, 10,000-square-foot space will become home of 2020 Martini at Engine Co. 12, a restaurant concept by Twyla Garrett of Cleveland-based Garrett Entertainment Corp.

She expects to invest at least $1 million into the new venue”

“Partners Turn Old Firehouse Into 2020 Martini at Engine Co. 12“

The firehouse does need some major work, but $2.4 million in renovations plus $1 million in tenant additions? What could necessitate such expense and, more importantly, the time requirements inherent with spending such? We read further into the article:

“the D.C. eatery will be conceived around a theme of fire and water. The first floor will serve brick-oven pizzas, baked in an imported Italian oven sculpted with a fire engine facade. That floor will also include a small pasta bar and a sushi bar. Martinis, too, will be served from a 30-foot bar that will appear as if it’s ablaze and have water running through its center.

Plans for the second floor call for a lounge atmosphere with live music performances, where pizzas and sushi will be delivered by a glass-enclosed conveyor belt resembling a ladder…

The third floor will be devoted to the Mocha Fusion Coffee Lounge, an espresso bar. And finally, a rooftop deck will offer tapas.”

Now, do not get me wrong, I am not trying to dissuade anyone from investing millions in our neighborhood. I would suggest, nonetheless, that the great restaurants do not need eye-catching displays–especially pioneers in a transition area. Moreover, the exterior of the firehouse offers character lacking in D.C’s upscale hotel restaurants and downtown establishments. Investing a minuscule fraction of Brown’s proposed funds into a search–or, even more creatively, an incentives package–for a chef/owner (willing to lend more than a name to the eatery) may have been a wiser decision.

Do you know what pizza baked in an imported Italian oven adorned with a fire engine-facade tastes like?  A pizza.

And a martini from a 30-ft bar that appears to be on fire with a river running through it?  Vodka and vermouth.

People may venture outside of their comfort-zone for the glitz, once. But they will return only if the food is exceptional.  Furthermore, the neighborhood is not, yet, made for those wishing to meet for a few drinks before heading to an event or dinner.  If non-residents manage to cab over to Martini 2020 for their libation, they may want to take along a bus schedule in order to get to their next stop.

So, while a milestone has been reached, the waiting game really is not over. In 2-3 years, Martini 2020 (the owner of which is probably not in a rush since she has just opened another large investment, Martini 2020 Cafe) will open its doors. It will probably fold after 10 months. The search for a new tenant will begin–a process that will linger since no one will want to pay a premium for the lavish renovations and glitz (while the owners try to hold out for someone who will help recoup these losses). After another 10 months, the owners will give in, a new agreement will be signed, and, 6 months later, a new restaurant will open.

Regardless of its ultimate success, my guess is that outsiders will associate more with our neighborhood the “great pollo a la brasa place with tasty mini sweet potato pies” than “2020 Martini.”

40 years ago today, Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee.  That evening, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, who was in the midst of his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, had a previously scheduled campaign stop in a predominantly black neighborhood in Indianapolis, Indiana.  Despite the advice from many of his aides, as well as the warning from police that they would be unable to provide him with protection, Kennedy decided to face the audience and deliver news of which most in the audience were unaware.  [Note: this can be difficult to comprehend in today’s context–how several hours after such a catastrophic event in our country, people would be in the dark.)

Kennedy wrote down a few notes on the ride, but, as you can see in the video, spoke directly from the heart–delivering one of the best speeches in history (an impromptu one, at that).   Atop a podium in a flatbed truck, Kennedy spoke for four minutes and fifty-seven seconds.

Riots and violence broke in nearly every urban city that night–the city of Indianapolis was not one of them.  Two months later, Robert Kennedy was assassinated.

We sometimes forget in our video media-driven world, but speeches are more than just delivery–the words matter a great deal.  The transcript is below:

Ladies and Gentlemen - I’m only going to talk to you just for a minute or so this evening. Because…

I have some very sad news for all of you, and I think sad news for all of our fellow citizens, and people who love peace all over the world, and that is that Martin Luther King was shot and was killed tonight in Memphis, Tennessee.

Martin Luther King dedicated his life to love and to justice between fellow human beings. He died in the cause of that effort. In this difficult day, in this difficult time for the United States, it’s perhaps well to ask what kind of a nation we are and what direction we want to move in.

For those of you who are black - considering the evidence evidently is that there were white people who were responsible - you can be filled with bitterness, and with hatred, and a desire for revenge.

We can move in that direction as a country, in greater polarization - black people amongst blacks, and white amongst whites, filled with hatred toward one another. Or we can make an effort, as Martin Luther King did, to understand and to comprehend, and replace that violence, that stain of bloodshed that has spread across our land, with an effort to understand, compassion and love.

For those of you who are black and are tempted to be filled with hatred and mistrust of the injustice of such an act, against all white people, I would only say that I can also feel in my own heart the same kind of feeling. I had a member of my family killed, but he was killed by a white man.

But we have to make an effort in the United States, we have to make an effort to understand, to get beyond these rather difficult times.

My favorite poet was Aeschylus. He once wrote: “Even in our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, until, in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God.”

What we need in the United States is not division; what we need in the United States is not hatred; what we need in the United States is not violence and lawlessness, but is love and wisdom, and compassion toward one another, and a feeling of justice toward those who still suffer within our country, whether they be white or whether they be black.

So I ask you tonight to return home, to say a prayer for the family of Martin Luther King, yeah that’s true, but more importantly to say a prayer for our own country, which all of us love - a prayer for understanding and that compassion of which I spoke. We can do well in this country. We will have difficult times. We’ve had difficult times in the past. And we will have difficult times in the future. It is not the end of violence; it is not the end of lawlessness; and it’s not the end of disorder.

But the vast majority of white people and the vast majority of black people in this country want to live together, want to improve the quality of our life, and want justice for all human beings that abide in our land.

Let us dedicate ourselves to what the Greeks wrote so many years ago: to tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life of this world.

Let us dedicate ourselves to that, and say a prayer for our country and for our people. Thank you very much.

Robert F. Kennedy - April 4, 1968

Luciana Café is now open at the northwest corner of P St and North Capitol St. I met the owner, Frank, today and assured him I would return tonight for dinner. I must say, if I could choose only one restaurant for my neighborhood, a rotisserie chicken establishment would be probably take the top nod. (And, as it turns out, this is our only restaurant.) Trips to Mount Pleasant or Northern Virgina (for my chicken fix) can get mightily tiresome.

Do not let the term, rotisserie, disappoint you. Often, people think of the overly-basted, overly-seasoned, deathly-salted, day-old, plastic-enclosed chickens found at any grocery store in America. While the terms, “pollo a la brasa” or “spit-roasted,” used by our favorite Latin establishments have a certain flair, these are just different names for, you guessed it, rotisserie chicken. (Frank, who is from El Salvador, showed me the chickens–they were rotating just nicely over charcoal.)

Menu will be changing (e.g. desserts are on the way), but note that you get 2 sides with a whole chicken.

(click images to enlarge)

Currently, they are open from 11:00 - 10pm Monday - Friday, and until 9pm on Saturday and Sunday. Cash only.

Phone number: 202-234-7040. Directions: map.

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Update:  We opted for a whole chicken with fried yuca and mixed vegetables (total price with tax: $10.85 - and we even have leftovers).  Good portion sizes for the sides (which is not the case for most Latin pollo a la brasa restaurants) and you get the typical green and white sauces.  Very, very good!  We will be regulars.

Long in the mix during the decision process, NoMa landed National Public Radio’s new corporate headquarters. At 1111 North Capital St NE, the new building will be a half-mile from Eckington.

This is a most-welcome addition and will hopefully spur much needed service businesses (e.g. restaurants) in the surrounding area.

For those Eckingtonians, as well as other venturers, seeking a nearby location to run laps on softer surface, or an enclosed area to exercise Fido during a run or walk, our humble “Eckington Park” should fit the bill.

Yes, this is technically the vacant Capital Commerce Center lot. And one may need to check one’s shoes for dog poo afterwards (more on this in a bit). But this is a fully-fenced grass lot that is usually empty, with the occasional gatherings of very friendly dogs and their owners during the mornings before and evenings after work.

The normal loop is 0.3 mile, while the larger loop is 1/3 mile. The surface is grass–mostly compacted–and there are divots along the northern edges, so use your trail-running stride and wear your Nike Free shoes for a great calve and ankle-strengthening workout.

Read full descriptions and directions to park on the Running Routes page.

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On the issue of dog poo, the amounts along the running route are slim-to-none, but they are rampant throughout the interior. Apply the ‘broken theory” to this, and it is easy to understand why it has gotten worse over the past several months–”why pick up my dog’s business when the area is littered with that of other dogs?” However, if all of us who use the park simply pick up an extra lump each time we visit (after all, if you’re grabbing your own dog’s poo, is it any more dirty to pick up an unknown poop?), we may be able to turn the tide and stop this rapidly increasing mess.

The meeting tonight about the current status of the Metropolitan Branch Trail offered some insight which has yet to appear in any media sources. The meeting was conducted by Heather Deutsch and Jim Sebastian of DDOT.

1. A contractor, Fort Myer, has been selected for the design-build contract. Once the contract is signed (more on this below) the work will be required to be completed in 12 months. Although some aspects of the trail have been stipulated by DDOT, the firm will be tasked with developing much of the design plan.

2. The contract can be signed upon delivery of funds for this section of the trail from the Federal Highway Administration. FHWA will release these funds as soon as the land from New York Ave to R St is given to the city by its current owner, Pepco.

3a. Pepco has in their possession the forms/documents prepared by DDOT to give this 15 ft-wide easement to the city. There is no time-mandate to spur Pepco to sign. Pepco has also asked DDOT to pay for and perform an appraisal of the land for their tax purposes.

3b. DDOT must conduct this land appraisal.

Ultimately, the start of this section of the trail is dependant on Pepco. 1 month, 3 months, maybe much longer. Outside efforts to get Pepco to move on this may be needed.

Other notes:

- The easement from New York Avenue to R St will be 15 feet wide (11 ft paved) while sections north of R St may have potentially much wider easement.

- There is the possibility of writing into the contract language that would schedule the construction to work north from New York Avenue, allowing phased openings of trail sections as the 12 months progress.

- The steps from L St to the elevated portion along the rail tracks have recently been completed.

The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, February 14th (time/place TBA). Thanks to the Big Bear for hosting us.

Update - While the local media may not be covering the MBT, it is apparent the community is definitely concerned: other area bloggers at the meeting also included bloomingdale (for now) and Eckington DC Living, though I have no idea what either of them look like.

It is extremely hard to get information on the Metropolitan Branch Trail. The latest information on the MBT homepage is about the new New York Metro station opening. Even less up-to-date is the District Department of Transportation’s section on the trail which announces this brand new website.

The only news media that checks in on the MBT from time to time is the Examiner. Local blog, WashCycle, keeps track of the trail and gleams some info from various committee meetings. Unfortunately, the latest post suggests progress may not be as imminent as we thought just recently:

DDOT reported that the work on 2^nd Street, L, M, and K was bundled and will be completed by June. This segment will incorporate temporary stairs to access the trail at L Street. A trough will parallel the stairs for bicyclist to place their wheels on as they climb the stairs.

DDOT also reported that work is not progressing on the segment from New York to Franklin.

This past November, via my own communications with DDOT and a posting from WashCycle, it was believed that the District Department of Transportation was close to selecting a contractor for the segment of the Metropolitan Branch Trail between Franklin St and New York Avenue (see pdf docs, NY-Rhode Island and Rhode Island-Franklin St.). Per the conditions of the contract’s 12-month schedule (as well as the 2-month lag between contract awarding and the Notice-to-Proceed), this would have resulted in completion next winter.

The project is to include an asphalt trail, fencing, lighting, emergency call boxes, and landscaping. Most of the corridor will be only 18 feet wide with an 11 ft paved surface.

While the MBT will be beneficial to the entire area, the communities to the East of North Capitol that will border the trail should reap the most benefits from this path and, therefore, should bear the greater burden of its progress and upkeep.

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Tomorrow night, 6:30 pm, at the Big Bear Cafe, there will be representatives from presumably the MBT Coalition and DDOT who will discuss the status of the trail and what the community can do to help. Do not miss this rare opportunity to get real answers about the Metropolitan Branch Trail from those who are in the know.

Just don’t delay the inaugural film screening at the Bear, Star Wars, set for 7:30:

Brief article in today’s Business section about NoMa and its current status regarding attracting tenants. The whole “chicken-egg” dilemma regarding NoMa (and its amenities) may be holding back the explosion of private business (as well as the overall economy). This may not change anytime soon—the area around Union Station/Mass Ave/North Capitol has been developed for quite awhile, yet food selections are still limited to Au Bon Pain, Subway, deli/convenience shops, the horrendous Union Station food court, and a sprinkle of restaurants closer to Constitution Ave.

The key difference-maker could be the development of residential and hospitality properties between New York and L St.

Article snippet below:

Yet the law firms and other private companies that account for most of the District’s commercial leasing are not ready to make the leap to the still-developing area, said Tom Fulcher, a broker with commercial real estate firm Studley.

“Well, if you just imagine being in a building there, you’re not going to see too many other people,” Fulcher said. “They want their employees to feel comfortable, to feel safe.”

Amenities and security are issues. The area has few restaurants, shops or grocery stores, and new sidewalks, lights and trash bins have been installed only recently.

Price has begun work to combat the image of an isolated, dangerous part of the city with a neighborhood cleaning campaign, led by the BID. The organization removed 2,400 bags’ worth of trash in October alone, with part of that effort providing employment for the homeless, she said.

While Price agreed that higher-end tenants were likely to wait out any move to the area, the relatively low asking rents and close access to the new Metro stop at New York Avenue made it a competitive area for others, she said.

“NoMa Nears a ‘Mind-Shift’”