Tulips on the 200 block of Elm Street NW

Nothing says spring like pastel tulips on a sunny Easter morning.  Much to the benefit of passersby, one Elm Street resident caught tulipmania this year!

What do Wale, Wanda Sykes, the Roots, Esperanza Spalding, and Chuck Berry have in common?  They are all performing at the Howard Theatre in April.  Also, each Sunday the theatre will host a gospel brunch and gospel choir.

We have studied the neighborhood’s name before, noting that ‘Le Droit’ evolved to ‘LeDroit’. But wait, there’s more! The neighborhood’s pronunciation is still debated today.

This became clear during the DC Council’s debate on the formal naming of our park when the two pronunciations emerged on the dias and on Twitter. Is it pronounced LEE-droyt and luh-DROYT?

Many residents and Councilmember Graham (D – Ward 1) pronounce it LEE-droyt. Other residents, this writer included, pronounce it luh-DROYT. A friend on Twitter jokingly asked, “Does anybody pronounce it Luh-Dwah, like a Frenchman?”

Ultimately how you pronounce it doesn’t matter, but we suspect Frenching it up as luh-DWAH might take it over the top.

We Love DC alerted us to Afro Blue, an a cappella group at Howard University, that recently competed on NBC’s The Sing Off.

Afro Blue sang Corinne Bailey Ray’s 2006 song “Put Your Records On“:

Photo by M.V. Jantzen on Flickr

Come for drinks, appetizers, and chat with your neighbors tonight from 6 to 8 at Nellie’s (9th & U Streets NW).  The LeDroit Park Civic Association has started organizing monthly happy hours at Nellie’s, whose owner, a LeDroit resident, has kindly donated appetizers and space at the upstairs bar.

The civic association has reached out via Twitter to residents in Bloomingdale and Shaw to join us.

Bloomingdale resident Snorre Wik has produced this video of the shuttered McMillan Sand Filtration Site.

Several months ago the city decided to reset development plans for the site and do part of the preliminary traffic and groundwater studies itself.  We will keep you posted as development plans for the site inch along.

We’ve been really busy lately and we have a big post reviewing Howard University’s campus plan in the works.

In the meantime, have a look at this Post video of Ben Taylor, a U Street photographer.

The state of LeDroit-British relations is strong!  On Tuesday, Charles, Prince of Wales, will visit the Common Good City Farm here in LeDroit Park.  The purpose of his visit is sustainable agriculture and after lecturing on the subject at Georgetown University, he will tour the farm from 4:30 pm to 5:15 pm.

Please note that because of the farm’s limited size, the farm will only permit a small delegation of residents to tour the farm with him. Residents are welcome to observe from just beyond the fence; it’s easy to see in, after all.

After the prince departs, Common Good City Farm will host a fundraiser at 6 pm at Big Bear Cafe. Please consider donating to this worthy local resource that educates children and low-income families on gardening and the importance of proper nutrition.

What were you doing on Sunday, August 29, 2010? If you were outside shortly after 1 pm, chances are Google Maps caught you on camera from a satellite.

Google recently updated its satellite imagery of the Washington area and the new photos illustrate just how much the region has changed. The most noticeable difference in LeDroit Park is the disappearance of the Gage-Eckington School and the establishment of the Common Good City Farm.

For a listing of other notable changes visible from the sky, have a look at our article at Greater Greater Washington.

Zee’s Restaurant has opened up on Florida Avenue at Sixth Street. The Trinidadian restaurant is family-run and serves goat curry, potatoes, chickpeas, callaloo soup, and roti, among other things. The reviews, including an unpublished review from a newspaper food critic, are highly positive.

The liquor license is pending.