Several whimsical Washingtonians staged a Barnes Dance Barn Dance at Seventh and H Streets in Chinatown on Friday.  (see video above)

DDOT installed the new Barnes Dance crossing late last week and is studying the effectiveness of installing such configurations at some of the city’s busier intersections.

The setup in Chinatown provides three light cycles: one for H Street, one for Seventh Street, and one cycle during which pedestrians may cross whichever way they choose, even diagonally through the intersection.  The Chinatown Barnes Dance differs slightly from a traditional Barnes Dance in two ways:

1. Cars may not turn at any time.  A traditional Barnes Dance provides right-turn arrows during the streets’ respective green cycles.
2. Pedestrians in Chinatown may cross with traffic in addition to the all-pedestrian cycle.

These variations prioritize pedestrian crossings, a priority in line with DDOT’s goal of enhancing pedestrian transportation in the District.

Some in Georgetown are hoping the DDOT installs a similar “dance” at Wisconsin Avenue and M Street.  Greater Greater Washington disagrees with that potential site, as several unique factors render that part of Georgetown unsuitable for a Barnes Dance.

Last summer reports surfaced of a gambling house on Fourth Fourth Street between Elm Street an Oakdale Place.  After a months-long investigation, the MPD finally swooped in and arrested two residents of the house in late January.  After the arrest the MPD informed the neighborhood that they also found sound-proofing material attached the interior walls to reduce the noise emanating from the house.  Whether this was out of respect for the neighbors or fear of getting caught, one cannot know.

Last month the police and U.S. Attorney obtained a conviction and Lt. Alberto Jova informs us that an eviction is also pending.

Heuchera americana

Who maintains Anna J. Cooper Circle?  Well, many people do, and you can, too!

Join your neighbors tomorrow (Friday) at 5:00 pm to help plant some heucheras (pictured above).

We also learned that a group called Community Bridge has a contract with the District to maintain small parks and that they often clean up the circle, mowing the grass and pulling weeds.

The planting, however, is a resident-driven labor of love, so any help this Friday would be greatly appreciated. Bring your shovel if you have one.

The driver of a car intentionally hit a cyclist at First Street and Florida Avenue NW in Bloomingdale, TheWashCycle reports.  The victim wrote:

Around 5:50 PM [Wednesday] I was riding along First St. NW with other commuters. We crossed over Florida Ave and a car came in behind me, horn continuously on, and accelerated into my rear wheel knocking me to the ground. The driver then got out of the car and yelled some obscenity at me. He got back into his car and left the scene.

I ended up with a few bruises and bumps but luckily no serious injury, but my rear wheel was destroyed along with my saddle, still not sure about the frame. Although there were seven plus witnesses, we were only able to get a partial license plate. We did get a great description of the car. The police arrived on the scene and took all the witness statements, etc and the incident will be filed as a hit and run.

Using a vehicle as a weapon is a serious crime.  It’s also important to remember that cyclists and drivers are equally entitled to use the streets of the city.

Meet your neighbors and catalog trouble spots. LeDroit Park residents will gather at Anna Cooper Circle on Thursday, April 15, for an alleyway walk-through. The purpose is to alert our ANC Commissioner Myla Moss, Councilmember Jim Graham, and our accompanying MPD officer of any inadequate lighting conditions or other features that may attract crime to our alleys.

The organizer tells us, “while the safety walk has a serious purpose, it’s also a great way to meet your neighbors and find out more about LeDroit Park.”

LeDroit Park Safety Walk
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Meet at Anna Cooper Circle at 7 pm

Commenter Paul noted that Thursday’s blustery gusts toppled the sign at the dilapidated Howard Theater, depositing the rusting hulk atop the rickety marquee.  We wonder how long it will be before the marquee comes crashing to the ground.

Neither the sign nor the marquee will survive the renovation anyway.

The LeDroit Park Civic Association meets tomorrow night, Tuesday, February 23, at 7:00 pm in the basement of the Florida Avenue Baptist Church.  (Enter through the back at U and Bohrer Streets)

This month’s agenda:

• Introduction to MPD Third District Commander Jacob Kishter
• Presentation on the Howard University Campus Plan
• Community survey
• Zoning variance request for Howard University Hospital
• Update on the forthcoming park—Jose Sousa, Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development
• Civic Association Volunteer Opportunities

As always, all are welcome to attend.

We wrote earlier about the mountains of snow that plows had piled up in LeDroit Park.  Much of the city of Washington had become like the state of Washington, with snow-capped mounds visible from every window.

Welcome back east.  We caught glimpses of bobcats and dumptrucks hauling away the snow mounds to lands far, far away.

The record snow that accumulated this weekend brought us out to snowball fights and sledding in Meridian Hill Park.  With few stores open and few roads passable, Saturday was a true holiday in the old-fashioned sense.

Howard University Hospital’s groundskeeper was out in heartbeat clearing the hospital’s sidewalks while contractors cleared the hospital’s parking lot. Pretty impressive!

Neighbors dug their cars out of snow and the usually busy Florida Avenue carried more pedestrians then automobiles. The District government sent numerous plows along U Street and Florida Avenue, largely neglecting (understandably) the quiet streets of LeDroit Park.

You didn’t need a 4×4 to get around this weather. These two girls found that a daddy-powered sled was the most convenient form of transportation.

In Dupont Circle, hundreds of people gathered for a snowball fight. We caught the end of it:

Is a white Hummer camouflaged when it’s in the snow? These snowballers were able to spot and pelt it.

This Suburban sped away as soon as the light turned green.

For cars in LeDroit Park, Fourth and Fifth Streets are passable, but the east-west streets are better left to the four-wheel-drives.

More snow is expected Tuesday night and during the day on Wednesday. Were Pres. William McKinley still alive today, he would not only argue the merits of a gold standard with Rep. Ron Paul, but would also scoff at this relative “dusting”.  Though we’ve recorded 45 inches so far this winter, the winter of 1898-99, during McKinley’s administration, set the city’s record, dumping a total of 54.4 inches on the capital!

If you’re tired of the snow, be glad you don’t live in Québec City, which suffers 124 inches of snow each winter… on average!

The National Weather Service is predicting a snow storm to cover Washington from Friday morning through Saturday evening.  The storm is expected to leave 12 – 20 inches of snow.

So far we’ve been impressed with the dedication of Howard University Hospital’s groundskeepers, who are out there within an hour of the first flake to clear the sidewalks.

Here’s a novel idea we found online for a pedal-powered snow plow.  If someone is willing to build it, we’re willing to drive it down every sidewalk in LeDroit Park.