Construction is still moving along at the park on the site of the former Gage-Eckington School. In addition to the dog park, playground equipment, picnic tables, and field, there are two more amenities on their way to the site: bike sharing and car sharing. DDOT’s assistance in integrating both car sharing spaces and its own Capital Bikeshare (CaBi) system is a good example of collaboration between different city agencies.

ZipCar is a subscription service that places cars throughout several cities worldwide and rents the cars to members by the hour. The rental fee includes the cost of gas and insurance and each car has a reserved “home” parking space to which it must be returned at the end of the reservation. These spaces are in public streets, public alleys and in private parking lots and garages.

We occasionally rent ZipCars when we need to haul heavy items or need to travel to transit-inaccessible destinations. This arrangement is far cheaper than owning a car and relieves us of the normal hassles of car ownership, e.g. parking, maintenance, washing, fuel costs, and insurance costs.

CaBi is another subscription service and is a joint venture between DDOT and Arlington County. CaBi bikes are parked at numerous racks throughout DC and Arlington and more are on the way. A member inserts his key into the bike dock and the bike unlocks. The member has 30 minutes to ride the bike for free before returning it to any dock in DC or Arlington.  CaBi is perfect for short one-way trips and we routinely use the CaBi station at Seventh and T Streets to commute to work downtown.  It’s also useful for occasional trips to Whole Foods or Dupont Circle, which are just minutes away by bike.

Both bike sharing and car sharing benefit residents who don’t even use the services. The existence of these services reduces the pressure to own a car and thus reduces the parking demand placed on our streets. For those who would live car-less regardless of these services, it provides us with two more mobility options located close to home.  Bike sharing and car sharing are welcome additions to the park site.

Photo: “Pick a Bike” by M. V. Jantzen

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.

This summer we wrote about 607 605 Florida Avenue, whose turret was destroyed by a drunk driver in 2006. After four years of legal wrangling and other headaches, the reconstruction is nearly complete.

We took the first photo this summer and took the second photo on Sunday.

The exterior brickwork is beautiful. The owner, whose last name is Quarterman, has adorned the turret with a copper ‘Q’ finial, adding a distinctive personal touch.

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.

We’ve been remiss in posting lately, but we thought we might share with you some neighborhood updates.

Over at First Street and Rhode Island Avenue in Bloomingdale, Rustik Tavern just opened, offering the holy duo of pizza and beer.  We went there after the last LeDroit Park Civic Association and though it was unbearably loud, it did serve good beer and good pizza.

Speaking of the LeDroit Park Civic Association, September’s monthly meeting featured the proprietor of Zee’s, the new restaraunt opening on Florida Avenue across from the LeDroit Park arch.  It will open any day now and will offer Trinidadian cuisine.  The owner has come here by way of New York and we welcome his investment in the area.  What will his restaurant serve?  Well, we’re not sure what constitutes Trinidadian cuisine, but when it opens, we’ll be sure to find out.

On the southeast corner of Sixth Street and Florida Avenue, the property we wrote about earlier is nearly finished with its renovation.  There’s no word yet on any potential lease or if the owner himself will open a tavern.  We’re still looking hopefully at the building nonetheless.

Only recently did I notice the roof terrace atop this building at the northwest corner of Florida and Georgia Avenues NW. It would make an excellent spot for restaurant seating.

The house at 1859 Third Street here in LeDroit Park is one of the neighborhood’s gems.  The Urban Land Company, A DC real estate developer and broker, has restored the exterior, replacing the wood windows, pointing the brickwork, and installing a gorgeous door.  Now they’re placing the house and its two vacant, adjacent lots on the market.

Go up to the door and peer in.  You’ll see a lovely wood staircase that has fallen on hard times.  Keep looking and you’ll notice that the entire house needs a total renovation.

The house is selling for $850,000 and the two vacant lots  (see 0157 and 0158 below) are selling for $300,000 each.

I once joked to a friend that the turret was built so that the owner could fire arrows at passersby. It would make a fun loft space for a kid.

Sigh. If I were a rich man…

This email came through the neighborhood listserv.

On Saturday evening at 7pm en route to Shaw metro north entrance, I was jumped from behind and wrestled to the ground by a teenage thief trying to steal my iphone. Rather than risk being stabbed, I let go of the iphone. What is disturbing is that this is a busy road with many pedestrians walking by, yet not one person stopped to help, including the shopkeepers stood on the doorsteps. When I asked for assistance, I was told to use the payphone on the corner of 7th and T which is where the gang of teenagers preying on their victims hang out in the evening – including the evening I was attacked. There were 10 or 12 on the corner of 7th and T and all fled after I was robbed. A good Samaritan let me use his cellphone to call the police who arrived in under two minutes. They said they are aware of the gang on 7th and T and have been monitoring them, yet the brazen robberies and attacks in broad daylight continue unabated.

Given the proximity to the Howard Theater, I’m sure this kind of publicity will not be welcomed given the Theater’s planned reopening later this year. I have now been forced to avoid the Shaw metro and will take the U Street Cordoza location instead. Anyone walking in the vicinity of 7th and T should hide their cellphones. Ironically, I am a playwright, my most recent work being about race relations in DC. It is poignant I was attacked in the shadow of Howard Theater.

What a terrible incident, but we’re glad nobody was hurt.

The Block of Blight (600 block of T Street NW) is a perennial source of criminality, as confirmed by the MDP’s regular listing of arrests. The frequency of crime at the corner of Seventh and T Streets warrants a more frequent police presence that the area lacks.

We usually walk our friends to the Metro late at night lest they fall victim to this sort of incivility.  Blight encourages crime and both are on display near the Shaw Metro Station.  We gently, but consistently, remind visitors that the station and surrounding blight are actually in the Shaw neighborhood, not LeDroit Park, but hopefully we won’t have to reiterate that nuance forever.

Renovations on the Howard Theatre have already begun and the developer for the mixed-use UNCF project at the Metro assures us that the groundbreaking for that project is a month or two away.

Check out these photos of the new neon sculpture outside the new Shaw Library.

Photos by M.V. Jantzen

The LeDroit Park Civic Association will meet on Tuesday, September 28 at 7pm in the basement of the Florida Avenue Baptist Church (623 Florida Avenue NW – enter on U St). All neighbors are welcome and encouraged to attend.

During first week of September, we saw groundbreaking ceremonies for both the park and the Howard Theatre. Construction managers for both projects will present at the Civic Association meeting to detail the construction timeline, address neighborhood questions, and discuss job opportunities for residents.

Also learn about the upcoming LeDroit Park Community Day and the Howard University Homecoming, both set for late October.

Don’t forget to renew your annual membership (or join for the first time) if you haven’t already. Dues are $15 per household ($5 for seniors). You can even pay online!