2008 State of the Circle
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Michæl
Jan 28, 2008, 10:12:39 PM1/28/08
to Dupont Circle Update
[Delivered on 1/28/08. Amor populi Præsidium Reg!]
My fellow citizens, Dupont Circle is a neighborhood
called to greatness. And as the German poet Christian
Hebbel said, "nothing great in the world has ever been
accomplished without passion."
Tonight I will review the accomplishments of the past
year, along with other changes to the neighborhood.
The greatest center of change was on P Street, where
the street itself was torn up and relaid, along with
new sidewalks and light fixtures. P Street has a near-
ideal mix of uses, with residential towers next to
hotels, and a variety of shops and services on the
street level, along with some of the city's most
renowned restaurants. It is also blessed with a narrow
two-lane road, giving it a more neighborly feel than
Connecticut Avenue. And the majority of businesses are
local, with Starbucks and Subway as exceptions.
As always, the occupants of the street saw many
changes. A large project at 20th & P displaced two of
the best stores, The Third Day and True Value
Hardware. Custom doughnut shop the Fractured Prune
closed, but was quickly replaced with Aioli Meditalian
Gourmet. DC Hot was replaced with Goody's. 21P was
replaced with Café Tropé. Mimi's was rebranded as
Stars Bistro & Bar.
Change also came to Connecticut Avenue and its side
streets. Famed hangout the Childe Harold closed its
doors on 20th Street. Wine bar Veritas opened nearby
on Florida Avenue. Five Guys opened a burger joint in
the old Dupont Silver space. Studio 2000 closed shop,
with the HRC resources center moving into the
location. Conner Contemporary, one of Dupont's premier
art galleries, announced a move to northeast DC.
17th Street suffered some large losses, as two
clothing shops left for new space on 14th Street.
Circle Bistro and Universal Gear joined Pop and Redeem
in their new neighborhood, creating a cluster of
clothing shops. But new life came in as well on 17th
St, with Picasso Gallery taking over the old Tapeheadz
space. And soon a yoga studio/wellness center will
open in the old Pena supermarket. CyberStop cafe
freshened up and became Cafe 17.
South of the circle had some changes of note as well.
The Written Word closed its Connecticut Avenue store
and re-opened across from Whole Foods. Clothing shop
Blue & Green opened. Dragonfly closed. Candey Hardware
closed. Graffiti closed. Irish pub James Hoban's
replaced Cloud. Vapiano opened. And most recently, the
AMC Loews Dupont 5 played its last movie.
On 18th Street, Red Onion Records opened, and Peruvian
restaurant Inti replaced Caravan Grill.
On U Street, pet shop Companions closed, and was soon
replaced was ecology-minded shop Greater Goods. Health
Bar was rebranded as Cafe 1612.
A line from a Walt Whitman poem was engraved inside
the entrance to the Q Street Metro station.
As always, there was a flurry of activity around 14th
and U. Dakota Cowgirl (and Ramrod) shut down. In Whole
Foods Market, Izakaya shut down, but will soon be
replaced with a mini Raku. FedEx/Kinko's opened up.
Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams replaced the old
Storehouse shop. ACKC Chocolate cafe opened up.
Universal Gear and Circle Boutique opened up. A
welcome new store for me especially was The Bike Rack,
nestled snuggly on Q Street. Coffeshop Sparky's closed
down, but is now home to wine bar Cork. Big Monkey, a
comic book shop, opened up. New 2 U closed. Hunted
House opened. North of U, chic lounge Marvin opened.
The home of Source Theatre was the subject of much
debate, as the theatre company went bankrupt and sold
the building to Bedrock Billiards. After a flurry of
outside maneuverings, Source was reconstituted and the
building is now slated for a major renovation, and
will remain a performing arts venue.
On U Street, Rckcndy opened an adorable housewares
shop. CakeLove added a cupcake bar. Station 9 replaced
Cada Vez. Further east, sports bar Nellie's opened,
shortly followed by gay club Town.
Adams Morgan also had a predictable round of changes,
the most notable of which were the addition of M'Dawg
Haute Dogs and a new outpost for Alberto's pizza. A
new bus service, the Rehobus, was started, going
directly from Adams Morgan to Rehoboth.
In Georgetown, my prayers came true when we finally
got a Le Pain Quotidian, on M Street. This beautiful
shop should serve as a model for local entrepreneurs,
for 14th Street and beyond. And, proving that God
likes Georgetown, my other prayers were answered when
it was announced an Apple store would be coming to
Wisconsin Avenue. And progress was made on the new
Georgetown Waterfront Park, which should be a grand
addition to the city, and help connect us to the
Potomac River.
Downtown also saw its share of new development, though
mostly in the form of national chains deigning to open
in our city. Zara, Madame Tousaud's, and West Elm
opened in the Woodies building, and hip salad joint
Chop'd opened on 7th Street.
As Jane Jacobs said, the point of cities is
multiplicity of choice, so all new developments are
welcome.
But there is more to life than shops and restaurants.
Our public spaces serve to connect us all, and should
be functional, clean, and inviting. Dupont Circle has
a number of parks, none of which is ready to serve as
a model. There has been talk of major improvements to
Stead Park, by 17th and P, but no action. The two
parks at S and T streets have also seen plans drawn
up with no improvements made. Proposals have been made
for the small park by 20th & Q, with a new tree the
only visible sign of progress. Dupont's connection to
Rock Creek Park, known as P Street Beach, is underused
and not inviting.
And the park in the heart of neighborhood, Dupont
Circle itself, continues to be treated almost as if it
were merely a traffic island. Chocked off from the
commercial streets by four lanes of traffic, the
city's liveliest circle needs our attention. The
plantings should be enhanced. The lighting should be
designed to charm, not to ward off. The fountain's
water flow should be increased. And most importantly,
the fountain should be given underwater lights. It is
absurd that a sculpture by Daniel Chester French
should go unlit at night. I can't imagine such a
significant memorial going unlit in Paris. I can't
imagine it being unlit in New York. I can't imagine it
being unlit in Peoria, or Dayton, or Tampa, or Denver,
or Dallas, or Minneapolis, or any city that is able to
realize what a treasure it is to have this gift from
previous generations, this gift that we neglect, that
we fail to capitalize on. Granted Washington is awash
in monuments and memorials, the majority of which are
similarly dark at night. Paris is known as the City of
Light; can't that be a model for how we should treat
our treasures at night?
A Maori proverb says "Turn your face to the sun and
the shadows fall behind you." So we look forward to
the new year, and the changes our neighborhood will
go through. Party on, and be excellent to each other.
-Michael
http://www.flickr.com/photos/77945684@N00/
My fellow citizens, Dupont Circle is a neighborhood
called to greatness. And as the German poet Christian
Hebbel said, "nothing great in the world has ever been
accomplished without passion."
Tonight I will review the accomplishments of the past
year, along with other changes to the neighborhood.
The greatest center of change was on P Street, where
the street itself was torn up and relaid, along with
new sidewalks and light fixtures. P Street has a near-
ideal mix of uses, with residential towers next to
hotels, and a variety of shops and services on the
street level, along with some of the city's most
renowned restaurants. It is also blessed with a narrow
two-lane road, giving it a more neighborly feel than
Connecticut Avenue. And the majority of businesses are
local, with Starbucks and Subway as exceptions.
As always, the occupants of the street saw many
changes. A large project at 20th & P displaced two of
the best stores, The Third Day and True Value
Hardware. Custom doughnut shop the Fractured Prune
closed, but was quickly replaced with Aioli Meditalian
Gourmet. DC Hot was replaced with Goody's. 21P was
replaced with Café Tropé. Mimi's was rebranded as
Stars Bistro & Bar.
Change also came to Connecticut Avenue and its side
streets. Famed hangout the Childe Harold closed its
doors on 20th Street. Wine bar Veritas opened nearby
on Florida Avenue. Five Guys opened a burger joint in
the old Dupont Silver space. Studio 2000 closed shop,
with the HRC resources center moving into the
location. Conner Contemporary, one of Dupont's premier
art galleries, announced a move to northeast DC.
17th Street suffered some large losses, as two
clothing shops left for new space on 14th Street.
Circle Bistro and Universal Gear joined Pop and Redeem
in their new neighborhood, creating a cluster of
clothing shops. But new life came in as well on 17th
St, with Picasso Gallery taking over the old Tapeheadz
space. And soon a yoga studio/wellness center will
open in the old Pena supermarket. CyberStop cafe
freshened up and became Cafe 17.
South of the circle had some changes of note as well.
The Written Word closed its Connecticut Avenue store
and re-opened across from Whole Foods. Clothing shop
Blue & Green opened. Dragonfly closed. Candey Hardware
closed. Graffiti closed. Irish pub James Hoban's
replaced Cloud. Vapiano opened. And most recently, the
AMC Loews Dupont 5 played its last movie.
On 18th Street, Red Onion Records opened, and Peruvian
restaurant Inti replaced Caravan Grill.
On U Street, pet shop Companions closed, and was soon
replaced was ecology-minded shop Greater Goods. Health
Bar was rebranded as Cafe 1612.
A line from a Walt Whitman poem was engraved inside
the entrance to the Q Street Metro station.
As always, there was a flurry of activity around 14th
and U. Dakota Cowgirl (and Ramrod) shut down. In Whole
Foods Market, Izakaya shut down, but will soon be
replaced with a mini Raku. FedEx/Kinko's opened up.
Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams replaced the old
Storehouse shop. ACKC Chocolate cafe opened up.
Universal Gear and Circle Boutique opened up. A
welcome new store for me especially was The Bike Rack,
nestled snuggly on Q Street. Coffeshop Sparky's closed
down, but is now home to wine bar Cork. Big Monkey, a
comic book shop, opened up. New 2 U closed. Hunted
House opened. North of U, chic lounge Marvin opened.
The home of Source Theatre was the subject of much
debate, as the theatre company went bankrupt and sold
the building to Bedrock Billiards. After a flurry of
outside maneuverings, Source was reconstituted and the
building is now slated for a major renovation, and
will remain a performing arts venue.
On U Street, Rckcndy opened an adorable housewares
shop. CakeLove added a cupcake bar. Station 9 replaced
Cada Vez. Further east, sports bar Nellie's opened,
shortly followed by gay club Town.
Adams Morgan also had a predictable round of changes,
the most notable of which were the addition of M'Dawg
Haute Dogs and a new outpost for Alberto's pizza. A
new bus service, the Rehobus, was started, going
directly from Adams Morgan to Rehoboth.
In Georgetown, my prayers came true when we finally
got a Le Pain Quotidian, on M Street. This beautiful
shop should serve as a model for local entrepreneurs,
for 14th Street and beyond. And, proving that God
likes Georgetown, my other prayers were answered when
it was announced an Apple store would be coming to
Wisconsin Avenue. And progress was made on the new
Georgetown Waterfront Park, which should be a grand
addition to the city, and help connect us to the
Potomac River.
Downtown also saw its share of new development, though
mostly in the form of national chains deigning to open
in our city. Zara, Madame Tousaud's, and West Elm
opened in the Woodies building, and hip salad joint
Chop'd opened on 7th Street.
As Jane Jacobs said, the point of cities is
multiplicity of choice, so all new developments are
welcome.
But there is more to life than shops and restaurants.
Our public spaces serve to connect us all, and should
be functional, clean, and inviting. Dupont Circle has
a number of parks, none of which is ready to serve as
a model. There has been talk of major improvements to
Stead Park, by 17th and P, but no action. The two
parks at S and T streets have also seen plans drawn
up with no improvements made. Proposals have been made
for the small park by 20th & Q, with a new tree the
only visible sign of progress. Dupont's connection to
Rock Creek Park, known as P Street Beach, is underused
and not inviting.
And the park in the heart of neighborhood, Dupont
Circle itself, continues to be treated almost as if it
were merely a traffic island. Chocked off from the
commercial streets by four lanes of traffic, the
city's liveliest circle needs our attention. The
plantings should be enhanced. The lighting should be
designed to charm, not to ward off. The fountain's
water flow should be increased. And most importantly,
the fountain should be given underwater lights. It is
absurd that a sculpture by Daniel Chester French
should go unlit at night. I can't imagine such a
significant memorial going unlit in Paris. I can't
imagine it being unlit in New York. I can't imagine it
being unlit in Peoria, or Dayton, or Tampa, or Denver,
or Dallas, or Minneapolis, or any city that is able to
realize what a treasure it is to have this gift from
previous generations, this gift that we neglect, that
we fail to capitalize on. Granted Washington is awash
in monuments and memorials, the majority of which are
similarly dark at night. Paris is known as the City of
Light; can't that be a model for how we should treat
our treasures at night?
A Maori proverb says "Turn your face to the sun and
the shadows fall behind you." So we look forward to
the new year, and the changes our neighborhood will
go through. Party on, and be excellent to each other.
-Michael
http://www.flickr.com/photos/77945684@N00/
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