Want to buy a tree close to home? Better hurry or you may have to drive outside the neighborhood. (Luis Gomez Photos)

It’s the week before Christmas and you still haven’t bought a Christmas Tree, a wreath or greenery to wrap around your porch railing. You’re probably safe when it comes to buying the smaller green stuff. But if you’re looking to buy a tree in the neighborhood, you best do it now.

Local tree sellers report extremely brisk sales this year — much better than last year. The Ross School PTA sale ended last weekend (one week early) because they were not able to get trees for this weekend. One local retailer is already out of trees and will not be getting more.

In the Neighborhood

Here are your close-to-home options in the Borderstan area for trees, wreaths and greenery.

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14th & S NW: Crepes on the Corner will be a joint venture of Garden District owner Joe Carmack and a local chef. The eatery will open in the former Garden District store on the northeast corner of the intersection. (Photo: Luis Gomez Photos)

Hat tip to the Prince of Petworth (and the Washington Business Journal for picking up his posting)…

I suppose this pretty much seals the deal: Crepes are replacing cupcakes as the new trendy thing to eat in Borderstan and surrounding environs.

Two creperies are coming to 14th and S Streets NW. The one at the northeastern corner, Crepes on the Corner, will be a joint venture between Garden District owner Joe Carmack and Chef Vincent Bradbury. This is the site of the original Garden District location, which is now at the southwest corner of the intersection.

Joe said Saturday that the cafe will be inside the former garden store (a pretty small space) with seating outside… and that they plan to use some of the outdoor space to grow ingredients. Read the full story

“Spring Amaryllis.” (Photo: Luis Gomez, One Photograph A Day.)

I love amaryllis flowers… one of my favorites. This one bloomed very very late and was a second stalk on a bulb; the first stalk bloomed in early February. I got a deal on these… it was a large box-pot with three bulbs that I purchased at an After-Christmas sale at Garden District.

New Orleans–Evening in the French Quarter on Toulouse Street. The Quarter is good sized, almost 80 square blocks (relatively small blocks, it’s true). It is opulent, tacky, rich, run down, tasteful, quiet, loud, American, European, Caribbean… all at the same time and depending on exactly where you are. I love it. Famous-infamous Bourbon Street is just one small part of the Quarter. (Photo: Luis Gomez, One Photograph A Day.)

We were in New Orleans the week before Mardi Gras for work, and Luis has some photos of the French Quarter at One Photograph A Day. There were many parades and parties in progress and I learned that Mardi Gras is really about a two-week progression up to the main event.

It was our first trip to New Orleans post-Katrina (we were there in May 2005) and the French Quarter, Warehouse District (next to the convention center) and Garden District looked fine. However, Luis was in a couple of other areas of the city, including the Lower Ninth Ward. Things are still not so good there—many abanonded houses and buildings, and a lot of rebuilding still going on. I looked up population estimates and the city supposedly has about 290,000 people compared to 490,000 pre-Katrina.

Some of my favorites photos of New Orleans on One Photograph A Day: New Orleans: Blue Dog… Canal Street: Mardi Gras Parade… Moon Walk on the Mississippi… Streets of New Orleans… and Eating Out in New Orleans.

A quick note on Commander’s Palace: If you go to New Orleans, you MUST eat at Commander’s Place in the Garden District; it’s worth the price. Commander’s Palace is Creole-French-New Orleans food, and one of the Brennan family restaurants (although there was a feud and the properties have apparently been split among family members). The proprietor of Commander’s Palace is Miss Dottie Brennan. The food? I wouldn’t even know how to begin to describe how good it was. I had oyster and chicken gumbo, pecan-encrusted gulf fish and a strawberry shortcake… and a few bites of my friend’s Creole Bread Pudding.