Click on collage to go to slide show: Photos from Saturday and Sunday at the 11th Annual Dog Days Sidewalk Sale on 14th and U Streets NW. (Luis Gomez Photos)
Click on the collage above for a slide show of Luis’s pics from Dog Days 2010 on Flickr.
The annual Dog Days of Summer Sidewalk Sale on Saturday and Sunday attracted more than 100 businesses and organizations this year on the 14th and U corridors–and thousands of shoppers and gawkers. What began in 2000 with six businesses has grown along with the influx of new residents and entrepreneurs into the Mid City area, aka the Logan Circle and U Street neighborhoods.
One of the main draws of Dog Days are the reduced prices on goods at local stores–on the sidewalk. But the people and dog watching is just as important during Dog Days. One notable change in recent years is the increasing number of restaurants that participate in Dog Days (there are more of them now, obviously). Late morning and mid-afternoon on Saturday seemed to be the busiest periods for foot traffic, followed by the post-brunch crowd on Sunday after 2 pm.
In addition to regular folks–we met quite a few from outside the neighborhood, including suburbanites–Dog Days attracted a smattering of politicians. Councilmember Jim Graham (running for re-election in Ward 1), Council Chairman Vincent Gray (running for mayor) and Clark Ray (running for At-Large Council seat) were all spotted during the weekend. Saturday afternoon brought a quick, brief siting of White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel with children in tow on 14th Street (we’re 95% sure it was him).
Dog Days is sponsored by the MidCity Business Association.
