SYMHM: Water World Edition
14th and R NW: Other than water from Saturday’s heavy rains, local construction sites and most everything else in the Borderstan area appeared undamaged from Hurricane Irene.
From Mike Kohn. Email him at [email protected] or find him on Twitter @mike_kohn.
Way to go team Borderstan! You made it through not one, but two natural disasters this week. You deserve a medal. Or a cookie. Have any crazy stories from your week of horror? Did anyone actually go outside late last night? What did you do to pass the time during Irene? Let us know in the comments — and feel free to throw any photos you might have taken in the Borderstan Flickr pool.
Cop Drama
An off-duty cop was involved in a slight altercation at the intersection of 1st and Pierce Streets NW. After driving drunk, the cop shot at the five people in the car, hitting one three times and hitting one other once. It would be bad enough, but two of the people in the car were trans, outraging the LGBT community and calling for Chief Kathy Lanier’s involvement. From the DC Trans Coalition: “This incident is just another in a long line of systemic violence that trans women, and particularly trans women of color, face on a daily basis.” Read more from DCist.
Block of 1300 Vermont Avenue NW: There were some downed trees from Hurricane Irene in the area, but not as many as in Upper Northwest. (Zurga DC in Borderstan Flickr pool)
Metro Ups and Downs
Apparently WMATA is intalling some new lighting on the platforms! Seems like a good thing for the dark, dingy waiting areas, but the DCist reader who called it seemed to think it might actually be too bright for the platform. What do you think? Adding to the potential Metro woes, TBD reports on a potential protest from MetroAccess drivers. Apparently the drivers of those small buses that help people with disabilities feel that they work too many hours in unsafe conditions. Just another day in the life of WMATA, right?
Where Has All the Surface Parking Gone?
Sure, it does seem like there are an incredible amount of apartments around here, but what’s even more incredible is that good ones are still always in demand. That’s why the First Baptist Church of Washington is proposing a 9-story 228-unit apartment build at the corner of 17th and O Streets NW. The site is currently surface parking, and between that and the height (yes, we all know how D.C. loves its shorter buildings), the Church may see some opposition. Greater Greater Washington has the full scoop.
Networking for a Cause
In case you’re looking for a networking event that has a cool idea behind, check out the Young Professionals CANstruction Event at the National Building Museum tonight at 6:30. I had the privilege of participating over the weekend in CANstruction, an annual event where architecture firms build structures out of cans to benefit the Capital Area Food Bank, and I’ll be there tomorrow to talk about it. Come check out all the structures and bring some canned good to help the hungry!
