A downtown business improvement district is looking for some donations ahead of the holidays.
The Golden Triangle BID launched its “holiday drive” donation effort last month. As part of that drive, volunteers will set up donation stations at Farragut Square Park this Friday and next, Dec. 9 Dec. 16, from noon to 2 p.m.
Locals are encouraged to drop off items like towels, toiletries, cleaning supplies, hats, scarves and laundry detergent for donation. All donations will go toward Pathways to Housing D.C., the BID’s homeless outreach program.
From the BID:
This year, our Homeless Outreach Team at Pathways to Housing DC has met and assisted more than 300 people in the neighborhood, and successfully placed 15 more people into housing. Now you can help us make sure people who were recently housed have the items they need in their new homes. Donate to the Golden Triangle Holiday Drive today.
Those who want to donate can also drop off items at 25 office buildings throughout the BID’s area.
Pedestrians can now help generate a little electricity by merely strolling through a new “pocket park” near Dupont Circle.
The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) and the Golden Triangle BID today unveiled the “the Connecticut Avenue Overlook,” a new park just steps away from the Dupont Metro station’s south entrance.
The panels, which are made by green energy company Pavegen, generate electricity via kinetic energy to power nearby LED lights.
From DDOT:
The plaza includes a pilot project that features Pavegen pavers, a pioneering flooring technology that converts kinetic energy from people’s footsteps into electricity. The energy is stored in batteries that illuminate accent lights in the park from dusk to dawn. Made from recycled polymer and truck tires, the pavers are both durable and eco-friendly. The pilot project was funded by a $200,000 DC Office of Planning Sustainable DC Innovation Challenge grant.
“[D.C.] is the first city in the nation to deploy this state-of-the-art technology in the outdoor environment,” said DDOT Director Leif Dormsjo during a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the park.
PaveGen CEO Laurence Kemball-Cook also gave a short speech about the company’s new kinetic tiles.
“Our plan is to make this the same price as a normal sidewalk,” Kemball-Cook said. “Every major city in the United States will be able to use the energy of the millions of people walking around.”
The biggest moment in our history: ribbon cutting in Washington DC with @LaurenceKC, @UKinUSA , @DDOTDC , @GoldenTriDC #SustainableDC pic.twitter.com/DnX0u0PFZ8
— Pavegen (@Pavegen) November 18, 2016
It will soon be possible to wirelessly connect to the internet for free in parts of downtown D.C. and Foggy Bottom.
Next Thursday, The Golden Triangle BID and the District’s Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) will launch free public Wi-Fi on a stretch of Pennsylvania Ave. NW just west of the White House.
The new Wi-Fi, accessed through the network “DCWiFi,” will also be available from 17th to 20th streets between G and I streets NW.
Mayor Bowser is scheduled to help launch the Wi-Fi service during a public event in Murrow Park next Thursday, Oct. 20, at 11:30 am., said Leona Agouridis, the BID’s executive director.
The new service is part of a larger OCTO project called Pennsylvania 2040, which aims to “provide a better, more rewarding experience to everyone who uses the west Pennsylvania Avenue corridor.” In addition to the wireless internet, the project includes the installation and testing of sensors that would measure everything from air and soil quality to how full nearby trash cans are.
“When the launch occurs next week, it’ll also begin the testing of some sensors,” Agouridis said. “Part of this is learning and discovering how we can all use these sensors.”
Users who log in between Oct. 20-28 can complete a short form for a chance to win a $100 gift card to a store or restaurant in the area.
Photo via Golden Triangle BID
A downtown chef is set to show how he makes a “Japanese pizza” that visitors to Farragut Square can try for free Friday.
Chef Kazuhiro “Kaz” Okochi of Kaz Sushi Bistro (1915 I St. NW) is slated to cook up his take on the pizza-like okonomiyaki as part of the “Farragut Fridays” event series, according to the Golden Triangle Business Improvement District, which hosts the events.
Okonomiyaki is a “rich savory cabbage pancake in an egg and flour batter with pork belly, red ginger, smoky dried bonito flakes, Japanese mayonnaise, and a special sweet and tangy BBQ sauce,” the Golden Triangle BID says in a news release.
Okochi will prepare the food and have complimentary samples for about 75 to 100 people on a a first-come, first-served basis from noon to 2 p.m.
Photo via Golden Triangle Business Improvement District
The head chef at one of José Andrés’ D.C. restaurants is set to cook a “summer Mexican fiesta” and hand out free samples in Farragut Square tomorrow afternoon.
Oyamel Chef Colin King will lead an outdoor cooking demonstration in the park at the intersection of K St. and Connecticut Ave. NW from noon to 2 p.m., according to a press release from the Golden Triangle BID.
Dishes prepared in the square will include bay scallop ceviche with cucumber, lime and serrano sauce; pickled red onions and mint; and sauteed local corn served with mayo and chile pequín and Guacomole, the release notes.
The Golden Triangle BID estimates there will be enough samples for roughly 50-100 people.
The cooking demonstration is part of the BID’s weekly Farragut Fridays event series. Read more about what’s planned for tomorrow in a press release from the Golden Triangle BID:
The Golden Triangle Business Improvement District (www.goldentriangledc.com) will host Chef Colin King, the head chef at José Andrés’ Oyamel Cocina Mexicana, for an outdoor cooking demonstration, Fri., Aug. 19, from Noon-2 p.m., during Farragut Fridays at Farragut Square Park (at the intersection of K St. and Connecticut Ave. NW). In the midst of Restaurant Week, people will be able to learn from Chef King as he prepares a summer Mexican fiesta from the Oyamel menu.
Chef King will showcase Oyamel’s Cayo en Aguachile, a ceviche of bay scallops with a sauce of cucumber, lime and serrano, served with fresno chiles, pickled red onions and mint, as well as the Esquites, sautéed local fresh corn served with house made mayo and chile pequín, and Guacomole. Samples will be available on a first come, first served basis.
The chef demonstration is part of Farragut Fridays, a weekly outdoor activation of one of the city’s most well-known national parks, which draws more than 39,000 visitors over the summer. Throughout the day, the Golden Triangle BID invites people to use the free Wi-Fi at Outdoor Office and enjoy a variety of pop-up events including adoptable puppies, scavenger hunts and music during lunch. The programming serves as an additional amenity for workers and tourists, as it’s occurring just a block from the White House. The complete schedule of activities can be found at goldentriangledc.com/farragutfridays.
“Bon Appetit has just named Washington, D.C., as the restaurant city of the year, and we want to do our part to celebrate the creativity and vibrancy of the hospitality sector in the neighborhood and across the region. These chef demonstrations will allow everyone to learn more about food preparation, the origins of favorite dishes, and, best of all, a chance to try them,” says Leona Agouridis, executive director, Golden Triangle BID.
A second chef demo by Kazuhiro Okochi at KAZ Sushi Bistro on 1915 I Street NW will occur Fri., Sept. 16, during Farragut Fridays.
Photos courtesy Think Good Group
The opportunity play a Japanese game and make samurai hats, cranes and other items out of paper is slated to come to Farragut Square this Friday, according to a Facebook event post.
As part of the “Farragut Fridays” event series, the Japanese Embassy plans to have a booth where passersby can try Japanese paper folding, known as origami, and test their eye and hand coordination with kendama, which is similar to the cup-and-ball game.
The crafts and games are scheduled to run from noon to 2 p.m.
Hosted by the Golden Triangle BID, Farragut Fridays has outdoor activities — such as movie screenings, puppy adoptions and music performances — every Friday from May to September.
Photo via Facebook/Japanese Embassy
A tree box on K Street is among D.C.’s best, according to the Golden Triangle BID and members of the voting public.
“Stars and Stripes Forever,” a patriotic box by the property management team at Jones Lang LaSalle (1801 K St. NW) took top honors in the BID’s annual Golden Streets competition. More than 1,300 people voted in the competition, Golden Triangle BID said in a press release.
The building’s tenants won an ice cream social for their efforts.
Stars and strips forever along 18th Street #GoldenStreets pic.twitter.com/MszrmVjIUn
— Golden Triangle BID (@GoldenTriDC) June 23, 2016
Other superlatives included Best in Design, which went to “Island in the Sun” at 1901 L St. NW, and the Sustainability Award, which judges granted to “Pollinators’ Paradise” at 1200 19th St. NW.
Who do you call if you spot a suspicious package on your train car? What should you do if you suddenly find yourself in a smoke-filled Metro tunnel? How will you get around the city during SafeTrack?
Emergency personnel and WMATA transit officials hope to answer these and other questions during an instructional safety event hosted by the Golden Triangle BID next week.
During the event, which is scheduled to take place at 1050 Connecticut Ave. NW next Tuesday at 10 a.m., representatives with WMATA, D.C. Fire and EMS, MPD and other local agencies will show commuters what to do in the event of an underground emergency.
Topics of discussion include how to use the safety equipment on railcars, how to report crime or other suspicious activity and how to navigate through transit service changes such as the ongoing SafeTrack plan.
Leona Agouridis, executive director of the BID, said the discussion is aimed at teaching people who live and work in the area between Dupont Circle and the White House how to handle themselves in potentially dire situations.
Agouridis added that she would like to see locals attend not only for their own education, but also so they can share what they learned with coworkers, family and friends.
Those interested in attending must RSVP for the event before noon tomorrow.
“American President,” “Mars Attacks!” and other movies with a presidential theme are slated to get a screening in Farragut Square during the next few months.
The Golden Triangle Business Improvement District’s annual “Golden Cinema” outdoor film series is back this month as part of the organization’s free Farragut Fridays festivities.
This year’s “Hail to the Chief” flicks include:
- “American President” on May 20.
- “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” on May 27.
- “Mars Attacks!” on June 3.
- “Dave” on June 10.
- “Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb” on June 17.
- “Lee Daniels’ The Butler” on June 24.
- “Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde” on July 1.
- “Clear and Present Danger” on July 8.
- “Manchurian Candidate” on July 15.
- “National Treasure: Book of Secrets” on July 22.
The Golden Triangle BID has set aside July 29 and Aug. 5 as rain dates.
Photo via Golden Triangle Business Improvement District
One of the Golden Triangle BID’s most popular annual events will make its triumphant return next month.
Fitness instructors will hold yoga and pilates classes in Farragut Park and barre sessions in the plaza at 2100 M St. NW every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evening starting May 17, the BID announced this week.
If you’re reading this post, you (very likely) live on the planet known as Earth. And since you live there, why not clean up the place every once in a while? It’s a real mess sometimes, to be honest.
If you’re interested in pitching in, you’re in luck. There are plenty of ways to participate in the festivities tomorrow and this weekend. Here are just a few of them.
Farragut Square will once again become an outdoor office, a picnic spot and a film venue next month.
Golden Triangle BID is slated to kick off its annual Farragut Fridays series on May 6, the organization tweeted today.
On the schedule this year includes events by Wolf Trap, puppy adoption from the Washington Animal Rescue League, CPR training, jazz music and Friday night movies at sunset.
Golden Triangle BID regularly hosts events and happenings in and around the area between the White House and Dupont Circle.
The BID’s next event is its annual Earth Day celebration at the four corners of 19th and L streets NW this Friday.
Image via Instagram / Golden Triangle
The organizers of “Farragut Fridays” already are thinking about what movies they should screen outdoors later this year, before the snow even melts from the square.
The Golden Triangle Business Improvement District on Saturday opened voting for its “Golden Cinema” flicks during its Farragut Fridays festivities from May 20 to July 22. The films, which will have a “Hail to the Chief” theme, will play at sunset.
Locals can visit the Golden Triangle BID’s website to select the top five movies they want to see. Voting ends Feb. 10.
Holiday shoppers who buy gifts in the area between the White House and Dupont Circle can have up to three of them wrapped for free courtesy of a local business improvement district.
Volunteers from the Golden Triangle BID will man pop-up gift-wrapping stations on Tuesdays and Thursdays until Dec. 22 at the following locations and times:
- Dec. 8: 1133 Connecticut Avenue NW (in front of H&M)
- Dec. 10: 1746 L Street NW (in front of Sarar)
- Dec. 15: 1112 19th Street NW (next to Staples)
- Dec. 17: 1133 Connecticut Avenue NW (in front of H&M)
- Dec. 22: 1746 L Street NW (in front of Sarar)
Gifts can be wrapped in either red or blue gift paper and outfitted with a small selection of bows. Odd-sized gifts will be placed into gift bags.
In addition to wrapping gifts, Golden Triangle staffers will also hand out miniature candy canes and free holiday cheer. There will also be “surprise visits” from Santa Claus, according to the BID.
Volunteers wrapped gifts at 1112 19th Street NW earlier today. This is the BID’s second year offering free gift wrapping services.
The Golden Triangle Business Improvement District (BID) will soon pay lucky locals to take selfies.
Starting Dec. 1, people walking in the area between the White House and Dupont Circle can snap selfies in front of their favorite retailers for the chance to win a $100 gift card to that business.
To win, contestants must tag the BID on Twitter or Instagram and use the hashtag #GoldenTriSelfie.
Retailers in the area include Nordstrom Rack (1800 L St. NW) and Proper Topper (1350 Connecticut Ave. NW).
The contest ends Dec. 22.
Photo courtesy of Golden Triangle BID
