Dear Hill Now readers and friends,
We have reached the end of our journey together, at least for now. After almost two years and more than 2,600 posts, Hill Now will cease publication today and for the foreseeable future.
Under the leadership of Sean Meehan, Andrew Ramonas, Tim Regan and Andrea Swalec, the hyperlocal news website area covered the good, and the bad, of the Capitol Hill area since October 2014.
Whether it was a fatal stabbing in NoMa or Food Network star Guy Fieri taking “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” to the H Street corridor, we strived to provide the news that mattered the most to you.
We will keep our archives on this site indefinitely. If you have any questions or concerns, you now can contact us via email at our award-winning sibling publication, Borderstan.
Borderstan, which covers a large swath of Northwest D.C., is expanding next week to include NoMa and the H Street corridor. If you subscribe to Hill Now’s Afternoon Update, you soon will get Borderstan’s Afternoon Update, which will include some articles that focus on Ward 6, as well as stories about Wards 1 and 2.
It has been a privilege to serve the Capitol Hill community over the past 21 months. We enjoyed serving both you, our readers, and the local businesses and organizations that sponsored us. We very much appreciate the advertisers who took this journey with us.
Thank you for reading,
Andrew Ramonas and Tim Regan
Hill Now co-editors
A Logan Circle eatery known for coffee, cocktails and artisanal toast has plans to open a new location in Navy Yard.
Slipstream is slated to open an outpost in the ORE 82 development (New Jersey and I streets SE), according to retail broker Rappaport and the Capitol Riverfront BID.
“Slipstream, represented by broker Streetsense, aims to elevate coffee and cocktails from seemingly common to extraordinary through engaging service, a comfortable atmosphere and a relentless focus on quality food and beverage options,” the BID wrote in a newsletter.
(Updated at 11:10 a.m.) Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington’s Summer Restaurant Week is almost here again.
About 250 eateries in the D.C. area have signed up to participate in the week-long event from Monday, Aug. 15, to Sunday, Aug. 21, according to a RAMW news release. All the participating restaurants are set to have prix fixe menus, with lunches for $22 and dinners for $35.
For example, diners can grab a sirloin steak meal at Charlie Palmer (101 Constitution Ave. NW) or head to Bistro Bis (15 E St. NW) and get its creamy arborio rice Risotto au Pistou.
Other Capitol Hill-area participants include:
- Agua 301 (301 Water St. SE)
- Ambar (523 8th St. SE)
- Art and Soul (415 New Jersey Ave. NW)
- Belga Cafe (514 8th St. SE)
- Cafe Berlin (322 Massachusetts Ave. NE)
Photo via Facebook/Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington
Hill East Community Leader Leads Fight Against Planned Health Clinics — Commissioner Chander Jayaraman of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 6B is gathering locals to help fight against two new health clinics opening near the intersection of 15th Street, Massachusetts Avenue and Independence Avenue SE. [Hill Rag]
Capitol Hill Reality Show to Star Millennials — A Los Angeles-based production company next week will start filming “House Divided,” a reality television show with politically minded millennials who will live together in a Capitol Hill rowhouse for a month. [Washington Post]
Man Wanted in Near Northeast Theft Caught on Video — A man sought in connection with a theft on the 400 block of M Street NE on May 25 has appeared in surveillance footage released yesterday. [YouTube/MPD]
Councilmember Allen: Chick-fil-A Looks to Open in Former Checkers Space — The rumors are true, according to Ward 6 D.C. Councilmember Charles Allen: Chick-fil-A has plans to open a location near H Street. [Hill Now]
Hill Now’s building permit roundup is back again. Check out what your neighbors are constructing around the Capitol Hill area.
The permits the D.C. government issued from Thursday, July 7, to Wednesday, July 13, are below. Permits from our previous roundups are here.
The data also is available through this link.
An outdoor beer garden in NoMa is set to dust of its benches for a short amount of time this weekend, according to a newsletter from NoMa BID.
Wunder Garten announced it will host a “neighborhood sneak preview” at its new location at 1st and L streets NE this weekend from 4-10 p.m., the BID said.
Though it wasn’t immediately clear on what the “sneak preview” would entail, the BID promised patrons would be able to “drink great beers, enjoy the weather and experience Wunder Garten before they fully open for the season.”
The rumors are true, according to Ward 6 D.C. Councilmember Charles Allen: Chick-fil-A has plans to open a location near H Street.
The national chicken sandwich chain has filed plans with D.C.’s Dept. of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) to open an eatery at 1401 Maryland Ave. NE, Allen tweeted out earlier today.
“The rumors are true,” Allen tweeted. “The applications are in at DCRA to build a new Chick-fil-A on the site of the closed Checkers.”
Chick-fil-A serves a menu of chicken sandwiches, wraps and fries shaped like teeny tiny waffles.
Photo via Google Street View
Two men robbed someone at gunpoint near RFK Stadium last night, police said.
The armed robbery happened near 19th and East Capitol streets about 10:15 p.m. Wednesday.
Authorities said they’re looking for:
2 B/M – WHITE TANK TOP, S2, ,SHORT WITH BLUE STOP ,, 5;8 BRAID, — BLUE SHIRT WITH BLUE STOP ON IT WAS THE ONE WITH THE GUN
Police said they’re looking for a man in a violent robbery in Southwest this morning, too.
The crime occurred on the 100 block of M Street SW about 8 a.m.
Authorities described the suspect as:
B/M, 5’10”-6’0”, 150lbs-200lbs, medium complexion, late 20’s, wearing a black top, and navy blue basketball short.
Police also arrested a man wanted in connection with a violent robbery near Kingsman Academy Public Charter School early this morning, according to authorities.
The crime happened near 14th and E streets NE about 12:45 a.m.
The victim had her purse stolen by a man who punched her in the face, knocking her down, police said.
Navy Yard Parcel to Have Homes and Retail, Not Offices — A lot bounded by I, Half, K and 1st streets SE is slated to get a mixed-use development, not an office campus as originally planned. [Washington Business Journal]
Community Leaders Back Plan for Frager’s Garden Center Site — Advisory Neighborhood Commission 6B this week approved a proposal to put a 12o-unit apartment complex on the 1200 block of Pennsylvania Avenue SE, which currently has a “shotgun” house and Frager’s Garden Center. [Capitol Hill Corner]
Cops Release Photos of Man Wanted in NoMa Bank Robbery — A man suspected of robbing a bank in NoMa yesterday afternoon has appeared on surveillance footage, police said. [Hill Now]
Capitol Hill-area residents are set to have the opportunity to chill out in a “fantastical glacial sea” with an undersea bridge and ice chute for free next week, according to the National Building Museum.
The Ward 6 day for the NBM’s “Icebergs” exhibit is scheduled for Tuesday from 9-11 a.m, according to the museum’s website. To get in without paying, Ward 6 residents must bring identification cards that show their zip codes.
The installation at 401 F St. NW will open to the general public at 10 a.m. But if they’re not members of the museum, they’ll have to pay between $13 and $16.
Firehook Bakery and Daikaya also will have snacks, including Japanese “kakigori” shaved ice.
The museum adds on it website:
ICEBERGS is built from re-usable construction materials, such as scaffolding and polycarbonate paneling, a material commonly used in building greenhouses. The 20′ high “water line” allows panoramic views from high above the ocean surface and down below among the towering bergs. The tallest “bergy bit,” at 56′, reaches to the third story balcony of the Museum. ICEBERGS occupies a total area of 12,540 square feet.
Photo via Facebook/National Building Museum
July is Parks and Recreation Month, and the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) wants to celebrate the occasion with a day of sports, games and activities.
DPR plans to host its Second Annual Rec Day at Randall Recreation Center (South Capitol and I streets SW) on Saturday, July 23 at 11 a.m.
The free event will have “fun activities, entertainment and food,” according to a press release.
DPR Director of Communications Gwendolyn Crump said she expects a larger turnout for this month’s rec day in comparison to last year. “We have more activities and more partners,” Crump added.
This year’s activities include basketball, kickball, softball, tennis, a water slide and an obstacle course, according to an event flyer.
The event isn’t just limited to sports. Attendees can also play Playstation 4 games, participate in arts and crafts and watch fashion shows. For young children, the event will include face painting, storytelling and a tricycle relay.
