ANC 6C Commissioner’s Home Vandalized With Anti-Abortion Poster Alleging He ‘Supports Baby Killing’ — Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Chris Miller, a member of ANC 6C, found a sign taped to his home saying he “supports baby killing” after he wore a shirt saying “I Stand with Planned Parenthood.” [Washington City Paper]
Starbucks, Petco Coming to the H Street Corridor — Plans for a development on the 600 block of H Street NE, across from the future Whole Foods Market site show space for a Starbucks and a Petco Unleashed pet store. [The Hill Is Home]
Exterior of First Condo Building at The Wharf Nearly Complete — Construction continues on the first condo building of The Wharf development in Southwest at 525 Water St. SW with plans for condos to be ready by spring. [SWTLQTC]
Bowser Emphasizes Health Initiatives at New Year’s 5K in Hill East — Mayor Muriel Bowser called for a focus on health initiatives in the new year at her second annual Fresh Start 5K walk/run near Eastern High School on New Year’s Day. [WTOP]
New Year’s Eve celebrations have already begun around the Capitol Hill area and there’s no shortage of parties to choose from tonight. When the confetti clears, though, it’s shaping up to be a quiet first weekend of 2016 in the area, with few events planned for Saturday and Sunday.
Temperatures are expected to cool down gradually over the weekend, with temperatures in the low 50s today but remaining in the 40s for most of the weekend. We’ll be taking tomorrow off and will be back on Monday. In the meantime, here’s everything you need to know to make the most of this New Year’s weekend in the Capitol Hill area.
How to Get Around Tonight
- Between midnight and 3 a.m., all Metro trains and buses will be free for those with a SmarTrip card courtesy of a sponsorship with Miller Lite. Passengers can use their SmarTrip to enter and exit Metro stations, but will not be charged for the trip. On buses, riders can show their SmarTrip to the driver to board for free.
- The Washington Regional Alcohol Program will pay for a free ride home (up to $30) from 10 p.m. tonight to 6 a.m. tomorrow. Those needing a ride can call 1-800-200-TAXI
- The DC Circulator will run extended service until 2 a.m. tonight
Events
- Check out our guide to New Year’s Eve parties in the area to find the right celebration for you tonight.
- Join Mayor Bowser for a 5K walk/run Friday morning to ring in the New Year
- Restaurants across the area will hold New Year’s Brunch Friday morning, including Osteria Morini (301 Water St. SE), Medium Rare (515 8th St. SE), Hank’s on the Hill (633 Pennsylvania Ave. SE), Ambar (523 8th St. SE) and The Arsenal at Bluejacket (300 Tingey St. SE)
Road Closures
Several roads will be closed Friday morning for the Fresh Start 5K walk/ run near Eastern High School:
- East Capitol Street between 17th and 19th streets will be closed from 7:30-9:30 a.m.
- East Capitol Street between 19th and 22nd streets will be closed from 8:45-10 a.m.
- 19th Street SE between Independence Avenue SE to East Capitol Street will be closed from 8:45-9:30 a.m.
- 22nd Street between C Street NE and Independence Avenue SE will be closed from 8:45-10 a.m.
Metrorail
- On Friday, Metro trains will run from 7 a.m. to 3 a.m. on a Sunday schedule
- On Saturday from 6 p.m. until closing, Orange, Silver and Blue line trains will run every 24 minutes due to track work between Eastern Market and Stadium-Armory stations
- On Saturday and Sunday, Red Line trains will run between Shady Grove and Glenmont every 24 minutes and between Shady Grove and Silver Spring every 12 minutes from 9 a.m.-9 p.m.
Parking
- Parking meters, residential parking and rush-hour lane restrictions will not be enforced on Friday, Jan. 1
Trash Collection
- Friday trash collection will be pushed back to Saturday
Mayor Muriel Bowser will start off 2016 with a 5K walk/run near RFK Stadium tomorrow morning.
The run will begin at the intersection of 19th Street NE and East Capitol Street, in front of Eastern High School. Runners of all fitness levels can register for free online. The annual run is part of Bowser’s FitDC initiative to promote health in the District.
Bowser also announced that as part of that initiative, all District Department of Parks and Recreation fitness centers will be free for D.C. residents in 2016.
Fitness centers, which used to require a membership fee, will offer free treadmills, stationary bikes, elliptical machines and weights to residents.
The fitness centers in the Capitol Hill area are:
- King Greenleaf Recreation Center – 201 N St. SW
- Rosedale Community Center – 1701 Gales St. NE
- Sherwood Recreation Center – 640 10th St. NE
Members of H Street Runners will participate in a global effort to raise awareness and money for refugees of the civil war in Syria with a 5K tomorrow evening on the National Mall.
The informal run is part of 5K4Refugees international virtual 5K, which is raising money for CARE International’s efforts to help refugees in Turkey and elsewhere. The concept of a virtual 5K is that people around the world will organize small fundraising runs in their communities to raise money for the same cause.
H Street Runners, along with members of several other local running groups, including the Capitol Hill Running Club and the citywide Capital Striders, will start their run at 6:30 p.m. Thursday near the Capitol Building reflecting pool. The runners will run through the Mall in small groups, finishing at the reflecting pool.
Afterwards, runners will meet at Hamilton’s Bar and Grill at 233 2nd St. NW for a post-run happy hour.
The race was organized by H Street Runners member Adam Siple, who heard about the international event from a friend and fellow runner.
“I can’t take credit for the larger initiative, I just thought I could organize a local run since I happen to be coordinating events for H Street Runners anyway,” he said. “There was some significance here because we are the nation’s capital, and other people in the club seemed to agree and really helped put it together and get the word out.”
Siple said he expects 50-60 people to participate in the run, but emphasized that it is an informal gathering and participants will run in small groups to prevent any disruptions around the Mall. Any interested in running are welcome to arrive and can RSVP and find more information on the Facebook event page.
Runners or supporters can donate to CARE’s refugee relief fund online.
While temperatures are expected to warm into the 60s tomorrow, Siple said the runners are prepared to face the cold if the heat doesn’t stick around past sundown.
“This is a very significant showing for a run in December,” he said. “It might be cold and dark tomorrow but it’s pretty cold and dark right now if you’re a refugee I imagine, so the least we can do is run.”
Photo via Facebook/ 5K4Refugees International Virtual 5K
Hundreds of runners are expected to descend on the the H Street corridor next weekend for an evening 5K race, organizers of the run said this week.
The Midnight on Mars 5K could include as many as 250 people who have signed up to run on sidewalks on H Street NE and other area roads on Aug. 1 from 9 to 10 p.m.
Matt Green, a co-founder of the District Running Collective, which is organizing the race, said at a community meeting that the runners won’t all start at the same time. Instead, the runners will be split into groups that leave the starting line at different intervals, he said.
The annual run, which began in 2013, has been a “positive” experience for the District, he said.
“It’s not like a normal run or race where people are really worried about themselves,” Green said. “We promote community and motivate one another.”
The race will begin and end at Gallery O on H at 1354 H St. NE. The gallery will host “The Running Room,” which will have fitness vendors and giveaways. After the race, the gallery will have drinks and live music.
Runners can register for the race online for $40.
Photo via Facebook/District Running Collective
