A man was shot on Friday night a block away from the Waterfront Metro station in Southwest.
Police discovered the man suffering from a gunshot wound on the 200 block of L Street SW about 10:15 p.m. Friday. The man was hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries. Police did not release any suspect description but mentioned that there was a group of people loitering in the area before the shooting.
Earlier on Friday, two people were threatened by a person with a weapon near the Potomac Avenue Metro station.
The confrontation happened about 2:30 p.m. Friday on the 1300 block of Pennsylvania Avenue SE. Police officers searched the area after the incident and arrested a suspect who was also wanted for a robbery committed in November. Police did not say what the weapon used was.
Early Saturday morning, a newspaper deliverer was robbed at gunpoint near King Greenleaf Recreation Center in Southwest. The man reported that he was delivering newspapers on the 1300 block of 1st Street SW about 5 a.m. when he was accosted by two men. One of the men displayed a handgun and demanded money.
The thieves stole money from the man and fled on 1st Street SW and may have gotten into a white vehicle, according to an email from Metropolitan Police Department First District Commander Mark Beach. The suspects were both described as black men with black, hooded North Face jackets and face masks.
On Saturday night a man was robbed at gunpoint in an alley on the H Street corridor. The man was taking trash to a back alley on the 1300 block of H Street NE about 11 p.m. when he was threatened by a man armed with a handgun.
The attacker stole the man’s cell phone and money before fleeing the alley, according to an email from MPD Lieutenant Brian A. Murphy. The thief was described as a skinny black man about 6 feet tall wearing a tan hooded sweatshirt, black jacket and dark pants. The victim was not injured in the robbery.
Early this morning, two men robbed the 7-11 near the Eastern Market Metro station.
Two armed men entered the convenience store at 429 8th St. SE about 3:45 a.m. and demanded money. Both men were armed with handguns, according to an email from Murphy.
The men stole an undetermined amount of money from the store before fleeing on 8th Street SE. One suspect was described as a black man about 6 feet tall with a slim build. The other suspect was described as a black man about 5 foot 5 inches tall with a slim build.
A neighborhood organization in Southwest is working with the District Office on Aging to establish a senior village that will serve Southwest and Navy Yard.
Senior villages offer services to older area residents including home maintenance, assistance with shopping and medical appointments and social events. There are currently eight senior villages in D.C., including the Capitol Hill Village.
The effort to bring a village to Southwest began in 2013 when the Waterfront Gateway Neighborhood Association and the Southwest Neighborhood Assembly noted the need for more services for seniors in the area. Last October, the SGNA began a partnership with the D.C. Office on Aging to establish the village.
Senior villages are membership-based nonprofit organizations with a goal of making it easier for older residents to live safely in their homes and connect with their neighbors, according to the DCOA website.
Villages typically offer home services such as grocery delivery and maintenance, health a nutritional support services, financial and legal services and social activities, according to Bob Craycraft, the Executive Director of the WGNA.
Craycraft said that the WGNA is currently surveying residents to find out which services are most needed in the Southwest and Navy Yard area.
“We’re trying to gauge the interest in the community to see if we have enough of a membership base to justify the launch of a village,” he said. “We’re trying to determine where people’s needs are and asking what people what is of key interest to them.”
Those who might be interested in a senior village in Southwest can sign up for a listserv by emailing [email protected]. An automated response email links listserv members to a survey where they can express which aspects of the village they are most interested in.
Craycraft added that the WGNA hopes to partner with St. Augustine Episcopal Church at 617 I St. SW to help administer the village, which may base its offices in the church. The church already offers nutritional services for seniors in the area.
The Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority announced today that it will soon begin work to replace all three escalators at the Waterfront Metro station in Southwest.
Construction will start at the station Jan. 18, according to a statement released today. The three elevators at the station’s entrance will be replaced one at a time and Metro expects the repairs to take slightly longer than two years.
Southwest Residents Complain of Noise from Short-Term Renters — Residents along the Southwest waterfront complain that people renting properties for days or weeks are disturbing the community with noise and large parties. [NBC Washington]
Violent Crime Up in Past Month on Capitol Hill and Hill East — Violent crime has increased over the past 30 days relative to the previous 30 days throughout the Capitol Hill area. [Capitol Hill Corner]
Ambar to Add Calorie Counts to Lunch Menu — Ambar on Barracks Row is one of the first non-chain restaurants in the District to include calorie information on its menu. [Eater]
Maketto to Serve Dim Sum Brunch Starting Sunday — H Street eatery Maketto announced yesterday that it will start Dim Sum Sundays, an a la carte brunch that will be served weekly 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. [Eater]
ANC Endorses Mixed-Use Building With Black Box Theater at Waterfront Station Parcel — ANC 6D threw their support behind a plan for a mixed-use building at 1000 4th Street SW with 443 apartments and and 22,500 square feet of retail. The plan was recommended above two other proposals for development at the site. [Urban Turf]
Armed Thieves Rob Ice Cream Truck Near Nationals Park — Two men, one of whom had a gun, held up an ice cream truck just before 9 p.m. Sunday on N Street SW near Nationals Park. [Washington Post]
New Renderings Show Inside Future Dock 79 Apartment Building in Southwest — Developers behind a building along the Southwest waterfront with 305 apartments and 20,000 square feet of retail have released new renderings of the buildings interior and waterfront promenade. The building is set to open next summer. [Curbed]
Capitol Hill Agenda is a listing of interesting events for the week ahead in the Capitol Hill area. If you’d like to see your event featured, fill out our event submission form.
For more events, be sure to check out our event calendar.
Wednesday
Capitol Hill Walk to School Day
Lincoln Park
Time: 7:30 – 8:30 a.m.
Join the Capitol Hill Public Schools Parent Organization for an early morning party to kickoff Walk to School Day. The event is set to have snacks, school performances, transportation and education supporters, as well as parkour and yoga, which are new for this year. The party will end with students from each school walking to school together. Schools can register online for materials and giveaways from the District Department of Transportation’s safe routes program.
Friday
Drinky Events Cider and Popcorn Pairing
Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital (921 Pennsylvania Ave. SE)
Time: 6:30 – 8 p.m.
The first event from Drinky Events will teach locals, who are at least 21 years old, how to enjoy ciders and certain flavors of popcorn at the same time. A tasting will include five ciders and different popcorn flavors to go with each. Mike Stein of Lost Lagers will also shed some of his knowledge about ciders. Tickets are $35 and available online.
Friday and Saturday
D.C. Armory (2001 East Capitol St. SE)
Time: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. (8:30 – 10 a.m. for U.S. military and Defense Department workers)
D.C. residents don’t have to have run in Sunday’s Army Ten-Miler to stop by the race’s expo, held all day Friday and Saturday. Vendors inside the D.C. Armory will have sales on running clothing, shoes and accessories. Old Guard Drill Team and Fife and Drum Corps performances will happen throughout the day inside the armory, while Army special operations soldiers will host interactive exhibits outside the expo. The displays may include helicopters, trucks and a tank. The expo is free.
Saturday
Southwest DC Waterfront Boat-Home Tours
Gangplank Marina (600 Water St. SW)
Time: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Meet the “liveaboard” community at Gangplank Marina as they open their doors to the public in the name of charity. The tour is self-guided with the opportunity to see up to 18 boat homes and learn about the residents’ lifestyles. Tickets are available for $20 online, and proceeds will benefit local southwest charities. The tours will happen as scheduled rain or shine.
Hill Now periodically publishes profiles of locals — from longtime residents to newcomers, from government officials to ordinary folks. Know someone we should feature? Email us at [email protected].
The sun is setting over the Washington Channel, turning the D.C. sky into a mix of pink and orange. On the water, life is just as vibrant.
A barge covered by two white canopy tents floats at the end of a long dock. More than a dozen locals, their guests and some dogs are milling about and chatting while having dinner and drinks, pot-luck style.
It’s a typical Thursday night for the Gangplank Marina “liveaboards,” who have moved their homes to the water, either in the form of a boat, yacht or barge.
Gangplank is the largest community of liveaboards on the East Coast. The marina has more than 300 boat slips, 94 of which can be occupied by boat-homes.
On Oct. 10, this community will open its doors for boat-home tours to give visitors a chance to experience this unique lifestyle.
“When you’re living in an apartment in the city, you don’t really have any sense of your surroundings,” liveaboard Jess Dankert said. “Here, it’s the complete opposite. You’re completely in tune with your environment and what’s going on outside.”
Many of Gangplank’s liveaboards are couples, like Dankert and her husband Travis Johnson, who moved in within the past decade. A select few of them have spent more than 25 years on the water, while some children and teenagers have spent their entire lives on a boat-home.
“Here’s what everybody needs to remember about us: We’re just normal people,” said Debbie, a solo liveaboard of 14 years who declined to provide her last name due to her work in national defense.
She first got the idea to live on a boat from an teacher she had when she was 22 years old.
“Years later, the house I was renting in Alexandria went up for sale, so I decided I was going to live my dream and buy a boat,” Debbie said. “I did, and I’ve been here ever since.”
Many liveaboards in Gangplank discovered this lifestyle on accident and decided to give it a try. After moving in, they quickly realized life on the docks gave them so much more than a new home.
“It’s the tightest community we’ve ever been in,” liveaboard Gary Blumenthal said. “It’s totally different here because we share a hobby, a special interest, and every day you’re sharing stories and helping one another.”
Gary and his wife, Jeanie, are first-time liveaboards and recent empty-nesters who have spent the last year between their boat-home and their house in Virginia. They both still work, but they hope to sell the house and become “loopers,” or people who travel the Eastern United States strictly by water.
“We have to keep ourselves challenged to make sure we grow even in our older years,” Blumenthal said about the lifestyle change. “At our age, our goal is to learn new things, not to sit in some suburban corner and watch TV all day.”
Life on a boat-home proves to have many daily challenges. Motors break. There’s a constant need for more storage. The boats require regular maintenance. Winters are long, dark and cold, especially when the water in the channel freezes and sewage tanks don’t get pumped out in below-freezing weather.
Still, when weighed against the responsibilities associated with owning a home, Gangplank’s residents choose to stay. They keep busy by regularly holding social events, caring for pets and getting involved with their neighbors outside of Gangplank through their boat-home tours.
The Gangplank liveaboards have made a town of their own inside the busy city and encourage anyone who has even thought about living differently to go for it.
“Take the plunge,” liveaboard Jeanie Blumenthal said. “Don’t get so overwhelmed that you talk yourself out of it. It’s a great place to live.”
D.C. Olympics Supporters Eye Future Events, Including 2028 Olympics — Washington 2024, the group that unsuccessfully vied to make D.C. the host of the 2024 Olympics, hopes to bring similar international events to the Capitol Hill area, including a possible bid to host the 2028 Olympics. [Washington Business Journal]
Tickets Available for Yoga in the Outfield — Residents can work off the stress of the Nationals’ disappearing playoff chances with Yoga in the Outfield at Nationals Park after the Nationals play the Phillies on Sept. 27. [The Hill is Home]
Developers Plan Another Large Mixed-Use Building for NoMa — Developers Trammell Crow are planning for apartments, condos, retail and a hotel at a 2.5 acre plot near the NoMa-Gallaudet Metro Station. [Washington Business Journal]
Southwest Waterfront Houseboats to Open for Visitors — Several houseboat owners at the Gangplank Marina in Southwest will open their floating homes to visitors during a ticketed tour in October. [The Southwester]
Capitol Hill Agenda is a listing of interesting events for the week ahead in the Capitol Hill area. If you’d like to see your event featured, fill out our event submission form.
For more events, be sure to check out our event calendar.
Thursday
Anacostia River Cleanup Canoe Trip
Anacostia Community Boathouse (1900 M St. SE)
Time: 1:30-4 p.m.
Thirty volunteers will help clean the river during a canoe trip guided by the Anacostia Watershed Society. RSVP required.
Canal Park Outdoor Movie: ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’
Canal Park (200 M St. SE)
Time: 7-10 p.m.
Have a picnic and see “Guardians of the Galaxy” for free as part of the Canal Park Outdoor Movie Series.
Friday
Fairgrounds (Half and M streets SE)
Time: 11 a.m.-11 p.m.
Food trucks descend on the Fairgrounds in Navy Yard for the Truckeroo festival. Past food trucks have included D.C. Slices, Goodies Custard, Red Hook Lobster Pound, Surfside and TaKorean.
‘Summer Sounds and Sizzlin’ BBQ’: Liam Evans & The Soul Revue
Gangplank Marina at The Wharf (600 Water St. SW)
Time: 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Listen to the soul music of Liam Evans & The Soul Revue along the Southwest waterfront promenade.
Josh Lyman Returns — Bradley Whitford is embracing his destiny. The actor most known for his role on the West Wing is coming back to D.C. and will introduce the performers at the big July 4th concert on the National Mall. [WTOP]
Neighborhood Considerations — The Hill East ANC recently took a look at the possible benefits offered by new developers in the area. [Capitol Hill Corner]
Art Nouveau — This breakdown of new public art spaces highlights a new mural at the Fridge near Barracks Row. [Washington City Paper]
Southwest Yoga — A look at M Street Yoga on the Waterfront. Drop-in classes are $17 and first-time customers can buy a 30 day pass for $30. [The Hill is Home]
