Spring time for South East

 So spring time has finally come around.  It has been absolutely beautiful here in DC. 

That being said, I say its about time to get the neighborhood together, and get out there and clean up.  Why do people still in this day and age, not understand the concept of not littering?  Seriously? Do you really have no respect for your own enviroment?  Im not even talking about the earth, more so the area you are actually living in.  Do you just toss trash on the floor of your house?  If so, don't the rats and fleas, and bacteria/mold disgust you?  How can you live in piles of your own filth? 

If you don't dump trash around your house, why do you think its ok to drop the trash on the street as you walk? 

Good bike paths in dc?

I've heard that DC has some good places to go biking.  Perhaps the C&O Canal Towpath, or the Crescent Trail, but those are two paths that basically run parallel to each other in NW DC.  I hear that Rock Creek Park has bike paths in it, but this is also in NW. 

What about ways for commuters to traverse DC with out using cars, or the public transit system?  Is there a reasonable system of bike paths and bike routes, to perhaps enable, or even encourage bike commuting in this city?  Not one that I've found.  So far every bike path or route I've attempted to follow to get to any of my many work locations have ended up with me riding on questionable routes, and through very heavy car and pedestrian (tourist) traffic.  While I know that no system is able to be 100% great, I still would like to think that DC could step it up at least a few notches. 

Today, I went on a little photo expedition in my own neighborhood.  I followed one of the proposed "Bike Routes" that is supposedly designed to transport commuters from South East DC (read Anacostia) to South Capitol Street bridge, and on towards down town.  This route leads us right by both ends of the Anacostia metro station, and through the Park Police training facility, into Anacostia Park.

Here are a few of the photos I took on my journey.

This is across the Howard Road from the Anacostia Bus Terminal and Metro Station.

This is the intersection of Howard Road and Firth Sterling Ave, where the bike route runs int o a series of curbs with no cut outs for the cross walks.

Here the bike path continues under 295 on Howard Road.  The side walk becomes very narrow, and would be hard for anyone to pass or for people heading different directions to get by each other.

And here we find a fire hydrant right in the middle of the sidewalk.  Which make it impossible to ride through this stretch.

After turning off Howard Road, and up towards the Anacostia Metro and parking lot, you come to this point, where the route seems to either disappear completely, or turn into the road.

Here we find a 2 foot wall that you would have to carry your bike over, if you chose to not ride the road, and bike up into the parking garage.

And across the road from the 2 foot wall, or down the road from the entrance to the metro access road, we find what they call a bike path, which I call a single person wide gate, that you have to cross a dirt path to reach. 


When it comes down to it, this is unacceptable.  How does DC expect people to ride their bikes to work, when they haven't established the proper infrastructure to enable it?  What benefits would creating safe bike routes for commuters?  Well they are cheaper to maintain than regular roads, bicyclists put less stress on the roads if they use them, and if more people biked to work, then there would be fewer cars on the road.  If DC's priorities were in the right place they would put more emphasis on creating alternatives to driving to work.  Whether it is creating a real system of bike routes, or furthering the public transit system, or building a system that encorperates the two together, this city has a lot of progress that still needs to be made. 

More reports like this to follow......

Marion Barry

Is officially Censured by the DC City Council!  Its about time!  Now if we could only get Ward 8 to boot the loser!  Don't get me wrong, he has done a number of great things for this city over the years, but at this point, its really coming down to a "what have you done for me lately," sort of situation.  I think that he needs to bow out, as he is no longer the champion of the people he had once been.  At this point he is riding his political career out, and potentially trying to pocket some additional benefits as long as he can.

People, its time for a change, lets see some new voices in power.  Lets see some new policies, and fresh ways of thinking.

There comes a point when its best to fade away, before you dig your hole any deeper....

Big Chair Coffee

If you haven't already been to Big Chair Coffee, you should check it out some time.  The staff are incredibly nice, and they are striving to improve their service, from the already attentive and helpful.  They seem to want to know what everyone thinks about their products. 

We helped to get their wifi up and running the other day.  The shop is quite nicely appointed.

I want to say...

DC you did a pretty good job of clearing the roads, post the "blizzard." 

Hey local high school kids.....

...When you try to break into a condo, that has a fair amount of upstanding people, including atleast one person who is a federal agent, and another who works for MPD, you might run into some jail issues.

If those three kids who broke our drive in gate, and broke into one car, and came back later to try to break into a unit, and when they developer came to chase you off, you ran, and threw a rock through his window, are reading this, why don't you go be a productive member of society?  I didn't go to school, and I still am at a point where I bought a place at age 24.  You want to know how I did it?  Well it wasn't through a life of crime, attempting to steal things to get the things I wanted.  Instead, I went and got a job, I worked hard, and saved until I could afford what I wanted.  Theft, will get you no where, except where you have already been.  Crime is cyclical, so why start.

River East Walmart.....

Supporters of Walmart coming to the Anacostia area, are seriously underestimating the impact that Walmart will have on the neighborhood. Walmarts only pay their employees enough to really shop at Walmart. Thus they create an company store type situation. This also leads to the neighborhoods seeing economic decline, with less money going to smaller "mom & pop" type stores, and more money going to Walmart, thus forcing the employees of the "mom & pop" store to shop at the Walmart, until nothing is left but Walmart. While the prospect of bringing in a giant box store seems nice to a neighborhood initially, it has long lasting economic effects that are devastating.

Plus any attempt of the employees of Walmarts to unionize, for better wages, or conditions have been met with hostility, and eventual store closings, siting loss of profitability.

On top of that, Walmarts demands for lower bulk pricing, often pushes manufacturers to sell their goods for less than cost, and this in turn cripples manufacturing jobs to the point where at least one company has gone under.

Walmart should have no place in America, let alone Anacostia. Lets do our best to keep them out!