by Gary Thompson During the Civil War, the critical defensive perimeter surrounding Washington passed through the Forest Hills neighborhood. After the outbreak of the war in 1861, and especially in the wake of the Battle of Bull Run (July 21, 1861), the Union Army constructed what would become one of the most formidable defensive systems […]
Photos: Some of the neighborhood damage from the June 19 storm
by Marlene Berlin Thursday night’s storm packed a punch. High winds and heavy rain brought down branches, trees, and power lines across the region. Our neighborhood was similarly impacted. Politics and Prose lost power for a time. Did you? Our Conn Ave location is closed due to the power outage. We hope everyone is safe […]
The “Shop-Local Workout,” Holiday 2024 edition
Put your best walking shoes and a large backpack by the door. It’s time for our annual holiday tradition: the “Shop-Local Workout.” In 2012, our editor-in-chief told us about some of her favorite walks and some of her favorite stops. And every year since, we have published a new version of the multi-neighborhood shopping-and-walking tour, […]
Business in Brief: A Van Ness celebration “treasure” map, a restaurant homecoming, and who’s the Chevy Chase cheeseburger champ?
Van Ness Main Street, partners, and sponsors are throwing a big, 12-hour neighborhood party on Saturday, September 14th. The events list on the “Celebrate Van Ness Main Street” Eventbrite page has been expanding for weeks, and now you can see it mapped out below. 1) 10 am – 12 pm. Clean-up at Forest Hills Park. […]
Main Street updates: Van Ness’s busy calendar, Cleveland Park’s night market, Chevy Chase’s First Fridays, Tenleytown’s music festival
Local Main Street organizations exist to recruit new businesses and provide day-to-day support for existing ones. This can look like alerting them to grants for storefront upgrades and remodeling, or helping them apply for the typical permits required to operate a business here. It can mean assisting them with promotional tools such as social media. […]
Avalon Theatre’s May 5 gala celebrates history of film scores, and supports film education for DC schools
The Avalon Theatre’s gala on Sunday, May 5th will celebrate 90 years of Oscar-winning film scores. The next day, the theater will screen a documentary for a special audience that’s another focus of the annual fundraising event. Cinema Classroom at the Avalon began in 2013 and is a free program for DC students in 6th […]
Main Street updates: Holiday light competitions, winter markets, and a Santa-themed bar crawl and fundraiser
Small and local businesses have been gearing up for the holidays, and so have our area Main Streets, with events designed to bring people to their commercial corridors for shopping and dining. Van Ness Main Street’s 8th annual Holiday Pop-Up market is Saturday, December 2nd. Shop 30 local vendors from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., […]
Opinion: The case for better Connecticut Avenue bus service, and how advocacy could make it happen
by Marlene Berlin As WMATA develops its “Better Bus” regionwide plan, a big question for residents along upper Connecticut Avenue is whether bus service really will be better: faster, more reliable, and more frequent. There’s a case to be made that Connecticut needs all of the above. But getting there will require more advocacy by […]
Main Street updates: Another plug for Art All Night; Appraise “treasures” in Chevy Chase, Spooktacular save-the-date
The Main Street organizations of Van Ness, Cleveland Park and Tenleytown are gearing up for what promises to be a great Art All Night on September 29th and 30th. We’ve written here about what to expect at the Van Ness Art All Night event on Saturday, September 29th, including appearances by WAMU’s Kojo Nnamdi and […]
Neighborhood in the News: Another ambassador moving in; Rent on the rise; The real birthplace of the U.S. atomic age
After living in hotels and other temporary homes in Washington for the past two years, Israeli Ambassador Michael Herzog is getting a new and permanent official residence. And it’s in Forest Hills. The mansion at 3301 Fessenden Street NW was built in 2019 and originally listed for $15 million dollars. The list price when it […]