The X2

Last week we looked at three new restaurants coming to H Street NE. There are other new businesses on the way outside of the food service type, so I'll be keeping up with those as well. First up is a reopening of sorts. The Pursuit Wine Bar is relocating to 1025 H Street NE after 5 years at 1421 H (now the home of Ella Grace). Pursuit was always a chill, relaxing place for a glass to me, based on the few times I visited. I haven't acquired the square footage counts, but the new space looks to be much larger and is a coveted corner spot. The renderings also indicate one of those big wall windows that would allow you to sit at the outside bar and order from the inside bartender. I love those. I have exclusively been a client of Freed Bodyworks pretty much since they opened and that won't change anytime soon. Super, high praise shout out to their staff, comfortable & inclusive setting, and yes, the therapeutic bodywork and other services. Amazing place and I'...

920 H Street NE Tear-down and constriction has recently enveloped the property at 920 H Street NE, the former site of Park's Hardware. The store closed four years ago and the property has remained vacant since. The new project will result in a 10 unit apartment building named Ashton Park . The units range from a 471 sq ft studio to a 1,220 sq ft 2BR. There will be 3,600 sq ft of retail on the ground and basement levels; apparently being designing to snag a top restaurant or bar. The owners also seem to be catering to a transient audience of renters, offering what they describe as "hotel-like" amenities, providing some fully furnished units, and offering leases as short as two-months in length. They even call the studio a "hotel suite." Interesting concept. Delivery unknown, but I'm guessing early 2020.

If you live in Atlas, Trinidad, or Carver Langston, you won't need to go far for holiday shopping. This amazing pop-up shop just opened at 417 H Street NE. This is a v cute space on the second floor above Sidamo Coffee.  The Pop-Up Collaborative  features about 20 women and minority owned brands. Products range from candles, to kid & adult clothes, shoes, body & skin care, jewelry, artwork, , handbags, and a whole bunch more. Please support this place! The pop-up is open Wednesday to Sunday, 12pm to 7pm, every week until December 24th.  In addition, one of the vendors (and the organizer of the pop-up) -- Shea Yeleen -- is hosting an ugly sweater party this Saturday at 7pm in the space. I've been waiting to debut a sweater (really a sweatshirt) I got last year, so.... yeah. It may make an appearance.  Support this pop-up! 

Hempburger / 408 H St NE Hempburger has signage up at 408 H Street NE. The restaurant looks to be a derivative of Khepra's Raw Food Juice Bar which is currently just a few doors down at 402 H Street NE. About a year ago, we noted signage at this address indicating Khepra's was actually relocating (link) . So, it's not exactly clear if Khepra's is moving or if they are just opening the Hempburger location and keeping the current resto open. We'll see.  Here's the menu for Khepra's . They're all raw, all vegan, all the time. And yes, they serve a hempburger! Updates as they come. 1350-1352 H Street NE ABRA placards (111354) are up for 1350-1352 H Street NE. They're requesting a Class C Tavern licence under the trade name O2. The request is specifically for: "A tavern that will be open for private events for specific occasions such as weddings, art exhibits, banquets, and other events. The tavern is requesting an Entertainment En...

The first retail tenant for the Constellation on H condo building will be a liquor store. ABRA placards (111599) are up for a Class A liquor store that is listed under the trade name "Cheers DC!." Constellation on H is a triangular shaped, 28 unit condo building bordered by H Street NE, Florida Ave, and 14th Street. The address is 1402 H Street NE. It's not clear if the liquor store will comprise the entire retail space which, at 4,900 sq ft, takes up most of the first floor. The builders of Constellation took care to add concrete pads to the north side of the building and the retail pitch materials showed outdoor seating as an option, so you have to wonder if they were looking to score a restaurant or cafe. As long as they carry Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum, I'm good! Good luck Cheers DC.

Rendering courtesy of KGD Architecture . Delta Towers --located at the Starburst intersection of Florida Ave, H Street, Bladensburg Rd, and Benning Road, NE-- is gearing up for a major expansion. Fences are already up around the perimeter of the property, presaging a significant transformation and addition of residential units to the H Street corridor.  There are 179 new units slated for "Fortitude at Delta Towers" as part of a nearly $1 billion bond issue via DCHFA (PDF) All units in Fortitude will be for seniors and all units will be affordable as each will leased at a maximum of 30% AMI. From the DCHFA press release  (PDF): "The redevelopment of Delta Towers is $96 million project. Delta Towers is a 100 percent affordable senior community with all units leased at a maximum of 30 percent AMI. Thirty of the apartments will receive LRSP subsidy and 18 will be designated as permanent supportive housing with housing assistance payments via the DC Housing Autho...

A lot has happened this summer! Here's some of what I took notice of in July and August. Follow TheX2BusDC on Twitter for real time neighborhood observations and photos. Carver is a bit safer for pedestrians. DDOT has made quite a few upgrades to 19th St NE in Carver this summer. Earlier this year, they added ADA accessible curb ramps to each intersection from Benning Road to M Street. And just in the last few weeks, they've added new pedestrian-crossing stripes as well as a new road surface to the block of 19th between I Street and Maryland Ave.  Damaged Streetcar station reopens The eastbound 3rd Street NE DC Streetcar station sat closed for nearly 15 months. A Megabus destroyed it in an April 2017 collision and the station remained closed during the construction of an adjacent apartment building. It finally reopened on August 7th, 2018. New music venue, same pies Dangerously Delicious Pies added a second floor to their shop, in the form of a new ...

Several multifamily residential buildings are being constructed on H Street NE and are in various stages of completion. Here's a mini-update on the build-out status of four of the more prominent projects. The Coda on H is a 112 unit apartment building located at 315 H Street NE. There are studios, 1BRs, and 2BRs. Sample rent: a 536 sq foot 1 BR on the 5th floor, facing H Street, is currently online for $2,122/month. The current range for available units is $1,800 to $4,345. The ground floor still needs work, but they are currently accepting leases. This building is walking distance to Union Station and also has an eastbound DC Streetcar stop at the front door. 7,000 square feet of ground floor retail is planned. Avec on H (and no, I'm not a fan of any of these names) is currently the largest residential building under construction on H St NE at 420 units. It spans two city blocks from 8th to 10th Streets. Just based on the eye test, it appears that they are a little o...

Corner of 7th and H Streets NE. One of the many ongoing active build sites along H Street NE is happening on one of the most heavily redeveloped blocks. The 600 block of H Street NE is already home to two large apartment buildings, the Apollo (430 units) and Anthology (307 units). The simply titled 7|H building looks to bring 23 more units to the block, likely in the form of condominiums.  Rock Creek Property Group has set in on the build out, which is basically a tear down of all but a symbolic facade of the previous two level structures that made up the corner. The new building will be six stories tall and include retail totaling 14,000+ sq ft on the lower, first, and second levels. Just based on the eye test I'd guess the building will deliver late, late 2018 or early 2019. The 23 units in 7|H units would bring the total number of housing units on this one block to 760. Not every block can be this dense, but we should try to bring more, larger, and affordable units ...

Buredo will open at 625 H Street NE. Target plans to open a small format store in Ivy City [ Bisnow ]. If you've ever been to the Target in Columbia Heights (which turns 10 years old next week), you know that it is busy. I mean, very busy. At all open hours. It's also a very large store at 180,000 square feet. The Ivy City store will come in at 67,000 square feet, less than 40% the size of the Columbia Heights store. The location of the new store will be New York Ave at 16th St NE, just across from Petco. This is adjacent to the first stop on the downtown bound D4 bus. Walking, this is about a 30 minute, 1.5 mile walk from Carver. Plans are for the store to open on 2020, which seems ambitious, but I guess we'll see.  Google Street View capture of 16th and New York Ave NE; future location of Target. *     *     * Buredo looks as if will finally open, today! By the time you read this (well, if it is after 11 AM on Wednesday) they...

The Daily Rider bike shop reopened last week in the Apollo apartment building at 600 H Street NE. They were previously a few blocks down at 1108 H (now a spin studio). Daily Rider has a stylish selection of city bikes, some sportier bikes, accessories, and a repair section. The hours are weekdays 10 AM - 7 PM, Saturdays 10-6 and Sundays 12-6. Good morning H Street! pic.twitter.com/QER1cFRrT9 — The Daily Rider (@TheDailyRiderDC) February 2, 2018

ABRA placards are up for Truth Hookah and Cigar Lounge. The address is 1220 H Street NE, just west of SingSing Karaoke and Sticky Rice. The traded name is listed as "Truth Hookah/Cigar." and they are seeking a Class C Tavern licence allowing for live entertainment, dancing, and cover charge. Total occupancy load would be 198 with 95 seated. No summer garden or sidewalk seating are requested. 1220 H Street was built nearly 100 years ago, in 1920, and has 2,526 square feet on two floors. Truth Hookah and Cigar has a Twitter account and have shared some pre-construction photos already. They indicate a Spring 2018 opening.

V Street, the vegan street food concept from Philadelphia, is tuning it pitch just a bit. The owners have secured a spot in the Apollo Apartment building at 6th and H NE; the same building as Whole Foods and Wydown Coffee. They are currently building out, but it looks like the concept may be changing even before they open. The Washington Post is reporting that V Street is switching from a casual street food concept to a more traditional upscale restaurant -- complete with a name change to Fancy Radish . The name is a play on a dish served at Vedge, one of their high end restaurants in Phila. I was really loving the idea of the causal street food vibe they presented with V Street , but I can appreciate a little diversity in the scene. There are definitely places to get both the counter-service-casual and table-service-sit-down all vegan experience. On the casual side you have places like NuVegan (aka Woodlands), Sticky Fingers, Khepra's, Shouk, Hip City Veg, Fruitive, an...

Happy New Year! Here's to a healthy, fun, and productive 2018. About this blog: By keeping up with and documenting changes along the X2 bus line --the good, the bad, and the... questionable-- it helps me figure out where the city and our neighborhood are heading. It's more than a hobby and I'm the kind of person that loves to observe change over time, especially in the built environment.  With all the bleak and disheartening news emanating from a certain NW address, it helps to focus on the local things, even stuff like restaurant openings & closings, long term transit/infrastructure projects, and far-from-reality proposals for apartment buildings with ground floor retail. All that goes to say that not every post is groundbreaking news, but it is our news. I'll keep trying to make the posts interesting and relevant. As always, for more timely news, more photos, and #hottakes, Twitter is the place I share most often . Here are some openings and coming-s...

High end sneaker and streetwear retailer  A Ma Maniére looks to open on H Street NE. Signage was just installed above the entrance to 1214 H Street NE. A Ma Maniére is one of a bevy of high end fashion retailers from James Whitner. I love his story of opening specialty stores in mid-sized cities like Orlando, Charleston, and Tallahassee as opposed to going straight to New York and LA, whose markets are already full of high end stores. Here is a cool write up on the whole story in Complex. A Ma Maniére is definitely top of the line carrying the like of Off-White, Alexander Wang, and Maison Margiela. 1214 H has been in a long state of reconstruction after being purchased for nearly $1,000,000 in June 2015. This property had been a vacant property for some time even beofre that. It's  listed as having nearly 2,000 square feet  of rentable space, but it's not clear if the store will encompass one or two floors. Probably both. The store is clearly not clos...

DC's eight CAVA restaurant will be opening soon at 523 H Street NE. This will be the second Northeast location for the Greek and Mediterranean fast casual eatery, with the other being just blocks away inside Union Station. No word on exact opening date, but the interior is looking close to finished (perhaps ready for fixtures & equipment) and the exterior is getting a lot of the current attention with final paint jobs, repairs, and whatnot. CAVA employs a build-you-own, quick serve format. In my experience they move the lunch line faster than any other competitors (Chopt's may be as fast, but few others). CAVA is also vegan friendly! The new H Street store appears to be quite small, so I will be curious to see how they handle dining in. Still, grateful to have another quality fast casual option in the neighborhood. 

ABRA placards ( PDF ) are up for Allure Lounge at 711 H Street NE. Most recently home to a tax preparation company, 711 H is a storefront in a high foot traffic area near 8th and H; an intersection with several cross town bus routes and a DC Streetcar station. 711 H is between Shoe City and Po Boy Jim. Allure is seeking a class C tavern license, including entertainment endorsement, for a venue with 200 seats and total occupancy load of 400. Proposed hours --including operation, entertainment, and alcohol sales-- are Sunday - Thursday 11AM to 2 AM and until 3 AM on Friday and Saturday.

Holiday themed shows coming up at Atlas Performing Arts Center . Atlas is located at 1333 H Street NE. From the organizers: Step Afrika!’s Magical Musical Holiday Step Show is the most vibrant holiday celebration in town! This fun, family-friendly performance will have you stomping your feet and clapping your hands to energetic beats from Step Afrika! and special guest, DJ Frosty the Snowman. Over the last six years, this internationally-renowned percussive dance company has created a contemporary holiday tradition at the Atlas, featuring friendly, furry characters, pre-show instrument-making workshops, photo ops, and even a dance party. Why celebrate the holidays sitting still when you can step with Step Afrika!  Family ticket packages and group rates available by calling  202.399.7993, ext. 2 .  12/15-30 -   Buy tickets Peter Pan . This holiday season, Andrew Earle Simpson performs a fairy-dust sprinkled original score for the beloved silent film, Pete...

Solid State Books is coming to H Street NE. We've known this for a while now and I'm still excited for them to bring an exciting new retail element to H Street. The bookstore will be in the same building as the Apollo apartments, Whole Foods, We Work, Daily Rider, and V Street restaurant. The bookstore will open soon enough. However starting *tomorrow* and running through the holiday season, the owners have decided to open a pop up book store nearby. From the organizers: "We're so excited to bring you a Solid State Books Holiday Pop-Up this Friday, just a few doors down from our permanent location at 600 H Street NE. While progress continues at the main store down the block, we're busy packing all we can into this space, and will have books, cards, totes, and many other gifts for every book-lover on your list!" Solid State also announced that they will offer a children's story time hosted inside the Apollo apartments. Dates and times TBD, b...

One DC built environment issue I have yet to fully figure out is why east-west travel is so difficult. Natural north-south barriers like Rock Creek Park combine with man-made ones like train yards and an awkward street grid to make cross town travel more difficult than it needs to be. It's frustrating that each major east-west route is so susceptible to bottlenecking or congestion. One of the more recently problematic east-west thoroughfares has been H Street NW near the Capitol Crossing project. Here, in just a few blocks' span, H Street crosses or runs parallel to Massachusetts Ave, 4th Street, 3rd Street, and an interstate highway, 395. The intersections here have always been a mess, but add to that a total reconstruction of H Street and Mass Ave in conjunction with decking over the interstate, and simultaneously building 2.2 million square feet of office, retail, and residential buildings adjacent to the intersection. This has been the scenario for the last ~two years...