Washington Sinfonietta Performs at Thomas Circle

Fri., Nov. 14 (7:30pm): The Washington Sinfonietta continues its current with a CONCERT at Thomas Circle’s historic National City Christian Church. Principal Conductor Joel Lazar will lead the Sinfonietta in its performance of Gabriel Fauré’s suite Masques et Bergamasques, Camille Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, and Felix Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 4, the “Italian.” The Sinfonietta will be joined by piano soloist Miki Aoki. The $15 tickets will be available at the door ($10, students and seniors; age 18 and under admitted free).

Mt. Pleasant Transportation Study Final Public Meeting

Sat., Nov. 15 (9am-12noon): The DC transportation department (DDOT), along with Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham will be hosting the FINAL PUBLIC MEETING at Sacred Heart Church (1625 Park Rd.) to present a summary of the recommended transportation improvements and alternatives that were identified as part of the Mt. Pleasant Transportation Study. The main presentation will be from 9 to 10:30 a.m., followed by an informal session. For more info, contact DDOT’s Ward 1 Transportation Planner, Gabriela Vega by telephone at (202) 478-1458 or by email, gabriela.vega@dc.gov.

The purpose of this study– conducted by Daniel Consultants, Inc., lee + papa and associates, and KLS Engineering — was to examine the existing and future traffic conditions in Mt. Pleasant, and to identify transportation-related improvements needed to enhance efficiency of all modes of transportation, promote safety of drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians and to enhance the streetscape. A copy of the study is available at www.dci-projects.com/Pleasant.

Those conducting this study were faced with certain realities: The neighborhood, which is a designated historic district, is traversed by busy east-west streets leading to destination centers in and around the city. These streets are called upon to serve and meet the demands of frequent transit routes, heavy pedestrian traffic, rush hour commuter demands, local auto destinations, bicyclists, and business loading. The corridor is challenged by a limited right of way that presents a bottleneck in the vehicular travel system. Pedestrian facilities are narrow and generally insufficient for demand. Bicycle facilities are absent despite demand. Presently, the efficient or reliable mobility of all modes are compromised, which in turn, presents a challenge to future development and economic expansion. DDOT is committed to making major transportation investments and improvements along these corridors including streetscape. DDOT and other District agencies wish to prioritize transit, safety, explore options to better accommodate pedestrian and bicycle needs in the neighborhood.

Special Exhibition of Photography by Children With AIDS/HIV

Thu., Nov. 18 (6-9pm): The Historical Society of Washington, located in the former Carnegie Library on Mt. Vernon Square, will be hosting an OPENING RECEPTION FUND-RAISER for the two-week showing of black and white photographs by about a dozen local DC children and teens living with AIDS and HIV. The show may be viewed Tuesdays through Sundays between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Sponsored by DC’s Pediatric AIDS/HIV Care, Inc., with the guidance of local professional photographers the children and teens decided on the show’s concept and theme and that it should be presented through black and white photography that would best allow for dramatic images capturing personal experiences as each one makes his or her way in a world still associating stigma and shame with this disease. The $75 per person tickets for the opening reception can be ordered by either by visiting www.pediatricaidshivcare.org or calling (202) 347-5366.

Columbia Heights Streetscape DDOT Project Public Meeting

Thu., Nov. 20 (7-8:30pm): The DC Transportation Department (DDOT) will be holding a PUBLIC MEETING at the Tubman Elementary School (2301 13th St.) to provide an update and to answer questions about its Columbia Heights Streetscape Project. Both English and Spanish speaking staff will be attending. For more info, call DDOT’s Civic Engagement Coordinator, Hadiah Jordan, at (202)610-0005 or send an email to hadiah@jsallc.com.

Preliminary work on the project began this summer with the installation of pavers and other minor improvements; construction on the Park Road portion of the project, between Mt. Pleasant and 14th Streets, began on November 10th and is expected to last about six months. This initial phase includes a public plaza and interactive fountain to be built in the small triangular park located at the intersection of 14th Street and Park Road. Phase II, scheduled to begin in August 2009, will include reconstruction of 14th Street between Newton Street and Columbia Road, as well as Irving Street between 14th and 16th Streets. Phase II is scheduled to begin next August.

Christmas Season Open House at Historic Anderson House

Thu., Dec. 4 (6-8:30pm): The Society of the Cincinnati will be opening is headquarters and museum at the historic Anderson House (2118 Mass. Ave.) for the public to enjoy “A Gilded Age Christmas: Celebrating Yuletide with the Anderson Family,” its third annual HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE. No reservations needed, but a contribution of $10 from adults is suggested (children free).

The event highlights Christmas traditions at the turn of the 20th century through the eyes of Larz and Isabel Anderson, one of the era’s most distinguished couples. Visitors are invited to stroll through the festively decorated mansion where each room will present a different theme — such as decorations, gift giving, entertaining and charity — related to Christmas celebrations during the Gilded Age. There will be refreshments evocative of that century-ago era, live holiday music and a crafts area for children.

As in previous years, the evening offers the rare opportunity to see this Beaux Arts mansion — filled with period decorations such as Christmas trees, poinsettias, garlands, wreaths and holly — at night. The marble great staircase is dramatically decorated with red and white poinsettias and evergreen swags twisted around columns. Two large Christmas trees in the ballroom and English drawing room sparkle with electric lights, German-style glass ornaments, and cornucopias filled with candy. Pine garland drapes fireplace mantels, staircase railings and doorways throughout the house, while sprays of holly grace paintings and wall sconces.

Anderson House, a National Historic Landmark, was completed in 1905 as the winter residence of Ambassador Larz Anderson III (1866-1937) and his wife, Isabel Weld Perkins (1876-1948). Larz Anderson, a career diplomat, served as American minister to Belgium and later, ambassador to Japan. Isabel Anderson was a prolific author and active Red Cross volunteer, having served in front-line hospitals in France and Belgium during World War I. This distinguished couple used Anderson House to entertain the social and political elite of Washington and to display their eclectic collection of fine and decorative arts. Upon Larz Anderson’s death in 1937, his wife gave the house and much of its original furnishings to the Society of the Cincinnati, of which he had been a devoted member. Since 1939 Anderson House has been open to the public as an historic house museum where visitors can see the Andersons’ collections and the Society’s changing exhibitions.

The museum is open Tue.-Sat., 1-4pm. Admission is free. For more information, call (202) 785-2040 or visit www.societyofthecincinnati.org.

15th St. Traffic Study Re-Opened for Additional Public Comment

Fri., Dec. 19: This will be the DEADLINE for the receipt of a new round of public comments addressing the city’s tentative 15th Street Reconfiguration proposal for resolving residents’ concerns about neighborhood access, safety and speeding along 15th Street between Massachusetts and Florida Avenues. The transportation department (DDOT) has already presented four alternative configurations, the last being at a public meeting on June 19th, for public comment and analyzed them with respect to bicycle level of service, vehicle level of service, cost, and timing. However, based on analysis of the comments received at that public meeting and subsequent numerous emails it became apparent that there was no clear community consensus.

Accordingly, Due to the lack of a clear consensus, DDOT staff has now developed a fifth alternative as a compromise between the desire to maintain one-way traffic and the desire for more bicycle facilities. This hybrid alternative features three northbound travel lanes, and bicycle lanes in both directions. It is with regard this fifth alternative that DDOT is soliciting comments that may be emailed to (and/or questions asked of) Transportation Planner Christopher Ziemann at christopher.ziemann@dc.gov or by regular mail c/o Reeves Center, 2000 14th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20010.

SELECTED STREET CRIMES

Reported for October, 2008

[Note: Entries for this month are partially incomplete due to reports not provided for several individual dates (1st, 2nd, 6th, 24th, 25th & 26th).]

Center, 3500 blk.: man assaulted & by 5 others resulting in him falling to the ground where he was punched & kicked before being robbed [7:15pm, Wed., 10/15]

Clifton, 1200 blk.: man robbed at gunpoint by 2 others of wallet, credit cards & Blackberry [12:30am, Sat., 10/11]

Clydesdale, 1800 blk.: man asked by 2 others for the time & when he pulled out his cell phone to check one of them grabbed him & punched him in the forehead while the other grabbed the cell phone; a passing motorist stopped her car & called 911 [8:30am, Fri., 10/10]

Columbia, 1700 blk. (alley): car jacking – man parking his car forced out by 2 men who got in & drove away [2am, Sat., 10/18]

Conn., 1200 blk.: man assaulted by another causing him to become unconscious & when he revived discovered that he had been robbed [10pm, Fri., 10/17]

Euclid, 1700 blk.: man’s way blocked by driver of a car who cut him off from proceeding & when he tried walking around the car was robbed at gunpoint by another man who had been walking behind [2:45am, Thu., 10/16]

Euclid, 1700 blk.: man accosted by another who punched him in the chest & then robbed him [2:30am, Sun., 10/19]

Georgia & Lamont: man robbed at gunpoint of $50 by 2 others [6:15am, Fri., 10/10]

Georgia, 2200 blk.: woman robbed at gunpoint by man who came from behind & told her, Give me your money; I don’t want to hurt you” [1:45pm, Tue., 10/14]

Girard, 1300 blk.: man attempting to jump aside from another running toward him as if he was deliberately trying to run him down then grabbed by that man & another, both of whom punched him in the face & robbed him [12:30am, Sun., 10/5]

Gresham, 600 blk.: man approached by 2 others who asked what he was holding in his hand & when he showed them his iPod, they snatched it from him [7:30pm, Mon., 10/27]

Holmead, 3400 blk.: man robbed at gunpoint by 3 others of wallet, $200, cell phone, key & ID [2am, Sat., 10/11]

Irving, 600 blk.: man robbed at gunpoint by 2 others of $20, credit cards & cell phone [1am, Sat., 1/18]Kenyon, 1300 blk.: man accosted by another who proceeded to beat & then rob him of cell phone [10pm, Fri., 10/10]

Kingman, 1500 blk.: man accosted by 4 others, one of whom pulled a gun & demanded, You know what time it is; you better have some money” & then robbed him [8:30pm, Fri., 10/3]

Lamont, 1000 blk. (alley): man accosted by another from the front & 2 others from behind & robbed as he was walking out from the alley [4:15pm, Sat., 10/4]

Lanier, 1700 blk.: man robbed at gunpoint of wallet & cell phone [1:30am, Sat., 10/4]

M, 1900 blk.: man walking from a nearby club accosted from behind by another who grabbed him by the neck and pinned him against a construction fence & robbed him [ 3:30am, Sun., 10/12]

Mass., 1700 blk.: woman accosted by man who pushed her to the ground & succeeded in pulling her purse from her when the strap broke [9:15pm, Tue., 10/21]

Meridian, 1500 blk. (rear parking lot): man approached from behind by person who struck him with an unknown object causing him to fall to the ground whereupon he lost consciousness & when he revived10pm, hat he had been robbed [3:15pm, Wed., 10/8]

Morton, 600 blk. (rear): man who had just gotten out of his car accosted from behind by another who placed a knife to his back & then punched him in the face & then stole property from the vehicle’s front seat [11pm, Wed, 10/15]

Mt. Pleasant, 3200 blk.: ,am accosted by 2 others demanding money & when he refused was assaulted & robbed [9:45pm, Thu., 109]

O, 2000 blk.: woman accosted from behind by man who pulling & grabbing her jacket causing her to fall against a parked car & then to the ground, whereupon he was able to rip a necklace from off her neck [3am, Sun., 10/12]

Oak, 1400 blk.: man surrounded by 5 others, grabbed from behind by one of them, punched by another & then robbed (2 of the assailants later arrested) [1:45pm, Thu., 10/9]

Park, 1400 blk.: man accosted by another who demanded his money & when told he had none was then pushed & told to turn over his Northface jacket [11:30pm, Mon., 10/6]

Park, 1600 blk.: man accosted by another who grabbed him by his shirt & demanded his money [12mid, Thu., 10/30]

Quebec (Pl.), 700 blk.: man robbed at gunpoint by 2 others of $27 [1:15am, Sat., 10/18]

R, 600 blk.: man accosted by 3 others, grabbed around his neck by one of them while the other 2 robbed him [4:30pm, Tue., 10/7]

Ridge, 400 blk.: man grabbed around his neck by another who came from behind, thrown to the ground, robbed & then punched in his face & kicked in the body [4:30pm, Wed., 10/8]

Riggs, 1300 blk.: man making food delivery accosted by 4 others, one of whom demanded, “What you got?,” whereupon he robbed the delivery person of the food [8:15pm, Thu., 10/30]

Rock Creek Church, 700 blk.: man robbed at gunpoint by another of cash & cell phone [1:15am, Sun., 10/19]

S, 1800 blk.: man robbed of jewelry & necklace by another who pushed him against a fence [2pm, Wed.,10/22]

Spring, 1400 blk.: 2 persons accosted from behind by 2 others, one of whom was punched so hard he fell & struck his head on the ground as the other was being struck about the face & then both were robbed [4:15pm, Wed., 10/8]

T, unit blk.: man accosted by 3 others who came from behind, demanded his money & then knocked him up against a wall & robbed him [6:45pm, Mon., 10/20]

U, 1100 blk.: woman approached from behind by man who grabbed her purse & when she held on to the strap she was pulled over his car and robbed [1am, Tue., 10/14]

Vermont, 1300 blk.: man robbed at gunpoint by 2 others who had demanded his wallet [11:30pm, Wed., 10/29]

Vermont, 1500 blk.: man robbed at gunpoint by 2 others who came from behind [9pm, Thu., 10/9]

1st & Bryant: student on his way to school robbed by 3 men, one of whom was brandishing what he believed to be a paint ball gun [9:30am, Tue., 10/21]

1st & T: man robbed at gunpoint by 2 others [1:30am, Fri., 10/17]

3rd & Rhode Is.: man accosted by 2 others who forced him at gunpoint into adjacent alley & while robbing him one of them said, “You know what this is” whereupon the other added, “I should blow your brains out” [5am, Sun., 10/5]

3rd, 1800 blk.: man robbed of $55, cell phone & ID by another wielding a hammer [1am, Sat., 10/18]

4th, 2400 blk.: man robbed at knifepoint by 2 others who got out of a car that had pulled up alongside [1:30am, Sun., 12/12]

5th & R: 2 men standing at corner accosted by 3 others, one of whom pulled a gun & stuck it in the face of one of them demanding money & then robbed him of his backpack [11:15am, Sun., 10/19]

5th, 1100 blk.: man walking home accosted from behind by another who demanded, “Gimme all your stuff” and brandished an unknown object wrapped in a white t-shirt” [2am, Wed., 10/15]

5th, 2000 blk.: man robbed by 2 others who approached on bicycles, one of whom demanded “everything or I’ll kill you” [9:30pm, Thu., 10/16]

9th & O: man standing at the corner approached by another asking “for a light” and while looking in his pocket for his lighter was struck by another man with an unknown object & robbed [7:30pm, Wed., 10/8]

9th, 1900 blk.: woman robbed by man who first shoved her to the ground [6pm, Sun., 10/12]

9th, 1900 blk.: man accosted by 3 others who beat him before robbing him of $470 [3:30am, Sat., 10/18]

10th & P: man robbed by 2 others at gunpoint of his bicycle [9pm, Thu., 10/9]

10th & S: man robbed by 2 men, one of whom punched him & the other who stabbed him with an unknown object [7pm, Wed., 10/15]

10th, 3600 blk.: woman accosted from behind by 2 men, one of whom put his arm around her neck & forced her to the ground, then told the other man, “Saul, grab her bag” [7:45pm, Tue., 10/7]

11th & Columbia: woman accosted by man who grabbed her purse & when she resisted by pulling the purse back toward her, the man punched her in the face & took the purse [7pm, Sat., 10/4]

11th & T: woman accosted by 3 men, one of whom grabbed her purse as she struggled to hold on to it & in the course of the struggle she was pushed to the ground & robbed [7:45pm, Wed., 10/8]

11th & W: man robbed at gunpoint by another of $100 [10pm, Fri., 10/17]

11th, 1800 blk.: woman accosted by man who pushed her bag out of her hand & stole property from it [Tue., 10/14]

12th & M: man accosted by 2 others who punched him about his head & then robbed him [2:30am, Sun., 10/19]

12th & T: 4 persons standing at the corner robbed at gunpoint by 2 others as one of them demanded, “Give me all you got” [12:30am, Sat., 10/4]

13th & Kenyon: 2 women robbed at gunpoint by 2 men of camera, $60, a credit card & driver’s permit [12mid, Sat., 12/18]

13th & U: man standing at the corner accosted & robbed by 5 others demanding his wallet while what he believed was a gun was placed to his head [3:15am, Fri., 10/3]

13th, 1700 blk.: 3 persons accosted from behind by 2 men, one of whom pointed a shotgun at one of them while the other shouted, “Give me your cell phone and everything you’ve got,” whereupon all 3 handed over their property [12mid, Thu., 10/30]

13th, 2700 blk.: 2 persons robbed by 2 others who came from behind & ordered them to get down on the ground & to empty their pockets [2am, Sat., 10/4]

14th, 2400 blk.: man who had just parked his car approached from behind by another who pointed a gun at him, whereupon the man started to run away & as he got down the street did throw down some unspecified items for the robber [7:45pm, Wed., 10/8]

14th, 2400 blk.: man accosted by 2 others who came from behind, one of whom struck him on the back of the head & causing him to fall to the ground, and was then robbed [12:15am, Tue., 10/14]

17th & N: man robbed by another who first requested that he give him some money & when he replied that he had none, the man pulled a switchblade knife and demanded, “You need to give me some money” 1am, Sun., 10/5]

18th, 2400 blk.: woman’s purse snatched by man who ran up from behind [2:15am, Sun., 12/12]

19th, 1700 blk.: man robbed of wallet & cell phone at gunpoint by another who came from behind [11:15pm, Wed., 10/29]

20th & R: woman’s purse snatched from her while she was waiting to cross intersection but, with the help of a passerby, gave chase & recovered her purse when both caught up with the 3 persons who snatched it [4:45pm, Mon., 10/13]