Our Little Neighborhood Post Office

Lately I've been using that little post office at the intersection of 4th and RI and Florida avenues NW to drop off my mail as I just can't be bothered to drive or bus down to the Post Office at Union Station and, well, I just don't trust the mail boxes on the streets. I expect they are safer now but I do remember learning that the kids would dump their soft drinks in them or light fire crackers and post them in the mail boxes. And when I send mail I really do want it to get to the destination intended.  After all, it's quite a bit of trouble to do real snail mail (it's amazing that email has become the baseline, isn't it?) What I do like about this post office is that it has a  parking lot so I can just drive in, drop the mail, and drive on to the library or whatever from out the other side of the lot.  Very convenient.  I did read some Yelp reviews where there was criticism about how it sometimes opens late or the staffer on duty takes a long lunch hour and it closes at 5pm and isn't open on the weekends. Also, some reviews about how the staffer isn't always so friendly or as helpful as the user would like. But really, does everything have to be open 24 hours, 7 days a week, every day?  Can't some people just have a bad day at work and not be particularly helplful? It really feels more like a neighborhood post office with these kind of attributes, don't you think?

Those Important Neighborhood Support Services

ambulance

UPS truck

Segway cop

Sometimes I don't see all the support services that we have in this city neighborhood and it's easy to forget how useful they are. For instance, there's those cable guys from Verizon or Comcast hanging about on the lines in the alleys. And, every once in a while someone calls an ambulance and it arrives!  It's worth noting that ambulance service is now dispatched much more efficiently than when I first moved to Washington DC when this service was also being used by some for non-emergency visits to local hospitals and consequently, service was more erratic!  Then there's those marvelous UPS (and Fedex) trucks which leave us so much of value on our front porches (ask them to hide stuff under the porch so it doesn't get pinched in the recent wave of thievery!).  And, up until recently, it seemed like we had police patrols using Segways rolling around and preventing drug dealing and other miscreantry. Of course there are other support services, such as police, the US postal service (USPS) and store delivery services like Sears and Peapod (both of which I've used and find very helpful), services that one sees occasionally making a foray into our streets.  And of course now is the season for UHaul and other similar vans as it again is moving time for the more transient population living here. I suppose I could mention the dry cleaners, bars, hospitals and a public library all within walking distance, but I haven't got around to photo'ing all of them yet and didn't want to have too many thumbnail pics jammed into this one blog. I could also mention the mostly 24/7/365 clean running water, gas and electricity but that's really basic infrastructure and might be the subject of another blog about things we take for granted. But these services here really do make our life in the city so much easier, don't you think? And, Thank God!

We Love Our Watha T. Daniel Library Books and DVDs

I went to return my library books and a movie DVD on my way to work the other morning and lo and behold all of the book return boxes were jammed full of returned books and DVDs at the Watha T. Daniel DC public library. In fact, returned books and DVDs were practically spilling out of all three of the return book slots! So my good intention to get the books back early was foiled by the sheer number of other readers and free movie watchers in my neighborhood who returned their materials before the library opened that day. Perhaps, like everyone else, I'd taken out a lot of books over the holiday and we'd all decided to return them that Monday morning of the New Year, getting off to a good resolution start, i.e., avoiding library fines!  So I lugged them over to the Watha T.Daniel library the next day, although I did note that there's one errant book I missed and I'm trying to remember where in the house I put it. This is a newly built all shiny metal and glass library building in the Shaw section -- that cost close to $12 million and is solar powered LEED certified not to waste energy! -- and that replaced the old 1975-built concrete edifice of similar shape but very dissimilar design that used to be there. And this new library has a modernistic lighted glass sculpture out front that -- so far -- has survived pigeon bombing and local graffitatos. (I'm also hoping someone will tell me in the comment box below who Watha T. Daniel was?) Thank God for positive change in our neighborhood!
Read Washington newspaper story on the opening of the library.

A Visit to the Red Toque Restaurant

The other day I visited the Red Toque restaurant, a new eating place in the vicinity of the local public library where I'd been tanking up on books to read over the holiday week. I espied the bright red door of this new place and said to myself that it would be good to get a snack there! So I ordered a lentil soup and got a cup of red chai tea with a glass of water for about $6 total.  The lentil soup was totally delicious and I would go there again for it. I think they made the chai tea with milk that was slightly off as it just didn't taste right.  When I finally sipped it I was no longer at the restaurant and was on my way home and didn't want to be bothered turning back and complaining. So I tossed it onto the garden to feed some trees well.

But the lentil soup was aromatic and spicy but not too hot and sharp and was made with a good stock.  The service was very good -- but then again, I was the sole customer at 3 in the afternoon! -- and there is a great view from the windows of the restaurant, right onto the street and passing cars. And I sat there and snapped a couple of passing vehicles as I supped. The picture windows themselves are a treat as they are the old-fashioned metal casement window frames that have hinges on the side and will likely be opened when the weather is fairer. Painted a shiny black they add great ambience to the cheery yellow painted walls, the high ceiling and surprisingly comfortable dining chairs.  On the walls hang framed black and white photos of old Washington, DC showing trolley cars and buildings long since torn down.  It's worth going in there just to see these!  This space used to be a bike repair store but that appears to have moved or perhaps went out of business.  I think the menu is Middle Eastern or Mediterranean and I hope to go back and try some of the other things. I'm also not sure why it's called "the Red Toque" but I think that's a hat or something.

Hot Times in the City Neighborhood

We've decided to forgo air conditioning as much as possible so we only turn the AC box on in the bedroom where we sleep if it's just too hot and sticky but the rest of the house we leave the windows open, fans on and wait for the breezes. And drink A LOT of iced tea or beer. This is partly because we are frugalistos but also because air-conditioning really dries you out and as we are aging, we don't want to speed things up.I don't know where we got this idea from but it seems to make sense.
Of course, I'm leaving out the car which is new and has the iciest full blast chill- you-to-the-bone-in seconds air conditioning. Any excuse will do: "Honey, do we need anything? I'll go get some milk (or chocolate, or ice cream or take some mail to the post office or return the library books early)?"
We're doing pretty well with this here in late June but things might change in the muggies of August... I asked hubster "What would God say?" and he said "Why of course, 'Welcome to summer!'"