This past year was a busy one for me personally, but we managed to get a lot of great articles published. Here are the top 10 articles from last year, along with some other popular content!

Top non-articles:

How to take advantage of the Security Camera Rebate Program
Petworth Listservs (newly updated for 2020)
Community Calendar
Women of Upshur (series)

Top Articles:

1. Cinder BBQ is coming to Petworth - get your taste buds ready
The plan is for Cinder to be a neighborhood destination, focused on providing high-quality barbeque in a relaxed environment. “Barbeque joints aren’t fancy,” Matt said. “This is not going to be some downtown DC fancy thing, this is going to be a neighborhood cool spot to hang out in.”

2. Kennedy & 5th Street: “the most dangerous intersection in the Fourth District”
On Friday, February 15th, surrounded by bright, colorful children’s posters and toddler-sized school chairs, a large crowd of residents and government officials gathered at Blandi's Child Learning Center to talk about the recent shooting at 5th and Kennedy Streets, along with other crime issues in the area.

3. Backyard Smokespot brings BBQ to Georgia Ave and an old deli back to life
The Midnight Deli has a long history in Petworth, and a new barbecue takeout restaurant, Backyard Smokespot, gives this old spot new life. Opened in January by Bernard Belk, Briyon Ford, Jonathan Aparicio and Chef Jason Ford, Backyard Smokespot is a great example of local residents focused on serving local customers.

4. Slim’s Diner to close permanently on Sunday
According to owner Paul Ruppert, Slim’s Diner will close permanently on Sunday, January 13th. He’ll be looking at new ideas for the space. Challenges with revenue on a 45-seat diner and staffing issues led to the decision.

5. President Lincoln's Cottage to convert to an AirBnB, offers historic amenities
In what’s surely a first for a Registered National Historic place and museum, President Lincoln’s Cottage on the grounds of the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Petworth will be converting the historic mansion into a rentable housing unit with AirBnB. Now you can really sleep in the Lincoln bedroom!

6. Eric Yoo is ready to show Petworth what a ramen restaurant is all about
Ramen Ya Hosaki, when roughly translated from the Japanese, means “ramen shop of a bamboo shoot (Hosaki Menma).” This may sound odd, until you find out that the owner of the future ramen restaurant coming to Upshur Street has always been told he looks a lot like a bamboo shoot: tall, thin and lanky. So he figured, why not own the description?

7. Shooting on Varnum and 8th leaves two cars on sidewalk and one person shot
A violent scene erupted on the 800 block of Varnum Street NW just before 11pm on Sunday night, leaving two cars on the sidewalk, one person dead from a gunshot, a woman screaming, and a lookout for two men and one woman.

8. MPD releases disturbing video of shooting at 5th & Kennedy, asks for public's help
On Thursday, February 7, 2019 at approximately 3:30pm there was an explosion of gunshots at 5th and Kennedy Street NW. Multiple people were involved, but miraculously, considering the number of shooters, it seems no one was injured.

9. DC is closing three miles of Georgia Avenue for a day for "open streets" and no cars
Three years ago we reported on a partnership between the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA) and the DC Office of Planning to close down Upshur Street to create an “Open Streets” initiative along with a $50,000 grant OPC obtained. Open Streets is an idea where a street is closed to cars and opened to pedestrians, bicyclists and others to move freely along the street. It also is meant to encourage local businesses and residents to come out and enjoy the open space created by the closure. It’s meant to “encourage people to think about public space in a new way…”

10. Upshur Street Books to become Loyalty Books
Upshur Street Books, which opened in November 2014, is transitioning to a new owner and a new bookstore concept. Hannah Oliver Depp, who has been working as the managing partner of Upshur Street Books, is taking full ownership of the store from current owner Paul Ruppert.