South African Wine Fundraiser Tonight at Room 11

Tonight, Room 11 is eschewing from its normal Monday night beer event to host a fundraiser and tasting of sustainable South African wines. Here are the details:

$15 admission includes tasting portions of 6 wines, with a portion of the proceeds to be donated to the International Society of Africans in Wine, a US-based 501(c)(3) whose mission is building sustainable communities through viticulture. Add a cheese and charcuterie plate for the special price of $10. Seating is limited, so please make a reservation by e-mailing dan@room11dc.com.

Pancake Sculptures at IHOP Party on Tuesday

The new IHOP in Columbia Heights is the 1,500th restaurant of the all-American franchise and the grand opening celebration is set for Tuesday morning. Not only are they giving away 1,500 stacks of pancakes, but the 1400 block of Irving will be one big party, complete with a stilt walker, DC monuments made out of pancakes (for real) and more.

But will the pancake sculptures be as awesome as Jim's Pancakes? 

Here are the details so you can adjust (or not) your morning commute accordingly.

6 to 9 am -- Guests allowed to line up for free flapjack certificates

6 to 11 am -- Pancake monument sculpting 

7 to 11 am -- Live entertainment (stilt walker, clown, magician)

9 am --  Ribbon cutting

New Green Space Opens this Saturday

North Columbia Heights Green, the new green space and community garden, behind Red Rocks is celebrating the fall harvest on Saturday. Stop by from 3 to 7 pm for food, films, fun, fire, and musical celebration of the natural and cultural harvests of the community.

24-hour pancakes have arrived

This may be the first restaurant opening announcement I ever read on Twitter. But, as posted this morning, the IHOP at 14th and Irving streets is now open for business.

CH News Forum Pretty Much Dead

The Columbia Heights News forum, once a place full of lengthy debates between everyone and William Jordan, is pretty much dead.

http://www.columbiaheightsnews.org/forum/

I haven't been checking in as often as I once was, and apparently nobody else is ether. The last update was November 8. Before that it had been awhile.

PoP's forums are also pretty quiet these days: http://www.princeofpetworth.com/popforum/.

Guess everyone has moved on to the TWEETS. And in case you are interested, you can find us there at http://www.twitter.com/theheightslife.

Glogg and Blankets at Room 11!

My favorite thing is back! And that thing is GLOGG at Room 11. Just this past weekend Art Bart and I were harassing Room 11's Dan Searing about when it would make a return. He promised us soon and he delivered!

Added bonus: blankets and heat lamps so you can enjoy your glogg along with crisp fall air on the patio.

Here's what Dan had to say about it:

Starting today, Friday, November 12 we will begin serving our Swedish style mulled wine every weekend through the winter. From 5-7pm it will be only $4 a cup, after that $6. We have stocked up on some authentic Swedish fleece blankets (to supplement our heat lamps) for those who want to enjoy their Glogg alfresco in true Scandinavian fashion.

Social has closed, so what comes next?

Tim Carman at the Washington City Paper wrote a blog post this afternoon that announced Social "will be closed for an indefinite period of time." I always felt that the restaurant / bar / concept at 14th Street and Meridian Place was trying way too hard to impress its customers. That and the food and drinks were more than often disappointing. So as @DeuceInDC wrote on Twitter, this is a good opportunity to put a "not-awful restaurant" in that location.

So, I leave that to you ... if Social is indeed 100% gone for good, what should occupy its space on 14th Street, restaurant or otherwise? Leave your thoughts below or let us know on Twitter by following The Heights Life.

UPDATE from DCist: Social Closed Due to Tax/Ownership Dispute.

Sherman Ave. streetscape starts next week

The DC Department of Transportation announced today that construction on the Sherman Avenue streetscape project is set to begin next week with water-utility work. DDOT states that the project will:

-- Make Sherman Avenue feel more residential rather than a commuter route by reducing vehicular lanes to one in each direction.

-- Improve pedestrian safety by widening the sidewalks to make them ADA compliant, and upgrading the wheelchair ramps and crosswalk markings.

-- Make Sherman Avenue more attractive by planting trees and shrubs along the corridor, upgrading street lights and upgrading traffic signals.

These changes won't happen overnight, though. For the next two years Sherman Ave. traffic may closely resemble that around 14th street in Columbia Heights, but all for the better. You can follow the streetscape progress online here -- http://dashboard.ddot.dc.gov/ward1/ShermanAveNWStreetscapeConstruction/default.aspx.

Leaf Collection Starts Monday

DPW sent over some helpful tips on leaf collection, as well as a link to the schedule. Leaf collection stars Monday, November 8.

Here are some tips for a smooth-running leaf collection season:

* Look up your street's collection schedule at http://leaf.dcgis.dc.gov/.

* Rake leaves into the treebox space the weekend before your street's collection cycles.

* Please - leaves only! Tree limbs, bricks, dirt, rocks, etc., will damage the equipment and delay collections.

* Prevent fires, parking problems and possible flooding by placing leaves in the treebox space, not in the street. When it rains, leaves will block the storm drain and cause flooding. Please remove any leaves you see blocking the storm drain.

* If you choose to bag your leaves, please use paper bags. Plastic bags will damage the equipment. You may place bagged leaves in the treebox space or next to the trash/recycling container(s).

* Protect the safety of our crews by driving slowly around their work area or change your route and avoid them altogether.

826 DC Open House this Saturday

It looks like you can make a fun day for yourself tomorrow at the Columbia Heights Civic Plaza. In addition to the farmers' market running from 9 am to 2 pm, the nonprofit 826 DC and its "Museum of Unnatural History" will open its doors from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm.

The group is encouraging people to: "Come explore our fantastic storefront, The Museum of Unnatural History, and hear about our workshops, field trips, in-school, and after-school tutoring programs for kids. The event is open to the public, so please: stop by. Say hi."

Image courtesy of 826 DC

Alero gets started on Halloween early

The Columbia Heights Alero is beginning its Halloween celebration a bit early this year with a party tonight. Drink specials and a DJ start at 10 pm.

"Tivoli North" community day this Saturday

Do you swear by the tacos at Taqueria Distrito Federal? Interested in seeing what's on stage at the Gala? Then check out the Taste of Tivoli North this Saturday.

The 1300 block of Spring Road NW is host to this community showcase, and the event is presented by Tivoli North Business Association. Stop by between 12 and 6 pm to see live music and sample local food, along with kids activities.

More information online at www.tivolinorth.com.

Writes the organizers: Taste of Tivoli North aims to showcase talent of our surrounding community, attract neighbors to meet local business owners, and highlight cleanliness, safety, and beautification.

New view of Streetscape project via Google Maps

The great folks at Greater Greater Washington pointed out that Google Maps recently updated its DC satellite view. Where were you around 1 pm on Sunday, August 29?

I have been known to spend hours on Google Maps and Google Earth, but I was really surprised to see the full aerial shot Columbia Heights Streetscape Project. I never noticed the concentric circles before.

You can also see Columbia Heights Day, the day after.

View Larger Map

View Larger Map

Call for another trivia night?

I like bar trivia. I often win at bar trivia. But do we really need another one in Columbia Heights? Organizers from Trivia Kings, who host a number of events at DC bars, have started a petition on Facebook to bring a trivia night to Meridian Pint. With a weekly trivia at Wonderland on Mondays, a bi-weekly game at Commonwealth on Sundays, when would be the best fit for our newest 11th Street spot?