Sala Thai opens 3rd sit-down restaurant East of the Anacostia River.

Shrimp Drunkin Noodle dish.

Sala Thai opened another location in Ward 7.  Its Grand Opening is scheduled for November 6, but Ward 7 and other DC area residents do not have to wait.  Sala Thai is open for business seven days a week until 8:00 p.m.   In addition to a full bar, they have a discounted lunch menu with all the popular Thai menu items currently offered in its other locations.  The restaurant is just steps away from the Minnesota Avenue metro stop (Orange line) in "downtown" Ward 7.  Parking is free in the next door garage on the weekends.  Here is the menu.  Public Transportation:  Minnesota Avenue and various buses

On March 11, 2015, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced a series of tech initiatives during an event at Howard University.  One of the initiatives involved a unique fellowship program sponsored by Code For Progress, a social justice organization committed to helping underrepresented communities in to the coding field.  

Code For Progress' year-long fellowship starts with a three to five month residency in the District of Columbia in which fellows learn coding skills.   All Code for Progress fellows receive a monthly stipend and housing allowance. Code for Progress assists fellows in finding employment in the tech sector as junior developers, database managers, and innovation specialists. 

Bowser's announcement was that the District via its program Connect DC would sponsor 3 fellows in this year's cohort.  A key requirement of the collaboration is that Connect.DC-sponsored fellows must be DC residents from Wards 5, 7, or 8.  The fellowship is a valuable opportunity for residents especially those living in Ward 7.  Ward 7 folks who are interested in applying for this fellowship, should check the Code For Progress site.  The deadline is March 31.

RightRides DC expands East of The River

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  Collective Action for Safe Spaces (CASS), a DC group, empowers people in the DC metropolitan area to build a street harassment Washington, DC. CASS recently announced it was expanding its popular RightRides DC program to wards 7 and 8.  The project, which is currently in its pilot phase, is done on a quarterly basis on specific dates. The next service date will be March 27. 
  
  
  First launched on Halloween 2014, RightRides DC is a non-profit service that provides free, safe, late-night rides home for women, LGBTQ and gender non-conforming people (“Riders”). These populations are most vulnerable to experiencing sexual harassment and assault in public spaces. The RightRides DC program is possible because of the hard work of CASS volunteers—Drivers, Navigators, and Dispatchers, as well as a partnership with Zipcar, who donates driving time in the cars CASS uses. To participate in Right Rides, volunteers complete a training, must pass a background check, and then set out as a driver-navigator team in Zipcar provided vehicles.

• On March 27, riders in D.C. can call or text this number 202-556-4232 from 12 midnight to 3:30 AM to receive a free, safe ride home from CASS volunteers. The program is 100% volunteer-run and depend on volunteers, grants, donations and sponsorships to make this service possible.  Riders must both be picked up and dropped off/going home within Washington, DC. For more information, check CASS' web site at: http://www.collectiveactiondc.org/programs/rightridesdc/

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Food Dessert? D.C. Urban Greens grows food in Ward 7's backyard

Soil blocks of DC Urban Green seedlings 

Last year, I started my first backyard garden in the District. Almost every day, I enjoyed stepping out into the back to grab turnip greens or lettuces for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I also enjoyed sharing the bounty of my two garden boxes with friends and family.  With the popularity of urban agriculture, I found it hard to locate inexpensive seedlings and plants when I missed out on starting my plants from seed. I ended up going to Capitol Hill for summer plants and found myself blowing nearly $100 on plants!  Luckily, I later found out about a gem of an organization in Ward 7. It's called D.C. Urban Greens.

Neighborhoods east of the Anacostia are in a food desert. Ward 7 is no exception especially if you do not have a car or strong legs to bike.  D.C. Urban Greens has been doing its part to address a critical need for healthy food options by offering Ward 7 residents access to fresh and affordable vegetables. It does this by teaching folks how to grow their own gardens through its volunteer program at its Fort Dupont farm. They also maintain the Fort Dupont garden from spring through winter, enabling volunteers and residents to learn about the cultivation of seasonal food options.

Soil Press

To kick start your garden, you can order seedlings and soil from them directly.  You can also make purchases for vegetables at their vegetable stand. The prices for seedlings and vegetables are definitely affordable.  

The urban farmers at D.C. Urban Greens grow seedlings in 1.5-inch soil blocks, using a soil press to make the blocks. Each block contains one plant about the same size that you would find if you purchased a flat at the garden store.  The farmers can cultivate spring seedlings such as red Russian kale,  broccoli, onions, parsley, leaf lettuce, garlic and dill. They also do warm weather crops such as basil and tomatoes. If you want to grow a particular crop, they will seed and grow specific plants you may want.  You have to contact them to see what's available. 

You also may want to buy the fruits of their labor, which is a great way to support them. Visit them at their vegetable stand on Ely Place.  The farm stand is open between 9:00 AM and 1:00 PM on Wednesdays and Sundays behind the Fort Dupont Ice Arena located at 3779 Ely Place SE Washington, DC 20019.  Contact them at info@dcurbangreens.org.  Follow them on the D.C. Urban Greens Facebook page and on their twitter page.

Forward Progress** on Walmart Capitol Gateway

Apparently, the permits have been pulled for ongoing land improvements to ready the Walmart Capitol Gateway site and a mixed-use building at Capitol Gateway with more than 300 affordable apartments and 20,000 square feet of retail.

130,000-square-foot Wal-Mart  is set for construction in summer 2015.

See the Washington Business Journal article for more details on the build timeline. http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/breaking_ground/2015/01/leading-permits-forward-progress-for-wal-mart.html

** (This skeptical Ward 7 resident qualifies that they've said we were moving forward before.)

Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens: Ward 7's hidden gem

Looking to connect with nature? Want to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city? There is a beautiful destination in Ward 7.  Nestled in Ward 7's northeast Washington, D.C., just south of the Route 50, Baltimore-Washington Parkway, Kenilworth Avenue intersection, you can metro, bike, and canoe to get to the park.  There's no cost to visit or park.

Visitors can enter the Aquatic Gardens at 1550 Anacostia Avenue, NE, Washington, DC 20019. The park is open daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year.  

In July, most visitors come to see the lotuses and water lilies.  During the summer, visitors have little trouble with mosquitoes unlike other parts of the city since birds and dragonflies gobble them up.  As you walk among the lily pads and lotuses, you'll encounter the boardwalk that takes you to the Anacostia tributary.  It's an amazing and peaceful place.    I saw different varieties of birds including schools of geese, heron, and cranes on my stroll.  It's a great place to take family or friends on a flat hike without leaving the city's boundaries.  

Ward 7 has a Happy Video

The East River Family Strengthening Collaborative got some Ward 7 neighbors together and made a Happy video.  Pharrell would be proud.

Walmart Rolls on in Ward 7

The Washington Business Journal recently reported a lease has been signed for the Walmart Skyland site in Washington, D.C.'s Ward 7.   The signing of the lease dispels any notion that the project won't go through, paving the way for much needed development in Ward 7.   The Wal-mart is not projected to open until 2017. Some noteworthy facts about the project include that about 22% of the $ 220 million financing is through an EB-5 green card investment and that 476 residential units as well as 324,000 square feet of retail will also be there.

A rendering of the proposed Walmart at Capitol Gateway.

But what about the Walmart at Capitol Gateway (the site that Walmart wanted and was not forced to build)?  The Washington Business Journal reported on the Capitol Gateway site back in September.

Ground breaking allegedly should take place on April 1, 2015 with another alleged commencement of construction to happen in the summer of 2015.  (Unfortunately, a lease has yet to be signed and since it took more than 8 months from the ground breaking for a lease to be signed for Skyland along with the delays, Ward 7 supporters of this project are not holding their breaths.)  Once completed, the site should offer a much needed grocery store, sit-down restaurant, urban farm, and transit oriented housing.