The Fourth Of July
7:43 PM 7/4/2009Alright, before it's time to climb up on my roof and watch fireworks in the distance, I thought I would share some of my city ramblings with you in photo-essay format.
I went to Gallery Place looking for evidence of Wrecking Ball Coffee, which I heard was supposed to open "sometime in June". I think I found them. There was absolutely no signage out front, but the permits taped to the window tell a story of electrical work, special plumbing needs, and an ice machine. Apparently you need a permit for an ice machine in DC. Who knew?
So if that was it, I figure they might have another month to go. Darn.
Since I was only one block away, I decided to check out the National Building Museum. There were four exhibits open, and I took my time examining them. The weather is so nice outside, but air conditioning is still nicer. I had a cup of coffee, wrote in my journal, wandered around taking photographs, then as I was about to leave, I thought I would check out the gift shop.
Who should be working in the gift shop but my old book operations coworker Candler. We caught up a little, then I circulated. So many wonderful architecture and design books. Well... what would you expect? But, each book that tempts me to buy it also reminds me of the unread books at home, shelves straining under the weight.
As I walked around, I found a lot of odd imagery. The Chinese arch on H Street was completely wrapped. I have no idea why, but you can easily imagine it is getting a face-lift. It is one of my favorite DC subjects.
We note today the passing of a gaudy car dealership sign at 6th & K. Car dealership signs are only one component of a major gentrification of a desolate parking-lot wasteland for several blocks around. The new convention center has undoubtedly helped push the neighborhood toward high-priced condos, and Gallery Place exerts an influence. When I go out, I tend to look carefully for the sights that will be lost, since I always appreciate images of the past preserved for our eyes (the sort of photos I commonly see at the Building Museum).
I couldn't resist this neon sign in the window of a medical clinic advertising the confidentiality of their pregnancy tests, because the wording is juggled into "Pregnancy Test Confidential".
In some ways, this format is limited to the photos that I thought turned out right after the fact... Of all the ideas I found interesting while pointing the camera, only some were easily posted. Extra deliberation is required if I think a photo needs to be rotated slightly, or if I haven't decided how I want to tweak the exposure. A new high-rise condo was bragging about "Green With Envy", and that confused me to no end: The building may be "Green" in cynical marketing terms, but I'm supposed to envy the people living there, so close to downtown... It doesn't actually make any sense. So instead, we have a row of gaudy real estate signs trying to excite you about leasing a condominium... I thought you bought a condominium. I'm confused.