Mid-City Cafe - Perfect!

Sometimes you go to a place and from the moment you step into it, you know you will be back many many more times.  Thats how I felt when I walked into the Mid City Caffe in Washington, DC.  It sits perched above Miss Pixies, a 14th Street Vintage and unique furniture and trinket shop.  I opened the door and immediately smelled fresh coffee with a tinge of cardamom to the scent.  The space is made for people to come and work on their computers, have coffee meetings and relax in a serene off beat environment.  One room has booth backed seats and big pull out chairs around tables with ample plug space.  Anticipating solo coffee shoppers, there is also a bar pressed against the window lined completely with plugs to facilitate easy work. Of course, Mid-City has free wifi, which again makes you feel comfortable coming here to work a little on the computer.  A second room juts off to the side, painted in light blue/grey with all high seat bar seats and a poster on the door announcing the DC English Writers Meeting each week.  

Walking up to the coffee bar, I noticed a slew of community even fliers waiting on the counter.  One that particularly caught my eye is the "Neutral Uke Hotel" night produced by Golden Bloom on Aug. 25 that will offer a sing-a-long to Neutral Milk Hotel songs played by the Neutral Uke Hotel and opened by Twins of a Gazelle on a UKELELE.  Really sweet. Their menu is a pretty classic, coffee, tea, espresso, french press and hand brewed fresh ground coffee.  There are a few light food choices and some delicious looking muffins and cookies.

Sitting here in the sun, I get the sense that I will be back here many more times to get personal work done, to write, to think, to drink coffee and to enjoy myself.  Among the coffee shops that I've been to in DC, Tryst, BusBoys and Poets, Qualia and Big Bear, Mid-City so far is my favorite.  I still need to try Sova on H Street to complete my tour.  Any other suggestions of indie shops that I've missed?

Crime in Petworth - A Special Report

Last night, the Kleiner and the Kleinette attended a special Ward 4 community meeting at the MPDC Northern Regional Operation Command center hosted by Ward 4 Councilwoman Muriel Bowser held in response to a spate of recent shootings, and centered around a question-and-answer session with MPDC Chief of Police Cathy Lanier. Let us begin by saying that the most remarkable fact of the meeting was probably its very occurrence; that the police and the politicians responsible for the safety of the area would feel it necessary to hold such a meeting in response to violence that, as recently as a few years ago, would probably have been considered par for the course in the neighborhood in question.  This demonstrates both  increased civic engagement on the part of the neighborhood's residents and increased responsiveness to public opinion and welfare on the part of the responsible insitutions. In the face of the saddening violence in our community, these kinds of meetings are positive for the future of Washington, D.C.

Brief remarks from Councilwoman Bowser commenced the meeting that began roughly on time and was attended by roughly 75 citizens representing a diverse cross-section of gender, race, and age. In attendance beyond Bowser and Chief Lanier were Lt. Michael Farish of Homicide, several ANC Members, representatives of Metro Police, the Ward 4 Safety Advisory Council, and the entire 4D Command Staff. Also present were multiple reporters taking notes and two television cameras, one handheld and one mounted. The cameraman operating the tripod-mounted camera said his footage would be distributed to Channels 4, 5, and 9.