We're all familiar with Capitol Hill's beautiful tree-lined streets with a mish-mash of historic Victorian and Federal homes. But what about the Hill's secret streets? It's alleys. The term 'alley' often brings to mind images of a dark, sketchy place. A narrow, dirty, strip of pavement where a criminal is just waiting in the dark to rob you. While that may be true in another area or in another time, it is about the furthest from the truth you can get when talking about Capitol Hill's alleys (and the other alley neighborhoods throughout the City).
As Washington DC has grown and space has become premium, alley homes have shot up in availability and desirability. This isn't a recent phenomenon; it began during one of D.C's first big population booms. In the

With Thanksgiving almost upon us and the holiday season rapidly approaching, now is the perfect time to give back to others less fortunate. Like the Grinch, reach deep down and let your heart grow three sizes this holiday season! Organize a food drive to help brighten spirits and fill stomachs. Donate clothing, like sweaters and warm pajamas, to help keep people warm as the weather continues to get colder. There are so many ways for you to help, here are some local opportunities for giving back to the community this Holiday season:

The Holiday Project

This organization has been serving communities across the country for 33 years. Every year there are millions of people who spend their holidays in hospitals, nursing homes, and other residential

Washington, DC, offers a wealth of school choice options for families.  In addition to neighborhood public (DCPS) and independent (private) schools, there are also public charter schools (DCPCS). 

• Roughly 44% of DC public school students attend public charter schools. 
• DC offers universal, full-day preschool and prekindergarten to 3 and 4 year olds throughout the city regardless of income or Ward.

New this year is a single application for public and charter schools through MySchoolDC.org.  This single application is intended to streamline and simplify the application process for families.  This application is for:

1. Children to attend a charter school at any grade level (PK3 – 12th grade)
2. Children to attend an Out of Boundary (OOB)

Located just outside L'Enfant's original boundaries of the city and just under two miles from the Capitol building, Bloomingdale is the perfect neighborhood for that 'suburbs in the City' feel (not to be confused with the hoity toity upscale department store of a similar name). Bloomingdale got a bit of a later start than the rest of the City. While there has been development of the land in some form since the 1820s, it is in the late 1870s and around the turn of the century that Bloomingdale really started to blossom. It initially consisted of mainly industrial buildings rather than homes. At one point, the land was even used as train yards to house the large coal-driven locamotives of the time.  Slowly but surely (an appropriate pace for a neighborhood

Terrell Place Condos at 675 E St NW Washington DC, 20004

Terrell Place is a luxury boutique condo building in the heart of Penn Quarter.  The builders were able to weave in 29 modern units into parts of the Historic building.  Some of the condos in this building are quite extraordinary, blending the massive windows and details in the historic parts of the building with modern interiors and tall ceilings.  Pets are welcome with minor restrictions and some of the units come with garage parking.  Located around the corder from the Verizon Center, the National Portrait Gallery and all the fabulous dining options in Penn Quarter, and a few blocks to the Metro (Red, Green and Yellow).

Gallery Place condos at 777 7th ST NW DC.

Residences at Gallery Place condos at 777 7th ST NW Washington DC
Built: 2005
Number of units: 192 condos, Efficiencies to two bedrooms
Garage: rental parking
Pets: Allowed with minor restrictions
Amenities: gym, lounge, business center,   Interior courtyard
Gallery place condos were built as part of the renaissance of Penn Quarter/ Chinatown that the Verizon center (at the time MCI center) brought to the area. The building sits on top of a mixed use complex with a theatre, bowling alley, numerous restaurants and shops. The 2rd floor roof deck (at the height of the Chinatown arch is massive and offers a perfect perch above the hustle of 7th street. 

Exterior of the Residences at Gallery Place at 777 7th St NW

Gallery

Brookland Real Estate Market Update November 2013
Here are some of the more interesting data points for October sales from Rbintel.com and MRIS.com for Beautiful Brookland.
For 20017 zipcode

The inventory of homes for sale in Brookland in October is significatly below the 5 year average.  This reflects the fact that the majority of homes that came on the market went under contract in October. Properly priced and presented homes in Brookland are selling fast. Median sold price increaded 49.31% year over year.  This is more a reflection of the clearing of the short sale market in Brookland.  Last year there were many more short sales closing which dragged down the enitire Brookland Market.  Now that most of those houses have been sold (purchased mostly by

Capitol Hill.

The word is synonymous with government (or the lack thereof, as the case may be). The word brings to mind images of a huge white dome dominating the skyline and Congressional bickering. Of suits, and briefcases, and mountainous stacks of memos. Of course it is littered with landmarks other than the big white dome such as the Supreme Court building, the Library of Congress, and Congressional Cemetary, among others. But Capitol Hill is more than that, so much more. It is also the largest historic residential neighborhood in Washington, D.C. Members of Congress, their staff, journalists, lobbyists, and consultants all call the Hill home. So do many others, if they can afford to live there; having a prestigous address comes for a price, real

916 G ST NW Washington DC.  Mather Studios condos



Mather Studios Condos at 916 G ST NW in the Heart of Penn Quarter
Year Renovated:2004
Number of condos: 50
Parking: Some garage parking available
Pets: allowed with minor restrictions
Nearest Metro Stops: Gallery Place Metro stop (Red, Yellow and Green lines)
Amenities: This is one fo the few real loft building in downtown DC.  Many of the oter ones are simply 'loft-like' buildings.  This Building was renovated by PN Hoffman in 2004 into modern condos with polished/stained concrete floors, open kitchens and glass sliding doors.   Some of the units were reserved as live-work artist spaces and were available by lottery to those that met the criteria.  The rest of the space was renovated into true luxury loft

400 Massachussetts Ave NW Washington DC.


400 Mass ave NW Washington DC
Year built: 2004
Number of condos:256
Parking: Many units come with garage parking
Pets: Cats & dogs with size limits
Nearest Metro Stops: Chinatown (Red, Yellow Green line) Union Station (Red line)
Amenities: Roof top pool and one of the best roof decks in the city. Gym, party room, bike storage
400 Mass was built just as downtown DC condo living was begining to take off.  This is a gret building buit by Faison Development in 2004.  Faison also built the buildings at 912 F St NW, 1701 Kalorama and 1010 Mass. The design is a bit of a departure for DC condo buildings, and allowed for some very flexible designs.  Most of the units are one bedroom condos, but sprinkled throughout the building