Every Tuesday and Thursday, we run down what’s going on in local Internet discussion groups.

Brookland
Sometimes clichés are true. Peter writes about a recent Saturday stroll down 12th Street NE: “In the middle of a lawn furniture painting project, I ran out of primer. So I walked over to Brookland hardware and bought a couple of cans of spray paint (I’ve been there multiple times on this project); on my way home I decided to drop in at Dwellings. I bought a handy little kitchen gadget and a greeting card that made both me and the cashier laugh out loud. I admired, but didn’t buy (yet) some rug-like outdoor mats and hanging votive candle lanterns. I stopped in at Joe’s Mini to score an ice-cream sandwich, then wanting something cool to drink, popped into Cafe Sureia and got an extremely delicious and healthy multi-berry fruit smoothie. In less than an hour, I was back home and back at work.…I’m going to try to make that kind of stroll a summer Saturday tradition.”

Brightwood_DC
In a June 28 posting, Arlene reports her latest detective work: “The caretakers at the group home placed in the alley an empty box that had a very large RCA TV in it. The packing material was also placed in the box. It appears that someone tried to flatten the box and left it in the alley outside of their property.…If you ride up/down the alley behind Whittier and Van Buren Sts. NW—the 1400 block—between 14 and 16th Sts the violations will surprise you..…I hope we do not have to live with the very large box in the alley until Monday.”

cleveland-park
Beth calls for some direct action against the city cab racket: “In this day and age w/Zipcar etc, it would be best if DC residents would stop using DC cabs! The stranglehold of the union is more powerful than any sting operation and conditions will never become ‘customer friendly’ unless and until they find their business dropping off. It’s obvious they cater to unsuspecting DC visitors who have no idea of the history of the struggle here, ie no meters etc.”