22 Apr 2011

Capitol Curb: Trash, Trinkets and Treasures?

Uploaded to Flickr by cindy47452 Cindy Seigle

Some of my favorite ‘things’ on Capitol Hill are in its trash. Or next to it.

That is to say, things put out on the curb either intended as giveaways or trash, depending on who gets there first – the garbage collectors or the lucky folk who sometimes literally stumble on a cool  or useful household item propped up in a treebox. Whether it’s a box of lead crystal shot glasses, desks, bookshelves, books (is everyone getting a Kindle?), a little chair easily painted pink or green, unused nail polish sets, rolled rugs, a pair of red matching suitcases, or, as one longtime Hill resident found last weekend, a large piece of marble to add to her kitchen counter.

Walking home from Eastern Market, Gina Arlotto spotted and hauled home an 18″x 24″ slab of marble on 12th Street SE. She scrubbed it down, and voila, it was on her counter, sitting pretty.

“Score!” she announced on Facebook.

We urban scavengers know that feeling–picking up an unexpected find at an unexpected time from an unexpected place–and almost always, it being  not something you were actually looking for. That would be weird.

“I am using is as part of my counter, a cutting board I guess.. it’s a gray, basic marble, very pretty,” Gina said of  the marble slab.

Other reported  Hill sidewalk finds abound.

“I have a whole studio full of this kind of stuff,” said Gessford Court’s Will Fleishell. Fleishell, a professional artist amazed at what the good people of the Hill dispose of,  keeps a studio where he has fashioned interesting  furniture pieces from scraps tossed out on the Capitol Hill curbs. He has also collected some expensive, empty picture frames from the street.

Perhaps folks spot what they already know and like.

Lucky Amanda, a mom of three little cuties successively carried in nifty little sacks alongside her body, snagged a prized Ergo to add to her collection of baby-wearing apparatus (gasp, who would toss an Ergo!–these urban baby-carrying workhorses have a high resale value even on the MOTH listserv) and a long distance traveler grabbed a pair of red suitcases.

Baby gear is an often-mentioned find, for items not donated, put on the MOTH listserv, consigned or otherwise sold. Sometimes the curb is most convenient of all. Diaper Champs or Genies, a small infant swing “straight out of the box,” and little  tot chairs have all found homes on Capitol Hill, thanks to the curb.

Linda Samuel of KidFriendly DC “grabbed a nice, big wicker basket from the sidewalk as I was walking home from the park,” about two weeks  ago, she said. (The “free” sign indicated it was okay).  “It now holds all the kids’ balls and other sports equipment,” she said.

Most unusual item heard this week? And also a little touching? A tea urn someone had no room for under a tree on a walk to play tennis at Eliot-Hine Junior High School, spotted by Heather Schoell.

Of course, some, like Laura, wouldn’t cart home a full, working merry-go-round or a goose with a golden egg if it had a ‘Take Me’  sign written in a neon arc above it. It’s just not their style. A couple of observant Hill  ladies I know  just snap pics of found objects–whatever they take home is in their  SDHC memory cards. And that’s enough, thank you very much.

But for those that stoop to feather their nest, well, there’s no shortage of fancy or unique or  fully-packaged items, along with the obvious trash to catch your fancy.

Mattresses are mainly hauled away, unwanted, now in this age of bedbug fears, but I remember they used to  be plentiful.

There are other perils and awkwardness involved in scavenging. One former resident put out a rocking horse infested with termites with the trash, but it was adopted, like a Trojan horse, before the garbage collectors hauled it away. Another heap of women’s nice clothes and shoes  in big bins looked more like an eviction or boyfriend troubles than a curbside giveaway. Pet stuff, especially cat scratch posts, I am wary of because of possible spread of any feline disease or infestation. Also, electrical devices, like vacuum cleaners and toaster ovens can cause electrical hazards when plugged in after a night in the rain.

If you have a bad feeling, leave it, don’t love it.

But putting that aside, literally, unusual or worthy items have you snagged from our Capitol curbs–or alleys–lately?

 

 

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14 responses to “Capitol Curb: Trash, Trinkets and Treasures?”

  1. Marcie says:

    I constantly use 4 fabulous placemats made out of orange wooden beads (they look fabulous with Fall decor!) I found on G St SE. Prize for best find goes to a Fischer Price kids’ basketball hoop/soccer goal combo. Found with a “Free” sign while my parents were visiting, and dad and I still laugh about the two of us lugging it down the street to take to my niece. It was a great “Hill moment” to share with them!

  2. C in DC says:

    We had a neighbor who was an extremely short time renter who put a bunch of bags out on the curb for trash day right after she moved in. She put them out the afternoon before pick up. The bags weren’t closed very well, and people could see that it was a lot of stuff that most of us would donate somewhere (clothes, picture frames, etc.). Imagine my surprise when this neighbor came out yelling at a bunch of different people who walked by and investigated her stuff.

  3. ET says:

    I put out some blue glass wine and water glass that were snapped up.

    But a few years ago someone must have been cleaning out a shed because the put out an extremely cool decorative element have added to my newly redone garden/yard.

  4. Katie says:

    I once found an box filled with 36 wine glasses! I’ve also taken coffee tables, vases, and books. I’ve put out a few items myself, though once I put out some of my indoor plants to get some sunlight (not on the curb either, just in my yard!!) and someone apparently thought I was giving them away cause they disappeared. I was annoyed, but also amused because i knew exactly what happened!

  5. 8th street se says:

    I haven’t seen anything yet, besides books I know I’ll never read. I wish I wasn’t so afraid of begbugs, because I really do need a boxspring!

  6. 8th street se says:

    Katie, you’re very innocent to assume someone thought you were giving them away.They were obviously stolen by someone who should have known better! I was going to put my indoor plants out on the patio when it got warmer, but now I’m reconsidering it.

  7. Liz Festa says:

    Katie— you never know, but caution is advised, I guess, in some cases–especially with plants. Many potted plants disappear in the spring and the fall, according to multiple listserv postings. Also, one recent listserv post had a woman generously offering some household items for free with the caveat that the interested party only take the things listed. Ha. I can half-imagine stained glass transoms and bikes being carried off by an overly-enthusiastic responder….

  8. Jen DeMayo Jen DeMayo says:

    My younger son found a graduation cap on South carolina that he wore around for a day.
    He also once found a red plastic pitchfork from a Halloween costume that lived in our house for a while.

  9. Heather says:

    Great idea for a story, Liz!

  10. Jill says:

    We have a brand new guitar and a patio table left by renters on our block. The American Girl dolls residing in our house are fans of the dresser/cabinet we rescued from the alley in Chicago that has no discernable use for a normal-sized person but is perfect for an 18″ long riding cloak.

  11. Tim says:

    I was on my way to CVS to pick up a pair of shoelaces once, and on the way a came across a box of items that included an unopened package of shoelaces. Brown, just like I needed. I laced them up right there on the sidewalk.

  12. Crystal says:

    I have found some amazing things like a kids’ kitchen and have donated some amazing things…like that same kids’ kitchen. Put them out on the curb and voila, gone in 60 minutes, 30 minutes, sometimes less than 5. In our house, we joke that it’s “an offering to the gods”, but in reality, it’s like karma!

  13. Samantha says:

    I found a copy of The Mysteries of Pittsburgh by Michael Chabon in a “free books” box on (if I recall correctly) the 1400 block of C St SE. It’s been one of my favorite books ever since. Thanks, neighbor!

  14. asw says:

    one of my favorite things about living on the hill is the easy disposal system. just put it out and they will come for it! we actually put a USED toilet seat out with the trash only to see a man stop and toss it into his car not 10 minutes later! we also had a used box spring hauled away after it sat for at least a day outside. you never know…

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