02 Jan 2013

In the Rearview – 2012 on Capitol Hill

The past calendar year has been an important one for many reasons.  Politically we reelected the President for a second term, right before our national leadership practically pushed the country off a fiscal cliff (again).  We learned that the Mayans were not correct, though for how many thousands of years ago we are talking it is possible there were a couple days or months off.  So keep looking for asteroids.  The Nationals were almost a winning team (and we learned to love them all the more).  We saw lots of scandalous fun on the DC Council, got ready for some changes to Ward boundaries, and saw rapid expansion of alternate transportation options in the city (Bikeshare explosion, car2go, and Uber come to mind).  There’s also been lots going on in our neighborhood.  Here’s a quick look back at highlights of 2012 on the Hill, as covered by our little website.

Since we all enjoy eating and drinking a whole lot on this staff, it should be noted that there were lots of restaurant and bar openings this year.  We gave you our first bite impressions of Pacifico Cantina, Boundary Road, Hank’s Oyster Bar, the Pretzel Bakery, Pound on the Hill’s Bistro, and ShawaFel.  We covered our first bites (and love of) Crepes on the Corner, followed far too quickly by the closing of said Crepes on the Corner.  We shared our first sips at Harold Black.  Even more opened this year that we couldn’t seem to get to (Kruba Thai and Canal Park Tavern on the Waterfront, H&pizza and more on H Street NE), but suffice it to say our neighborhood is bursting with dining options and 2013 looks like more are queued up for debut.

The year saw a spike in crime, sadly.  We learned of the tragic beating of Thomas Maslin, as well as the numerous ways the neighborhood rallied for the Maslin family.  December brought a homicide on the Hill as well as another incidence of gun violence, shaking residents and the feeling of safety we’ve come to enjoy in the neighborhood.  We can all hope that this is not a trend that extends into 2013, and that justice is served in all these incidents.

The Hill is Home also spent some time on local election coverage.  ANCs were offered a chance to author a post on their own behalf, and most took us up on that.  We’ve not officially supported a candidate for local office before, so it’s nice to be able to provide a forum for neighbors to get information on the candidates in a format that isn’t as formal as your typical newspaper.

Resident author Robert Pohl kept us informed and entertained with stories of Capitol Hill of yore.  We learned why Canal Park is called what it is.  With the launch of DC Brau and Green Hat Distilleries, we needed a primer on the first brewery on the Hill.  And we got a comprehensive dissection of scandals on Capitol Hill.  This little website also assisted in launching two books from our group of writers – Robert’s Wicked Capitol Hill and Tim Krepp’s Capitol Hill Haunts.  It’s great to know our neighborhood is full of skeletons, no?

What will 2013 bring on Capitol Hill?  We’ve offered some predictions and hopes for the coming year in other posts, but know The Hill Is Home and our rag-tag band of writers will be on top of it as best as our day jobs allow.

Happy New Year!

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One response to “In the Rearview – 2012 on Capitol Hill”

  1. IMGoph says:

    the ancient mayans were just fine. it’s the idiots around today who didn’t (and don’t) know how to properly understand ancient texts, etc., that we should be worried about.

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