image uploaded by duluoz cats on Flickr
Remember when you were a kid and you would truly, deep down, believe that Santa could grant your craziest Christmas wish. Eventually, when that pony didn’t show up for the umpteenth time, you started to suspect that either mom and dad were in cahoots with Santa or he just wasn’t real. A very sad realization indeed. But we keep throwing out our Christmas wishes in hope that someone will hear. And so today, we look at our wishes for the Hill. A neighborhood we love dearly but one that is also missing a few things. What would you add to our lists?
All I want for Christmas on the Hill is…
Claudia:
A shuttle from Eastern Market to H Street (that bus never seems to come…)
A good sushi place on the SE side of the Hill
Better food delivery options
For the Hine School development to hurry up and start
For the ANCs to learn to get through an agenda in under two hours and post the minutes sooner than a month after the meeting
Jon:
I’d like DCRA to act on the sort-of-vacant property next to me, whose back porch is disintegrating and the backyard has become a cat mating sanctuary.
I’d like drivers to SLOW DOWN on Independence Avenue SE between 15th and 18th streets. Maybe DDOT can put in some pedestrian crossing signs too.
I would like to stop reading (and reporting on) DCRA holding up new businesses opening.
Finally, I would like a pony. Actually, two small pygmy goats to keep my small yard trim would be fine. And I would like to be able to legally keep these goats on the Hill, just like the chickens that people know and love.
Lauren:
At the end of the stretch of rowhouses that make up my neighborhood, there’s a vacant lot where a house should be. Rumor has it the owner got a “reno” permit rather than a “demo” permit, so the city was none too pleased when they dropped by and discovered said owner had knocked the entire house down. A stop work order was put on the whole thing. That was two years ago, and while my neighbors and I get our hopes up when work begins again, it always ends without explanation. So this year, in addition to flying around the entire world in one night, I’m asking Santa to greenlight this home rebuild project!
Jen:
A burrito shop or frozen yogurt or salad place on H street, or all of the above.
The streetcar sooner rather than later
A Jon Wye belt. I just can’t decide which one…
Maria:
All I want for Christmas is the assurance that I can walk around Hill East without having to worry about a broken jaw or a stolen wallet.
Nichole:
Decent delivery pizza on the Hill and for people to not be *ssholes.
Tim:
Bar within staggering distance.
The daily parade of thugs going down my street after school to grow up, lead fulfilling lives, and be productive members of the community. Failing that, I’d settle for them to stop using the n-word in front of my kids.
A middle school option that has been as excellent as our DCPS elementary school.
Kyra and the Gebhards:
Brian wants more retail on H Street.
Kyra wants the three wise men of interior design—Crate and Barrel, Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware—to find a home on the Hill.
Anabel wants more parks with more slides and more places to watch the puppies run and play safely within a designated dog run.