ThayerAvenue.com

I finally had the chance to go by Highland Origin Coffee today. What a great space that is — lots of windows, great colors, and pretty good coffee and snacks to boot.

I spoke with one of the owners, Hareg, who told me Highland is a family business, and they’ve been in the area for almost 10 years. What spurred the opening of the shop, I’m not sure, but it’s about time someone filled this little niche so I didn’t have to walk all the way to Mayorga.

While they opened a couple of weeks ago, their Grand Opening is going on now through Wednesday, May 31. Daily festivities include:

• 9:00-10:00am: Free coffee
• 12:30-1:30pm: Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony
• 3:00-4:00pm: New Product Testing
• 6:00pm: “Black Gold” Documentary on International Coffee Trade

In addition to the expected coffee, cakes and pastries are from the Watergate (yum!), and ice cream is available from the PA-based Jack & Jill Creamery. Free WiFi comes standard, of course. And artwork is on display (and available for sale, I assume) from local artists. And as an added bonus, a portion of the proceeds from coffee sales is donated to the environmental preservation of the Chesapeake Bay.

Make your way down and start supporting!

According to the Montgomery County Police weekly crime summary dated May 1 to May 9, seven cars were broken into on the 500 block of Thayer Avenue during the overnight hours of May 6.

Thieves are evidently targeting cars for a variety of reasons, including GPS systems, loose change, and stale cheeseburgers left on the passenger seat. For those of you familiar with the pimp sled, you know what I’m talking about.

Cmdr Betsy Davis recommended drivers remember to lock their doors and fortify their cars with steering wheel locks, alarms, and guard dogs.

Thanks to the ever-vigilant Silver Spring Pengiun for the alert on this.

Some folks like to get away, take a holiday from the neighborhood. And the way to know that your city has really “made it” is to get a dedicated, ‘luxury’ bus route open from your immediate locale to somewhere more exciting – in this case, New York City.

Beginning May 25, Washington Deluxe will be ferrying people from the corner of Wayne & Dixon to Penn Station in NYC, marking a new chapter in the ongoing “get-the-hell-out-of-town” legacy that is, occasionally, Silver Spring. Word on the street is that they’re safe and reliable, and the riders represent a good cross-section of DC Metro residents. Fare is posted as $20 each way.

You may be asking yourselves: “Why? Why do you want to go to New York when anything one could ever want is right here in this quaint, unincorporated town?” Here are some thoughts.

1. Cuisine. Those who know me know how much I love food, and in NYC, they have restaurants that feature cuisine from all over the world. From Burma to Ethiopia to simple bangers & mash from our former opressors across the pond.

2. A diverse population. Walk through the city streets and hear languages that you can’t even place, much less understand. And that includes whatever the homeless guy with the sign is mumbling.

3. Combative driving. You can hop in a cab almost anywhere and scream through the streets amid aggressive drivers all jam packed in crowded roadways in dire need of getting somewhere. And lots of honking. Or drive yourself and break whatever rules you want.

4. Subway/Public Transport. Now with the great smell of urine! And no bother with the annoyance of broken escalators (translation: stairs): New York manages those inflated expectations by providing good ol’ stationary concrete steps.

5. Highfalutin Shopping. It’s fancy, expensive, and all in one place. And it’s NOT Chevy Chase.

Yes, a bit of irony on this stormy Wednesday. Our little town has much of that, and that’s why we love it so. But I do love going to New York (though it was much better before Giuliani stripped Times Square of its character). It’s always new and the same and different. And the cabs are cheap. (Repeat after me: “I hate Barwood.”)

See you at Wayne & Dixon.

EDIT: Props to Silver Spring Singular, who notes that the Washington Deluxe Web site says the route leaves from the “Silver Springs” metro. Classic.

“Eric Stratton. ThayerAvenue.com. Damn glad to meet you.”

Mark your calendar, folks, for the biggest party this side of the Delta Tau Chi house. The South Silver Spring Block Party is happening on Sunday, May 20, from 1pm to 5pm. So much to see and do for the entire family, including arts & crafts, music, prizes, and much more.

But I’ll tell you why I *love* to go to these things: meat on a stick. And you’re sure to find some good, quality varmint at this shin dig. Even Flounder would be proud.

For all the specific details, you can download the PDF from the South Silver Spring site. But you really don’t need to do that. Just show up. Like you got anything better to do around the neighborhood.

When I first moved to Thayer Avenue, I heard a couple of people mutter under their breath about about an unkept house down the street. Not until I started walking back and forth to the park did I realize exactly what they were talking about.

Case in point: Unfortunately I didn’t see most of this while they were doing the God-awful things they were doing, but let’s see if we can break it down for the neighborhood.

1. The “nice” part of the fence is supposed to face the street: I started with this one because it’s the most obvious, but I’m not sure where to begin. Did they know they were doing it wrong? Do they just want to see the smooth side of the fence for themselves? Do they not care? Are they idiots? Perhaps all of the above. It’d be sort of amusing to go in the middle of the night and turn the fence around if it wasn’t so much work that I didn’t want to do for someone else. A quick search on the interweb reveals a cadre of cities and counties that mandate the “aesthetically pleasing” side of the fence face outward, including places like: Westfield, NJ; St. Clair Shores, MI; and Lower Providence Township, PA. I can’t seem to find anything online about MoCo restrictions, but I will continue to look.

2. If it’s dead, bury it: Planting shrubbery is nice and all for landscaping, but if it dies, for the love of God, chop it down with a herring or something. Perhaps they don’t quite understand the meaning of the word “evergreen.”

3. Beware of dog: I’ve never seen a dog there, but I’d wager that would he bite me in the arse if I tried to sneak in and turn their fence around one night. And that “shrubbery” you see there under the sign? Waist-high weeds. Just like the rest of the yard.

And the complaints certainly don’t stop there. Peeling paint that is sure to be lead-based (which is illegal if you’re renting it out, I believe), pieces of plywood to fill in the gaps in the fence, broken downspouts, multicolored siding… did I mention the fence is backwards?

If anyone has any insight into MoCo property laws and statutes, please holler. In the meantime, I may take the long way to the park. And for those who want to go heckle or gawk, it would be rude of me to tell you which intersection it’s at. You’ll have to figure that one out for yourselves.

Thayer Avenue must have the greatest looking kids – objectively speaking, of course. Take a look at Nathan below – Kate & Brent’s (& Madeleine’s) new addition. No mistaking who the parents of that one are. Nathan was born April 11 at 7:24 p.m. and weighed in at a healthy 10 lbs, 3 oz, and 22 inches long. Way to go, Kate!

Margaret “Maggie” Jane was born on May 2, 2007, at 1:28 a.m. 7lbs 5oz. 20.5″ long. The whole family is doing great, and thanks to all for your well wishes!