ThayerAvenue.com

I’ve never personally seen a Vaudeville show, but I have a feeling that the Montgomery County Council Town (MoCoCoTo?) Hall meeting last night at AFI would have fit the bill pretty well. Karl from Silver Spring, Singular and I went, and we even scoped out the joint for our Blogosphere bretheren – much to no avail. (Dan? Jennifer? Were you in disguise?)

As referenced above, Karl has an excellent summary of the events. And it was unfortunate that the highlight of the night came so early in the proceedings. But having “bullshit” called on the council multiple times was good enough for me. Not that I necessarily agree, but it was amusing enough. And while we got a small question about The Fillmore at the end, there was an ominous dude in a black IFI t-shirt that was just two people back when they shut down questioning. That would have made things a little more interesting (though I would have told him to shut the hell up if he started bitching). Another question: Where was Marilyn Praisner?

What *was* interesting, though, is that Tuesday night I went to Olazzo (for $5 martini night, of course), and got a chance to talk one-on-none with our very own Marc Elrich, At-Large County Councilmember. And ironically, he walked through the door right as the conversation turned to MoCo’s monopoly on the alcohol trade in the county. (Free State? My ass.) He mentioned there was potential afoot to allow independent entities (i.e., small business owners) to set up shop in grocery stores to sell beer and wine.

The “Booze Corner” as I’m going to call it, would be independently owned and operated by someone not affiliated with the store, and it would be set up so it could be locked up after hours. Growing up with Blue Laws in Alabama, they just put broom handles across the cooler doors and turned off the lights inside them. Thank God I only lived 30 minutes from the Tennessee line. I’m going to assume that scenario wouldn’t cut it for the County, though. But the propsect of buying groceries (including beer) in one place without having to go to Sniderss or White Oak made me drunk with giddiness. Or maybe it was the martinis.

Did you know?
Each grocery store chain can have one of its stores in Montgomery County sell beer and wine? I didn’t. Another gem from Marc. One Giant, one Shoppers, one Snider’s, etc. Lots of other conversations with Marc I won’t detail here, but I have to say he totally changed my attitude. Not really knowing him, I always took him for someone on the No-Growth side of Smart Growth. That was a wrong assessment. And I think I might pay more attention to what the Council does for a while.

Next Up: That long-awaited Thayer Avenue Census Data I promised you a couple weeks ago.

In light of my recent Rock Band experience and a nagging urge to see Blue Oyster Cult on a reunion tour at a (yet to be named?) Silver Spring Music Venue, I give you a more lighthearted thought for the day…

As many of you have probably heard, and as reported in the Washington Post, our County Executive inked a deal Friday with Live Nation to secure The Fillmore at the old JC Penney building on Colesville Road. Thank heavens. I hope all the bitching and moaning and gnashing of teeth will stop.

But you and I both know that’s not going to happen. People on the lilstserv are already saying “it’s not a done deal yet” or “I’m already scared to walk to Whole Foods on a Saturday night.” Oh, please. You think we’re going to get a music venue and the neighborhood’s going to go to shit? If that’s going to be your perception, then I can’t help you. No one can. You can continue to fear change or roll with it – it’s your call.

I, for one, am totally psyched. And if Seth Hurwitz is listening: Yes, this means I won’t be spending as much money to go to your little 9:30 Club. Sure, I’ll go see the Rev. (among others) when he comes, but I hope this puts the kibosh on IMP’s comlaints, too.

Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to take this opportunity to say just how wonderful our great County Executive is. Ike Leggett is about the best administrator a county could hope for. He’s tackling the tough problems with the budget, bringing great entertainment venues to the area, and putting the smackdown on the (formerly) Duncan Library because Douggie tried to steal our money.

Thank you, Mr. County Executive. And please remember this post when you’re deciding what to do with those 6 tickets you get to every show at The Fillmore.

Sincerely,
Your Friends at Thayer Avenue

There’s been a lot of chatter recently (with some great comments at the Penguin, in particular) about the fate of the Perpetual Building at the corner of Georgia and Cameron. There’s a proposal on the table to tear it down and build a new structure with ground floor retail, offices, apartments, and a “pocket park.” (I expect someone, at some point, to ask the inevitable question: “Is that a park in your pocket?”)

While historical types want it to stay (It’s *50* years old! That’s historical!) because if its “significant architectural importance,” public opinion seems to sway heavily toward the “tear it down” contingent. I, personally, don’t find it all that attractive and couldn’t care less either way. If a structure can go up that would provide more resources to the community with something other than a “suburban Baby Boom modernism” feel, I say go for it.

But I think an even better idea would be to have a demolition party. The technology is available to implode the thing without harming the Metropoplitan Building next door, and who doesn’t enjoy watching shit blow up? Mind you, I don’t harbor any ill will toward the structure, but I’d be the first in line to buy front row tickets if they sold them.

I even set my alarm to watch Three Rivers Stadium go up in smoke. If this doesn’t get your heart pumping, I don’t know what would.

Did anyone go to the meeting last night at the Margaret Schweinhaut Senior Center about the fate of Sligo Creek GC? I know Bonifant More Sinister than Thayer was there, but he was probably just playing bingo with his buddies – as he usually does three or four nights a week.

There was some traffic on the listserv last night about the meeting, asking people to show up “in droves to protest the addition of a lighted, two-tier driving range,” as well as the mini-golf course. I, for one really want the lighted, two-tiered driving range, and I know a lot of other people do, too. (They indicated as much on the listserv.) Any updates from the meeting would be much appreciated.

Thayer Avenue Census Information
One our very own Thayer Residents has compiled a fantastic report on the demographics of Thayer Avenue from 2000 census data. If I can tear myself away from Guitar Hero and Call of Duty 4 long enough over the weekend, I’ll have the full report ready next week. Fascinating stuff, so stay tuned.

This time, luckily, it comes by way of my peoples in the South via Whole Paycheck:

I’ve seen Brad Pitt in the recent tabloids, so I’m pretty sure he’s not hanging around the Spring. Maybe it’s one of the smaller Jolie-Pitt people? They’d fit better in the container of prunes. (Yes, we have prunes in our household, and no, they’re not for me.)

Sorry for the long delay, but my snafu in the upstairs bathroom necessitated some time off to replace sheet rock in the ceiling of the downstairs bathroom. And the new Xbox 360 hasn’t helped in maintaining proper priorities. But I guess it’s really just a matter of what one might consider “proper.” (Note to self: Don’t play Bioshock in the middle of the night with all the lights off.)

Hip New Shops?
There was a bit of a launguage barrier when I asked one of the workers what was going in at (what I thought would be) the much coveted corner store between Cakelove and My Eye Dr. Suffice to say, it’s going to be a clothing store with “New York” in the name, or at least that’s what I made out.

Goodbye, Sausage Gravy
Tastee Diner has evidently tried to get ahead of the curve and become compliant with the trans fat ban by the beginning of the new year. My splurge: biscuits and sausage gravy – both of which are affected. It just makes me sad. And what’s worse, when NBC4 decided to do a story on the county ban, they went to the Tastee Diner in Bethesda. That’s so bogus. Do they know nothing of what a real Tastee Diner is?

In Other Restaurant News
Silver Spring Penguin reports that the shuttered Ray’s the Classics is only a temporary thing, making way for renovations and upgrades. And with the trans fat ban, I suspect they’ll never bring back those tasty suasage biscuits they had on the menu when they first opened. And when is Landrum going to find a replacement for Hartzer? Ever?

Coming Soon
More updates on development at 814 Thayer are floating around the listservs. Will try to gather intel on that and the empty lot across from Safeway.