I’ve got a confession to make: I’m a dinosaur. How do I know? Because, whereas I will take my time when reading and put in the necessary effort to learn something from a text, (regardless of word count) online readers, particularly those members of what’s been called “Generation D,” won’t. In fact, when it comes to writing for the Web, editors agree that the general rules of thumb include: • Online readers will actually read more than the first few lines of a story before deciding to move on to something else, so get to the point; • online readers don't actually read, they scan; • online …
College Park might no longer be divided. Currently our city is split into two Prince George's County districts, represented by two county council members, but there’s a chance our municipality will be united, depending on where the new district lines are drawn. As is, much of north College Park belongs to District 1 while the rest of our city belongs to District 3. There are arguments for and against all of College Park being grouped into one district, and personally, I haven’t decided where I fall on the debate. But if you have a strong opinion, you’ll want to make sure to share your …
Driving along MD Rt. 193 from College Park to Greenbelt, there is a billboard on the left side of the road advertising season tickets for the upcoming University of Maryland football season. It’s not like the season is going to “sneak up” on football fans — especially if their interest in Terps football has prompted them to become season ticket holders. Whenever I pass it, I wonder, just how effective is this ad? I wonder the same thing about National Night Out (NNO), the national event held each year on Aug. 2 that, according to organizers, is designed to: “heighten crime and drug prevention…
On Sept. 28, 2009, I wrote about some of the vacant properties along U.S. Route 1 on my blog and included some commentary on what the city ought to do about them. About a year later, Aug. 9, 2010, I wrote an article for Patch — my first one — about 9091 Baltimore Ave., the site of the old Mandalay Restaurant. Four months later, in Dec. 2010, I again wrote about some of the other vacant properties that line U.S. Route 1. During that time — a span of almost two years — nothing has happened with any of these places, except that they’ve all gotten a bit older and, presumably, more decrepit. I …
Although I won’t be shedding any tears about Borders’ decision to call it quits, I will miss the coffee, which I greatly preferred to the stuff from that other coffee place. And I'll miss their philosophy section, which I greatly preferred to what one finds in that other chain bookstore. Philosophy? Does anyone really read that stuff anymore? It's a relevant question given the subject’s general reputation. Let's face it; most folks see philosophy as something akin to trivia; it’s a fun thing to talk about, but when it comes to the concerns of everyday life, it’s largely useless. If that …
Mobility in the developed portions of Montgomery and northwestern Prince George's counties is severely limited, in part because there is no continuous high capacity transportation facility except the Capital Beltway. This lack of mobility limits job opportunities, interaction between communities, and access to government and community services, and contributes to a decrease in the quality of life. The study area has developed without a planned regional east-west highway. Inter County Connector “Purpose and Needs” Statement For as long as I’ve lived in College Park (12 years), I’ve heard …
On Saturday, I went on an Eco-Adventure Tour to ride zip lines through a forest canopy (read: high off the ground) and rappelling off a shaky wooden platform some 40 feet in the air. And so that morning I found myself faced with a peculiar decision: picking what could possibly be the last T-shirt I would ever wear. For the record, I have several great T-shirts for such a special occasion, but somehow I managed to narrow the choice down to two: Born in Buffalo or College Park Day. For some reason, I thought I should die in a shirt that identified where I was from, but given my affinity for …
My daughter has a book, My Book Box, about a young elephant who, after receiving an empty box, decides that the best thing he can do with it is use it as a container for his books. So, he puts them all in there and he’s pretty happy, because now he can take his books with him wherever he goes—to the kitchen to eat breakfast, to the bathroom to do his business, on a plane when he travels, and even to his room when he takes a nap. In fact, the elephant becomes so enthralled with his new book box that he proclaims, “It has everything I need!” But that’s not all. The thing the elephant “…
Last Saturday, my wife and kids took me to Swallow Falls State Park (SFSP) in Western Maryland for some Father’s Day camping and some much needed R&R. Yes, there are closer places to camp—SFSP is more than three hours from College Park—but the drive was worth it. The good folks at the Maryland Department of Natural Resources have kept the park’s facilities in good repair, and we enjoyed ourselves immensely, particularly while strolling along the scenic hiking trail that runs all the way to nearby Herrington Manor State Park and, after our hike, hanging around the campfire. Now I don’t know …
A few years ago, while reading on a typically hot and humid summer night, I saw a tiny little bug scurry across the page of the book in my hands. At least I thought I did...it was late and I was getting tired, so I figured it was just my mind playing tricks on me. A few minutes later it happened again, but this time I got a better look at the fleet-footed invader. I was right: it was a bug—a tiny, white (almost translucent) bug, and before I could do anything about it, it crawled into the book's binding and disappeared. I didn’t see the bug again that night, but I didn’t have to. My encounter…
Last week, on my way home from work, I was idling at a yield sign, waiting for my chance to merge on to 355, cross three lanes of traffic, and then merge on to the Beltway. It’s not the easiest maneuver, and pulling it off successfully often requires a few minutes of waiting for the giant herd of traffic on 355 at that time of the day to thin out or be stopped in its tracks by the traffic light at the nearby intersection. Anyway, while waiting patiently for my chance to go, I heard a beep from a car somewhere behind me. Thinking the feisty noise couldn’t be directed at me, I ignored it. A few…
Given that I’m writing this at 12:16 a.m. on Sunday, May 22, it looks like we’ll have to wait a little longer for the Second Coming. Generally speaking, this is a good thing—I appreciate the opportunity to spend more time with my kids. On the downside, though, I’ll still have to look at that unbelievable eyesore affectionately known as the “spooky house” that sits (crumbling) at the corner of Edgewood Road and Route 1 in north College Park every time I drive to work. I don’t know about you, but I’m about ready for anything to take that thing down, be it a wrecking ball or divine intervention…
As a concerned citizen and regular spectator of local affairs, I sometimes wonder: what are we thinking? We complain about the traffic that chokes our roadways, yet I don’t know anyone in this town who doesn’t own a car. We get upset about AT&T’s decision to build a cell phone tower in our neighborhood, yet I don’t know anyone without a cell phone. We lament the loss (or absence) of local business, yet regularly patronize the countless chain stores in our midst. We oppose the CSX Railroad’s proposal to build an “intermodal facility” (aka: train-to-truck transfer station) in our backyard even …
According to a July 2010 Washington Post article, Prince George's County is “ground zero” in Maryland for foreclosures. This means that, in addition to a lot of people losing their homes (the real tragedy of the foreclosure crisis), those who didn’t are now forced to contend with reduced property values and potential other problems from the foreclosure(s) in their midst. My neighbors and me are in this latter camp. The house next door to mine was foreclosed on a few months ago and, since then, we’ve all been watching it slip into disrepair and develop into an eyesore. For example, on their …
Last Friday, WAMU’s Metro Connection included a segment about the revitalization of the H Street Corridor in D.C., and how many attribute its turn around to the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hotel, a live music venue that occupies the site of a former funeral home. If you didn’t catch it, here’s a quick run-down of the story: Once upon a time, H Street NE, was a “ghost town” (legend has it there were even tumbleweeds). It stayed like this for some time, and then the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hotel opened its doors in 2006, and people starting coming to H Street to enjoy live music. After that, people with the …
After work last Friday, I went over to a friend’s house to pick something up. It was raining a bit, but his house is only five or six blocks away, so I decided to walk rather than drive. Besides, I had been sitting behind a desk all day and thought the exercise might do me good. So, I put the dog on the leash and out the door we went. I should have driven, because if I had been traveling by car I probably would not have noticed all the pollution and trash that I saw and I’d be feeling a little better about the environmental state of the neighborhood. At about one minute into the trip, I came …
As a resident of the Hollywood neighborhood, I have mixed feelings about the new light that's been installed (but not yet activated) at the intersection of Hollywood Road and Route 1. Although I’m looking forward to making easier left turns from Hollywood on to Route 1, I’m not excited about what will surely be an unintended consequence of the light: increased “thru traffic.” See, when that light starts to go red, traffic is going to back up in the northbound lanes of Route 1. When that happens, impatient drivers hoping to avoid the traffic insanity at the intersection of Route 1 and Cherry …
At its work session on April 5, the College Park City Council discussed the process of appointing new leadership for the city’s Neighborhood Watch (NW) program, expanding the program throughout the city, and enhancing its presence in our neighborhoods. Should it bother? According to Stephen Mastrofski—professor in the Department of Criminology, Law, and Society and director of the Center for Justice Leadership and Management at George Mason University who spoke on the April 5 edition of The Kojo Nnamdi Show (see transcript)—the answer to that question might be “no.” “The evidence [from …
As I’m sure you’re aware, Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) stopped by College Park’s own Seven Seas Restaurant on the evening of March 28 to speak at last month’s installment of the Experience and Enjoy College Park Tour (EECPT). If you missed Hoyer’s speech, though, don’t worry. You didn’t miss all that much. I know: that makes me sound like a jerk, and I don’t mean to. For the record, I’ve been to a few of installments of the EECPT since they began in August and I’ve never found them to be a waste of time. At each one, I’ve eaten good food, enjoyed the company of good people, and I usually learn a …
At its March 22 meeting, the College Park City Council considered an ordinance to "prohibit the spread of bamboo onto adjoining properties.” According to information from District 1 City Council Member Patrick Wojahn, the ordinance asks residents to be mindful of their neighbors when planting bamboo and would only be enforced if a neighbor (whose property is being encroached upon) complains about it. Wojahn also noted that residents could easily address the problem by putting in barriers to prevent their bamboo from spreading into neighboring yards. If a resident doesn't address the problem, …
