Adams Morgan: D.C.'s Nexus of Crazy?

FIVE YEARS AGO, this writer seriously considered moving into a tiny apartment overlooking the intersection of Columbia Road and 18th Street NW, the heart of Adams Morgan. Then, common sense set it.

What make an Adams-Morganite choose to live so close to a place plagued by hyperactive, booze-seeking suburbanites? (Any explanations out there?)

Let's take a look at news from that nutty neighborhood, told in quotes from recent weeks.

» GRAHAM: MD. DRIVERS ARE 'CRAZY': Bless the Current newspaper staff for covering meetings the rest of the area's media organizations skip. Because those are the meetings where our elected officials open up since they think they won't be quoted.

In last week's issue (sadly, not online), we got this gem from a meeting of the Kalorama Citizens Association, where Ward 1 Council member Jim Graham said:

Our roadways have historically served the crazy people from Maryland — They're so pent up. They're going to have to start driving safely.

Okay, Graham's not a fan of Maryland drivers. What about Virginians? Completely sane?

» TOPPINGS TANTRUM: Jason Cherkis of the City Paper might need therapy to sort out the cumbersome rules over toppings at eateries like Amsterdam Falafel Shop, Old City Cafe and M'Dawg Haute Dogs. Or, well, there's always this method:

How do I choose between roasted cauliflower and eggplant? Cucumber-yogurt dip vs. hummus? I don't. I just cram my pita and hope not to get caught by the falafel cops. After two and three more visits to the restaurant without incident, I think it's safe to go ahead and pile on the toppings. But I still feeling like a toppings whore.

And Cherkis thought loading up was an expensive undertaking at the sort-of pricey M'Dawg, where he thought each item at the "Uptown" gourmet topping bar was $1 each. Not so. It's a buck for access to the whole thing. Load up and get your money's worth.

» CRAZY BIRDS JUST OFF COLUMBIA ROAD: Adams Morgan's alleyways are often littered with flattened rats. But in the neighborhood's public squares — like the one at Champlain and Euclid streets NW — it's pigeons, those little rats with wings, that are the pests du jour. And they don't have many worries, says one local Livejournal writer:

If you've ever seen the state of D.C. pigeons, you know that people taking it on themselves to feed them really isn't necessary. They get pretty pudgy on what they find on their own steam...

We aren't sure if local voodoo priests use pigeons for Santeria purposes, but perhaps feeding the local winged-creatures is just a tactic to make them easier targets, just like doves.

» ORGAN TRANSPLANT: On 18th Street, the giant bare-breasted mural on the side of Madam's Organ is a neighborhood landmark. And as The Post's Marc Fisher has pointed out, it is a landmark in danger. The old 1904 building has structural problems and the club's owner has a plan to gut and rebuild it, keeping the facade and incorporating into the design the old wrought-iron balconies from the now-demolished restaurant landmark Blackie's in the West End. But there's a battle, naturally, with D.C. historic preservation authorities, who like the idea of the old Blackie's facade being rebuilt on the 18th Street strip — as long as it's only used on the alley side. Writes Fisher:

In other words, untraditional character and flamboyance are wonderful, sure thing, but tuck that wacky stuff in the back, where no one can see it. The front must be pristine. Rather than a cool balcony up front, the staff tells Duggan he must restore a metal sign that reads "Upholstering & Cabinet Making" that was part of the building's design a century or so ago.

And as Fisher argues, it is Madam's Organ that's on the sane side of the debate. And who'd think anyone would say that?

Photos by Kevin Clark/The Washington Post, Andrea Bruce/The Washington Post

Posted By Michael Grass at 3:26 PM on March 28, 2007 Tagged in Adams Morgan , Free Ride , The District

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