Using Opening Day as a lure, JBG provided a hard-hat visit to the roof of its under-construction 290-unit apartment building 1221 Van, which is directly across N Street from the Nationals Park and is expected to begin move-ins this fall. The panorama above, while showy, is a wide-angle shot, giving a sense of the full vista from the roof, but at the expense of making everything look farther away.

This image at right is a more accurate representation of the size of the field as your eyes see it. A good chunk of far left field is obscured by the parking garage, but right field is mostly visible.

While you can't see the outfield scoreboard's display, those with good vision can see the scoreboard above the Nats dugout, and perhaps people with good hearing (i.e., not me) could hear the public address system. I did hear the organ a few times.

As for the other views from the roof, you didn't expect me to just take ballpark views, did you? The full gallery of photos is here, but here are a few previews.

Also, I couldn't resist one photo of the workers taking a break to catch some of the action. And a JDLand friend couldn't resist a photo of 1221 Van from inside the ballpark, unaware that the shot also captured a rare glimpse of the official JDLand photographer in action. (The yellow blob. Trust me.)

Check out the full gallery for more shots of the surroundings, and for what the view from the "infinity pool" will look like. And see my 1221 Van project page for renderings, before-and-after photos, and more information. The official web site is 1221van.com.

And, if you haven't gotten the news yet, Shake Shack is now open for business at 54 M St. SE. Have some crinkle fries for me.

I really, truly, appreciate the many wonderful messages I've received in the past week. I hope to have information soon about where to make donations in Bill's memory, and will update this post when I have it.

In the meantime, my vista does not currently include any buildings under construction.

UPDATE: I can now pass along the link for (tax-deductible!) donations to the newly created American Copy Editors Society Bill Walsh Scholarship. (There's a checkbox to specifically target your donations to this scholarship.) I'm so proud to honor his memory in a very tangible way like this, to support students interested in a career in news copy editing. And it was something he was very much wanted to see done.

I won't run down his biography here, especially since the fabulous Washington Post obituary does a great job sketching the portrait of the "rock star" of copy editors. And my grief-soaked Facebook farewell gives a hint of the heartbreak I am not only now facing, but have lived with for the past nine months, knowing that it was highly unlikely this cancer was going to be beat.

But I wanted to ruminate for a moment or two about the part Bill played in JDLand, and not just as the chauffeur on that fateful day in January 2003 when I took the series of photos that really started this adventure.

When Bill moved to this area from Phoenix in 1989, he lived in Alexandria at first, but with a commute to the Washington Times building on New York Avenue, NE, he was soon drawn to Capitol Hill, and found a place not far from Eastern Market. The Hill of the 1990s, of course, had a very different feel than today, as did the entire city, but he fell in love with the walkability, and even the slight edginess of the time.

While I had been born on the Hill, my family had left the area when I was a toddler and when we came back we settled in Chevy Chase, so while I very much considered myself a Washington-area native, I was pretty firmly ensconced in the world of Upper Northwest, Bethesda, and points west and north. Sure, I had spent more than my fair share of time at the original 9:30 Club on F Street, drank yards of beer at the old Tiber Creek Pub (where Bistro Bis now resides), served two summers as a Hill intern, worked at a couple of jobs near 16th and K, and wasn't a-feered of going downtown in the late 1980s and early 1990s as many of my cohorts were, but it still just really wasn't part of my orbit.

Until in April 1993, when I met a guy living on Capitol Hill.

By 1995, we had bought our house on the south side of the Hill, much to the chagrin of many people who thought we were crazy to buy in such an "unsafe" place, a feeling that intensified for many who came to our housewarming party via the 6th Street exit off the freeway who were not happy to be greeted by the boarded up shells of the old Ellen Wilson Dwellings and the only slightly less foreboding, not-yet-boarded up Capper apartment buildings.

But we loved it. We loved walking the neighborhood for hours. We loved Eastern Market. We loved walking to the Hawk n Dove or the Tune Inn or La Lomida Dos. We loved going to open houses just to look. We loved the House and Garden Tour. We loved being 10 minutes from National Airport. We loved seeing the Capitol just as part of the neighborhood landscape.

And we loved watching it change, as it really began to in the early 2000s. Somewhere on his hard drive is actually a running list, going back to well before we arrived, of which businesses occupied which addresses on Pennsylvania Avenue and on Barracks Row. He loved telling people about how 8th Street had transformed from "our little slice of Queens" to the restaurant row it is today.

Then I extended the boundaries of our interest when I started hearing about the various plans to transform the blocks south of the freeway, an area we rarely ventured into and in fact would sometimes jokingly subreference Bonfire of the Vanities when telling people how to get back to the freeway and "safety": DON'T GO UNDER THE OVERPASS.

When I get asked to tell the story of how I began to follow the neighborhood, I almost always mention how Bill and I used to stand on 3rd Street and look southward under the freeway to catch a glimpse of the Anacostia River, and how we used to say to each other, "Wouldn't it be great if someday we could walk down there from here and then along the river?" (which was usually followed by loud ironic guffaws) And then I was off on my one great hobby, watching Near Capitol Ballpark River Yards grow from nothing to what it is today.

Of course, through all of this, the rest of DC was changing too, and we became even more intensely in love with our city and what it offered. We ate at as many of the city's restaurants as we could. He began biking to and from work at the Post. We would walk to Caps games at the Verizon Center and then home. We Bikeshared. We Car to Go'ed. We Ubered. We waited for the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail to be extended. We walked to Nats games on a whim. We rode the H Street Streetcar on the first day. We reveled in referring to ourselves derisively as urban hipsters.

Much of our daily running messaging commentary to each other was news of what we had seen and heard--did you hear Hank's is opening on the Hill? The weird florist at 8th and E is gone! Matchbox is almost open! Wait, let me guess, you want to go to Morini again.

And in 2015, when he began a walking regime to combat a bit of fatigue that was probably a missed early sign of his cancer, his route covered all the bases--down 8th Street to the freeway, back up to Pennsylvania Avenue, down New Jersey under the freeway, over to 1st Street, down to the ballpark, along the river, and home. And I received bulletins all along the way of whatever he saw that was new. He became the first and only official JDLand stringer.

We just loved living here. Every minute of it.

A few weeks ago, I felt he was stable enough to allow me a little time to go take some Hood pics for the first time in a few months. It was a beautiful day, I was doing what I have loved doing for more than a decade now, and was on autopilot--until I looked at the large as-yet unleased corner retail space in one of the new buildings. And then I couldn't breathe. Because I knew it would be a restaurant, and would be a restaurant that he would never know about. That we would never eat at.

When my brother brought me home to the Hill after leaving the hospice center for the final time (I can't even believe Bill died in Arlington and not DC), we came across the 14th Street Bridge. I caught sight of the Wharf construction, and burst into tears.

We may not have been activists, or preservationists, or even particularly involved in the culture of the Hill and surroundings, but our neighborhood(s) infused every part of our days. These streets and buildings and businesses and history united us as much as our life at the Post, our love of travel, our cats, and our expert-level pop-culture referencing.

Now I just have to figure out how on earth to watch it all alone.

I will continue to pop in and out in the coming weeks, because he would not be pleased if JDLand was collateral damage in all of this, but it will take a long while before I return to full steam.

However, having moved through the aftermath of my mother's heartbreaking death three years ago, I do know that time heals, and what feel like machete strikes to my chest today will eventually be wistful pangs. There will come a time that roaming these streets will not smack me with what he is missing, but remind me of everything we shared and enjoyed so very much.

But at least before I go I can post links to the news of Dacha coming to Dock 79, and that maybe a bowling alley will go into some of the retail space in the Jair Lynch residential/retail project above the Half Street Hole just north of Nats Park. And a reader reports this morning that steel beams have arrived at the NAB HQ site at South Capitol and M, so work might be starting there.

And thanks to everyone for your patience and good thoughts in these past months.

Let's look at signs and entrances, starting first at F1rst and its Residence Inn, where it looks like the homestretch has been entered (click to enlarge, of course):

Then, let's go over to 4th Street, where the District Winery building continues to zip along. It's also where the Bower is now signed, as is Conte's space in Arris:

Then we'll double back westward (you're getting a sense for how far I walk on these excursions), taking a look at the new sidewalk on New Jersey Avenue in front of Insignia on M. Shake Shack's signage at the Homewood Suites, and the One Hill South entrance (very New York, isn't it). (I caught the Bethesda Bagels signage back in December, just in case you think I'm missing it.)

I even caught the view from the bridge of the new Bardo beer garden at Florida Rock, with a few hardy souls in attendance. Plus, views of both Agora on New Jersey Avenue (aka the Whole Foods Building) and 1221 Van (aka That Big Building On South Capitol Immediately North of the Ballpark):

All the links above to project pages have additional brand spanking new pics, and of course Before photos.

Next up, checking out holes in the ground, both current and coming soon.

The press release says that "Chloe will be a showcase of Karoum's personal culinary journey, including his Lebanese roots and extensive travel around Western Europe and Southeast Asia, all grounded in and linked by the seasonal bounties of the mid-Atlantic."

It will have 103 seats inside, with counter seating for 14 at an open kitchen and another 27 spots in the bar, plus 32 outdoor seats for warm months (like February?).

Washingtonian has much more about the venture, including a couple of renderings of the interior, one of which seems to hint that the restaurant will be located in the corner space at 4th and Tingey, but I am trying to confirm the exact location for sure.

Chloe will join Arris's other existing and coming-soon retail tenants Philz Coffee, Conte's Bike Shop, the Juice Laundry, and the Cosmpolitan Nail Lounge. And it also joins the ever-increasing list of eateries across the neighborhood slated to open in 2017.

* Also reported by WBJ, Cava Grill has signed a lease to open in the Homewood Suites on the northeast corner of Half and M, SE, which expectant taste buds may also know as the location-to-be for Shake Shack.

* Bardo says that its new riverfront brewery location on Potomac Avenue across from Nats Park "will open sporadically" between now and April, based on the weather, on a weekend-by-weekend basis.

(And, alas, this week has also seen one final farewell.)

My food map shows the full lineup of offerings, both open and announced. In addition to the coming-soons mentioned above, 2017 should see the opening of The Salt Line, All-Purpose, Bethesda Bagels, Slipstream, the Juice Laundry, and District Winery.

Here's a roundup, mostly from the running linkage I've been posting in the comments. And the photo at right has nothing to do with any of the tidbits--it's just from 11 years ago today. A little different.

* STYMIED: The developers of the proposed large residential project at 1333 M are asking for a two-year extension on their zoning PUD, citing beiing "stymied" in finding financing. (Capitol Hill Corner)

* UNVEILED: Forest City has shown ANC 6D the first renderings of its planned hotel at 3rd and Tingey, SE, on the north end of "Parcel L," where they are already planning a large residential building as well. (Urban Turf)

* TUNNELED: In Virginia Avenue Tunnel news, next week or thereabouts, watch for daily closings of 4th St. SE between I and Virginia, as well as the return of two (shifted) lanes on the 6th Street exit ramp. Also, the portion of 5th (or is the 6th) Street immediately south of Virginia is now closed for seven weeks or so. And the next "Coffee with Chuck" update is at 8 am on Feb. 22 at 861 New Jersey Ave., SE.

* FLICKED: Vote on the lineup for this summer's Thursday Outdoor Movie Series.

* PROMOTED: The 2017 Nats gameday promotions and giveaways lineup is now available.

* SALTED: Ryan Zimmerman is an investor/part-owner of The Salt Line, opening this year across the street from his place of employment. (City Paper)

* STUFFED: Five Guys is back.

Given this weekend's forecast, I may try to get out to take some photos, if the stars align.

I hear that there are a couple of retail announcements expected in the next few weeks, and perhaps some big projects are close to getting underway (I'm looking at you, 1200 block of Half Street). In the meantime, though, the high-quality JDLand commentariat is doing a great job of keeping an eye on things, so keep checking in the comments for tidbits. And I am mucking around on Twitter, too, of course.

Thanks for everyone's continued patience--and good thoughts--through all of this.

It will offer full-service nail and waxing treatments, with free WiFi, refreshments, and "individual guest tables to listen to music or watch a movie during appointments."

The new nail salon will join Arris's already-open Philz Coffee and previously-announced-as-coming-in-2017 tenants Conte's Bike Shop and the Juice Laundry.

This would be the second DC opening for the company, joining its 14th St. NW location (along with one in Bethesda and two others in Maryland).

In addition to haircuts, 18|8 offers face, scalp, and nail treatments, shaves, waxing, and coloring; there are also grooming party packages for when you guys want to get with your buddies and get all gussied up.

It's Tingey Street's second grooming outlet, joining the Bang Salon one block to the east. (Too bad Unleashed doesn't offer grooming, otherwise there'd be a Tingey trifecta.)

No official word on when it will open, so don't let your hair get too long while waiting.

Meanwhile, one block to the south, the new District Winery building is getting its face on.

(h/t to reader RMP for the 18|8 sighting)

* INAUGURATION: It might be a challenge heading north out of the neighborhood on Jan. 20. Here's DDOT's page on the inauguration, with a map of the close-in detours and closings, and the pedestrian routes, and more.

* TUNNEL OPEN HOUSE: The next Virginia Avenue Tunnel open house is Thursday, Jan. 12 (tomorrow), from 6 to 8 pm at the Courtyard Marriott at New Jersey and L, SE. "A brief presentation and Q&A session with residents will be held at 7 p.m., in response to requests from neighbors." Also, CSX says it expects to reopen 3rd Street at Virginia during the week of Jan. 23-27. After that, there will be another temporary closing of 4th St. SE at Virginia to move a utility manhole. And 7th should be reopening at Virginia Any Minute Now.

And, a tidbit that is neither traffic nor tunnel, but is welcome:

* A BRIGHT LIGHT IN THE DISTANCE: Nationals pitchers and catchers report to the new West Palm Beach spring training facility on Feb. 14, with position players arriving by Feb. 17. (WaPo)

What else is going on these days?

* FIVE GUYS: There's paper over the windows at the Five Guys on 2nd St., SE, but the official web site says (and a source has said the same) that this is a temporary closure, for some interior "refresh" work.

* ORANGETHEORY: The neighborhood's newest fitness offering will be opening in ORE 82 at New Jersey and I in March, but starting Tuesday, Jan. 3, pre-sales of "founding memberships" will begin.

* EAGLE ACADEMY: The charter school at 1017 New Jersey Avenue will be relocating after this school year ends to Naylor Road SE in Ward 8, "after recently learning that its leased facility in Ward 6 will be sold by the building's owner in August 2017." I imagine questioning eyes will now turn to the garage next door at New Jersey and L, wondering if its days are numbered as well, and if a developer is assembling the New Jersey-facing parcels on Square 740 for some future project.

* OH SAY, CAN YOU HEAR: If within the past month or so you've suddenly started hearing the National Anthem in the air at 8 am, you're not alone. (The Hill is Home)

There's probably more, but I've been awake for a good 90 minutes since my late-morning/early-afternoon nap and still need to get in my mid-afternoon nap before the game with the Washington Football Team gets underway.

But I'll add this, showing the view from the freeway 12 years ago today (Jan. 1, 2005) and a wider shot of the same general view back in August.

UPDATE, JAN. 2: Have you seen this cute little Chihuahua that went missing in the neighborhood?

(Alas, the photo at left shows a train coming through the old tunnel, before the rails were laid into the new one, but whaddyagonnado.)

Now Phase II of the project is kicking into gear, which is the rehabilitation and expansion of the existing 100-plus-year-old northern tunnel. That work is expected to be completed, along with the streetscape restoration improvements to Virginia Avenue, in mid-2018.

If you want to see some photos from inside the new tunnel as work was being completed, CSX has them in this presentation.

As part of the work on the northern tunnel, the intersection of 7th and Virginia is expected to close Any Minute Now for about two weeks. Of course, 3rd Street remains closed at Virginia for similar work of demolishing the temporary deck over the now-completed new tunnel and rebuilding it over the northern tunnel; it is expected to reopen in January.

It joins previously announced food offerings Taylor Gourmet, Chop't, Chipotle, and Rasa Indian Grill, and this morning's press release says that the retailers are all expected to open in Spring 2017 at the same time the F1rst residences will be completed.

F1rst will have 325 rental units, and a Residence Inn is being completed next door at the same time.

The official F1rst web site has floor plans and additional information (plus the hours of their now-open leasing center trailer at 1st and N), and my project page gives more details and history of the site. And my Food Options page shows you the lineup of everything that's in the pipeline (scroll way way down).

The list of amenities and services is lengthy, even for a neighborhood that might be starting to get somewhat jaded about luxury residential buildings. There's a residents-only fitness center by Equinox, which includes a full-sized basketball court/gymnasium as well as the expected oodles of machines and a private yoga and personal training studio. There's a "Kennel Club" that offers walking, grooming, and day care for residents' dogs. There's street-level storage for 130 bicycles, with a work stand and tools. There's a children's playroom, a private internal courtyard, and all manner of rooftop pool-and-party offerings. Plus there's the more standard billiards room, private dining room, private conference rooms, and communal and private workspaces. And there's 20,000 square feet of ground-floor retail (no, nothing's been announced yet).

My camera did get to see the one- and two-bedroom models that have been completed. Here's the two-bedroom model, showing neither of the bedrooms but the living space and the kitchen:

And the same, in the one-bedroom model:

And a few more shots:

Otherwise, you'll just have to settle for these renderings (though I can confirm that the chandelier shown in the drawing of the two-story lobby has already been hung).

(I also whined and begged enough to get this one shot from the roof.)

According to the official web site, studios start at $2,000 a month, 1BRs at $2,450, and 2BRs at $3,895. (There are also eight 3BR units, but if you have to ask how much they are, you can't afford one.)

The portion of the block fronting South Capitol Street will eventually be another residential building, but there's no timeline on that as yet.

If you are looking for more specifics on the many amenities, services, and features, visit the official web site. And my project page has more details on the history of the site, at least going back to the days when the block was known mainly for being home to a Wendy's and an Exxon.

It was about 14 months ago that word first started filtering out about plans to redevelop the site, and in early 2016 the designs were unveiled for a two-phase project starting with a 380-unit apartment building at the corner of South Capitol and I. A raze permit has been filed for, and excavation and foundation permits are currently in process.

Until such time as McDonald's decides to deign the neighborhood south of the freeway with its presence again, the closest outlet for Big Macs, Egg McMuffins, and the best fountain Diet Coke on the planet is at 4th and C, SW (though 15th and Pennsylvania SE is the closest drive-through, and perhaps the one in Crystal City on Route 1 is the quickest-closest).

See my 2 I project page for more renderings, and photos. And maybe I'll throw this one out, for one last time. ("One last time / Relax, sit and have a Diet Coke with me / One last tiiiimmmeee.....")

* The JBG apartment project now known as 1221 Van is speeding along, and has changed the skyline along South Capitol considerably. Taking southward-facing photos in the winter months is always dicey, but I couldn't pass up a shot of the new structure and its neighbor directly to the south.

* Insignia on M's logo at the top of its New Jersey Avenue face does easily catch one's eye.

* The preparation work to transform the O Street Pumping Station into the glimmery new DC Water Headquarters is now underway.

* CSX announced this week that the new second-track Virginia Avenue Tunnel is "nearing completion," and it certainly looks that way at the western mouth of both new and old tunnels. And I got to see a train coming out, too! (But the project isn't over--next work will shift to reconstructing the 100-year-old original tunnel.)

* The excavation for the combination condo-and-rental buildings project known as "Parcel O" at the Yards has proceeded apace.

* Conversely, the hole for the 99 M office building has remained basically unchanged since late summer. (Compare the below photo to this one taken in August.) There was a new crane-related after-hours permit approved for the site last week, so maybe things are about to start moving again. UPDATE, 12/13: A representative for the 99 M project has gotten in touch with me to say that there has actually been considerable "complex" work going on at the site, it's just that it's mostly underground/out of sight.

* BIXBY RIBBON-CUTTING: Apparently there will be a ribbon cutting at the 195-unit mixed-income Bixby at 7th and L on Tuesday, Dec. 13.

* NATS PARK BILLBOARDS: On Dec. 6 the DC Council gave first approval to the proposed large display boards at the ballpark, though the Hill Rag reports that the count has dropped to five boards from 10, lowers the allowed brightness, and prohibits them from facing toward South Capitol Street, the Anacostia River, M Street, and 1st Street between M and N.

* ONYX SALE, AGAIN: A reader reports that the tell-tale binder appeared in the lobby of the Onyx apartment building recently, indicating that AvalonBay has contracted to purchase the 260-unit building for $95.5 million. (The binder contains the offer required by DC law for the tenants to instead buy the building themselves, if they have $95 million in coins under their sofa cushions.) The building last sold in 2013 for a smidge over $82 million.

* SWEET BABY JAMES: It's been announced that James Taylor and Bonnie Raitt will be playing Nats Park on July 14, 2017. Tickets are on sale now.

* TUNNEL DOINGS: Most folks are probably aware that 3rd Street is now closed at Virginia Avenue for the next several weeks. If you are wanting more info on the current status of the Virginia Avenue Tunnel project, the last "Coffee with Chuck" of 2016 is Wednesday, Dec. 14, at 8 am at the construction office at 861 New Jersey Ave. SE. Hard to believe that most of the structural work on the new companion tunnel is finishing up, with work moving to "track level"--preparing the railroad bed, installing cross ties, etc. (Good timing to be in the enclosed spot during the winter.) But of course this is not the end of the project, as work will then shift to the reconstruction of the existing 100-year-old tunnel.

Both Orangetheory Fitness and Slipstream Coffee now have their locations well marked, in the new ORE 82 apartment building at New Jersey and I. Ditto Conte's Bike Shop, on 4th Street just north of the Yards Park:

Elsewhere, I alas have to improvise, having either been too lazy to walk closer or too boneheaded to take a photo when I was actually standing right in front of the dang sign. But nonetheless here's evidence of Bethesda Bagels, coming to Insignia on M, and Shake Shack, which recently received its building permit for its space at the Homewood Suites, in the retail space at Cushing and M (a second space does not yet have any announced tenant):

(I'll resort to pointing you to photos I took in October of the signage for both The Salt Line and All-Purpose Pizzeria, at Dock 79.)

In non-signage retail news, here's the current state of construction on the new District Winery building at the Yards, along with photographic evidence that the shipping containers have indeed been removed from the southern two-thirds of the former Fairgrounds footprint. They remain up by Half and M, however.

Everything mentioned here is expected to open in 2017, as are some other not-photographed venues. Scroll down below my Food Map for the full list of announced-but-not-open offerings.