The Freedom Star served primarily as a solid rocket booster recovery ship during the Space Shuttle program before being transferred in 2012 to the US Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration (MARAD), which now uses it as a training ship, operating out of Piney Point, Maryland.

The ship will be open on both May 22 and 23 from 9 am to 11:30 am and again from 12:30 to 4 pm, via the Riverwalk (not through the Navy Yard itself). Note that it is not handicap accessible, and that pets are not allowed. Also, children under 10 must be accompanied by an adult, and sturdy shoes are recommended.

The ship is expected to arrive around 5 pm on Saturday, May 21, so if you are finishing up getting soaked at Tour de Fat around that time, keep your eyes on the Anacostia for the guest.

But if you can't wait that long, Conte's will be running a 10-day pop-up version in one of Arri's open retail spaces on Tingey Street starting Thursday, May 19 through May 29th, opening on Thursday through Sunday during each of those two weeks. This means that the store will be open during both Bike to Work Day on Friday, May 20 and Tour de Fat at the Yards on Saturday, May 21.

This pop-up version will have bikes for sale or rent, repair services, clothing, gear, and "expert advice."

The permanent Conte's location will be 2,200 square feet in size, located in the 4th Street portion of Arris's ground floor.

Conte's was founded in 1957 in Newport News, and is apparently still a family-owned operation, with locations in Arlington and Falls Church in addition to elsewhere in Virginia.

The press release from Forest City also says:

"Their shops carry a full line of bikes and accessories including hybrids, mountains, cruisers and road bikes by leading brands including Giant/Liv, Eddy Merckx, BMC, Scott and more, as well as offering gear, accessories clothing and lots of expert advice. They also offer a trade-in policy and used equipment for sale. What’s more, Conte’s Bike Shop prides itself on being a community center and resource for the cycling community, offering events, clinics, structured rides and online resources."

* 909 HALF: The Project Of Which Its Developers Don't Speak has apparently topped out, according to the architects, who I hope won't now be canned for daring to publicly refer to the 380-unit apartment building under construction at Half and I. They also posted a color version of the one rendering we've seen, showing the view up Half Street from south of K. There had been an additional post from the architects saying 909 Half would be opening in December, but that's now gone, probably because getting to completion seven months from now would be, shall we say, optimistic.

* NEW WEB SITES: Actual web sites are now up for both F1rst and ORE 82. (The former had just a placeholder and the latter's URL didn't actually work a few weeks ago when the fence signage went up.)

* JOY EVANS: ANC 6D Commissioner Meredith Fascett has an update on last week's meeting on Joy Evans Park, with a deadline of today (oops) for any comments you might have.

And, a few meetings this week to mention:

* COFFEE WITH CHUCK: The Virginia Avenue Tunnel project has hit the one-year mark this month (only 30 more months to go!). The monthly Coffee with Chuck meeting is on Wednesday, May 18, from 8 to 9 am at the CSX Community Office trailer at 861 New Jersey Ave., SE. RSVP here if you plan to attend.

* PUBLIC SAFETY: The monthly meeting of PSA 106 is Wednesday, May 18 at 7 pm at 200 I St. SE. MPD holds these meetings to address any public safety-related questions and concerns from the neighborhood.

* BIKE TO WORK: I'm too scared to look at the weather forecast, but Friday, May 20 is Bike to Work Day, and once again Canal Park is one of the pit stops.

UPDATED II: And here's a peek inside, from Washingtonian.

Original post:

It was a little circuitous, but this evening on Instagram Whaley's announced that it will be opening its doors on Saturday, May 14th.

(The folks on the Yards Instagram account "got too excited" and announced an earlier date, which the Whaley's Instagram account corrected in the comments, as seen in the screen shot.)

The official web site still says "Opening Soon," but the dinner and drinks menus are now posted and the menus are "coming soon" as well (UPDATED because I'm an idjit). The hours (which I'm guessing are not the permanent ones) are listed as 5 to 10 pm Sunday through Wednesday and 5 to midnight Thursday through Saturday, with the kitchen closing at 11 pm.

The seafood and raw bar is located in the Lumber Shed at the Yards Park, in the ground-floor space between Osteria Morini and Agua 301, facing the park's overlook and the Anacostia River.

The web site's About page gives the lowdown on the Whaley's theme, and that "there was indeed a man named Whaley," who was the commodore of the Maryland Navy early in the Revolutionary War, and then became the first casualty in the Maryland Navy in the Revolutionary War.

This would be built just to the west of the Parc Riverside and Velocity, along Half Street SE between K and L.

The "Apartment Living" header does also seem to indicate that the planned 314 units will be rentals.

Just as soon as I found this, though, my digging was rendered unnecessary when representatives for Toll appeared at Monday night's ANC 6D meeting requesting support for a public space permit they are applying for.

I wasn't at the meeting, but my understanding is that while Toll said they are hoping to break ground in 2016, they are still in the design phase and are going to need a minor variance for some projected balconies and windows, which would then need to be followed by the usual building permit process.

As for the design, a rendering was shown that looks remarkably like the first-phase Parc Riverside. (I don't have permission to share it, alas.)

And there is apparently a fly in the ointment in that Toll is planning that the access to the Phase 2 underground garage will be through the Velocity garage, as was designed back when the entire block was going to be developed by its then-owner, the Cohen Companies. But Cohen, still the owner of Velocity, apparently disagrees that this access was part of the deal when Toll purchased this lot from Cohen for $14.5 million in 2012.

ANC 6D voted 6-0-0 to send a letter to DDOT recommending that the agency determine whether Toll should be able to use the Velocity garage entrance, but that even if it's decided that Toll does have that right, that "DDOT should still consider the traffic impact of allowing a large number of additional cars to use this garage entrance." The commission also supported the request for a curb cut for a loading dock, but "believes that K St. SE is a better location for a curb cut and loading dock because L St. SE already has numerous curb cuts," while recognizing that this switch "would require substantial redesign" for the project but with what it believes would be a "far superior outcome." (The letter also notes 6D's "general philosophical concern with projections into public space for bay windows.")

More information should be available once the variance is applied for, assuming that remains part of Toll's plan.

* ORANGE: I mentioned this in the comments late last week, but now time to post officially that the BID has reported that Orangetheory Fitness has been signed as the first retail tenant at the ORE 82 apartment building at New Jersey and I, which is expected to open late this year or early next year.

* CROSSING: Via Commissioner Fascett, ANC 6D is sending a letter to DDOT requesting a review of the pedestrian-crossing-light timing at 4th and M SE, aka the Teeter Intersection. "Twenty-seven seconds is not enough time for pedestrians, including seniors and residents in wheelchairs, to cross a six lane road while dodging two lanes of east-bound turning cars."

* SPRINGSTEEN: Bruuuuuce is back at Nats Park on Sept. 1. Tickets go on sale to the public on Friday, May 13, at 10 am.

* ALLEN: If you are wanting some face time with Ward 6 councilmember Charles Allen, he is having his Community Office Hours on Friday, May 13, at the Starbucks in the Waterfront Safeway at 4th and M, SW, from 8 to 9:30 am.

* SPOOKY: This has been in my hopper for too many months to ponder, but a reader passed along this link about the end of the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency building/Building 213 at 1st and M SE that included a few photos from inside (as I sob thinking about how I never got my own).

* FITNESS: The BID has announced the schedule of outdoor fitness classes this summer at parks Yards and Canal.

* LEO: Across the way by a few feet, but folks might be interested in the reopening of Leo's Wings N Pizza at 7 N St., SW. "In addition to pizza, wings, pasta, salads, subs, and breakfast items, Korean food will be added to the menu." (SWTLQTC)

In addition to passing along the news that this year the concerts will be located on the "great lawn" on the west side of the park rather than the past location along the boardwalk (which might be tied to the expected construction later this year of the new District Winery building), there was this tidbit:

"This year, Modelo and Corona will be the exclusive beer and wine vendor, featuring beverages for every taste. A variety of food vendors will be onsite in The Yards tailgate area, or attendees can pack a picnic from the 32+ neighboring restaurants. In order to maintain the beauty of Yards Park, reduce its environmental footprint, and provide a clean and safe environment for all to enjoy, no outside alcoholic beverages may be brought into the premises, and security officers reserve the right to inspect all items brought into Yards Park, including coolers."

As one might imagine, this isn't going over well with some longtime attendees, and there's already a Change.org petition with more than 1,100 signatures asking the BID to reverse the decision, with a lot of very pointed comments from signees about the choice of a non-local sponsor, the impact on the family-friendly atmosphere of the events, and more.

UPDATE: Here is a letter from the BID in response to the displeasure about this move. As one observer posited in this comment thread, the crowd size was indeed one of the concerns, with attendance now "routinely" topping 3,000 attendees, causing problems with the park's insurance and cleanup, as well as raising concerns about safety. As for not going with a local beverage offering for the concert sponsorship this year, the BID says that Bluejacket declined an opportunity similar to their role as a 2014 concert sponsor--and that the sponsorships "directly support ongoing maintenance, repairs, or programming in the park."

Full operating hours for Philz haven't yet been posted on either the corporate web site or the Yards location Facebook page, but I imagine they will open at the crack of dawn as they do at their other locations. While waiting for that information, you can check out the menu of coffee and tea offerings.

(h/t to commenter RMP)

Social media is already well flooded with photos, but of course I had to take my own, and I chose to head across to Anacostia Park and Poplar Point, so that I could capture the Barry passing its neighbors, old and new.

The full gallery is here, but here's some previews.

Also, Mr. JDLand was deputized to take videos of the Barry's initial move and turn-around from its dock, and then the Barry's last moments in the neighborhood, as it passed the Douglass Bridge.

Again, the full gallery is here. (And I don't want to talk about that dust speck.)

UPDATE: Here's a post about the history of the Barry from The Hill is Home.

UPDATE: The departure time is now set for 7:15 am. If weather intervenes, they will reportedly try again on Sunday. (I'll update this post if newer information comes along.)

Bring your white handkerchiefs to wave as she passes!

Other items on the near-term agenda:

* GRAND SLAM FOR SAFETY: On Thursday, May 5 (today for most of you reading this), from noon to 1:30 pm at the Fairgrounds, it's expected that more than 800 construction workers from the various projects currently being built here in {insert neighborhood name here} will attend the "Grand Slam for Safety" as part of the construction world's Safety Week for 2016. After starting off with a "round of stretching exercises" used at the start of the workday to help avoid injuries, there will be speakers, safety fall restraint and rescue demonstrations, and awards. The event is sponsored by Skanska and a slew of names familiar to anyone who looks at the signage at neighborhood construction sites.

* WHITE FORD BRONCO: The Miller Lite Summer Concert Series, formerly at Nats Park, shifts one block north to the Fairgrounds this year, and launches on Friday, May 6, with "DC's favorite '90s cover band," White Ford Bronco. Cover charge is $10, doors open at 5 pm.

* CHIHUAHUAHUAHUAS: Across the way, the 5th Annual Running of the Chichuahuas, rained out last weekend, is now scheduled for Saturday, May 7, from 1 to 4 pm, at 600 Water St., SW.

* DERBY DAY: Also on May 7, from 3 to 7 pm, is the previously mentioned Due South Derby Day, for all your julep and southern cookin' needs.

* VINOFEST: Or, if you juleps aren't your speed, there's Vinofest DC on May 7 from 3 to 10 pm, in the parking lots at 1st and N SE. Tickets start at $55.

* ANC 6D: If you have enough juleps or vino on Saturday, you may decide to go to Monday's ANC 6D monthly business meeting, at 7 pm at 1100 4th St., SW (2nd floor).

* JOY EVANS PARK MEETING: Also previously mentioned is the May 10 public meeting on plans for the Joy Evans Park, at 6:30 pm at Van Ness Elementary.

And, the Nats arrive home on Monday, May 9 for three against the Tigers and then three against the Marlins.

What else is happening?

* HAMBURGLARY: Fresh on the news of its pending demise, the McDonald's at South Capitol and I was robbed early Saturday morning, with the three suspects jumping through the drive-through window to get to the cash. And here's MPD's Persons of Interest video. (WaPo, MPD)

* CSX DERAILMENT: The derailment in Northeast of a CSX train carrying hazardous materials has reignited {sorry} the concerns over both the city's need to boost its oversight of freight rail and the movement of hazmat through the Virginia Avenue Tunnel. (WaPo, plus a City Paper piece as well)

* TENANT NEWS: "Global public strategy firm" Mercury Public Affairs, LLC has signed a lease for the 8,020 square feet of office space in the upper levels of the Boilermaker Shops at the Yards, and will move in this summer. As for other Yards tenants, I hear that Whaley's could be opening Any Minute Now, with Philz not far behind. (Elsewhere, the Brig is probably still a couple of weeks away.)

* THE VERY MODEL OF A MINOR MODIFICATION: Forest City is back to the Zoning Commission with some changes to the design of the planned Showplace Icon movie theater. But you might need a microscope to spot the difference between old vs new on the exterior renderings. (And it's technically not a "minor modification," but I was feeling all Gilbert and Sullivan this morning.)

* WHY, A DUCK: Duck stops 11th Street Bridge traffic. (WaPo)

* BEHIND THE CURTAIN: DCist profiles a crazy blogger who has spent years taking photos of construction sites. I mean, honestly! Get a life!

The park's stewardship is a typical DC mishmash, with the land owned by the National Park Service and management handled by DC's Department of Parks and Recreation, but with a memorandum of understanding now in place to allow DC Public Schools to use a portion of the land for "recreation and educational space" for Van Ness.

An initial notion of how the park space could be laid out is above, but there are many questions and notions still to be determined, as laid out in Meredith's Facebook post. Apparently DCPS has money this year to build a playground, an outdoor classroom and garden, and an "open turf area" for free play. But DPR does not have any funding for Joy Evans, and so the future remains unclear in terms of the renovation of the historic Lincoln Playground Building, the possible demolition of the Lincoln Capper pool and the adjacent "therapeutic recreation building" (what, you didn't know there is a therapeutic recreation building there?), and perhaps future playing fields and splash pads.

The May 10 meeting is at Van Ness at 6:30 pm. You can also contact Meredith with comments, concerns, questions, remarks, observations, opinions, notes, or feedback.

The photo at right was taken in 2007 from the roof of the old Capper Seniors building in its final days. You can see the general footprint of the Joy Evans Park along the lower part of the photo, with the Lincoln Capper pool and therapeutic recreation building cut off and the Lincoln Playground Building visible at lower right, with the grassy areas at left where the DCPS Phase 1 plans are to be built.

(Maybe I can get up on the roof of the Bixby at some point to take a current version, especially given the changes at Van Ness, including the new playground on the footprint of the parking lot that I can't believe I don't have even the most cursory photo of. I think I'm a-skeered of pointing my camera through a fence at an active playground and being promptly hauled off.)

Also, note that at the top of the site plan is "6th Street SE" -- this is the planned new block of 6th between L and M, running between this park area and the Bixby.

And, speaking of changes at Van Ness, I have been remiss in not mentioning the very visible construction along M Street of the new second floor above the gymnasium. But I took a picture!

So, with the spring/summer events season getting into full swing, I'm just going to declare my failings right here at the outset, admit that my events posts are going to be awful, and invite my dedicated commenters to fill in the gaps in the comment threads.

* DC DUCK RACE: On Saturday, April 30, from 10 am to 4:30 pm, DC's inaugural Duck Race will be unleashed on the Yards Park. Put on by the DC Rotary Club, it involves rubber ducks sponsored by the community racing along a "contained course" in the Anacostia River. There are prizes for the winners, and the funds raised go to the Rotary Club and local projects in the DC area. There will also be music, food, activities, and more.

* KINGMAN BLUEGRASS: This is technically outside the JDLand boundaries, but since it's just up the river it's worth mentioning that the 2016 Kingman Island Bluegrass & Folk Festival is also scheduled for Saturday, April 30, with music from noon until dark on six stages and then one after-dark set by the Woodshedders. Tickets are $25 in advance, $35 at the gate. More about it here.

I think that's it for this weekend (and, given the weather forecast, that might be A Good Thing.) Anything else going on nearby?

This is where RCP Development is planning a two-phase project that will start with a 380-unit apartment building.

I know nothing about any expected closing date for Mickey D's, which was just renovated in 2012. But I have heard rumors that the developers are looking to start construction on the apartment project late this year, and this raze application would certainly seem to be in line with that.

As a devotee of McDonald's fountain Diet Coke, I am willing to go on record in saying that this pains me.

BROWN PLAGUE: I have said on a couple of occasions that it sometimes seems like every new resident of Near Southeast/Capitol Riverfront/Navy Yard/#NeCaBaRY is issued a dog upon arrival, and there's now a colorful missive from the BID and Anacostia Riverkeeper about the impact of un-picked-up-poop on the neighborhood and the river. THIS MEANS YOU. (Signed, the owner of two indoor-only cats with zero patience for dog owners who don't clean up.)

BARRY PREP: The prep work for the May 7 departure of the USS Barry is now underway, and users of the Riverwalk should expect closures at various times between now and the departure date.

DERBY DAY: If you find yourself in need of a libation or two after waving goodbye to the Barry on May 7, Due South is inaugurating its first annual Derby Day, from 3 to 7 pm. There will of course be juleps (including mint, sweet tea, bourbon punch, and a bottomless frozen mint version for $40), along with Derby-themed food specials like Beer Cheese Crostini, Kentucky Hot Browns, ham and biscuits, "Kentucky Fried Chicken," and more. There's also going to be prizes and giveaways, and a hat contest for the ladies.

While I was away late last week, CSX finished the temporary decking on 3rd Street SE and reopened to two-way traffic the stretch between the north side of the freeway and I Street.

This means that if you're coming south from Capitol Hill, you can once again proceed under the freeway at 3rd Street, rather than having to either detour over to 4th Street or be forced onto the freeway ramp.

Speaking of temporary decks, it's now been announced that, as early as May 2, 7th Street SE will be closed at its intersection with Virginia Avenue for 2-3 weeks to build that deck.

Note: Virginia Avenue won't be closed at 7th. There will still be a single lane of eastbound traffic on Virginia through the 7th Street intersection, and traffic will still be able to turn to and from Virginia from the section of 7th north of Virginia--it's just the block of 7th between Virginia and L that will be losing any access to Virginia or points north. Detour signs for the closed section of 7th will send vehicles over to 8th Street.

There will be a path available for pedestrians to use 7th throughout the period that the street is closed.

Here's the CSX graphics about 7th Street, from this document:

Also, CSX has posted the presentation boards from its most recent quarterly open house. The next "Coffee with Chuck" will be on May 18, and the next quarterly open house on July 21.

Eleven months down, 31 to go....

There's also now plenty of windows on the Homewood Suites at 50 M, where there is clearly No Time To Lose if they are going to make that October 2016 opening date on the signage. And I bet there will be some windows on Insignia on M before too much longer.

I've also posted updated photos of Agora, ORE 82, the Bixby, and Dock 79, in addition to new shots at the links above.

And there's lots of Slider updates, too, a few of which are previewed below.

* PSA 106 PUBLIC SAFETY MEETING: The monthly meeting for Police Service Area 106 (which covers Near Southeast/Navy Yard/#NeCaBaRY) is scheduled for Wednesday, April 20, at 7 pm, at 200 I St. SE (government ID required to enter the building). MPD hosts these monthly meetings to address questions and concerns from the public about issues of safety in the community.

* DC WATER TOWN HALL: Sorry for the last-minute notice, but there is a DC Water Ward 6 Town Hall Meeting tonight (Tuesday, April 19) at 6:30 pm at Tyler Elementary School, 1001 G St., SE. DC Water Grand Poobah George Hawkins and Ward 6 councilmember Charles Allen are co-hosting the meeting to talk about current projects, billing rates, and more.

* WARD 6 BUDGET TOWN HALL: Speaking of town halls, Charles Allen is also hosting one on Thursday, April 21 on DC's proposed budget for FY17. It's at 6:30 pm at 645 H St., NE. "Before the Council votes on the budget, hear from Councilmember Allen on what's in it for Ward 6, where he's focused in the budget debate, and what comes next in budget decisions."

* TWO-WAY THIRD: CSX says that two-way traffic could return to 3rd Street north of I perhaps as early as Friday, April 22. Watch also in the next day or so for a shift in the current one-way flow onto the new bridge deck.

The current rate sheet shows studio units starting at $1,875, 1 BR/1 BA starting at just under $2,000, 1 BR/den starting at $2,740, 2 BR/1 BA at $2,885, and 2 BR/2 BA at $2,740. There are also additional parking fees, pet fees, amenity fees, and application fees.

They are currently expecting the first move-ins to happen somewhere mid-summer-ish.

The official web site has floor plans and additional info. The residential portion of the building is being managed by Kettler.

As for the building itself, the exterior is getting close to being finished, and when I was there I also saw the planks being laid for the extension of the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail west of Diamond Teague Park, as you can see in the first photo below. The second photo gives a decent view of the rest of the walk that is under construction:

* JBG HALF STREET ZONING OK: On Monday night the Zoning Commission gave unanimous final approval to JBG's plans for its 420-unit apartment/condo/retail building on Half Street immediately north of Nats Park. Construction could get underway late this year (after baseball season).

* CRANE RESCUE: A construction worker at F1rst on 1st St. SE had to be rescued by firefighters via "high-angle rescue" on Tuesday. (Fox 5)

* DCBFIT OUT, CHURCH IN: I alas never got it posted here that the little DCBFit gym in the ground floor of the Courtyard Marriott/Capitol Hill Tower closed back in February. But now the space has a new tenant--the Waterfront Church, which has been operating out of the Courtyard since its founding in 2014.

* THE NEW FLAVORS ARE HERE!: Ice Cream Jubilee, fresh off its second-in-a-row Best Ice Cream in DC title in City Paper's Best of DC voting, announced new seasonal flavors on Tuesday: Chocolate Matzo Crack, Cherries Jubilee, Double Stout Caramel, and a Fig, Port, & Goat Cheese combo.

* TUNNEL OPEN HOUSE: Time for another Virginia Avenue Tunnel Quarterly Open House, on Thursday, April 14, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm at the Courtyard Marriott at New Jersey and L. There's no formal presentations, but representatives of the project are on hand to provide updates and answer questions. Lots of lane-shifting going on these days as temporary bridge decks get built on 3rd, 8th, and 11th. And the intersection of 7th and Virginia is expected to close for about two weeks starting in early May to get its deck installed. CSX also expects to return 3rd Street to two-way traffic "near the end of April."