conngs0 says: (8/11/15 10:42 AM)
Thanks for the update, JD. It's been fun watching the Arris building take shape. I think that part of the neighborhood really has the potential to look great. Every addition so far, from Yards Park (my favorite park in DC by far) to Arris) has had a cool design that seems to nicely complement its neighbors. Hopefully the new additions to Lot O continue that trend!

The addition of Philz Coffee sounds good to me as well. I'll always have a special place for Lot 38, but a couple of alternatives can't hurt (especially because it looks like most of Philz' locations have longer hours, so there's definitely a gap in my caffeine consumption schedule to be filled!).

JES says: (8/11/15 11:07 AM)
I think Philz and Lot 38 are far enough from each other that they might not really encroach on each other's territory much. I certainly didn't notice any kind of decrease in Lot 38's lines back when Buzz was still operating.

conngs0 says: (8/11/15 1:14 PM)
That's because Buzz was terrible. But you're right: Lot 38 and Philz are geographically far enough away and likely will not completely overlap one another in terms of desired customer either. Moreover, the market is getting bigger with so many new residential buildings opening up in the neighborhood in the next couple of years. It's going to be fun as some of these projects race to be completed before the All-Star Game.

JES says: (8/11/15 2:28 PM)
Yeah, I mean, there's a reason that there's at least one coffee shop on every block downtown; getting coffee is usually something people do when they're "in a hurry" and don't want to linger. Even 3 blocks out of the way takes too long when you're trying to just run out of the office and run right back in.

JD says: (8/11/15 2:29 PM)
Or you could all just not drink coffee.

#avowedcoffeehater

202_cyclist says: (8/11/15 4:31 PM)
Or you could all just not drink coffee.

#avowedcoffeehater

Huh??????

JD says: (8/11/15 4:41 PM)
Can't stand the stuff. Can't stand the smell of the stuff. Can't stand the billions of dollars and millions of hours that people waste drinking the stuff, camping out in places that sell the stuff, and talking about how much they love the stuff.

Next up, my similar feelings about cornhole.

JES says: (8/12/15 12:57 PM)
you don't like cornhole either?

THIS HAS GONE TOO FAR.

conngs0 says: (8/12/15 2:57 PM)
I was equally shocked by JD's admission to disliking cornhole. However, after further consideration, it kind of makes sense. Someone as productive and industrious as JD may not appreciate things associated with passing time like spending time relaxing in a coffee house or playing a few games of cornhole. JD, do you even like going to Nats games just to sit and watch the game? Or do you just like going because Nats Park offers good vantage points from which to take pictures for this blog?

JD says: (8/12/15 3:08 PM)
My family would laugh over "productive and industrious," and it even makes me smile a bit. Unless something really is capturing my fancy, I am the laziest person on the planet. (Hence the increasing spans of silence around these parts lately!)

Cornhole is just absolutely mystifying to me. If I want to drink with friends, I don't need to add tossing a little bean bag to somehow make it enjoyable. Get some comfortable chairs, have a drink or two, and sit and chat!

I think part of my diatribe about coffee shops stems from watching people all but move in just so they can bogart off the WiFi for 10 hours at a time. That's when I turn into Judge Smales: "Don't you people have homes?"

As for the taste of coffee, I just plain don't like it. Never have. My brother -- link -- doesn't drink it either, though our parents were/are religious about it.

I love going to Nats games, and while I do use the occasion to run around and get updated pictures, I am always content to sit for a few hours and eat food that's bad for me and drink drinks that aren't great for me either. But the real enemy of my going to Nats games is heat and humidity--as I get older, my tolerance for it is falling off the chart. Hence my love of whatever time I can spend in Wyoming in the summer, where it can be plenty hot but the humidity is low and every evening is cool.

This has been today's field trip into my psyche. Please exit through the gift shop.

JD says: (8/12/15 3:12 PM)
In more interesting news, the Homewood Suites at 50 M got its tower crane permit yesterday.

JES says: (8/12/15 5:12 PM)
What's in the gift shop?

JD says: (8/12/15 5:13 PM)
JDLand-branded coffee mugs, of course!

And

JES says: (8/13/15 10:47 AM)
:-D

202_cyclist says: (8/13/15 5:44 PM)
Crucial info via SSP:
"I know I'm wildly off topic, but I love the Philz in Santa Monica. They do a coffee called the Silken Soul, which is 50% Silken Splendor and 50% Philtered Soul... it's one of the best tasting coffees I've ever had the pleasure of drinking. Get it Philz' Way for cream and sugar."

link