My stomach is growling so naturally I head to my new favorite Eckington restaurant, Yang Market, for some custom Italian sandwiches. Thankfully, the owners Lyndsi and Pete allowed me to conduct a little video interview while they were hard at work in the kitchen. It was cool to hear the story of how they decided on this land parcel, and came up with the name for their business. "Yang Market" was in fact the previous name of the establishment. A term of the purchase was to keep the name which Lyndsi and Pete had no problem with. While the name might not be their own choosing, the menu certainly is. I struggled to figure out why the menu seemed familiar, and then Pete enlightened me that each sandwich is named after quotes from My Cousin Vinny! A simple concept that further adds to the rustic character and like-ability of this place. So many good sandwich options that I couldn't decide on just one; I ended up ordering the Mona Lisa Vito and the Eff'n World Traveler. As I exited, they even hooked me up with some "Yang" swag, camouflage koozies. Now that's what I call a box lunch!
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I had the pleasure of sitting down briefly with Hannah Powell, Advisory Neighborhood Commission representative for Eckington on a Friday lunch break. She generously invited me over to visit her cozy home, poured me a hot cup of coffee, and shared her personal experiences with living in Eckington. Amongst those experiences, Hannah gave me some insight on how the neighborhood has grown over the past few years and why she was inspired to run for public office. I'd like to thank her for her time and hospitality! After an informative discussion, Hannah offered to drive me around the neighborhood and point out the history of specific buildings. During the chauffeured tour, it became clear that 4th street was a prominent street that divided the commercial area from the residential properties. Speaking of residential properties, there's been quite an explosion of development by opportunists. Many of the existing houses have undergone "pop-up" renovations which effectively turns a two story house into a three story house, or a three story into a four story. While "raising the roof" within zoning regulations is extremely profitable to developers, it also takes away from the classic Eckington neighborhood look.
In the past, this classic look put Eckington in consideration for historical designation. However, the neighborhood ultimately decided to move away from seeking the historical classification because it would inhibit home owners from doing personal renovations. Interesting stuff! As the drive winded down, Hannah showed me the NOMA Green project two-acre site next to the Metropolitan Branch Trail which will feature mixed use residential and retail. Eckington will certainly continue to see more growth and gentrification as the neighborhood welcomes new construction and development in the coming years! So I've been to neighborhood board meetings before. Typically, the room is setup with rows of chairs facing a table for presiding officers. Not my first rodeo right? Well, Eckington has a refreshingly different approach. All chairs in the room form one large circle facing inward. Therefore everyone is instantly given equal presence in the room which opens the door for healthy dialogue. Thankfully, I didn't have to wander in like a lost stranger because Lyndsi from Yang Market offered to walk me in. About 25 seats were filled and the meeting unfolded. The first thing that impressed me was the organization of the agenda and handouts. You might say that there's nothing special about that. However, when they have assigned 5 minute time slots to each topic, I would say that's special. President Katrina Velasquez held the room well and methodically addressed each agenda item. ANC 5E03 rep, (Hannah Powell) and ANC rep 5E04 (Sylvia Pinkney) gave their respective reports to the room also. The Councilmember's office rep (Cyril Crocker) gave a thoughtful report of some new Ward 5 initiatives. One was to acquire a building to shelter and educate 'Children and Women of Violence', and the other was to erect statues to honor females and minorities. Both very worthy initiatives! One topic that took center stage was how to address a Liquor Store that was exercising bad judgement (to put it nicely). Since this has been an ongoing issue, the Civic Association decided to draft a letter to send this particularly unruly tenant. However, there were split opinions on the tone of the letter. Should it be non-abrasive, or "do your homework or else" stern? Ultimately, the room established quorom and held a vote as to send the letter or not. The Yays had it, but the Nays were still unhappy about the sterness. Finally, it was agreed that the tone would be adjusted, and everyone was satisfied. It was a perfect display of constructive problem solving instead of an uncooperative butting of heads. Next, two first time resident antendees said 'hi' to voice concerns on separate issues. One of the residents has lived in Eckington since 1962?! 65 years old, and now attending his first Civic Association meeting. That deserves an applause! Hopefully this is a sign of neighbors becoming more proactive in their community.
Winding down to the bottom half of the meeting, another interesting topic came up. Near the Rhode Island Metro intersection, the Eckington neighborhood is currently zoned for industrial. This is where FedEx resides. A portion of this land is being considered for purchase by Foulger-Pratt for residential development which would of course require a zoning change. FedEx is not happy and wants to contest this conversion. So, this raises a fundamental question for the community and highlights competing priorities. Does Eckington want to preserve this area as industrial commercial space to grow blue collar jobs? Or does Eckington embrace new residential housing opportunities which would be ideal in the proximity to metro? There's no easy answer. Last but not least, the final topic was dedicated to coordinating Eckington Day in late October. Finally, the fun part! This is an annual event that the neighborhood puts on to bring the community together. Flyers, swag, entertainment, music, face paint, halloween costumes, raffles, prominent speakers, maybe a moon bounce and a fire truck... this event is shaping up to be a shin dig! Between the social chair, Adam Duffy, and community outreach chair, Lyndsi Sitcov, the logistics are in good hands. They are even planning for a health table, book drive, and oral history of Eckington collection! This is how you inspire cohesiveness in a community and build tradition. The neighborhood pride in the room was tangible, and I was happy to be a part of it. At this point, everyone broke into separate groups to work on subcomittees for the Eckington Day activities and funding. I decided to bid farewell while the room continued to hum well beyond the agenda timeframe with enthusiasm and vigor. As I drove home, I reflected on topics discussed, and ardent participation of everyone in the room. When I got home, I decided to donate a modest amount to the Eckington Civic Commision - gotta make sure they get that moon bounce! While visiting Eckington, I found myself along the Metropolitan Branch Trail (MBT) that runs parallel to the railway tracks on the west side of Eckington. Many people passed me on foot, couples holding hands or families pushing strollers, while others were biking alone or in groups. It was a nice day outside, so as expected, this well-groomed route was very active.
Down towards the south end of the path, a large stretch of wall art murals runs as far as the eye can see. Beautiful colorful paintings enhance the otherwise average trail. I came upon a young painter, streetname KimChi, who was engaged with one of her murals and five buckets of fresh paint sitting on the grass. While diligently placing the final strokes on a rainbow unicorn, her mom explained how her 17 year old daughter acquired this section of wall to decorate. Apparently, painters can apply and be selected for 122 ft sections to splash with their visions along this wall. Sometimes, unfortunately, their works of art are "tagged" by unsanctioned graffiti which they then have to come fix from time-to-time. Sidenote: I mistakenly thought being "tagged" was a good thing as if someone was tagging her artwork on Facebook. I asked if the rumbling of train cars above ever affects their focus. Much to my surprise, they commented that falling dead birds are the most common deterrent which raised my eyebrows. The hardships of an artist are even more perilous than I thought! As I spanned the length of KimChi's wall, I admired the Asian influence in her art. A panda bear and fox joined the unicorn amidst floating pink flowers and other pleasant shapes. 122 feet of wall art took her three full days to paint - amazing! I was so engulfed in the amazing beauty of the wall murals that I didn't immediately notice the incredible four story mural called "28 blocks" on the building behind me. A towering tribute to honor workers who built the Lincoln Memorial. Without a doubt, art is a soulful conduit for expression in the Eckington neighborhood. When you're in Eckington, turn right onto Rhode Island Ave for a wonderful stroll amongst a corridor of picturesque multicolored row homes, like I did. This scene embodies many of the images of Eckington I found online.
Continue your journey and take a right on Summit Pine, and about half a block up, you'll find an incredible mural spelling "ECKINGTON" with a large red Tyrannosaurus Rex chasing a hamburger. This particular dinosaur pointed me to the corner sign for "Yang Market". I was intrigued and entered. Inside, the Market was a spacious and surprisingly well-stocked convenience store anchored by a hunger-inducing restaurant order window in the back. Passing by the cash register, the business owner, Lyndsi, introduced herself with a warm smile. A large descriptive chalkboard menu hovered on the bulkhead above the kitchen as the chef, her husband Pete, waved from the stove. Together, they had opened this market a year ago and glowed about living in Eckington. Just as Lyndsi was enthusiastically emailing me a copy of their menu, a familiar customer walked in. Coincidentally, it was the Advisory Neighborhood Commission representative, Hannah Powell, whom I had been hoping to meet. As luck would have it, they informed me that there was a Civic Association meeting coming up soon and I'm eager to attend. This is exactly the sort of encounter that would help me gather information about the relationship of the neighborhood and to the people that live there! If that wasn't enough, Lyndsi, Pete, and Hannah all offered to meet me again next week for lunch and more information sharing. It was clear that these folks all care about their community and embrace the opportunity to share their experiences. I was truly in the right place at the right time. While walking along North Capitol St, I noticed a 2nd floor hair and nail salon. This was one of many barber shop/salon options along this road but it stood out for its hand painted marketing on the building facade.
I decided to peek my head in and say 'hello'. Inside was a quaint and clean salon with half a dozen clients waiting for their service. One of the stylists looked up from the hair she was cutting and greeted me with a smile. Her client didn't mind the pause while she shook my hand and chatted with me briefly. It turns out that I was talking to the founder's daughter and part owner, Naima Parks. Her shop, the Compliments Hair Studio, has been in business since 2002! I started to notice a pattern with shop owners... they were all very friendly AND they all knew exactly how long their businesses had been open without hesitation. It was clear they took pride in the longevity of their establishments in their community. Naima generously posed for a picture at the doorway before returning to her patient client. Another great interaction! Is it possible that everyone here is this friendly?!? One of my first experiences while visiting the Eckington neighborhood brought me to an outdoor flea market at the intersection North Capitol St and N. Quincy St. The pleasant sidewalk arrangement spanned almost a full block north of the main store entrance with items ranging from antique furniture to electronics and appliances. South of the entrance was a grassy peninsula bordered with an outer row of beautiful framed artwork. At the main entrance was a selection of old records next to a music player that filled the air with sounds of jazz and blues. This flea market had a very rustic and inviting aura which was further accentuated by the friendly greeting of the store-owner, Willie Barnes. He welcomed me to his sidewalk and introduced me to his colleagues, Theo and Ronald. They proudly informed me that this particular flea market has been open every day of the week (weather pending) since 2004! I walked into the store to find a variety of memorabilia that seemed to honor the heritage of the area. Outside, an eclectic scene of pedestrians perused the items on display while Willie sported a straw hat from one of the bins. After admiring the market for ten minutes and almost buying a couple items, I shook hands with all three managers and continued my tour of Eckington. While, short and sweet, a very warm first impression of the neighborhood! |
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