We've got a bit of a milestone here at JDLand, because starting today the Post's
District Extra section has a new column called "
Ballpark and Beyond," which will take selected news and photos from
this very blog and
publish them in convenient, on-the-go, dead-tree format. (So if you don't get the paper, or you don't get the DC edition, pick one up when you're within the city limits on Thursday to check it out.) It's quite exciting, as you can imagine, to be able to have my work here be circulated out to a much wider audience, and it's also great that the Post is finding a place in print for news that is very "hyperlocal." (This is probably where I should mention that I've worked in the Post newsroom for nine years, not as a reporter or editor but as a computer geek, and that this web site has always been and will continue to be my own project.)
If you're a long-time visitor to the site, don't worry, nothing is going to change. I'll still yammer on incessantly about renderings and zoning text amendments, though perhaps with fuller explanations than I have in the past (to catch the newcomers reading the print version up to speed). But otherwise, I'm going to keep on doing what I've always done. Just think of this as the site going "multi-platform."
For those of you who are new to the site, thanks for dropping by, and I hope you'll take a look around to see what's available. The
map to the right gives you the basics--move your mouse over it, and you'll get information on the various projects in the neighborhood. (You can also scroll down to the
Project Directory for a more straightforward list of what's happening.) Click on the map, and you'll be taken to the project pages, where you can get more detail, links, photos, and news items (here's my
Nationals Ballpark page as an example--be sure to click on the "tabs" to see the additional information). There's also the
Photo Archive, where you can pick an intersection and see a sampling of the thousands of photos I've taken of Near Southeast since 2003, and watch the view change. (Or not change, depending on where you're looking.) I also have
data feeds from the DC government that are updated daily with crime reports, public space and building permits, service requests, and recent real estate transactions. Plus there's a
calendar of upcoming events. And of course you should check back often to see what the latest is, because I post new items a heck of a lot more than once a week.
So hopefully this new venture will be a success. And who knows, maybe there's more to come.
PS: You can now also get to this site by using the URL
www.ballparkandbeyond.com. But do not fear, it'll always be at JDLand.
