The mid-fall late-afternoon light was a bit hard to work with, and someone didn't think to clean the lens before starting out, but if you can tolerate these transgressions you can check out my new photos from the interior of Nationals Park. Yes, including the turf (though they've stopped installing it over the past few days so they could finish off some last tasks in left field; look for the greening of the outfield to start again later this week). And here's the link again to the Stadium Web Cam, since these photos will be out-of-date almost immediately.

A press release went out this afternoon announcing that the Velocity Condos project at First and L sold 10 units during its first five days of sales. Here's the breathless opening text: "If any skeptics still doubt that the rapidly revitalizing Capitol Riverfront, surrounding the new Nationals baseball stadium, will be DC's hottest new address, they need only look at the initial sales success of one of the neighborhood's first new condo buildings. Velocity held its official Grand Opening on October 26, and homebuyer response to this sleek, contemporary new condo community wowed even its developer, The Cohen Companies."

Apologies for the late notice, but tonight ANC 6D is having an "presentation meeting", to break out the issues that people and organizations want to bring in front of the ANC but which don't require an official vote. This is an attempt to shorten the monthly business meetings, which can run for hours and kill numerous brain cells of all in attendance. The meeting will be at 25 N Street, SW, at either 7:00 or 7:30 pm (now confirmed). Items on tonight's agenda include WASA talking about lead pipe replacement in the neighborhood and an update on Arena Stage construction and schedule.

Today the Capitol Riverfront Business Improvement District (which covers both Near Southeast and Buzzards Point in Southwest) has launched an interactive map, allowing users to browse the neighborhood's developments, attractions, retail, parks, and transportation options. [Insert self-pitying comment about watching my readership flee here.] You can click on points of interest or additional details and distances to other attractions, or filter the map to only display different types of data.

You can't tell from the street, but there is some demolition-like work underway today on the roof of the old Capper Seniors building at 7th and M. However, the showy stuff with a wrecking ball will probably start later in the week, perhaps on Wednesday. It would be fab if folks who have a birds-eye view of the building could drop me a line if you see the wrecking-ball-crane getting into place, since the building is out of range of any handy web cams.

As I took two ventures out over the weekend to take pictures (and cursed the skies for only seeming to be cloudy when I was hitting the shutter, so be prepared for rotten lighting), I came to realize that my desire to capture the changing skyline means that I pretty much have to take photos at every intersection between New Jersey, I, South Capitol, and N, because there's hardly any spot covered by those 10 blocks or so that isn't seeing a big change to its view.

I received word earlier today that immediately on the heels of the nine home sites that EYA released at Capitol Quarter as scheduled at 11 this morning, they decided on the spot to release an addtional nine units, which have probably been snapped up by now and which complete the market-rate homes that make up Phase I of the project. (Phase 2, with no announced timetable, will be the townhomes on the blocks south of I Street between Second and Third.) There will still be additional workforce-level income houses to be offered, but those will be filled through a different process (last time it was a lottery) and no dates have been announced. (And low-income rental units are sprinkled throughout the development as well.) Bet it was a wild scene at the sales center when word of the additional units hit the people standing in line....

The deadline for submittals for the redevelopment of Poplar Point passed on Friday, with seven proposals coming into the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Economic Development. (I'm using the hook that one of the proposals is from Forest City, developers of The Yards and the Capper/Carrollsburg revitalization, as an excuse to go outside my boundaries.) The Washington Business Journal has the story, including that only two of the seven proposals include a soccer stadium.

At Thursday's meeting of the National Capital Planning Commission, the Commission on its consent agenda "commented favorably" on concept designs presented to it by the city or Diamond Teague Park, the new public plaza planned for the foot of First Street along the Anacostia River (across from the ballpark).

If you're tired of watching the grass grow from just one angle, you'll be happy to know that the second stadium web cam is now back up, looking into the ballpark from a perch on the western garage in left-center field. Choose "Centerfield" in the pulldown at the top of the webcam page.

Word has just gone out that tomorrow morning (Nov. 3) at 11 am reservations will be accepted for the next nine market-rate houses at Capitol Quarter. Prices range from $610k to $745k, and the offered sites now include lots on the block bounded by Virginia, I, Third, and Fourth. (Contact the sales office if you need more details.) Let the stampede begin!

This week's Washington Blade has a long story describing the continuing difficulties seen by the old Near Southeast nightclubs in their attempts to reopen elsewhere in the city. Nexus (now becoming 909 New Jersey Avenue), Edge/Wet and Club 55 (on the block being redeveloped with the Velocity project), Ziegfield's-Secrets, and Heat (taken by eminent domain to make way for the ballpark) are all still trying to either find new locations or get approvals for locations they've chosen. Follies and Club Washington will not be reopening elsewhere. Velvet Nation, a gay dance night that was held at Nation, is looking like it will be reconstituted at a new gay dance club called Town, in Shaw.

While it might not be quite as exciting as watching grass grow, I can report that one of the real milestones of getting Nationals Park up and running has arrived--the application for a liquor license! There's a hearing on January 2.