valentinosdcpulse

Nestled just North-West of Georgetown and West of Observatory Circle is a quaint neighborhood called Glover Park. Home to the US Navy Observatory, the Vice-Presidential Mansion, and several embassies, Glover Park is a tight-knit residential community and a "destination" for those in search of vibrant nightlife options. Over the years, the neighborhood has continued to attract new residents - even though they may not know how to pronounce the name. Named after a 19th century philanthropist Charles Glover (which rhymes with "cover,") a strong contingent of residents and outsiders say it to rhyme with "clover."

Regardless of the name debate, a couple of years ago, the neighborhood's popularity spread like wildfire and quickly became home to many young professionals. Many of these new residents (also known as "DINK's"- double-income-no-kids) were in search of some good places to blow off steam and a wide variety of trendy eateries as well. Catering to this need were various new and hip restaurants and nightclubs, many of which featured shuffleboard and pool tables to break up the monotony and keep things interesting.

However, Glover Park has always been known to cater to residents of all ages. The popularity of Glover Park really stems from the surrounding parks, which are so appealing to many residents. The community has a very green, suburban feel - with smaller residential streets and a number of shady trees. Many residents enjoy that this community is surprisingly quiet, especially considering its close proximity to the rest of the city. There is Farmer's Market and a Whole Foods in town, plus a hardware store that is a member of "A Few Cool Hardware Stores" co-operative that offers residents nearby options for home repair supplies.


Housing in Glover Park is a mix of apartment buildings and porch-front row houses built in the 1930s, and housing is actually very affordable. The neighborhood's elementary school, Benjamin Stoddert Elementary, is one of the most highly-rated schools in the District; its athletic field is home to the Glover Park Co-ed Softball League, and DC Stoddert Soccer. Even though Glover Park does not have a Metro station, several bus routes run through the area and provide access to Georgetown, DuPont and downtown, as well as several subway stations.

There are lots of good reasons you should consider moving to Glover Park:

• It's fun. There are many restaurants and shops within walking distance. Need more shopping or food options? Georgetown is only a short distance away. (See our blog Restaurant Week, Part II: Eating Your Way through DC Neighborhoods  to get the "flavor" of the area.)
• It's convenient - just minutes from National Airport, subway, and train stations.
• It's beautiful. Situated along Glover-Archibald Park, it has its own Public Garden
• It's historic. You are within walking distance of Georgetown University, and many of the Foreign Embassies.
• It's timely. Every morning and evening, the naval observatory has the sounding of colors in synchronization with the national Master Clock.
• It has many housing choices, which include row houses, condos, and apartments.

No matter how you say it, you can call Glover Park "home." If you're ready to make the move to this wonderfully quaint neighborhood, call Rachel Valentino, DC's "Best Real Estate Agent", as voted by Washington City Paper, for a no-pressure consultation. Rachel is on top of DC's real estate scene and active in all avenues of the market - including private residences, new construction, the luxury market, and the condo and co-op community.

In our last article, we suggested that you Ditch Your Grocery List as you satiate your palate and explore some of the more than 200 restaurants participating in Washington DC's Restaurant Week August 16-22^nd. Eating your way through DC neighborhoods is a fun way to explore DC and try some great new restaurants. 

Here are few interesting places to explore: 

A nice starting point is Glover Park, a neighborhood in Northwest Washington, DC just steps away from Georgetown and cradled by the serene forested parklands of Glover-Archbold Park and Whitehaven Park. Home to embassies and a closely knit body of residents, Glover Park also features Guy Mason Park nearby, just south of Calvert Street. Hungry? Try Rockland's (BBQ), Heritage India and Blue Ridge Restaurant. If you like BLT's you might be glad to know that the ones the Blue Ridge serves up come with Fried Green Tomatoes - can you say "yum"? 

Then there's Georgetown. Take a tour of Georgetown University located just west of Wisconsin Avenue. Founded in 1789 on 106 beautiful acres, Georgetown University is one of the country's oldest universities. Centered on Wisconsin and M Streets, this charming historic neighborhood was once a thriving colonial port. Dumbarton House, Tudor Place, the C&O Canal, and Old Stone House represent the rich history of this unique community. These days, however, it's widely known for its specialty stores, nightclubs, and intriguing restaurants. The Melting Pot, 1789 Restaurant and Morton's, The Steakhouse are just a few of my personal favorites that are definitely worth checking out during restaurant week. 

If you are ready for a change in scenery, just south of the National Mall is a neighborhood that's home to the Tony Award-winning Arena Stage, Benjamin Banneker Circle and Fountain, the Titanic Memorial and L'Enfant Plaza. The scenic waterfront area features a shimmering array of piers, sailboats, yachts, fishing boats, seafood markets, and of course, restaurants. A few in this neighborhood that may merit your "taste-testing" skills during Restaurant Week include McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurant, Zola, and Oyamel. 

Regardless of where you decide to visit or dine during Restaurant Week, you won't be disappointed with your selections! You might fall in love with a few restaurants and with some neighborhoods.  I'm planning on checking out a few myself and will be sure to let you know my thoughts. Stay tuned! 

As you eat your way through DC neighborhoods, you might finds somewhere you want to live. If you are new to the area or thinking about moving here, call Rachel Valentino, DC's "Best Real Estate Agent", as voted by Washington City Paper, for a no-pressure consultation. Rachel is on top of DC's real estate scene and active in all avenues of the market - including private residences, new construction, the luxury market, and the condo and co-op community.

Have you been salivating for some exciting new restaurants, but tend to stick to your old favorites? If so, ditch that grocery list during Washington DC's Restaurant Week and head for the city! Destination DC and the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington are proudly presenting the 16th bi-annual Washington, DC Restaurant Week from August 16-22nd. You can try some interesting food at neighborhood restaurants around the area and, in the process, add some new favorites to your list. 

Restaurant Week occurs twice a year during the winter and summer - during the slower seasons. During these weeks, many of D.C.'s finest restaurants are offering awe-inspiring, multi-course meals prepared especially for this gourmet event, at drastically reduced prices. Lunch is just $20.10 for a three-course meal, while dinner is $30.10. This price enables you to get hooked on a pricey Ruth's Chris steak in Fairfax, Tysons, or one of two DC locations at a bargain price. 

Even in our challenged economy, the list of restaurants has grown again. This August, 30 more restaurants are participating, bringing the total number to just over 200. This means you'll have more places to take your palate to visit. Since choosing restaurants to visit can be a difficult decision - you're probably wondering where you're going to get the most bang for your buck. 

So here's a plan. Washington is a city of neighborhoods and cultures. Restaurant Week offers a great opportunity to try the ethnic restaurants tucked away in the various neighborhoods of DC. Even if you are a "steak and potatoes" type of diner, you can find a place that pleases your palate in a new location. You can mesh your food quest with finding new neighborhoods. I'm betting that if you eat at a place once and love it, the next time you'll be back to see what else is in the neighborhood. 

In our next blog, we'll go into more detail about some interesting neighborhood spots you might find, but for now, consider this. Plan your outing with a meal in mind. Suppose you are bound for a sporting event, festival, or concert in Penn Quarter and plan to start or finish the day with a meal at a new resturant. You'll have dozens of choices but here are a few alternatives: 

Hungry for seafood?  Try Legal Seafood in 7^th or go beyond the pasta and sample D'Acqua at 801 Pennsylvania for Italian seafood.

Hungry for Continental?  Go Spanish at La Tasca or Jaleo on 7^th.  Go French at Bistro d"OC on 10^th or Ova on 7^th for French with an Asian flair. Or sample the world at IndeBlue on G St. NW.

Hungry for Mexican or Latin? Rosa Mexicano at 7^th at F, Café Atlantico on 8^th, or Ovamel on 7^th should fill the bill.

Websites such as DC Foodies.com offer reviews of many places you might want to try, while many places make their Restaurant Week menu online to help you plan your culinary destination. Additionally, here are some brief pointers to use as a guide when choosing restaurants:

• Avoid "special" menus unless you know exactly what the restaurant is offering (and it actually sounds interesting to you). Otherwise, go for restaurants offering most - or ideally all - of their normal menu for the best deals.
• Confirm with the restaurant when making a reservation that they are in fact participating in D.C. Restaurant Week.
• When choosing a restaurant, consider whether or not they always have a deal similar to the Restaurant Week offer.
• Some restaurants participate in DC Restaurant Week for extended periods - sometimes as long as the entire month! You might consider booking reservations at these restaurants outside of the Restaurant Week period.

Here's something else to keep in mind - although Restaurant Week occurs during the slow restaurant season, due to reduced prices, participating restaurants are extremely busy and tend to get very crowded, very quickly. To avoid disappointment or a wait, you can make online reservations through OpenTable.com, where your reservations are FREE and confirmed instantly 24 hours a day. No matter where you choose to dine, chances are that if you visit any one of them during this week, you won't be sorry!  

If you're new to the area or thinking about moving here, one of the first calls you should make for a no-pressure consultation is to Rachel Valentino, DC's "Best Real Estate Agent" as voted by Washington City Paper. Rachel is on top of DC's real estate scene and active in all avenues of the market - including private residences, new construction, luxury markets and the condo and co-op community.

Washington, DC public schools have been on life support in the media for some time, but after a lot of hard work by students, teachers, and administrators, things are getting better, especially in our charter schools. Since good schools seal the deal for many home buyers, this is good news for families who would like to move to DC's diverse neighborhoods and be confident that their children will receive a good education.

Charter schools were envisioned as a way to prompt public school reform and give lower-income families better educational options. Since they are publicly funded, any DC student can attend for free. The schools operate independently of the regular school system and with a different set of rules. Currently, students in the District's charter schools have a solid academic lead over those in its traditional public schools, adding momentum to a movement that is recasting public education in the city.

With more than 25,000 students (1/3 of the city's public enrollment) and 60 schools with 90 campuses, Washington D.C.'s charter system is now one of the largest in the country. We owe most of this growth largely to a word-of-mouth outreach strategy by parents in the area looking for better public schools. In a few years, it's quite likely that due to the better attendance and graduation rates than the regular public schools, charters could quite easily become the dominant form of public education in the District. Records show that the teachers at these District schools fit the city's definition of "highly qualified," meaning that they have a higher level of expertise in the subjects that they teach.

According to an analysis by The Washington Post, charter schools are showing improved standardized test scores on national standardized tests and on the District's own tests in reading and math - areas which for some time have shown sub-par test scores, as compared to different regions and states. On the city's standardized tests, the passing rate for charter middle schools was 13% higher on average. Charters have been particularly successful with low-income children, who make up two-thirds of D.C. public school students.

Some of the most notable charter schools include:

Friendship Public Charter Schools (FCPS) is the city's largest charter network, with 5 schools and more than 4,000 students. FPCS attributes their success to having a surplus of over $3 million dollars which has funded cutting-edge equipment, including computerized interactive whiteboards found even in preschool classrooms.

Knowledge Is Power Program, (KIPP) has a total of 10 schools in the city, over 3,400 students, and great test scores. According to Susan Shaeffler, who heads the school, their success is highly attributed to a unified school culture that teachers and students embrace.

Howard University Middle School of Mathematics and Science has reached and been able to maintain higher test scores due to the fact that the school pays no rent to the university, saving the charter a million dollars annually; this money saved is then spent on school improvements. Each Howard student has a laptop computer to use in class and a notebook computer to take home.

Let's face it.  We know that charter school systems everywhere may be hurting in one area or another. Some struggle to raise money or attract students, some have gone out of business, and some have had major funding issues. But the emergence of a thriving charter system in a city like ours is encouraging. We have diligently tried to overcome the "reputation" of being one of the country's most troubled school districts, so recent reports about accessible charter schools are giving the kids, their parents, and the faculty numerous reasons to smile and be proud of all of their hard work and tenacious efforts.

What do we attribute this to, you ask? Well, the answer was certainly not easy to come by, but we're glad we realized the formula that was needed to turn things around: longer school days, weekend and summer classes, more parent involvement, and a cohesive, disciplined culture among staff members and students - and outside funding. Dan Keating with the Washington Post shares that it's been a long time coming, but now the city's charter system has taken shape as a fast-growing network of schools. He notes that "With the generous assistance from private donors, bankers and developers we've been able to fund impressive facilities, expand programs and reduce class sizes."

If you have been contemplating moving your family to the District, but are still on the fence about it, this news will definitely give you plenty of reasons to start packing your bags and heading this way. When you get here, save yourself the headaches and call Rachel Valentino, DC's "Best Real Estate Agent" as voted by Washington City Paper for a no-pressure consultation.  Rachel is on top of DC's real estate scene and active in all avenues of the market - including private residences, new construction, luxury market and the condo and co-op community.