The July issue of the magazine includes our annual Best & Worst poll, where readers weighed in on coffee shops, pizza, celebrities, spas, and more.

This year, we also invited a few of Washington’s top bloggers to tell us their summertime favorites.


We asked Ken Johnson, whose blog DCmud.blogspot.com tracks commercial and residential real-estate development, to pick a few of his favorite—and least favorite—Washington-area neighborhoods, condo buildings, and more. Johnson also runs DCRealestate.com, a sales and marketing company with an emphasis on urban neighborhoods.  Read below for an expanded version of Johnson’s picks.  

To see other local bloggers' bests—like Amanda McClements of Metrocurean.com, Melissa McCart of Counterintelligenceblog.com, and Washingtonian.com’s own Best Bites, After Hours, and Open House bloggers—check out the July issue, on newsstands now.

What: Ten Ten One
Where: 10101 Grosvenor Place, North Bethesda
Number of Units: 402 in a 20-story high-rise.
Prices: Range from the low $300,00s for one-bedroom units to the mid $600,00s for large two-bedrooms.
Building Amenities: Fitness center with flat-screen TVs, courtyard with four built-in gas grills, pool, tennis court, 24-hour concierge service, media room, and lounge with WiFi.
In each unit: Hardwood floors, a balcony, and stainless steel kitchen appliances and granite countertops.
You won’t find that it the city: The property includes a half-mile jogging trail. 
Floor Plan Options: One bedroom, one bath; two bedroom, one bath; or two bedroom, two bath.
Closest Metro: The building is steps from the Metro Red line’s Grosvenor–Strathmore station.
Units Sold: Although the building opened in 2005, 132 units are still on the market.

More pictures below 

This solid wood, vintage side table is $68 on Craigslist. It could be used as a nightstand or end table and measures 14 inches wide, 18 inches deep, and 31 inches tall.

More good finds:
• Wrought iron garden bench for $55
• Free-standing hammock for $100
• Bedroom suite with king size bed, two night stands, and chest of drawers for $2,500
• Three matching tables—coffee, side, and entryway—from Pier One for $250
• Vintage ivory dresser for $285
• Green suede sofa for $225

Thanks, Craigslist! 

Where: 9701 Sorrel Avenue, Potomac
Listing Price: $7,500,000
Time on Market: 2 years
Bedrooms: 6
Bathrooms: 8

Details: This 17,000-square-foot estate is not your typical Colonial. Designed by local architect Michael Ochsman, the home is filled with light—the front doors are flanked on both sides and above by a three-story wall of glass, and several rooms boast floor-to-ceiling windows. The foyer greets visitors with a colorful, oversized modern painting and a circular staircase.

A two-level library has granite floors, curved bookcases, and a custom fireplace. A media room offers a movie projector, screen, and built-in sound system. Other amenities include a four-car garage, an exercise room, and a hot tub. If you’re not one for sitting around, take a swim in the 60-foot indoor lap pool.

More pictures below. 

Here’s this week’s roundup of the ten most expensive sales in the region, as reported by American City Business Leads.

The Box Score
Maryland: 4
DC: 4
Virginia: 2

$4,350,000—9400 Persimmon Tree Road, Potomac
$4,262,500—9716 Sorrel Avenue, Potomac
$3,675,000—7101 Glenbrook Road, Bethesda
$3,550,000—2308 Wyoming Avenue, NW, Kalorama
$3,500,000—4530 Cathedral Avenue, NW, Wesley Heights
$3,495,000—5019 Sedgwick Street, NW, Spring Valley
$3,000,000—1318 McCay Lane, McLean
$2,795,178—8426 Sparger Street, McLean
$2,775,000—10701 Stanmore Drive, Potomac
$2,750,000—1642 Avon Place, NW, Georgetown

Gary Yacoubian, president of MyerEmco AudioVisual, a company that builds custom home theaters, has spent his career incorporating the latest video and audio components into media rooms for Washingtonians who are serious about watching movies and TV.  After 20 years in the business, he still gets excited about new technology hitting the market.

“One of the latest trends is wireless audio and video products that let you access music, photos, and video files from your computer in rooms throughout the house,” he says. “It’s just really cool.” 

What are the three must-have components for a home theater?
You need a big screen, high-definition TV; a home theater receiver and source components; and a sonically matched speaker system with subwoofer.

What is a common mistake people make designing a system?
Evidence shows that more than half of new HDTV owners don’t have their TVs connected properly to display an HD picture.  Half of those people actually think they’re watching high definition!  You need to be a student of connectivity and setup issues—or you need to hire one—to really enjoy these awesome new technologies.

What is the biggest TV screen you’ve installed in the area?
It was a 133-inch screen for a front-projection system.

Is there a theater you designed that ranks as your favorite?
Yes. It featured a 42-inch rear-projection HDTV in a custom cabinet for everyday viewing, then a hidden 92-inch screen that drops down for a front projector when viewing movies and special events.

How much did the most elaborate media room you’ve designed cost?
In excess of $250,000. It was a dedicated theater with full acoustical room treatments and seating. The design, layout, and quality of gear made it fabulous.

MyerEmco has ten area locations, including a custom installation department in Gaithersburg.

$60 for a mattress
$9,900 for a used Volvo
$1 for a lazy, recently graduated roommate

This isn’t eBay or Craigslist. This is “Marketplace,” Facebook’s latest feature. The members-only social network, which is open to anyone but most popular with high schoolers, college students, and recent graduates, has created a sort of cyber flea market where users post their trash and treasures for sale. The site’s developers came up with the idea when they saw users posting items for sale in the Notes section of their Facebook profiles.

Users are having fun with the new feature and putting it to good use. A recent post on Marketplace seeks a “soul mate”—for free. There are also more than 300 posts about housing in Washington.

Sellers can block portions of their profile from interested buyers and can choose which networks of users see the listing. They can also see how many people have viewed the post and get basic information about interested buyers by clicking on their profiles. Potential buyers can message questions to sellers, who have the option of posting the answers in a FAQ section of their post.