Late breakfast links: Movers and shakers

Streetcars make landfall

DC’s streetcars have arrived in Baltimore, cleared customs, and were transferred to trucks which will take them to Metro’s Greenbelt Yard. Some more work remains to get them ready to roll (besides completing the line). (DDOT, WTOP)

Know where you are on H

The H Street streetscape includes engraved street names in the sidewalk for the cross streets, “for both decorative and information purposes.” So far, they’re in on 3rd through 6th on the north side. (DDOT)

Bubble in a donut

The Hirshhorn is planning to install a temporary giant bubble in its donut hole center with a piece bubbling out the side, to accommodate special events. I generally like it, but recoil at NYT architecture critic Nicolai Ouroussoff’s usual knee-jerk reaction to all DC architecture: the weirder the better, what DC needs most is to be “shaken up,” and anything the Commission of Fine Arts hates, he loves, regardless of whether regular people like it or not. (DCist, NY Times)

Bye bye billboards

The billboards at P Street and New Jersey Avenue are gone. Shaw residents started a campaign to remove these illegal eyesores, and DCRA responded. They persisted through some wrangling over permits preceding Home Rule, a court injunction letting Clear Channel keep the billboards, emergency regulations, and a settlement, and now they’re gone. (The Other 35 Percent)

Tax break narrowly approved

The DC Council narrowly approved the $7 million tax break to lure CoStar from Bethesda to DC, but amended it to require CoStar locate outside the already-popular central business district.

Hit-and-run? Oh well

A hit-and-run driver injured two cyclists in San Francisco. The cyclists got a photo of the license plate, multiple witnesses, and more. However, SFPD doesn’t intend to investigate. (BoingBoing)

Over in federal-land

John Catoe and Senator Jack Reed told the Senate Banking Committee that federal transit regulation makes sense, but as long as agencies are underfunded, safety problems won’t go away. (Streetsblog DC) … The Northeast Corridor probably can’t take advantage of any of the $8 billion in stimulus money for high-speed rail unless the FRA gets its EIS done in time, which looks unlikely (America 2050 via The Overhead Wire, Cavan)  (Tip: Cavan)

And of course

The biggest news of the day: Same-sex marriage will be legal in DC unless Congress or the courts overturn it, which is unlikely. (Post and everyone else)