Behind the Scenes With Cleveland Park Complaints

• May 9th 2013

by Shilpi Paul

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For the past couple months, one stealthy Cleveland Park resident has been scouring the largest and most active neighborhood listserv in DC to find what some might think of as “first world problems” — complaints about flower thieves and noise pollution caused by keyless car remotes — and documenting the emails on a Tumblr called Cleveland Park Complaints.

The resident wants to remain anonymous, but UrbanTurf was able to find out a bit more about why the Tumblr was created and what she considers some of the most absurd posts written in the past few months.

Why did you decide to start this Tumblr?

I’ve had a fascination with the Cleveland Park listserv and some of the absurd issues that arise on it for several years. I started emailing around some of my favorites, and that led to me starting the blog.

Who is your intended audience?

If I’m being honest, snarky twenty/thirty-somethings like myself. And anyone who can laugh at themselves. My mom is also a big fan!

What are some of the most absurd posts you’ve seen on the listserv?

If I have to pick one, I’d say my favorite is about the extra large cat harness needed for a cat named Baby Leo.

The flower thief was, of course, an excellently absurd series of posts. I’ve also enjoyed conversations on the 25% cap on restaurants in the neighborhood, battles over whether there should be a service lane for the shops/restaurants on Connecticut Avenue, and the great leaf blower debate of April 2013.

Why did you decide to move to Cleveland Park, and do you like living there?

I moved from the outskirts of Capitol Hill to Cleveland Park in 2009 and haven’t looked back since. I was partly tired of the real crime in my old neighborhood, but also wanted a change of scenery.

Do you scour the listserv yourself, or do other neighbors send you potential posts?

Most of the posts come from my own scouring efforts, but as the Tumblr has gained popularity I’ve had a troop of faithful neighborhood residents send me their favorites. It’s become a little community unto itself.

Due to the recent media attention, the listserv has been writing about your Tumblr. How do you feel about that?

Honestly, part of me feels a little bad for the people who are upset at the publicity. But I try to only highlight the most absurd posts, and in the end, I think the laughs the blog has brought outweigh the negativity.

This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.production.logicbrush.com/articles/blog/one_on_one_exposing_cleveland_park_complaints/7041.