After Podcasting was named to the Oxford English Dictionary, WUSA has moved their local news to podcast format. Well, or so they claimed on their 7pm broadcast tonight. Except, that it seems there’s only one Minicast up as of right now, though their segments are available piece by piece.

Why do you taunt us, WUSA 9, with just one minicast? It’s great that segments are available, but why not minicasts, too?

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Hmm, wait, that’s the expression for talking about music. What would blogging about art be?

It would be Eye Level, the new Smithsonian American Art Museum‘s blog. Although a blog that touched on one exhibited work a day would be an interesting one, this is actually more sweeping. Their opening day post says “Eye Level investigates American art

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By a 12 to 1 margin, the DC City Council has expanded the city’s smoking ban to include restaurants, so long as business does not drop by 25%. Bars and clubs will also be required to add ventilation or separate accommodations by 1 January 2007, though the requirements are NOT currently waived for cigar and hookah bars, Councilman Graham is working on an amendment for the second reading on 3 January 2006.

I do not speaking for Metroblogging at large, nor this site as a whole, but as a citizen and independent of the site I write for, I welcome this move and congratulate the DC Council for making the right decision. Second-hand smoke is really one of the most frustrating thing about going out to a bar or club, and I will probably work to take advantage of this more, now that I can go out and have a great dinner and a few drinks in a local establishment without coming home reeking of second hand smoke and tobacco. I hope that the amendment allowing hookah bars and cigar bars to continue to allow their patrons to smoke continues, though, as those are places clearly designed for the purpose of smoking.

Many will say that this threatens the local eateries and bars in the District. Data from Montgomery County suggests the oppposite:

in the 12 months after the smoking ban took effect in October 2003, state sales tax receipts for Montgomery restaurants grew by $4.4 million or 7.6 percent, compared to the 12 months leading up to the ban. Applications to open new restaurants in the county also increased from 80 to 87, up 8.7 percent, according to the county’s public health service.

While data is not conclusive (and some data is in fact contradictory), I would have to say that I firmly believe this to be good for the city, and good for metropolitan area at large. Perhaps Arlington County and PG County should follow?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

There’s a bar in Glover Park called Bourbon. I’ve wanted to check it out for some time now, then I heard that they were going to open an offshoot in Adams Morgan, but it escaped my mind this past weekend as we wandered in search of post-dinner drinks.

We were a bit aimless, probably due to our consuming an entire bottle of sake with our sushi at Uni (random note: Uni has WiFi now!). It was cold and windy, which inspired a serious hankering for the infused vodka at the cosy Russia House lounge, but they were shut for a private party. “No room at this inn,” we thought, moving on sadly to 18th Street.

It’s funny how I’m sort of “rediscovering” Adams Morgan, lately. On our brisk walk up Columbia Road we passed the apartment building I lived in back in the mid-nineties, as a foolish and totally insane twentysomething. It felt very odd to walk by again.

Our next destination turned out to be the Blue Room, with its glowing bar. However, again we were thwarted – “Private party,” the cheery bouncer informed us, “but the first floor’s open.” This is how we ended up at Bourbon, completely unawares until after sitting down and ordering drinks and then finally noticing the long line of amber bourbon bottles behind the bar.

In case you haven’t guessed, Bourbon is located on the first floor of the Blue Room. It’s a small space with a few tables and booths in front and a bar in back. There’s an almost Asian feel to the simple decor, especially the dark wood bar. Though there were people partying it wasn’t too full at any point in the night, and I found out later that was its opening weekend. The two bartenders were both extremely nice and talented – we had some great cocktails, but ridiculously as we realized afterwards, we never did try any bourbon. From what I could tell they have a great selection. Oh well, I guess we’ll have to return to try them! The music selection was nicely eclectic. It looks primed to become a very popular spot so be sure to check it out before it hits maximum capacity.

I can only hope that you won’t be bounced around too much first – watch out, the private holiday parties have started!

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

If you’re a beer guy, you know how important the ability to get good beer is. In DC, we’re spoiled with places like Capitol City Brewing Co., RFD, The Brickskeller, Elephant & Castle, Harry’s Taproom, Dr. Dremo’s and other such august places to knock back a few beers with your friends. Now, up in Gaithersburg, Dogfish Head has opened up an Alehouse in Gaithersburg right off the 270. Rumor has it that they might keep a Randalizer up there, but I’ve not heard one way or the other!

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I’m a wireless junkie. I love the latest and greatest technologies. DC is a fantastic place to live and be a wireless junkie, due to all the wireless providers trying to jockey for position with the government. The new 3G network Cingular is putting up promises burst speeds of 1 megabit, and sustained transfers at 400-700 kilobits per second. Service isn’t cheap, but if you absolutely positively need the fastest service available, this would be the way to go.

The coverage area suggests that all of the District, Arlington county, half of Fairfax, all of Alexandria, and as far to the northwest as Gaithersburg and to the Northeast as Perry Hall (on the other side of Baltimore!) will be covered by the new 3G service. Not at all shabby.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Two little bits of DC humor have wended their way to my inbox today, and both are worth a serious chuckle. The first has to do with our seriously bizarre street layout:

The DC road grid was laid out by a Frenchman, which explains why locals hate the French, and also explains much about US Foriegn Policy. Within DC proper, the roads are laid out in a grid, with other streets crossing the grid at weird angles, usually through a traffic circle. No one in DC knows how to drive in a traffic circle, and people from the surburbs are worse. Many streets are one way, and making a left turn can require travelling three or four blocks out of your way. Right turns are worse. Right turn on red is allowed, except at intersections that are posted otherwise.
Most intersections are posted otherwise.

And the second, well, it speaks for itself (kinda sorta definitely NSFW. Text only.)

Whoda thunk we had such great orgies down in Virginia?

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Asian Hymn Singing Guy on the Orange Line

Originally uploaded by brownpau.

Flickr user brownpau caught a photo of my favorite Metro Amusement: Asian Hymn Singing Guy. He’s been in DC easily as long as I have. He gets on usually somewhere like Foggy Bottom, and as soon as you’re in the tunnel bound for Rosslyn, he unleashes his lovely baritone voice.

This time of year, it’s almost always a Christmas Carol.

As soon as train pulls into Rosslyn, He slaps shut his hymnal, politely wishes the assembled riders a happy holidays, and exits the train.

Sure, he has a thick Korean accent, but his voice is good, and his pitch is true. Every time I see him I smile. Here’s someone who truly believes in what he’s doing. You don’t find that very often anymore, even in this town.

Sing on, Mr. Asian Hymn Singing Guy. You’re my favorite part of this season.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Looking for a gift for the future doctor in your family? A gag gift for your significant other?

The National Academies of the Sciences bookstore has Giant Microbe toys. Ebola for your budding medical genius, syphilis for your girlfriend!

The NAS bookstore is located at 500 Fifth Ave, NW, near the Judiciary Square and Gallery Place metro stations. And if your loved one is really geeky, there are a number of publications by the Academies available for purchase as well.

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Well, our own Diane Rehm has snubbed us but we’re in good company. On today’s 11am show she talked to Dan Burstein about his new book “Blog,” but not one mention of the subject of local events and issues blogging – just national news issues. C’mon guys! Blogs vs Big Media is sooooo 2004 – let’s hear about how we’re impacting local issues and coverage.

Today’s update from 2004 should be available for you to listen to online by this evening.

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Cold Tiki Torch

Originally uploaded by tbridge.

I hardly know what to think about all the weathermen and weatherwomen in this town. I swear, they take the most implausible worst case scenarios and predict their forecasts by them. Bob Ryan, Topper Shutt, you guys really oughtta do better. We had maybe an inch or two on the ground this morning, all the while you were proclaiming to the highest heavens that we were due some 4-6″ of the white powdery stuff that even Marion Barry won’t snort.

How did you make out with the snow?

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Well, we know the lobbyists in this town are a bit dodgy. Some of them like Abramoff et alia seem to be trading favors for favors, as it were, and lawsuits around that are no small amount of news. However, The Hotline at National Journal seems to think we’re about to see a different sort of scandal emerge:

According to the U-T, Wilkes also “ran a hospitality suite, with several bedrooms, in” DC — “first in the Watergate Hotel and then” in a Capitol Hill hotel.

Come again? A “hospitality suite with several bedrooms”?

Talk about raising more questions, including:

— Why does a lobbyist need a “hospitality suite with several bedrooms”?

— Who uses those bedrooms and for what?

These lobbying scandals involving Cunningham and Wilkes and Abramoff are looking more and more like a bad movie script every day. Except with one difference from the movies: this stuff actually happened.

Yeeshies. But, of course, this is all conjecture…but knowing this town, the weirder, the more likely.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Christmas Tree

Originally uploaded by tbridge.

Well, the first flakes have fallen, and I’d say there’s about 1-2″ here in Fairlington tonight. The storm appears to have pushed further East than the forecasts had called for, and it appears we’ve missed the brunt of the storm here, though folks on the Chesapeake may get the lion’s share of the snow.

The roads in NoVA are clear tonight, though the stores are all out of milk and eggs. Shocking, really, that we would all overreact. Thankfully, with roads clear and snow just barely mounting, looks like we avoided the big storm we were promised.

I got out tonight when I got home, and took a bunch of long exposure shots on a tripod. The results are pretty amazing. Did you get a good shot of the snow? Share!

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Tom’s post about Tony Bennett and the Kennedy Center Honors reminded me that Mr. Bennett is my only bona-fide brush with celebrity in DC. Well, that’s not entirely true – I’ve also in my time bumped into Bob Dole as he entered the Four Seasons, spotted Clinton as he exited the church on 16th street, saw both Tony Williams and Eleanor Holmes Norton at Eastern Market, oh, and then there was the time I watched Marion Barry hold court at the YMCA. But none of these were remotely exciting, really. They’re all political sightings, which any number of us can have on any given day of the week in DC. Ho-hum. But Mr. Tony Bennett, now that’s something.

I was having lunch in a little cafe near the Kennedy Center back in ’96. My back was to the room, so I could do my usual daydream drill of staring out the window thinking “some day I’m going…” whatever it was that day. I began to be aware of an electric charge in the room, the way people were talking was changing, and I heard someone begin the dance of deference. “Hmmm.. someone important is here,” I thought, “who cares?”

I was just drifting back into my lunchtime reverie when a strong, craggy yet impossibly smooth voice made itself known. It was like hearing a beloved uncle, unexpectedly, laden down with presents just for you. I sat straight up. That voice! It was, no, could it be? “Fly me to the moon…”

Of course once I figured out it was him, sitting down having his lunch and being schmoozed by the cafe owner, I had to force myself not to turn around and morph into a giggling schoolgirl. The man is a god, definitely, but he should have his privacy. So I only snuck a glance when I was done and busing my tray to the counter. He was holding court with aplomb, in a tweedy jacket, collar open, silver-haired, those eyebrows, just as you’d imagine him and ready it seemed to start crooning any minute. I dashed out and called my dad to tell him I had just seen, “Tony! Bennett! The! Tony! Bennett!”

That’s it. My best brush with celebrity (while living in DC, that is. The best one in my life was the divine Alan Rickman, but that’s a non sequitur here. Besides, you might start accusing me of being a crazed celebrity hound. No!)

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Tony Bennett sure can sing. That’s for absolutely certain. However, man, you gotta feel like he’s aged a million years since 2000. The Washington Post has photos from this weekend’s events at the Kennedy Center Honors, and boy, does Tony look old. Congratulations on a helluva career, my friend!

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

While others are watching movies, or playing poker, the rest of us are reading. Read much and reading well apparently. For the second year in a row, Washington DC is in top five of the America

Well, it looks like we’re going to get some snow here tomorrow, anywhere from 1 to 8 inches depending upon on who you believe, but that’s a good chunk snow for this region. Of course, the Post is already freaking out, but when they lead like this:

As forecasters predicted the season’s first snow storm would arrive early Monday morning and potentially annoy evening rush-hour commuters, the truly precautious weren’t taking chances.

Precautious?! That’s so not a word. But yeah, start the crazy hoarding, it’s blizzard time!

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Frank Warren of Germantown has a little website you might have heard of: Postsecret. Postsecret has become a phenomenon, spawning a regular feature in the City Paper, a book, and finally, a traveling art exhibition.

That art exhibition will be in Georgetown on December 15 at the old Staples store. Don’t miss it- it’s only there until January 8.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Major congratulations to the DC Council for sitting down with Major League Baseball and getting them to blink a bit on their requirements for the team. MLB ponied up another $20M, and have agreed tentatively to a letter of credit that would satisfy Wall St. of the city’s honorability in terms of the bonds. The deal’s not all the way done, but it’s nice to see the two sides speaking not just amicably, but seriously about what they’ll do to make the stadium a reality.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

The former longtime secretary of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, Charles Atherton, 73, was hit Thursday night while crossing rain-slicked Connecticut Avenue NW. He was hit so hard that Atherton flew out of his shoes and was left crumpled on the road, bleeding from his head and nose after his head smashed into the windshield.

To quote the WashPost article:

Michael Baker, a communications consultant who was a few yards away when the accident occurred, was among the first to reach Atherton. “At one point, we were trying to get him to respond, and it was unclear if he was trying to respond or maybe drowning in blood,” he said. “I think he was having a difficult time breathing. He never said anything. He couldn’t speak, and he wouldn’t respond when we pinched his hand.”

So this elderly statesman of DC is lying in the road, slowly bleeding, maybe to death, and what does the driver think about, what is she concerned with? His health, his survival, his life? Ha! No, she’s worried about liability. She cares more if he will sue her than if he lives. To quote the WashPost again:

Baker said he overheard a police officer “reassuring” the driver involved in the accident that she was not at fault. She had been headed south on Connecticut. On the face of it, Baker said, it may seem “offensive” that Atherton was ticketed, but he believed that the officers were seeking to establish liability. “It seemed primarily to assuage her,” he said of the driver. “She was just distraught. She was wailing for 45 minutes.”

Awww

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs