Photo by DC Metroblogger

If you have a have two or more 30-day-old, unpaid parking tickets, or if you are parked in the wrong zone too long, be careful about leaving your car on a Columbia Heights street this week.

This big orange boot is the fifth one I’ve seen since Sunday, and I’m sure the experience isn’t fun.

First, you have to pay your outstanding tickets, then DC adds another $50 for the boot/de-booting, and worst of all, you have to wait around two hours post-payment, before the boot will be removed.

More boot-centric info can be found on the DC Gov website with the great url: booted.shtm

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

As part of the awesome All Songs Considered Podcast this week, NPR revealed the saving grace for all you music fans who couldn’t get tickets to the oh-so-incredibly sold out Sleater-Kinney concert at the 9:30 club on the 1st: They’re going to webcast the concert live on NPR’s website! We’re still waiting for the info, but damn this is exciting for all of us who missed the pre-sale. More info when it comes.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Just because Adrian Fenty doesn’t want DC to turn into a Police State doesn’t mean “Mr. Fenty does not even recognize that there is a neighborhood crime problem” It just means that your cheap cookie-cutter solution of adding more cops and installing crime-moving cameras doesn’t appeal to him.

Thanks for trying,

Me.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Photo by DC Metroblogger

For those who wanna speed between Columbia Road and Euclid Street NW, there’s a new stoplight that’s about to come between you and the gas pedal.

The intersection of Fuller Street and 16th Street NW is about to get not only reds and greens, but also crossing signals. This will replace the cop and crossing guard of last year who shepherded kids across the intersection each morning and afternoon.

While travel time may be slower during non-school hours, the traffic light will be better than the cop, who usually parked in a traffic lane, and the crossing guard who held up traffic for longer then the light.

Oh and before you blow through the light, be aware, there is a camera watching you from one of the traffic light poles.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

I’ve seen some weird things in my life. Weird, weird things. But this one seems to take the political cake:

WJZ.COM has learned police arrested David Dickerson, the Baltimore native running as a Democrat for the US Senate. He is charged with rape and assault.

Dickerson allegedly ordered a mail order bride from Latvia and repeatedly assaulted her.

DickersonForSenate.com isn’t commenting on the news. Weirder still, there are no pictures of the Dickerson family on the campaign site, and the campaign biography for Dickerson goes on at significant length about Dickerson’s heritage, only to offhandedly mention his wife in one half-sentence, one that I’m sure will be lampooned at length at this point: “David’s wife is a legal permanent resident from Europe as well, so understanding how to reconcile cultural differences with different religion and thinking has been a part of his life.”

There’s more here from WBAL:

According to charging documents, the victim said she and her husband met in her home country of Latvia and married last year when she was 18. She told police that shortly after moving back to the United States, she was deprived of food and physically abused — even after becoming pregnant.

YIkes. This one is going to be ugly. They say the fastest way to kill your campaign is to get caught in bed with a live man or a dead woman, but I think they need to add this one to the list.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Imagine this: diving into the Potomac at the Washington Harbor, swimming south to the Lincoln Memorial in the midst of other sleek swimmers like yourself, then jumping on your high-tech bike, zipping into Rock Creek Park and up through the Zoo and then a second climb at Ross Avenue in a pack of cyclists.

Just as you are about to expire, you downhill to the start and repeat this thigh-burring loop. Next, as your body screams for a rest, you dismount and run the Mall with your crazy cohorts, circling Congress the Library of Congress before a sprint back to the finish at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

This beauty, insanity, hilarity is the dream of Charles Brodsky, the hopeful founder of The Nations Triathlon – an Olympic distance triathlon he is trying to put together for Saturday, September 16, 2006.

“Trying” being the operative word as he’s had challenges at every step of the way. From the National Park Service, to DC Police, to the squeamish who are still at that first paragraph when I said “diving into the Potomac” and shaking their heads.

Before they start with their usual alarmist chatter, do note that extensive water testing has been done to ensure swim safety and this is also the river they “swim” in every night when they shower.

Still, the entire DC triathlon community, from the DC Tri Club, to little ole Olympic triathlete me, have great hope that Charles will prevail.

We will know on August 14th, when Charles reaches the go/no go date he’s set. Until then, if you’re like me and would love to race past pandas in the Zoo or tourists on the Mall, pre-register to get a spot in line.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

It’s time again for that most wonderful event, custom-made for those of us who are cheap and also like to eat: Restaurant week. Restaurants that normally make your wallet scream in anticipation of horrific pain and credit-card CEOs rub their hands together in glee spend an entire week offering fixed-price menus for $20.06 for lunch and $30.06 for dinner, both 3 courses.

The full list of participating restaurants can be found here and the slightly smaller listing that accept reservations though Open Table are here. Open Table makes it a little easier to see what slots are still available so if you have scheduling restrictions you might want to give that a try.

Much to my surprise there’s no listing on DC Foodies indicating which of the participating locations are offering a full rather than limited menu for restaurant week patrons. Perhaps it’s not yet clear. Anyone got a source?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

I started to write this post a few weeks ago, but I haven’t been able to pull the trigger. Guinness is a 2 year old black and white cat, found as a kitten on a doorstep in Shaw by friends of ours at about six weeks old. We took him at our friend’s behest and he’s been our able companion for the last two years or so…until he went missing the day after our wedding. Now, Guinness is an indoor/outdoor cat, so I am used to absences up to 24 hours (he’ll spend the night out hunting during the spring and fall), but beyond that I get a bit twitchy.

We papered the neighborhood with flyers. We called the nearby animal shelters and vets. We walked the neighborhood calling for him. We did everything just short of crawling through all the nearby brambles and knocking on every door in all of Fairlington. It was torture to just not know what happened to our Guinness. Just awful. But through all this, we got calls from the shelters saying they hadn’t seen him and wanted to know if he’d come home yet. No sign. Nothing.

Until Saturday. When I got a call from our neighbor to say he was spotted on our front porch. Tiff and I were on the last leg of our roadtrip across the midwest and after crashing the night in Pittsburgh, we sprinted home to greet our missing kitty. We’ve been through the worst, it looks like. The vet checked him out this morning and despite some issues with a foot with a cut, he’ll be just fine in about a week.

I was prepared to post this in the case that we gave up on Guinness, that we were ready to mourn him and suggest ways to do it. I am glad, now, to turn this into a post on who to talk to if you lose your pet in DC. Read on for all the details.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs Continue reading →

Photo by DC Metroblogger

Dear Metrorail:

I congratulate you on posting your Customer Service hours in the McPherson Square Metro Station. I appreciate the opportunity to ask questions and get answers from you during the morning and evening commute – when I have the time & usually the problem.

I would only suggest one small change.

Might you post the hours with a little more respect than this, a torn and stained poster leaning haphazardly on a railing in the station entrance.

Have pride in Metrorail, I do.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Let’s say you have children, or are related to children, or have friends with children. If so, you may already be acquainted with Imagination Stage in Bethesda.

Exposure to the arts at an early age is incredibly important for children in developing their creativity and self-expression. Imagination Stage fosters this foundation by providing opportunities for children ages 1-18, ranging from family-oriented theatrical performances to outreach programs and summer camps. I find it easy to admire an organization that states as its core belief: “making the arts inclusive and accessible to all children, regardless of their physical, cognitive or financial status.”

They also have an impressive modern facility in downtown Bethesda with performance spaces, studios, classrooms, a cafe, and the most adorable gift shop I’ve ever been in. Trust me, if you ever need gifts for children of all ages, this is the place to go without feeling like you’re bowing down to the soulless toy gods – they even have Ugly Dolls!

Now what, you may ask, is a resolutely child-free DINK like me doing in a Church of Cherubin?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs Continue reading →

As promised, last night my darling girlfriend and I headed over to see “HELP WANTED: A Personal Search for Meaningful Employment at the Start of the 21st Century.” I was lured by the promise of something in a vein inspired by the late, lamented Spalding Gray, who Lefkowitz identifies as his last great hero – someone whose work inspired him before the day he turned twenty, which a former acting professor claimed was when you crossed the Rubicon into adulthood and from thenceforth everyone became respected peers rather than heroes.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs Continue reading →

Photo by DC Metroblogger

Even better than a quiver of DC tat supermodels is a quorum of roller derby girls.

They can kick your ass in skates or off the rink in arm wrestling.

If only Mik was here I would throw down a buck to take her on. I can lose with dignity to any supermodel.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Photo by DC Metroblogger

Now this is how to rock out a party in DC; a quiver of supermodels with DC tats.

What do you have to counter on a Saturday night?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Get it right next time

Yes kids, what you might have missed while dodging Sidewalk Closed signs, DC’s population increased by 31,528 from 2000 to 2005, bringing DC up to 582,049 residents.

That’s according to the new Census figures for DC, figures revised upwards after Mayor Williams challenged the US Census’s 2005 numbers and they found 2,500 Wayan’s in America.

Why does it matter, these new folks who are less than a National’s game attendance? To quote the WashPost:

William H. Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution, called the decision “a big deal.” “This is real. D.C. is increasing its population at a very significant level,” Frey said. The addition of 31,528 people “makes up for all the losses of the 1990s and is equivalent to the loss in the 1980s as well.”

Yep, DC is back! And we’re adding people every day, like DC Court’s Executive Officer, Anne B. Wicks.

Until recently she was an Arlington resident, in violation of the residency requirement for her position. Apparently, she was having move in trouble, which is why there is a 180 day grace period, but her move-in trouble lasted three years.

Before Tom whips out his lame-o “The District is too expensive,” line, it wasn’t like Ms. Wicks was hurting for cash. Her $165,200 salary alone would offer her a wide variety of choices, as would her nest egg from selling a home in Chevy Chase. She was just guilty of the “I wanna’s”. To quote the WashPost again:

In an interview, Wicks said that her purchase of the house, in the Palisades neighborhood, was evidence of her intent to live in the city and that she wanted to raze the house and build another on the site.

Seems her dreams of upgrading to a McMansion after buying a tear-down didn’t go as planned. Now, to her personal horror, I’m sure, she’s living in her Palisades palace.

Welcome Ms. Wicks, your resident number 582,050 in the great re-population of DC!

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Yesterday: Sampling decadent artisan cheeses, offered by a friendly cheesemonger in a crisp white uniform, in a clean bright shop that could be straight out of Paris.

Eleven years ago on the very same spot: Abandoned by a callous ex in front of the Fifth Column, I desperately begged a cabbie to take me back to Brookland even though I didn’t have enough cash to pay him. All the while being serenaded by a lurking crack addict.

Surreal just about covers it.

Cowgirl Creamery is at 919 F Street, NW, on a block that once housed nightclubs, porn shops, and sketchy characters. Now it has nightclubs, fancy hotels, and condo construction – ah, the power of revitalization to remake memories. In any case, I highly recommend a stop here for cheese lovers of all kinds -blue, creamy, smelly, goat, sheep, cow. Whatever direction your fromage-o-meter tilts you can get it here, presided over by an extremely knowledgeable and congenial staff. Bread is delivered from Breadline every Thursday, and there’s plenty of additional accompaniments like honey and preserves to make a killer party assortment.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs Continue reading →

Photo by DC Metroblogger

Do you question why I am driping with sweat and aching all over before most are even awake?

Let me give you three beautiful reasons why:

These are the benefits of DC Tri Club Practice Triathlons. Might you now be convinced to attempt the next one August 12th?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Did you know there was a Sonny Bono Park at the intersection of New Hampshire Avenue, 20th Street, and O Street? Neither did I, but thanks to Wikimapia.org now we both know.

Inspired by both Google Maps and Wikipedia, WikiMapia is a project to describe the whole planet Earth and DC has a few hundred entries already.

While most wikimapia entries point to places already known, I’m having fun finding gems like Sonny Bono Park which wikimapia helpfully describes with

At the entrance, on the ground, is a plaque that reads as follows:
“IN MEMORY OF MY FRIEND SONNY BONO 1935-1998; ENTERTAINER – ENTREPRENEUR – STATESMAN – FRIEND.”

Check it out now, maybe you can add to the collective knowledge, like pointing out the exact location of the Taras Shevchenko memorial.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Photo by DC Metroblogger

What might you be doing at 7am this morning?

Maybe a DC Tri Club Practice Triathlon? That is what we crazy folks are up to around Haines Point.

I know, I would rather be sleeping in too!

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Photo by DC Metroblogger

“See Dave, I told ya. This is DC. No matter if a concerned citizen called the Mayor’s Service Request Center and asked for the ‘P. Tel Co’ manhole to be filled in, it wouldn’t be fixed.”

“Now hold off, Bob, at least they put two cones in the hole. You’re so cold you took the one we left.”

“So?”

“They might fix it, I tell ya. They just might.”

“Yeah, and pigs will fly”

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

While I congratulate the DC Circulating Joke on its increased ridership, I must still question why it even exists.

Why is the D.C. Department of Transportation subsidizing a direct competitor to WMATA’s Metrobus? Don’t we spend billions on a comprehensive Metro system designed to cover all areas. One where crowded lines downtown subsidize emptier ones in other areas? We’ve even upgraded buses, with new ones coming on line every day.

Photo by DC Metroblogger

Oh wait, we need to give tourists a cheap ride to the monuments:

The biggest ridership increased occurred when a loop circling the National Mall opened in March. Ridership jumped from 122,152 in February to 171,229 in March.

Those tourists too cheap for a sidewalk SUV anyway.

And just to add insult to injury, look what we have here, an ad for the Circulator on a Metrobus. Nice.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs