My wife and I took a friend to Bangkok Blues in Falls Church last night. Since arriving in the area, this has been one of my favorite restaurants and bars. Everything is low-key, they have music every night (see their calendar here)and the price is right for getting some excellent Thai food.

There’s just one problem with Bangkok Blues. The music is so loud that it’s often hard to hear the wait staff and each other. I am a big fan of blues, jazz, rock – well, almost any type of music – but the mixture of great food and loud music is a little over stimulating for me. Just when the peppers are doing a number on my tongue and I am trying to chase it away with a swig of their Bangkok Blues Lager, a trumpet blares a high note that would scare even Mariah Carey.

Definitely go check this place out, but if you want an intimate atmosphere it’s the wrong place. Go either before a show starts or else just go for the music and booze. The guitar-shaped bar is really something to see and I bet it could hold a beer as well as any other, so I plan on testing this theory soon, returning just for drinks and tunes.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

In the latest skirmish in the Gallaudet protest zanyness, students took over College Hall, a building which houses the President’s office, HR and other administrative offices.

For eight hours. In the middle of the night.

Then they left.

That’s right. Protesters successfully occupied a building after closing and vacated it at opening time.

In other news, Israeli forces report they successfully forced Islamic restaurants to stay closed from sunup till sundown all through Ramadan.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Okay, so maybe you are Jack Requa, and maybe WMATA’s Board of Directors did appoint you acting general manager to replace Interim ex-General Manager Dan Tangherlini, but that don’t mean we like you.

Dan was our man. No matter if he wasn’t a classic interim GM, we loved him anyway.

He made things happen, made riders and workers feel respected, and set a might high bar, Jack.

Good luck in reaching it, good luck in even trying. I say make your life easy, stab Chris Zimmerman, the NoVA Board Member who lost Tangherlini, and stab him right in the chest with juicy scandal.

Yes, you’ll get fired fast, but you’ll have the respect and love of every single WMATA stakeholder, and who knows.. Fenty is hiring all the best!

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Even though I’m an avid Apple hater, I love this candid shot taken by Flickr user furcafe. This guy seems to have a camera attached to his eye socket, judging by the number of photos he takes around town, and this one is absolutely made for an Apple promo. Doesn’t it make you think that owning a MacBook is cool? Just chillin’ at your local coffee shop, surfing the net, sipping on a latte, hanging out with other cool people…you dig?

The photographer’s use of black and white is great here, and the lighting, especially the glow of the laptop on his face, really adds to the mood. I like that this photo tells a story about one of our local establishments while at the same time holds on to its anonymity. The depth of field (i.e. what’s in focus and what isn’t) focuses the viewers’ eye on his subject, some cool dude just chillin’.

As for the legality of candid photos, don’t ask me. Unlike the rest of DC’s population, I’m not a lawyer, but my best guess is that as long as you don’t sell your photos or use them for commercial use, you’re in the clear. So next time you’re chillin’ at your local establishment, fire away and see what gems you and your camera come up with.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

There it was in my mailbox this afternoon, an exhortation from Major League Baseball’s Memorabilia group to “Remember the season!”

What exactly does MLB want me to remember? The incessant stadium drama? How utterly shitty RFK is to watch baseball in? The ineptitude of Frank Robinson? Jimmy Bowden’s crazy and unending shuffling of the deck chairs on our very own Titanic? The delay in choosing the ownership until they couldn’t make a meaningful contribution to this year’s team budget? That we finished dead last? 20 games under .500?

Christ, MLB, it’s almost like you’re rubbing salt in the wound.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

You may have seen Outside.in somewhere else on the blogosphere today, but it’s a unique mashup between Google Maps, Blogs, Zipcodes, Event Listings and a bunch of other location-based technologies. You can search for activities by neighborhoods, by zipcodes, by place names, by addresses. It’s very extensible, but it’s far from perfect:

It seems that it puts Dupont Circle on the map where the White House is. It puts Capitol Hill in Northeast around H St. It doesn’t know anything outside the District (for some, this isn’t a problem, though…), and it certainly lacks some of the neighborhoods that aren’t the focus of a great deal of attention, which is a shame, but it’s a system that we can help fix, all of us in DC, by writing more about the city in which we live.

Now go check it out!

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Now them pumpkins!

My you have big gourds, Madam Organs.

Big, round, plump. Smooth, curved. They are mighty.

Two men, two pumpkins. All in the fall sun.

Want your own? Pumpkins that is? Get a cart-full.

Pumpkin purchase party is happening now.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

photo courtesy of Wikipedia

You know him best as PC in the Apple commercials, where he consistently steals the show and seems more likeable than his Macintosh counterpart. John Hodgman is more than an actor in commercials, however, he’s also a humorist who performs (here he is explaining the series of tubes that is teh intruwub on The Daily Show) as well as writes. Now his book, The Areas of My Expertise, is coming out in paperback and he’ll be appearing at the Warehouse Next Door tonight to promote it. While the Olssens webpage claims the event is sold out, admission was supposed to be free with purchase of the paperback so you may still be able to go. If you’re of a mind, give them a call at (202) 785-1133. If you manage to weasel yourself in you’ll also get to enjoy Jonathan Coulton, creator of the brilliant Re:Your Brains and other fun music.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Make room for us!

Do you ride a bicycle? Do you live in Columbia Heights or Mt Pleasant? Then you are not alone.

The Washington Area Bicyclist Association thinks your neighborhood has the highest bicycle usage rates in the city, yet completely lacks accommodations for bicyclists, both in terms of on road facilities and bicycle parking.

While the Columbia Heights/Mt Pleasant Transportation Study recommends striping bike lanes on Mt Pleasant Street from Park to Columbia, Columbia Road from 18th to Georgia, Harvard Street from 16th to Georgia, and extending the 14th Street bike lanes south to Park Road, WABA wants more.

WABA recommends extending the 14th Street bike lanes further south to U Street where they will connect to existing lanes south to Thomas Circle, add bike lanes on 11th Street from Park to Florida, on Kenyon and Irving Street from 11th Street east to the Hospital Center, and add bike parking to the streetscape.

Think WABA is right on, or crazy nuts? Then let your voice be heard!

Columbia Heights /Mt. Pleasant Transportation Study Meeting
Wednesday, Oct 25th, 6:30 to 8:30pm
Kelsey Temple Church of God in Christ
1435 Park Road, NW

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

I’ve lived in a lot of different cities. How hard do you think it can it be to find a good HVAC contractor? Or a plumber? Or an electrician? Or a painter?

Let me set the scene for you. My furnace doesn’t work, so now my heating is out. Done. So I did the next logical thing, see if I can figure out what’s wrong with it myself. I can light a pilot light like nobody’s business – watch out! Nope, that wasn’t it. So I did the next logical thing by getting on Angie’s List to find a good HVAC contractor. They came out, and quoted a price of $700.

I decided to use the HVAC guy that other people in my building use since he was somewhat highly regarded and knew what he was doing.  He quoted me a price of $575, came out and did the repairs while I was at work, but had to come back out today to put on the finishing touches.

I could go on, but my point is that it can be quite difficult to find good service people around here. So if you do find someone good, hold on to them. As a matter of fact I would suggest that even if you are not currently looking, that you are always on the lookout for highly recommended AC technicians. Those things need regular maintenance anyway, and you won’t want to have them out of commission if it’s too hot or too cold out, after all.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Photo by DC Metroblogger

Here’s a fun tidbit: Wonkette and The DCeiver claim POTUS himself, the Big Bush went to the Thomas Circle CVS on Friday morning.

I don’t know why he went to CVS, but I do know why he went to that CVS.

See, if he went to the CVS at Columbia Heights, this truck would be blocking his swift egress – note it’s even parked next to the oft ignored No Parking signs.

And we all know the CVS at 15th and K isn’t any better. He’d be stuck in this mess, like every week before.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

I knew traffic would be bad here – clear as mulled cider (the weather is just right for this metaphor) – but I had hoped that this volume of traffic would lend itself to safer driving habits than I had seen elsewhere. Disappointed again. Traffic is hell everywhere it turns out.

So when did the stop signs get reinterpreted to mean “slow down?” Since when is it okay to not stop at traffic, light, even cut people off, when you have a red light? Have the traffic gods granted us special permission to act like nuts? My message for all the traffic-clogging lane-swapping tailgating freaks out there is simple: Slow down like the rest of us. Is it really so important to rush and get to your destination three minutes earlier? I don’t know about you, but my work isn’t going anywhere until I get to my desk. It sits patiently while I travel and will still be there even if I am 20 minutes late.

I beg you – slow down. Stop at red lights and stop signs. It not only reduces accidents but it will be good for you to relax a little, Mr. No Patience.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Incoming (and embattled) Gallaudet University President Jane Fernandes will be doing a Washington Post chat at 2pm today, about 30 minutes hence. It’s one of her first public interviews since this latest round of protests has heated up and closed the University. There’s bound to be material aplenty for Fernandes, but feel free to get your questions in. When the chat’s done, we’ll have a summation of her comments.

The interview’s over, and the results are in. Check in the extended answers for important snippets and analysis.

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

Okay, perhaps I’m just missing it. What’s the appeal of Big Head Rob? I mean, it strikes me that he’s a vindictive putz that’s interested in heaping scorn on those who refuse to feed his hopper with their gossip, but is there really a need for a gossipblogger about dc blogs? I mean, really? Are the bloggers in this town that fraught with intrigue that there needs to be a blog about their persons?

I’m not going to claim to be a prominent major DC blogger, and this certainly isn’t a blog war, but is there a need to attack the individuals who run this city’s best blogs or drag them down because they won’t grant you an interview, Rob? I, for one, believe that his vendetta against DCist’s excellent Sommer Mathis has gone too far, and now Rob seeks to gain by other means what he could not get by being polite: Sommer’s attention.

Rob. Stop it. You’re being a dick.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Photo by JustInDC

While I am not a big fan of Cirque du Soleil, yes I am weird, I do like the color they bring to downtown.

The giant blue and yellow swirl tent is a great addition to the old Convention Center space. Much better than last year’s NoVA location (or was that the Lipizzaner Stallions?).

Much better than the old convention center too, and maybe even better than the new one. Its not like the new convention center adds anything to Shaw.

Don’t believe me? Read the Goodspeed Convention Center Retail Update.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Though Wayan may have pooh-pooh’d the new ShotSpotter technology in use by DC Police, the system is credited with the swift arrest of a suspect in a muder case this week in Southeast DC. While the system can’t prevent crime, and no surveillance tool is going to be good at crime prevention, it can help quickly draw the police to the scene by pinpointing the location of the shooting allowing authorities to arrive quickly with medical help for the victim and potentially arrive quickly enough to catch the shooter. Unlike the Police cameras that are never monitored, the SpotShotter is system is tied into the police notification system and if resources are immediately available, a rapid response can be made.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Photo by DC Metroblogger

When will they learn? When will they realize? When will DC finally know?

Never trust a man with a cell phone camera.

Abby did. She was a good sport. Smiling for the hairy monkey as he barged into her life.

Now, in harsh light of day, does she remember? Does she care? Does she know? Do you?

Ah, to be young and beautiful (her, not me) in Cafe Citron.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Photo by DC Metroblogger

How is this for a smoking hot couple?

My cousin is making moves at Cafe Citron tonight and this young beauty is currently under his spell.

Good luck my dear Jose, you are going to need it when her massive no-neck boyfriend comes back from the loo.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Anil Dash Version 2.0

Yesterday I went to the Six Apart conference on business blogging, and while I didn’t learn new blogging tricks – I am a blogging expert of sorts – I did learn new and more efficient ways to promote blogging.

I even had an amazing amount of face time with Marissa Levinson to bitch about Moveable Type, Six Apart’s flagship product.

While enjoying the complimentary quality liquor open bar, told her that while I am a massive MT fan – all my personal blogs and even Metroblogging DC run on MT – I didn’t see any Six Apart love for it recently.

Amazingly, Marissa agreed. MT wasn’t the recent focus of Six Apart, but says it will be again – now. And she asked me for my top MT improvement recommendations. Being a blogger, you know what’s gonna happen next: My Movable Type Re-Mastery Recommendations.

I only wish Anil Dash was there to hear my rant. The slacker Chief Evangelist claimed a debilitating stomach bug and stayed in San Francisco.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Roberta Donna, famous for Galileo and his Laboratorio, has opened his new Bebo Trattoria in Crystal City. I know for some folks, it’s pulling teeth to get DC folks across the river even for a new restaurant like Setto Bello or Ray’s the Steaks, but I’m going to add another to the list: Bebo Trattoria. With the menu starting at $2 and working up affordably from amuse bouche to entrees, I think it’s fair to say that this restaurant is a steal. Jason Storch from DC Foodies says it best:

Those of you close to Crystal City should check out Bebo Trattoria which opened this week. I think that those of you who like me who disliked Galileo for it’s expensive wine list and entrees, but loved the Osteria for just the opposite, will like Bebo Trattoria even more.

Spot on. See you there for lunch on Tuesday?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs