By Wayan
Give a moment to morn Dragonfly Bar, a Dupont Circle haven of euro-disco and movie projections in all-white funky retro interiors.
I’d miss Dragonfly if I were single. I stalked the hotties there back in my day, pulling a few birds during late night prowls.
Prowls that always had me repulsed at Dragonfly’s dinner options. Who really wanted sushi with a side of cigarette smoke? I sure didn’t.
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
By Max
Next time you walk down the street, I double dog dare you to count the number of “custom framing” stores that you see. As I picture my neighborhood streets in my head, I can count at least five framing shops within a one mile radius of my house. Is there really a big demand for framing? Are people buying rolled up oil paintings and then thinking, “Hmmmm. Now what? Oh! I need it framed!” These places normally charge an exorbitant amount of money for a simple frame, and it’s nearly impossible to get a snow white matte (they’re usually off white which is like fingernails on a chalkboard to me).
They’ve been working on a new place to replace the video store next to Rosebud Liquors on 17th street for a few months now. I noticed that they now have a sign up: Picasso Framing. Great! Another framing store within a stone’s throw from my house. I guess if you hit the 7 Eleven for a Slurpee, then Rosebud for some vodka, the only thing missing is a frame for that photo of yours. Of course if you walk two blocks south you could grab a bite to eat and then check out the other framing store.
What gives? Has anyone noticed this absurdity? Is there some sort of mafia connection here?
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
By brownpau
Right under the K St NW bridge near the Rock Creek Parkway entry ramp between Foggy Bottom and Georgetown, this large pane of glass sits atop the grass, which has gradually turned brown where the glass blocks rain from watering it but lets the sun dry it out. I can fathom no reason that someone would throw a pane of glass like this off a bridge. It’s unbroken and seems free of major surface flaws. Free window, anyone?
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
By Tom Bridge
I’m not exactly sure what this is supposed to be, other than fugly. Please recognize I do not speak as a qualified art critic, and that all I can speak about it my own personal aesthetic, but what the heck is this thing? What’s your best guess for what the artist was using going for what they were crafting this?
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
By Tom Bridge
So, you’re so cool and got your iPhone. Now you just wish you could do more with it. I totally get that. I love my iPhone, but it hasn’t yet figured out how I take my coffee in the morning, or what kind of cheese I like with my nectarines (manchego, if you’re curious.)
Now, though, thanks to the brilliant creative minds at meenster.com, you can use a neato web tool to check when the next train’s coming at any given Metro station. In real time. Yeah, in real time, meaning you can be sitting at O’Sullivan’s or Four Courts, or Bar Pilar, or $awesomeDCBar and you can check to see when you need to start walking down to the Metro to catch a train home. Use it to save yourself from a long-ass wait. Better yet, it works on all devices and browsers, not just the iPhone, so the kids who haven’t yet proven their cool with $500+ of silicon and glass can play too.
Hat Tip, Justin Thorp!
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
By Don
Are you a blogger interested in politics? Do you have low self-esteem, a desire to be micromanaged, and at the same time be provided with almost no set goals or metrics to determine if you’re meeting expectations? Well then, “one of America’s most prominent news organizations” wants you to come blog for them. For $50 a week.
Exactly what that week entails, mind you, they (at best) don’t know or (more likely) won’t say, since there’s no definition of how many posts or words they expect you to put in or what kind of editorial guidance will or will not be exercised.
Normally I don’t ascribe more complicated motives to something when stupidity and/or incompetence will explain something, but in this case this seems to be a complete lack of respect or understanding of what’s involved in blogging. I think a lot of people in media understand that blogging is very different than traditional journalism and that doesn’t make it worse OR better, but this sure seems like a group of people who think we’re just hack chumps desperate to give it away. How else do you explain the arrogance of this line: “Most bloggers toil away for free, but 50 bucks buys your lunch for a week and the major network affiliation gives you exposure.”
Wow, thanks. Is that part of your negotiating tactic with TV news anchors? Oh, you get to BE ON TV, isn’t that payment enough?
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
By Amélie
A few months ago, I was complaining that DC is one of the few major US cities not to really see the likes of The Police on their tour this year. Even Baltimore snagged them, but due to the wrangling in DC about Live Earth locations, The Police were relegated to Jersey.
I got lucky, I have tickets to see them in Boston this weekend and Fenway Park. However, this is the first time I’ve flown in a while, and definitely the first time I’ve seen “carbon offsets” offered as a package addition through Orbitz. I’m not sure if this was an altruistic move on their part, or just bending to demand and public opinion, which is just simple sense for many who travel and live in Europe. For simply five and half dollars, less than the TSA / Homeland Security fees automatically tacked on to your ticket, I was able to donate a little “sumpthin’ sumpthin'” to CarbonFund.org to supposedly due something greener for the planet than my plane ride.
I like the idea, and would hope to see something come of this, at least if they plant a tree, they’re really doing something more with the money than I think the TSA is, for harassing mothers, and getting all bent out of shape over a few ounces of hand moisturizer.
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
By Don
Our first outing for the Fringe was Gilbert and Sullivan’s Trial By Jury at Source theater. If you have the slightest familiarity with Gilbert and Sullivan I highly recommend you get out to see their last performance tonight at 5p. The cast is a little over a dozen singers who range from 12 to 25 and the absolute worst of them is good. Their best is simply phenomenal. I’ll try to edit this later to put in the names that I noted but I forgot my program when I left for the office.
The only complaint I had about the show was nobody’s fault but the venue. The piano accompaniment was superb, but seated less than 10 feet from it as we were it could at times overpower the singers. If you go I suggest that you either sit down on the long bleachers in the front as close to the entrance as you can on on the shorter bleachers closest immediately to your right. The ones farthest from the entrance are closest to the piano.
If you’re at all put off by title’s mention of “followed by a Gilbert and Sullivan Sing-Along,” don’t be. The nominally sing-along portion are pieces from the MIkado, Pirates of Penzance, and HMS Pinafore and the sections the audience are called upon to participate in are simply a few chorus sentences from the ensemble. You can sit and enjoy the excellent singers without ever saying a word and nobody will ever say boo.
Source Theatre
1835 14th St. NW
Washington, DC 20009
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
It’s a funny thing about DC. You can get almost every kind of ethnic food here, and yet you can hear every kind of whining that you “just can’t get decent ______ in DC.”
I hear it a lot about pizza, and always from people whose idea of good pizza was formed in Chicago or New York and not, you know, Italy. I usually think those people are full of crap- I’ve had plenty of perfectly tasty pizza here, and it seems to me that anything served on a platter, family style, and eaten with the hands is the ultimate anti-snob food.
2Amys is widely regarded as the best traditional Italian-style pizza in the area. And I’d have to agree, but I hardly ever go there because it’s a pain to get to by public transport AND by car.
So when a friend of ours enthusiastically recommended Piola on Wilson Boulevard in Arlington, we were pretty excited and headed there last night. It’s in Rosslyn, right near where Rosslyn meets Courthouse, next door to the perennial Arlington favorite Cafe Asia. Piola is an international chain- ordinarily I don’t get excited about chain pizza, but when the chain’s country-of-origin is the same as that of the type of food they serve, I make an exception.
We chose to sit outside due as much to the fantastic weather as to the too-loud jazz trio that would have required us to shout across the table to be heard. Upon opening our menus, a single sheet of paper slid out of mine, describing that evening’s “Non-Stop Pizza” special for $11.95. The special, as you might guess, is all you can eat for approximately the same price as a single pizza. There’s a list of pizzas that are available on that night’s special, and when you order it, the wait staff just starts bringing you slices of whatever they happen to be carrying from the list. So it’s good if you’re hungry and want to try a lot of different kinds. They do it every Sunday night. (Yes, I know these kinds of specials are designed to ensure that the less fresh ingredients get used up as the restaurant re-stocks for the week. Do I care? No.)
The pizza itself was really tasty- very thin crust, as opposed to the slightly thicker Neapolitan style crust at 2Amys (Piola does Neapolitan style pizza as well, but I haven’t tried it). The variety of toppings is interesting- particularly this odd, creamy, Brazilian cheese that appeared on one of my slices with chicken. When fresh tomatoes are one of the toppings, the tomatoes are added after the pizza is baked, leaving them cool and fresh as they sit in the melted cheese.
Having thoughtfully chewed through a slice or two, Tom and I concluded that Piola’s pizza is “80% as good as 2Amy’s, but 100% more convenient, which counts for a lot.” We would have provided photos of the pizza itself, but honestly, it didn’t stay on the table long enough for a decent photo.
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
By Don
“High temperatures are unlikely to get out of the 70s (74-79)” says Capital Weather. I don’t know which of you bartered your soul to the devil for this beautiful run of pleasantness in July, but I much enjoyed sitting on the deck last night and enjoying the cool breeze.
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
By Wayan
Check out a Sunday evening at the DC Convention Center, it’s a bus jam of Biblical proportions.
On my way to the soon-closing Warehouse Theatre, I counted six buses lined up on 9th Street, including these three blocking the intersection. Buses all full of convention-goers going somewhere else.
Now I am of two minds on these land ships. It’s nice that folks are taking mass transit, even if it is a tour bus, instead of clogging streets with cars, but I’m sad to see folks in buses at all, especially since they’re probably headed a few blocks to a hotel, or a short ride to a Arlington hotel.
Either way, public transport, the Metro or their feet, could get them back and drive a few extra bucks to the city and city businesses on the way. Visitors need not be shuttled in isolation from hotel to convention.
Which brings me to the Convention Center anchor hotel the city wants to build across the street at 8th and Massachusetts Avenue and connect to the center via an underground walkway. I have only two words for that tourist tunnel: HELL NO!
We need people walking the streets, patronizing DC shops and stores, driving a revival in retail around the convention center, not sequestered underground or in hermetically sealed buildings.
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
By Don
Here’s a little preview of Mark Phillips’ Fringe show Cheating at Poker and other Scams from Thursday night’s Fringe kickoff. He was quite good and had a good presence, even amidst the party’s chaos and noise.
Remaining showtimes are Thursday, July 26 @ 10:00pm, Saturday, July 28 @ 6:30pm and Sunday, July 29 @ 8:30pm at Warehouse Arts – Beyond
1017 7th ST, NW
Washington, DC 20001
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
By Wayan
Is this the scene at your house this weekend? Your significant other lost to the land of hogwarts?
Harry Potter’s latest adventures have cast a spell on my girlfriend. I’ll not hear from her till mid-week now.
Does anyone know if there is a Potter Widower Support Group yet? If not, wanna join me in making one?
Us muggles need love too.
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
By Tom Bridge
It’s rare to have a 4pm start time for a baseball game, but the Nats have made it work today, as part of Armed Forces Appreciation Day. We had the privilege of watching the Black Daggers fly in the colors.
The crowd is light today, most likely owing to the wealth of outdoor options and the peculiar starting time, or perhaps the release of Harry Potter? Our friends at Metroblogging Berlin are all atwitter about that book…
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
By Carl Weaver
Come to the ExtravaCATza! event.
This is the prime time to adopt a cat or kitten and to help you with that, the Fairfax County Animal Shelter is open four Sundays in July with kitties galore who need new homes. As a bonus, “The first 100 cats adopted in the month of July will receive a free spay or neuter, a potential savings of between $70 and $100.”
It’s already well into the month, so they may have adopted out the 100th cat already, but a discount castration is something you’d want to stand in line for, if you have to.
Be sure to check out the Shelter’s online animal viewing station as well. The pictures aren’t the highest quality but they are cute nonetheless. Fall in love with your new feline companion before even leaving the door. The one thing that could make this process even better is if they had home delivery and could swing by Akbar and Jeff‘s Castration Hut on the way.
Go check it out and give a little creature a new home and the warmth of your love.
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
By Don
I guess it would be worse if it was “Found: Boa Constrictor” and “Free Kittens”
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
By Don
If you happen to be in Chadwicks down in Georgetown while celebrating a friend’s birthday on a Saturday night and you look out the window to see a man in a kilt talking to someone on the sidewalk, you might wonder.
Is he a bagpiper who was performing on a street corner earlier?
Can he play “Happy Birthday” on those pipes?
Will he come in the bar and do it for $20?
Will the bar manager allow it?
Will your friend get a kick out of it?
The answer to all of these questions is “yes.”
I have no idea what the answer is to “Did it annoy the crap out of the other bar patrons?”
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
By Don
Among the many people I chatted with about their upcoming Fringe shows last night at the kickoff party was Brianna, here on the right with another dancer (whose name I did not get) from their show 69 Ways To Fall In Love that will appear at the Warehouse Next Door’s mainstage. Behind them is Basso Moderno Duo, otherwise known as Allan von Schenkel and Kristen Williams.
I started to type that Brianna and her dance partner were performing with accompaniment from Basso Moderno, but it’s possible that von Schenkel and Williams would say they were making music with some dance accompaniment. Brianna identified the show to me as a play with some dancing, which she stood by when I asked “Not dancing with some play?” The Fringe program describes the show thusly: “Be embraced by musical sound-scapes and lighting as they create a lush atmosphere for dance and acting. ”
Warehouse – Mainstage
1021 7th Street NW
Washington, DC 20001
Sun 7/22 @ 2:30p, Tue 7/24 @ 12:15p, Wed 7/25 @ 7p, Sun 7/29 @ Noon.
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
By Wayan
Is this how you feel today, on Friday, the last day of the week? Are you out to lunch at your desk?
I know there are days I want to put a Post-It on my arm, a sleep mask on my head, and pass out at my desk, but I do not recommend it.
This brazen young lady, who advertised her exhaustion while seated at the company front desk, now has plenty of time to sleep all day. She’s not with us any more.
So choose your nap time and place wisely or you may have it chosen for you.
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
By brownpau
Whoever lives in this house near 26th and Eye NW in Foggy Bottom is moving out, and he’s been carting out tons of free stuff over the past few weeks: everything from dust busters and Christmas ornaments to plywood and baskets. So far I’ve scored a little basket and a red bunny. Thanks, Foggy Bottom Free Dude! (Watch out for the dog though.)
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
By 
