Monthly Archives: August 2008

Arlington, The Daily Feed
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Missing Person in Arlington’s EFC Neighborhood

Missing person info from the Arlington Alert system:

The Arlington County Police Department is asking for the public’s help in locating a missing woman and her grandson. 60 year old Lansen Li was last seen at approximately 8:30 a.m. on August 15 when she took her infant grandson, Jeffrey, for a walk. Ms. Li frequently pushes Jeffery in a stroller through the Arlington-East Falls Church neighborhood. Ms. Li does not have any medical problems, but she left without any identification or money. She also did not pack any supplies for the baby, including food or diapers.
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Interviews, People, The District, The Hill, The Mall
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Tourists Love DC: Diane from NYC

Di from NYC

Have you ever wondered what might be going through the mind of a tourist to our fair area? We see them all around every day, from all corners of the globe – wandering museums, walking the Mall, riding transit. So what if we took a moment to find out what it is they’re thinking as they visit what we see every day?

This is the first in a periodic series of interviews of tourists to our area. Call us curious, but I’m sure all of us at one time or another want to know what these out-of-towners really think about Washington, DC.

So let’s introduce a recent visitor. Meet Diane, from New York City. She actually was in town for the Cherry Blossom Festival; I had enjoyed talking with her then and felt she’d be a great start to this unique series here on WeLoveDC.

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Getaways
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Getaways: Ocean City

Photo courtesy of amishah

Ocean City, Maryland, courtesy of amishah

When it came time to come up with this week’s getaway column I stepped up to volunteer to cover Ocean City. Why write a full column all by myself when I can instead lean on my darling fiancée to provide me with material on her hometown?

The trip out to Ocean City is notorious at the best of times, but this last week it’s been in the news a lot. I’ve never cared for their dual-tracking on that bridge and I go out of my way to either be on the far right hand lane on the Westbound trip or on the Southernmost bridge when I’m heading East. Once you make it over the Bay Bridge – hopefully without too much tooth grinding – you’re on Kent Island, a perfect not-quite-halfway place to stop for lunch or dinner. We’re partial to the Harris Crab House but there’s no shortage of options.

Put down that last hush puppy and get back on the road, buddy – time’s a-wasting. Continue reading →

The District, We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: Up in Arms

Halberd, dated 1611. Higgins Armory Museum

Halberd, dated 1611. Courtesy Higgins Armory Museum

Just in case you’re unaware, the Folger Shakespeare Library is now weaponized.

Currently running in a limited engagement, the Folger presents Now Thrive the Armorers:
Arms and Armor in Shakespeare, an exhibit where you come face-to-face with “a wide-ranging collection of armor and weaponry dating from the fifteenth through seventeenth centuries.” For you non-history types, that’s a critical period in arms development, as the nature of warfare across Europe underwent rapid change to keep up with evolving technologies and societal change.

The exhibit features primarily pieces from the Higgins Armory Museum, the largest collection of medieval arms and armor outside of Europe, along with several pieces from the Folger’s collection. According to Amy Arden, a Folger representative I was able to talk to, the “exhibition centers on Shakespearean plays in which arms and armor figure prominently while also exploring ‘real world’ weapons and fighting techniques from the period.”

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Entertainment
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Social Calendar: August 14 – 20


umbrella courtesy of needlessspaces

Mid-August and it does not seem like there is that much going on this week. No cannot-miss shows or events, just enjoy the quiet streets

Thursday, August 14 I messed up a little last week, and gave you a hint at what to do tonight: Thao Nguyen & The Get Down Stay Down at the Black Cat. Given that, you get a bonus second Thursday suggestion: GOOD Magazine hosts a fundraiser for Ashoka during a “changemaking happy hour” held at Lotus Lounge.

Friday, August 15:Every Friday, there is free, live jazz in the National Gallery of Art’s Sculpture Garden. Bring a picnic and a date (one of these is for sale on-site as well).

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Foggy Bottom, The Daily Feed
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Killing Trees at GWU

Cut trees along 23rd Street NW

Cut trees along 23rd Street NW

For being a university, I’m often surprised at how callous George Washington University can be to its Foggy Bottom neighbourhood. Just check out its most recent transgression.

In building the mixed-use commercial space on “Square 54“, all the trees along the massive construction site, have been cut down. A 23rd Street clear-cut.

And its not just the removal of the trees that peeve – its the killing of tress on public property. Trees that my tax dollars paid for. Trees that I’d love on my block. Now dead.

Thanks GWU.

Talkin' Transit, The Daily Feed
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42 Jailed in Dulles Raid

As much as we’ve been talking about Dulles in our travel columns, it’s interesting to see things take a turn in the construction of the new subway and terminals. 42 illegal laborers were arrested yesterday at the Dulles Construction site. A full 20% of the workers checked by Immigration & Customs Enforcement were tagged as without having valid work documents and were detained pending hearings about their status.

Downtown, Talkin' Transit, The Daily Feed, WMATA
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Red Line Delays Due to Track Fire

A small track fire on the Red Line at Metro Center prompted single tracking between Dupont Circle and Judiciary Square earlier this morning (around 7:30 AM), causing a cascade of delays down the Red Line in both directions all through the morning rush. The fire has been put out and trains are moving, but between 8:30 and 9:00 AM things were still a fair mess, with crowds of people filling trains and platforms to capacity.

To WMATA’s credit, communication with passengers from train and station PA systems was clear and thorough, and the rush hour crowd, though thick, flowed with tolerable courtesy and smoothness. (As quickly and safely as possible, as they say.) At least, that was my experience getting to work this morning. Does anyone else caught in the crowd feel differently?

(NBC4 reports that the fire started in a “stud post.” What are those?)

Comedy in DC, Entertainment, People
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Comedy in DC: Roger Mursick

Roger Mursick

Roger Mursick is a standout in the local comedy scene- while most local comics I run into have day jobs and can only work on the road on weekends, Roger has been a working comic for 28 years, traveling to shows nationally as well as appearing at the DC Improv, Wolftrap, and the Laugh Riot at the Hyatt. While Roger has been a syndicated columnist, performed on Comedy Central, and written for The Tonight Show, he frequently does short sets at open mics and smaller venues around DC to stay sharp between corporate and national bookings.

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The Daily Feed, The District, We Love Arts
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Dr. Sketchy’s Returns Sunday

Picture 2.png

At long last, Dr. Sketchy’s is coming back to DC this Sunday at Palace of Wonders in the Atlas District. $5 gets you and your sketch pad in the door where you can hang out with Rev. Loveseat for Dr. Sketchy’s Anti Art School.

It’s actually a big weekend at the Palace, with the Olde City Sideshow coming on Friday night ($10) and the ladies of the Gilded Lily Burlesque performing on Saturday night ($10) as well.

Palace of Wonders
1210 H St NE
Washington DC

Food and Drink, The District
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We Love Food: Dino

Dino Interior.jpg
P1010103 by shawn.l

Restaurant Week, you are totally my favorite today, and you can certainly stick around. Last night, Tiffany, her brother Ben, and I took advantage of the prix fixe Restaurant Week special at Dino in Cleveland Park. Right across from the Uptown Theatre, and just a few doors down from Atomic Billiards is this wonderful cucina italiana. We had reservations at 8:15, but arrived early, planning to nurse a glass of wine at the bar until our time, but they had a table ready for us right then.

The dining room downstairs is a tightly packed alcove in the front of the restaurant, and we sat at the very edge of it. The only thing I didn’t like about dinner was being afraid I was encroaching on the personal space of the next table. But, with food like Dino’s, you forget about that in a hurry. Their Restaurant Week offering is pretty generous, with an appetizer or half-order of their pasta courses, plus any of their entrées (the bistecca alla fiorentina is the only up-charge, at $12 extra) followed by dessert and an apéritif, for $35.08.

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Foggy Bottom, The Daily Feed
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Foggy Bottom Yard Sale

I stopped by this little yard sale in Foggy Bottom this morning to chat with the lady of the house and give her terrier a pat. (833 New Hampshire Ave NW if you want to check it out) She has one every year to clear out junk, and there was extra cool stuff this time around because her newlywed son had just moved. We got to talking about how nice the neighborhood is, and how home prices have swung, and how they used to cook everything in gelatin and aspic back in the 60s.

The weekly Foggy Bottom Farmers Market will be there too this afternoon, so you might want to drop by. I snagged a couple of books.

Arlington, Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
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Free Gelato!


mounds of gelato
Originally uploaded by roboppy

Last night at Dino, Tiff had hazelnut gelato that she said “gave her life new meaning” (look forward to our review coming later today) and made her a gelato fan for life. Today, with thanks to James Liu of DCist for pointing it out, there will be free gelato for all. In fact, for each of the next three days, Ciao Bella will be giving out free gelato. Here’s the deets:

Today:
Alexandria Harris Teeter (4641 Duke St) from 11am to 2pm.
Arlington Whole Foods (2700 Wilson Blvd) from 4pm to 7pm.

Tomorrow:
Harris Teeter on Glebe (600 North Glebe) from 11am to 2pm
Harris Teeter on Harrison (2425 Harrison) from 4pm to 7pm

Friday:
Balducci’s in Bethesda (10323 Old G’town Rd) from 11am to 2pm
Harris Teeter in Pentagon Row (900 Army Navy Rd) from 4pm to 7pm

Dude. Free gelato. Go for it!

The Daily Feed
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DHS Contractor Arrested on Kiddie Porn Charges

So here’s a good question. How the hell can you resolve the conflict of interest between working at Department of Homeland Security and Peddling Kiddie Porn? That’s a question that Peter North of Alexandria will have to explain, as he was arrested at his home with 80GB of the stuff.

Few questions:

Good God, 80 Gigs?!
What, you didn’t think you’d get caught?
Who’s going to be first to point to the other Peter North as part of the blame?

Featured Photo, Special Events
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Nerd Prom East is bigger than ever

Photo courtesy of megadem

DSCF2744, courtesy of megadem

I figure if Warren Ellis can call Comicon “Nerd Prom” then it’s only fair to call the annual Otakon in Baltimore Nerd Prom East. It’s not 125,000+ in attendance but the announced 26,000+ for this year is nothing to sneeze at either.

As I wrote last year, no matter how little interest you might have in animation or sf/fantasy, the pictures from Otakon and the costumes people put together are simply amazing. If you search for everything on Flickr with the word otakon with a date after Aug 1, 2008 (so you get this year’s shots) you end up with just shy of 6,000 shots. Fire up PicLens – thanks for turning me onto this program, Max! – and rather than spending that hour working like you should have, you can think “wow!” and “I bet that’s heavy,” “why is Jesus there?” and “are you old enough to be walking around in public in your underwear?”

Some of my favorite pics from this year after the jump. Continue reading →

Crime & Punishment, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Will There Be Charges?

The Bay Bridge accident this weekend that sent a semi into the Chesapeake and has wrought havoc on the pair of spans, claimed one life and put three others in the hospital, seems to be the fault of a driver who fell asleep at the wheel. Candy Baldwin has admitted that that she fell asleep at the wheel early in the morning, and witnesses saw a car matching the description of her Camaro cross over center into the path of the truck that later plummeted into the Chesapeake.

Will there be charges for Ms. Baldwin? I dunno. Probably should be, for the death of the trucker who wasn’t able to maneuver his rig out of the way of her sleepy driving, probably for the cost of the police response, probably for the cost of keeping the bridge down to one span for the duration of the repair.

But will there be? No one’s said.

Arlington, The Daily Feed
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Arlington County to Smoke-Test Sewer Lines

In case you were wondering what that smoke coming from the sewer was, it’s intentional. The county is looking for leaks. From the Arlington Alert system:

Starting Tuesday, August 12, Arlington County will test its sanitary sewer system with smoke to detect leaks and cracks.

The testing, which will last through Monday, September 15, will be conducted from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the area bounded on the north by Route 50, on the west by S. Wakefield Street, on the East by S. Highland Street and on the south by 22nd Street South.

Residents can expect to see workmen in their neighborhoods, and may see white smoke rising from the sanitary sewers, residential vent stacks and open drains. The smoke is odorless, harmless and does not stain. This is the fourth consecutive year the County has used such testing to detect defects in the sewer system.

For more information contact Allan Rowley with the Arlington County Department of Environmental Services at (703) 228-6542

Featured Photo, Life in the Capital, The District
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Featured Photo

20080713L1000014 by furcafe

‘Tis the season for barbecuing, the time to gather up your friends and family, fire up the coals, and throw down some of your favorite meats and vegetables. It’s also a great opportunity to toss back a few cans of beer or your favorite blueberry drink of choice. But be careful, DC. When you mix an open fire pit with alcohol consumption, you may very well set the neighborhood on fire.

This brings up a good question. Last year it was discovered that at least 25% of DC’s fire hydrants were out of order. So what state are our hydrants in now? Have they all been fixed? Are we down to 5%? I know the hydrant across the street from my house still has an “out of service” collar on it which is not exactly a comforting feeling. I have to say, from the Georgetown Library fire to the recent one in Mount Pleasant, DC should also be known as the “fire capital” of the United States.

Photographer Chris Chen (furcafe), an omnipresent “man on the scene”, did a great job of capturing the spirit of a backyard barbecue in this shot. While you’ll normally see him with a film camera strapped around his neck (and please note that I have never seen Chris without a camera), this photo was captured using his digital Leica M8.