Monthly Archives: September 2008

History, The Daily Feed, The District, The Mall
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Flickr Find: Bartholdi Fountain


Bartholdi Fountain
Originally uploaded by NCinDC

It’s just about lunchtime here today, and I’ve taken a jaunt over to Capitol Hill to just stop and stare at the Capitol in awe. I’m also hard at work on the Monumental feature for Friday. This photo by NC in DC of Bartholdi Fountain near the Botanical Gardens is a great inspiration. We’re starting to see the beautiful Fall weather that makes DC something truly special, so get a walk in this afternoon on these beautiful streets. See something unique and special. Better yet, click the photo above to read the historical information about the Bartholdi Fountain.

The Daily Feed
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Go Mayor Adrian Fenty, Go!

washington dc
Photo by khr110

This is reason #427 why I love our Mayor, Adrian Fenty: his tireless energy.

Here he is, running 10 Km in the Nation’s Triathlon, after suffering a nasty spill in training this summer. No to mention the 1.5 Km swim and 40 Km bike he endured before this photo.

That he has the drive and ambition to train and compete in triathlons while in office shows his stamina. And if you look up his race times, you too will be humbled by the quickness of this 38 year old man.

I know I was impressed when I saw him on at the Rock Creek Parkway turnaround. Yeah, Adrian, that was me cheering you on – your biggest ex-triathlete fan.

Arlington, The Daily Feed, The Great Outdoors
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Unwed Mother Mantis

Praying Mantis = good luck!

This praying mantis was sitting on the railing of my deck as I was coming in from picking peppers in my garden. What a nice surprise, I thought. I have always associated mantids with good fortune. As I looked closer, I noticed that this one had an engorged abdomen and appeared to be ready to birth a giant-ass egg sack.

I can’t wait until next spring, when the little ones appear and eat all the other insects and spiders. Maybe that’s weird for a vegetarian to admit, but it’s true. This is one of those things that gives me hope about the coming autumn and winter.

Even though things wither and die as the days grow colder, like the poor little unwed mother praying mantis, I know that in that egg sack little critters are quietly awaiting the spring and will slowly mature until they burst forth to eat all the darned spiders, who are probably just as fertile and ready to lay eggs right now.

Whatever gives us the hope it takes to push through the cold weather and emerge on the other side of the cold is worth latching onto. For me, it’s the arrival of mantis season and the hope of no spiders.

Featured Photo, Life in the Capital, The District
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FotoWeek DC: Deadline Is Near!

Attention all photographers!  If you haven’t entered your photos in the FotoWeek DC Photography Competition, you’re running out of time.  The deadline for submissions is next Monday, September 22nd but you can submit your photos until September 29th for an additional fee (no one likes additional fees).

For those of you out of the loop, FotoWeek DC is a brand new photography showcase event for professionals, ameteurs, and students alike.  And now even the little (K-12) kiddies can participate!  For more about this event, allow me to quote from their website:

The week of November 15-22, 2008 will mark the launch of FotoWeek DC, the first annual gathering of a diverse and wide-ranging photography community in the nation’s capital, including photographers, museums, universities and all those involved in the profession across the metro D.C. area, including Virginia and Maryland. Unique among American cities, Washington, D.C. is a nexus of artistic, business, political and public sector energy, in which photography plays an integral role. FotoWeek DC seeks to bring together all photographers and imaging professionals from every discipline to join with the public in celebration of the medium.

Continue reading →

Special Events, The Daily Feed
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That’s one whacky crop circle

A WTOP story led me to this link : Cows N Corn is the website of the Leonard Family Dairy, who do a differently laid-out corn maze every year. This year’s is a reproduction of the Virginia is For Lovers logo. At an hour west south-west from DC, it’s not a bad drive. It that’s too far for you to go solely to wander around in a field you could wait till the 20th and hit their Barn Dance and Dinner. A corn maze, all you can eat, and square dancing? What more could you want?

Talkin' Transit
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A District Parking Ticket PSA

Someone is going to have a very bad week if they don't pay up soon

Someone is going to have a very bad week if they don't pay up soon

Do you live in Maryland and own a Mazda 4-door with the license plate number 6EDM72? Might you have parked it on the west side of the 1200 block of Potomac Street NW on Thursday, September 11th? Then the DC parking police say you overstayed your welcome on a residential street.

They recorded the car there at 3:48pm and at 6:31pm, issuing you a $30 ticket for being parked for more than two hours on a zone parking street. Oddly, you may not know of this infraction and fine as I found your parking ticket floating through Rock Creek Park yesterday.

I suggest that you either fight the ticket (good luck!) or use the handy Online Ticket Payment system to settle with the District for the $30. But you better be quick.

No matter if the ticket escaped before you noticed it, the fine will double in 30 days if you do not respond, and after 60 days you could get the boot.

All Politics is Local, Fun & Games, Technology, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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So, How Long Til This Reaches Law & Order or 24?

osctoavs2.jpg

Apparently, some folks at the Pentagon, unable to make “terrorists might use alternative communication methods and code words” sound sexy to their supervisors, they decided to stage an attack on the White House……in World of Warcraft.

Never mind that there IS no White House in Azeroth, and the closest you could come is setting off goblin grenades in front of Thrall, this is I suppose, a plausible way to have off-the-grid communication between two computers. But really? To blame it on a game?

Are you guys High?!

Food and Drink, Getaways, The Daily Feed
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Quattro Goombas Winery

Wine Bottles IMGP0221

My father was in town this past weekend so we took him on a short tour of the Virginia wine country in Aldie and Middleburg. Actually, we visited one winery and drove by two or three others along the way.

Quattro Goombas Winery is on Rt. 15 about a mile north of Rt. 50 in Aldie, VA. I have visited quite a number of wineries in my time and can tell you that I had an experience there that I have only had one other time. I liked every single wine I tasted. Often these things are hit and miss but this tasting hit like a Slant Six, each wine delicious, with its own characteristics and each one smooth.

If you have an afternoon free, go see these folks. It’s only an hour west of DC and you are sure to enjoy it. They will treat you right and at the end of the tasting you will feel like an honorary goomba yourself.

Food and Drink, Night Life, We Love Food
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We Love Food: Sticky Rice

"Sticky Balls" at Sticky Rice

Sticky Rice is a lot like its brazenly named signature dish, “Sticky Balls” – a chaotic gooey crunchy glorious mess.

This isn’t some temple of sushi where a plate of trembling tempura is placed in front of you with a reverential hush like it’s the freaking Holy Grail. You want that, go to Sushi Ko. You want pristine sashimi prepared by traditional chefs, go to Sushi Taro. You want beautiful experiments and the occasional fugu dinner, go to Kaz.

What you will get at Sticky Rice is irreverent cuisine, a florid interior reminiscent of a tattoo parlor’s secret bordello, and a crazy atmosphere like some art students’ late night party. And resign yourself to waiting on a busy weekend… this isn’t the place to hit with a hard time deadline.

Continue reading →

Foggy Bottom, The Daily Feed, The District
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And GWU is Going Deeper Still

washington dc by wayan
Photo by Wayan

Remember the construction-related blasting of July that shook the Foggy Bottom area? It seems the contractors digging the foundation for the new GWU building are still going deeper.

While a shortcut to China is still far off, there drill rigs say more china will rattle in the near future.

Here is thanks to the contractors for letting us see the show. And no thanks to the busy-body cop who threatened jaywalking when I went to take this photo.

Technology, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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WTF Truck?


WTF Truck?
Originally uploaded by tbridge

Not exactly sure what this modified Dodge Sprinter van was doing in Clarendon with its array of ten cameras on a tall stalk that extended a good 18″ above the top of the vehicle. On the rear of the van was a high-resolution GPS antenna for maximum signal strength in a dense urban area. I was wondering if it was Google Street View for the Maps, but their cars are mostly Chevy Cobalt sedans, or the occasional VW Beetle. The license plate was a Missouri plate, which was interesting. Know anything about these?

The Daily Feed
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Harriette to Plead Guilty


Crime & Punishment Museum
Originally uploaded by angela n.

With a name like Harriette, I go immediately to the Antoinette “Let Them Eat Cake” lines, but today I’ll put that on hold. Harriette Walters will plead guilty to stealing $48 million or so in DC Revenue over a period of years. Major kudos to the DC Examiner for their work on breaking the story. Terms of the deal haven’t been announced yet, but I’m hoping they’ll keep her in a box at the Crime & Punishment Museum…

The Daily Feed
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Zoo Wins 5-year Accreditation


National Zoo – Hot Pink – 9-1-08
Originally uploaded by mosley.brian

All those sighs of relief you hear today are coming from the National Zoo which won a 5-year accreditation for the Zoo in Northwest, as well as their Front Royal, VA facility for research. The Zoo has made $100M in upgrades since their last application in 2003, and should debut several new exhibits and habitats before their next application in 2013.

Sports Fix
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Sports Fix: Redskins 1-1, United in Contention, Nationals Vying for Last.

almostthere.jpg
Almost There by littlerottenrobin

1-1! The Redskins played from behind most of Sunday’s game against the Saints, but came up big in the fourth quarter. A 67-yard TD to Santana Moss, despite a major defensive lapse, provided the winning score for the Skins. Jason Campbell finally looked like the prospect we’ve been told he is, with 321 yards and that perfect TD to Santana Moss.

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Nation’s Triathalon Today

washington dc by wayan
Photo by Wayan

Check out the speed on the second leg of the Nation’s Triathalon: the bike course on the E Street Expressway.

Speed so fast that riders are just a blur. And when they fall, like one just did, a blur of pain.

Good luck to everyone. May you all finish even if you have to hobble across the line, like I did once.

Adventures, Alexandria, Entertainment
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Tourism: The Potomac Riverboat Company

Photo courtesy of Me
Out on the Potomac
courtesy of Me

I’ve thought about taking one of the Potomac boat trips for almost the full seven years I’ve lived in the DC area and have always passed on it. When I proposed writing this feature Jenn L chimed in that she’d always wanted to go but never had, so apparently I wasn’t the only one. In retrospect I don’t know why I balked at the price. If you take the poorly named – but very enjoyable – “mounments cruise” you can expect to pay about $25 for a round trip, which isn’t the most I’ve ever paid for two hours of entertainment. You can start in Georgetown or Alexandria and in fact you’re under no obligation to purchase a round trip. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Another Downtown Building: Gone!

washington dc by wayan
Photo by Wayan

Did anyone else notice that we have another gap in the downtown skyline? 800 17th Street NW is no longer.

I remember a Riggs Bank, back when we had Riggs Banks, and a luggage store on the 17th Street side. Do you have memories of what is now gone?

Looking forward, what might be the new building? A twin of the glass and steel replacement now on the far side of 17th? Or something with a little more soul?

The Daily Feed
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The icing on the cake

Photo courtesy of maxedaperture

Go Ahead…, courtesy of maxedaperture

If the never ending-escalator problems, line closings on busy weekends, and service delays weren’t enough for you, here’s another Metro gem for you: if the current trend continues through December, “serious” crime on the metro will be up 15% for 2008 says the DC Examiner.

It’s not as bad as it might seem; once you get past the Examiner’s numbers on robbery (+35%) and larceny (+14%) they reveal that the overall rate is low. They don’t spell it out for the math-impaired, but that means a 15% jump doesn’t translate into a tremendously large number of additional people being victimized.  For the 1.2M rider a day – that’s distinct route trips, not individuals – there’s 3 reported crimes. That works out to 1095 in the year, and if we figure that number before a 15% increase (1095 * (100/115)) that means last year’s numbers were about 952. So we’re getting one “extra” crime every 2 and a half days.

I guess saying that your risk had gone from 1 in 460,000 to 1 in 400,000 wasn’t very sexy.

So watch your posessions before the doors close – snatch and grab is what you’re most likely to be victim of – and try not to increase your total amount of worrying more than twice extra a week.