By brownpau
DC Metrocentric reports that a new Bloomingdale’s department store will be taking up residence in the Shops at Georgetown Park. That should make for a nice addition to the mall, fitting right in with the Georgetown shopping crowd (as opposed to my preferred upscale fashion scenes: A.J. Wright at Rhode Island Ave, Marshall’s at Pentagon City, and Ross at Silver Spring). Slated to open in 2011, this will give you more of a reason to go down there than just for Benihana and the DMV.
By brownpau
If you’re riding the Red or Orange Line today, prepare for delays. The following service disruption alerts are currently up:
Orange Line: Trains are sharing the same track between Federal Center and Eastern Market due to a train experiencing mechanical difficulties at Eastern Market station. Expect delays in both directions.
Red Line: Trains are sharing the same track between Rhode Island Avenue and Fort Totten due to police activity at Brookland station. Expect delays in both directions. Expected duration 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Update: Alerts have been cleared.
By Jenn Larsen
at bar pilar, by gingher on Flickr
Most everyone has a “go-to” bar, that reliable spot to meet up when you’re just at a loss for new suggestions. It’s convivial, relaxing, and if you’re really lucky, within tripping distance of your abode. Bar Pilar fits this description for me.
It certainly doesn’t hurt that it boasts a truly beautiful old-fashioned bar, retro murals and decor in a sort of New Orleans-on-the-Med vibe, with candles giving off a golden glow, making almost everyone look good. It’s slowly but steadily become one of my favorite bars to hang out in DC.
Usually a low-key spot, Pilar mostly avoids the excess popularity that can plague nearby hotspots like Saint Ex, Marvin or Cork. Perhaps that’s because of its intimate size, attracting people in twos and threes as opposed to packs. There’s a varied selection of wine, beer, and cocktails, not to mention a kicking food menu, encouraging a chill/graze mentality as opposed to a frontloading meat market. But as this is our drinks feature, I’ll just focus on two of their cocktails off the “classics” menu, and leave the food for a later date.
Though I’ve never been much of a gin drinker, I just had to order the Bee’s Knees – considering my goofy tendency to use archaic expressions like “the cat’s pajamas” and “johnny-on-the-spot”. Made with plymouth gin, lemon juice, and honey syrup served straight up with lemon zest, it was like drinking the last of summerlight in a glass. Or maybe I was just high off the gin fumes. Continue reading
By Don
WJLA news reports that Roy Pearson has – somehow – convinced the DC Appellate court to hear his appeal on the now-infamous 54 million dollar pants lawsuit. WJLA was also nice enough to film the amused/aghast reaction of the Chung family as they informed them that this had happened.
The fact that Pearson appealed wouldn’t shock anyone who had heard anything about the case, but it’s somewhat surprising that review was granted. Pearson’s appeal contends that the ruling was inappropriate because it simply substituted a qualified guarantee for an absolute one. OnPointNews hosts the PDF version of the appeal here and it’s surpringly cogent. It also includes a demand for $450,000 in attorney’s fees. For Pearson.
Here’s hoping this has a speedy and permanent resolution.
Marbled Justice, courtesy of Ghost_Bear
By Max
The Generals of the Daughters of the American Revolution, DAR Convention,
Mayflower Hotel, Washington, D.C., October 15, 1963,
© 2008 The Richard Avedon Foundation
There really isn’t a just way to describe how incredible and important Richard Avedon’s photographs are, at least in words that haven’t already been written or spoken. He’s been called “America’s pre-eminent editorial portrait and fashion photographer” which is accurate, but he, like all master photographers, is also a great historian. Richard Avedon: Portraits of Power, a new exhibit set to open this Saturday at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, has brought together more than 200 of his photos that cover over 50 years of his career and of American history, some of them having never been on exhibit or published.
Beware of troll
Originally uploaded by mamamusings
Every once in a while, I like to take a minute to remind you, our cherished readers, about some of the non-blog features here at We Love DC. So today, we’re going to talk about user registration.
Although certainly not required, readers are able to register for a user account here at We Love DC. There are a couple of important benefits to this.
Continue reading
By Tom Bridge
DC will have the honor of the first College Football Bowl Game of the year on December 20th, with the EagleBank Bowl at RFK Stadium. This year’s game will feature the Navy Midshipmen against the #9 team from the ACC, provided that both teams come up with six wins this season.
EagleBank has signed a four-year sponsorship deal for the new Bowl Game targeted at the military service academies, with parts of the proceeds from each year’s game going to charities that support Veterans. Tickets will run from $45 to $135 a game, or, mostly cheaper than a ticket to the Nationals.
By Ben H. Rome
courtesy of MatthewBradley
As we stop today to take a moment to remember, some of the staff here at WeLoveDC wanted to share our own thoughts about this tragic day in our history with our readers. Please feel free to share your thoughts in comments – but we do ask that you be respectful. (Comments will be moderated as necessary.)
By Don
I’m a regular reader of BarfBlog, which is as unappetizing as you think but also quite excellent: it’s actually a blog run by food safety expert Doug Powell that talks about food safety, in theory and in practice. The kind of behind-the-scenes information they ran about the recent tomato/salmonella scare, for example, was great.
I opened the blog a minute ago to look at the most recent entries and at the top was a submitted report from one of our fellow citizens describing a disturbing event at a Yum’s location here in DC. Personally I think if you eat at Yum’s you deserve anything you get, but if you still eat at Yum’s after reading this…. well, draw your own conclusion.
The not-clean-man had placed three large, bloody styrofoam Safeway containers of some kind of raw meat on the counter. The old Chinese lady behind the counter was saying “Ten dolla! I give you ten dolla!” and the improperly-sanitized-guy said that was fine. The hipsters and I exchanged wide-eyed glances as it dawned on us that this dude was *selling* meat to the restaurant, meat that he had somehow obtained from Safeway…
Szechuan Beef Proper, courtesy of christaki
By Tom Bridge
HR 6691. Learn the number. It’s going to be a Thing™. It’s the NRA-backed bill in the House designed to torpedo the District’s new version of the law that ended up overturned by the Supreme Court. It’s got a Lengthy list of co-sponsors from both Republicans and Democrats. The NRA is threatening to withhold sponsorship from anyone who dares not sign onto their effort to strip the Registration requirement and the bar on semi-automatic pistols in the District.
Oy. Look, we know the City Council blew it with their new version of the law, which seems to be in direct countervention to the Supreme Court’s direction in Heller, but did you need to get all micro-manage-y on us? Of course, in response, Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton has proposed her own compromise and it might make it to the floor before HR 6691.
The message to take home here is: “Hey Congress, you don’t live here, get the hell out of our politics.”
By brownpau
Two news alerts today of “suspicious packages” at Gallaudet University and Judiciary Square Metro Station this morning.
Ballard North Hall at Gallaudet was evacuated while a bomb squad was called in, and Judiciary Square Station was closed, with trains continuing to travel through it but no stops.
Update: Judiciary Square Station is back open again after the package was deemed safe. Meanwhile at Gallaudet, the word from WJLA News is “suspicious substance” plant fertilizer.
She-Ha, Princesses of Power – art by Clay Yount, click to embiggen.
One of the axioms of standup comedy is that it’s a much harder business for women than for men. There are lots of theories floating around about this, usually pointing fingers at SOMEONE’S latent sexism: comedy club audiences, comedy club owners, a society that gives women more family responsibilities than men, etc. What IS certain is that there are fewer working female standup comics than males, and it’s a shame because there are some damn funny women engaged in this art form.
She-Ha, Princesses of Power is an all-female lineup appearing next Friday and Saturday at the DC Improv Comedy Lounge, featuring some of my personal favorite superheroines of standup. The show features Erin Jackson, Diana Saez, Aparna Nancherla, Lisa Fine, Leslie Cooley, Kat Wilderotter, Andrea Fuller (Friday), and Jen Wardrop (Saturday). Having seen Aparna, Lisa, Leslie, and Kat many times around town, I can only tell you to GO. I continue to secretly wish Iran’s president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad would start making noise again just so Aparna can do the bit about Ahmadinejad’s Myspace page some more. So there you have it, these comics are so funny that I’m wishing for an international incident with a potentially nuclear power in the Middle East.
She-Ha, Princesses of Power, will appear at the DC Improv Comedy Lounge on Friday and Saturday, September 19th and 20th, at 8:00 PM. Tickets are $10: buy them through the Improv.
By Ben H. Rome
Pentagon, courtesy of tsmyther
The Pentagon will open the first of three memorials for the victims of the September 11 attacks on Thursday. The memorial will be available to visitors 24 hours a day.
A dedication ceremony will be given tomorrow morning; the site will open to the public in the evening.
If you’re planning on driving / commuting near the Pentagon tomorrow, there’s some things you need to know.
By Tom Bridge
Last night’s primary results are in and they spell defeat for Republican At-large Councilwoman Carol Schwartz at the hands of Upstart Patrick Mara, backed by big-business interests in DC. Mara has won the right to represent the Republican party for the two at-large seats on the Council this fall. He’ll face Kwame Brown, Michael Brown, Dee Hunter and David Schwartzman, with the top two vote-getters picking up seats on the council.
Of course, last night’s election wasn’t entirely drama-free, as the DCBOEE published erroneous results on their site more than once last night. The culprit ended up being an optical scan ballot-reader in one precinct which was showing a large number of write-in votes that were being counted incorrectly.
All of the other councilpersons defended their challenges successfully, including Mayor-for-Life Barry (Ward 8). While their elections are just for the party slot on the November ballot, in largely Democratic DC, they’re virtually guaranteed re-election.
By Don
No, this is NOT about a sale at Ben’s.
Propane Taxi, a service that I have in the past used and recommended, is running a pretty plum deal right now: a $10 tank exchange. Best I’ve ever seen at a hardware store or gas station is $18, and this beats that by $8 and you don’ t have to leave the house.
I presume this is a loss-leader they’re running to try to convince more folks to give them a try, and even aside from the deal I think you should. With gas prices what they are I think you can make a compelling case that the $3 more than Home Depot is close to a wash even before you figure the value of your time. At $10.60? Well worth it.
summer nites summer lites, courtesy of christaki
Memorial Bridge Statues
Originally uploaded by rgb48
Despite the fact that I am a grownup and tell myself that I am too mature for such things, my inner 12 year old always giggles at the subtext of naked men on horseback and their naked female companions when I drive over the Memorial Bridge.
As I was perusing the intarwebz today, looking for more information about these figures, I learned a curious fact about the bridge itself from Wikipedia:
Although the bridge was part of the 1901 McMillan Commission’s plan for restoring Pierre L’Enfant’s original plan for the capital, two decades passed before construction was initiated. President Warren G. Harding was caught in a three-hour traffic jam while on his way to dedicate the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, because the previous wooden bridge could not handle the traffic. The ensuing turmoil led to appropriation for the bridge construction.
Clearly, traffic jams are not a recent development for DC. It seems President Harding had not learned the joy of getting law enforcement officers to shove the citizens out of his way.
By Tom Bridge
bobble vote
Originally uploaded by philliefan99
We’re coming up on lunchtime here, and it’s Election Day in DC. Technically, it’s the primaries for city council and our shadow representative and shadow senator. So, if you haven’t voted early, make sure to vote often today (okay, okay, Just ONCE!) as the City Council definitely depends on it. And, of course, in heavily Democratic DC, the primary is the deciding election, while the November General election is just a coronation party for the city’s Democrats.
Find your Polling Place with the handy form from the DC Government!
If you’re looking for a primer, there are several, including the Washington Post, the DC Examiner and the City Paper.
By Max
A River Runs Through It by Brian Knight
Fact: I love DC.
Fact: I love this photo that was taken in Harpers Ferry.
Fact: Harper’s Ferry is in West Virginia, not in DC.
Can’t we all just get along?
I’ve been to Harpers Ferry a few times since I moved to DC a few years ago. It’s only about an hour drive outside of the city, and a scenic one at that. You pass fields of wildflowers, quaint little towns, and pumpkin patches along the way, as well as a bunch of Taco Bells which is an added bonus. Continue reading
By bstanfield
I was an early skeptic of Twitter, but I’ve become a convert to the 140 character way of life. I follow several different crowds of friends on Twitter, and have even started to follow some Twitter identities that aren’t human beings. These vary from the Mars Phoenix to CNN Breaking News and tend to deliver news up-to-the-minute and in small chunks, the way I like to consume it. Some assume an anthropomorphic identity, but others just write concise, less-than-140 character posts that give me an idea of what’s going on in the world.
When I saw that WAMU 88.5, DC’s public radio station, had a Twitter account, I signed on right away. I was hopeful they’d engage with other users, and provide great local tidbits. Instead, every now and then they post a bunch of unintelligible links with truncated first sentences from the same stuff they put on their website. There’s virtually no readable content, no idea what the link is to, and 5-10 of these useless posts all in a row.
This isn’t the way Twitter works. At the very least, they need to write 140 character summaries with a short link to the article. Ideally, they’d let their reporters post from their cell phones throughout the day as they report on DC, MD, and VA. They’d allow followers to reply and engage with them. Twitter is not just a place to republish an RSS feed (poorly). It’s an ecosystem that encourages conversations and interaction, and until WAMU learns how to do that, they’re no longer welcome on my follow list.
By Ben H. Rome
Green Market, courtesy of M.V. Jantzen
Ok, this project was inspired by a flurry of emails with some of the WeLoveDC staff and an idea.
Don spotted this list a few weeks ago and after some back-and-forth with several of our more foodie–focused people, I thought it would be an interesting series for our corner of the intrawebz.
Starting in two weeks, check out our DC 100 and the staff’s various experiences with food on this list. We’ll be tracking the list’s progress here and on my own website.
By 
