By Wayan
Please welcome the newest addition to the We Love DC roster: Hanalei Stockard Vota. She joined us this morning, coming into the world after a night of labor. Her mom is fine, resting and Facebooking while I try breast feeding. I only wish I could blog this event better, but GWU hospital’s WiFi service is only available to those who birth 7-4 on Mon-Fri.
By brownpau
Via WaPo’s Get There blog, an alert for MARC Penn Line Riders: major electrical system damage near Landover has left only one of three tracks open for inbound and outbound commuter trains, so MARC’s going to be a mess.
MTA MD’s official MARC alert page says Metro will honor MARC tickets to New Carrollton to get past the rail bottleneck.
Baltimore-bound riders may also want to consider the Camden Line tonight, or, as a last resort, the Green Line to Greenbelt, then B30 Bus to BWI, and Light Rail from there.
By Tom Bridge
Firefighters Going In
Originally uploaded by tbridge
As I was leaving Chinatown this afternoon after the fire, I had a chance to chat with one of the firefighters. He said there’d been a fire on the top floor, that it had not been too serious, and their quick response made a difference. WJLA is reporting that the fire was caused by a torch and some insulation. A fire pump, however, ruptured during the event, flooding the lower level of the Crime & Punishment Museum on the same block.
By Tom Bridge
Bourbon
Originally uploaded by tbridge
Today is the 75th anniversary of the ratification of the 21st Amendment! That means it’s the perfect night to raise a glass to those brave legislators and citizens who worked together to repeal the 18th Amendment of the Constitution. So, raise a glass tonight, in favor of Change.
By Katie
national-christmas-tree-by Murmurmel
Yesterday was the unveiling of the National Christmas Tree. (Well, as much as you can unveil something that has been there since August.) But there were festivities, and the tree lit up, Christmas joy, and all that. The tree will be lit from now until after Christmas, with nightly performances from Saturday, December 6 to Tuesday, December 23, 2008. I’ve collected some first-look flickr pics for your viewing pleasure, in case you missed it yesterday. Continue reading
By Tom Bridge
Russian Egg Ornaments by Tom Bridge
The Downtown Holiday Market on F Street in Penn Quarter started at noon today, and features dozens of market stalls of some of the coolest locally-made stuff that I’ve seen. There are homemade cutting boards, made with beautifully-grained Shenandoah trees, amazing decoupage boxes in just about every shape and size, with just about every different pattern you can imagine.
The pedestrian market is right across the street from the Verizon Center, so if you’re out to get lunch at Gordon Biersch, or Rosa Mexicano, or maybe Jaleo, stop on by the market. It’s open every day between now and the 23rd, from noon until 8pm. There’s fair-trade coffee and tea vendors, with sample pourers, so you won’t freeze despite the chill. There’s all manner of unique crafts and gift opportunities. Read on for more photos from the Market.
Continue reading
By Tom Bridge
Fire at Terrell place
Originally uploaded by tbridge
There is a fire response in progress at 7th and F street across from the Verizon center. Currently, eight fire engines are in the immediate vicinity. No smoke is currently visible coming from the Terrell Plaza building, but at least four different firehouses have responded. The building has been evacuated, including the Rosa Mexicano restaurant on the ground level.
By Don
Ad homophobia, courtesy of Me
Well, at least the old-ass Hancock ad was just a waste of space. The above ad is either offensive or laughable, depending on your generosity of spirit. It’s not quite as obnoxious as the Mitchum ad I saw a few years ago, but it’s clearly in that same vein, given that it’s meant to hang in above-urinal ad frames.
What makes it funny is what bathroom it was in. I took this picture in the bathroom of Freddie’s, the Arlington gay bar that my darling fiancée accurately describes as looking “like South Beach threw up.” A more appropriate ad would say “Don’t step on that dude’s boa.”
ZoomMedia, the organization credited blamed on the bottom of the frame, has this bit of comedy on their website: “ZOOM MEDIA & MARKETING is the leader in targeted out-of-home solutions efficiently delivering distinct demographic and psychographic niches in consumer lifestyle destination to our advertisers.”
Yes, they bolded targeted and demographic. I do not think those words mean what you think they mean…
By Katie
The Process of Change
Originally uploaded by voteprime
Change. The buzzword of 2008, but this time the word is used differently. I saw this picture in the We Love DC pool on flickr, by user VotePrime. Vote Prime snapped a picture of this sheet of paper stuck to the King Street Metro pole. The text of the page says:
“We don’t need to engage in grand heroic actions to participate in the process of change.
You know that guy you pass every day on your way to work? I actually stop to say hi.
Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people can transform the world. – Howard Zinn”
A little googling, and Howard Zinn is the author of A People’s History of the United States. And I’m guessing whoever posted this is just quoting him, and Zinn himself didn’t make these. Has anyone seen more of these around? Much like my beloved stikman, I appreciate street art that makes me think, or even just breaks up the monotony of my commute.
I’d love to see more, and I get the feeling there are variations to this one, so if you see any, snap them and add them to the WLDC pool on flickr. (And while you’re at it, enter your holiday pictures into our 2008 Holiday Photo contest.)
By Rebecca
Gold Dress, by Flickr user kimberleyfaye
For this holiday season, how about giving a most thoughtful gift to your loved one: a donation to charity in their honor. At today’s AGGW sponsored Alternative Gift Fair from 11:30am until 2pm at the NEA (1201 16th Street, NW) you can pick and choose from a selection of local, national and international beneficiary organizations; all of which address pressing problems in today’s world.
Gifts range from $10 and up, and purchase concrete items for the needy, such as books for children, water filters for families in Haiti, or toys for homeless dogs and cats. Shoppers will find causes to match the interests and passions of everyone on their holiday shopping list. And you gift recipients will be touched to know that the gift they have just received will have a very real and meaningful impact on people and communities in need.
If you can’t make today’s fair, other Alternative Gift Fairs are happening in Metro DC area and can be found at AGGW’s website.
By Don
No Love from Home Depot, courtesy of Me
Not their own franchise – our local sports franchises. I forgive the lack of a Caps brand there – there’s no sign of any hockey team keys on the rack. But to stock Orioles keys and not Nationals keys? Blasphemy!
By Tom Bridge
Standing Out Front
Originally uploaded by tbridge
Oh this one is too silly not to write about. Church in MoCo opens their Christmas Tree sale, as they always have, right after Thanksgiving. Their trees pay for their good works abroad, and always have.
Except there’s a law on the books in MoCo that says you can’t sell Christmas Trees before December 5. Church is fined $500 for early sale of Christmas Trees.
Now, I’m as against the encroachment of Christmas into November as anyone else, but this is pretty silly. If you can’t sell the Christmas stuff the day after Thanksgiving, then you’ve got no soul. That’s the day the Christmas Music comes out of its box in the closet, the day it’s okay to order Peppermint Mochas at Starbucks, the day it’s fine to start shopping for Christmas.
Pictured here is our tree, purchased at Great Country Farms in Bluemont, VA. We drove out to the country last weekend, despite the weather, and cut down a beautiful 6′ Norway Spruce for our tree. Ray and the other Farmers were glad to see us, and even covered our coffee. They’re open all weekend, and their trees are gorgeous. Go on out and get one.
By Katie
Smore by flickr user Colin Purrington (creative commons)
Welcome to yet another review of the 100 foods an omnivore in DC should partake of. Read the full list.
Today, class, we will discuss s’mores and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I choose to discuss them together because both are delicious, ooey-gooey, comfort foods of our childhood. Both are sweet and gushey. Both are sandwiches. Most importantly, both make (most) everyone in America go… “Yummmmm”.
First we’ll ponder the s’more, number 61 on the list. The smore, a simple sandwich created by smooshing a block of chocolate (typically the Hershey’s milk chocolate bars you can break off into squares) with a toasted marshmellow (to your personal degree of satisfaction, ranging from very rare to cajun-style blackened) between two graham crackers. So basic, yet so satisfying.
My personal s’more is exactly like the one pictured above. I aim for a golden-brown cracked marshmellow with white fluff oozing out the sides, smothering the chocolate, and making it melt. Layered between two halves of a graham cracker, it drips down my face while I eat it. Continue reading
By Tom Bridge
metro_yellow_line
Originally uploaded by Ghost_Bear
When I got the email this afternoon about the new MetroOpensDoors.com, I clicked the link, wanting to see what WMATA had done. I was all kinds of excited.
Except that it was just a press release telling me that there would be a new MetroOpensDoors.com on Monday December 8th. This is what we call a PRESS RELEASE FAIL.
Let’s hope the website isn’t in the same vein.
By Jenn Larsen
"X in DC, November 2008" by irrezolut, on Flickr
Friends had been trying to get me to check out “X in DC” at BeBar for a while. “It has everything you like!” they raved, “Electronica! Arts! Bellydancing!” I finally got around to the last event on November 15th, and it was definitely a case of truth in advertising. Sometimes you need a little more from your night out than the usual bar experience. “X in DC” aims to blur the boundaries between different artistic disciplines by bringing them together to collaborate or compete, depending on the evening, and this synergy makes for a constant display of creativity. It’s also just plain fun.
It doesn’t hurt that “X in DC” takes place at BeBar, one of the sexiest lounges in DC. A long room lined with a bar on one side and pillow-tossed banquettes on the other, it’s all anchored by a small stage that morphs into a dance floor later on. BeBar survived a somewhat rough birth in Shaw when a local church tried to block its opening back in 2006, but I’m glad they toughed it out and two years later it remains a gorgeous space. The design is simple yet elegant, the lighting delicately flattering, and the drinks menu dangerous. Not to mention, no attitude from the door or the bar. Continue reading
By brownpau
What was up with those MPD scuba divers in the Potomac just off Washington Harbour this morning? Did someone throw evidence into the river? Or was someone sent to sleep with the snakeheads in cement shoes? In any case, thanks to the officers for letting me go pseudo-paparazzi on the diving action this morning and indulging me in a bit of scuba talk. No way I’d dive in the cold, muddy Potomac River right by a sewer outlet in December — unless the city was paying me for it.
By Don
panther lover, courtesy of Me
Tom’s jumbotron picture in the CapOne story below reminded me of these pictures I took at Tuesday night’s Caps-Panthers game. Apparently “can you hear me now?” has been extended to include “can you see me quip?” Verizon customers can text a message to a particular number and their message will be displayed on the crawl under the scoreboard. Presumably someone monitors them for appropriate content, but I guess they thought this bit of divorce comedy was amusing.
I think Katie’s husband is being a little hard on her. It’s not like she’s a dirty Penguins fan or something. *cough*
By Tom Bridge
My social Network on Flickr, Facebook, Twitter and MyblogLog
Originally uploaded by luc legay
It’s no secret that I love Twitter, and think it’s probably my favorite new communications medium, surpassing email, IM & scrawled notes on the wall. The casual confluence of people I know, stuff I like, and people that are interesting, in a format that requires both brevity and wit to keep my attention, it’s a boon. Lately, I’ve seen more DC-centric businesses like California Tortilla use Twitter to talk about the cool stuff they’re doing locally.
So, who’s not on Twitter that you think should be? I read this morning that maybe the 9:30 club should be on there, and should be announcing specials and concerts this way. I think that would be awesome, actually, if you could sign up for their feed and they could tell you who’s on sale starting today, or who’s at the club that night. How much would that rock?
Who else in DC belongs on Twitter? (No Slanket Fights, Please.)
Moon and Tree
Originally uploaded by M.V. Jantzen
Reader Patty Hankins brings us these tips for taking better pictures of Christmas Lights. You might need these for those fantastic photos you’ll be entering in our Holiday Photo Contest.
Just submit the photo to our Flickr group with a Creative Commons license (it’s easy to change the license for that one photo) and the tag “WLDC holiday 2008.” And then you can win one of our fabulous prizes. Prizes, yay!
By Katie
AARP Holiday Decorations
Originally uploaded by Mr. T in DC
My boyfriend sent out the following email to our group of friends yesterday, and I’m so lazy I’m just going to copy/paste it for WLDC.
Matt: “Rustico in Alexandria is holding a Festivus celebration next Tuesday (the 9th), from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. There will be a good selection of winter beers on tap (and over 200 hundred bottles to choose from), the Festivus pole, and the airing of grievances. If you like beer OR don’t like the commercial side of the holidays OR have something to get off your chest OR just enjoy spending time with friends, then this is the thing for you.”
Personally, I never watched Seinfeld (gasp, screams, the horror, I know, whatever…) and so I don’t get what all this is about. But I do know that Rustico will be serving Troegs’ Mad Elf, which Troegs’ Web site describes as: “a cheerful creation to warm your heart and enlighten your tongue. The combination of Cherries, Honey, and Chocolate Malts delivers gentle fruits and subtle spices. Fermented and aged with a unique yeast, this ruby red beer has significant warming strength that underlies the pleasant character of this intriguing yet delicious Ale.” Yeah, yeah, I’m lazy today with all this copy/pasting, but at least I’m still enlightening to you, dear reader.
So, basically, point is, I’ll be there. You should come too. And then you should find me and buy me some Mad Elf, since you like reading things that I copy/paste so much.
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