Monthly Archives: December 2008

Food and Drink, Fun & Games, The Daily Feed
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We Love Peeing in Troughs: Tony and Joe’s Seafood Place

Urinal Trough!

My company had a fancy-shmancy lunch at Tony and Joe’s Seafood Place recently. Nice place, I suppose, except for the fact of the waiter telling me that they don’t really cater to vegetarians. He proved it by bringing me a baked potato with bacon. I guess honesty is worth something in this day and age.

The best part was the classy trough-style urinal. It really brought back memories of the ballpark, highway rest stop, “out-back” facilities in Thailand and many more. Have you seen one of these old troughs still in operation anywhere recently? Extra points if you link to a photo.

Don’t go for the food or service, but definitely go for a beer and to check out this relic of a by-gone age.

The Grafton Urinal Trough by Mac(3)

Entertainment, Interviews, People
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She Loves DC: Carrie Milbank

Photo courtesy of Carrie Milbank

Photo courtesy of Carrie Milbank

I’m an avid viewer of nhl.com’s The Hockey Show, co-hosted by Steven Lee and Carrie Milbank. I was surprised to find out Carrie had some roots in the DC area – specifically, during her initial foray into the broadcasting field – and on a whim, contacted her and asked if she’d like to do an interview for WeLoveDC.

I mean, we love finding out what others have to say about our city, right? So why not ask some of those in the spotlight? It doesn’t hurt that Carrie’s a big Ovechkin fan and did a few interviews for THS on coach Bruce Boudreau and Ovie.

Carrie was very gracious in accepting my request, so what follows is the Q&A session I had with her. We covered quite a bit, from her impressions and memories of DC to the Capitals and her career as a female sportscaster.

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Capital One Buys Chevy Chase Bank


Chevy Chase Bank winner
Originally uploaded by afagen

$520,000,000 is what Capital One is paying to acquire all of Chevy Chase Bank, according to the news tonight. Apparently, it will also acquire under $2,000,000,000 in CCB’s shaky and shady mortgages, as well. It’s interesting, though, that in doing so, they’ll be acquiring all of Chevy Chase’s neo-classical-style bank buildings, and with it, a significant brand image

How will Capital One handle their own (lackluster) branding and combine it? Will CCB stop to be a local fixture?

Edit: Fixed spelling of Capital One.

The Daily Feed
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Rally against Metro searches

Photo courtesy of Pianoman75

Metro, courtesy of Pianoman75

If you’re downtown and like-minded you could go to Metro’s HQ building for a rally against the announced random bag search policy[Facebook account required for some reason]. It’s organized by the Flex Your Rights folks but has a number of other organizations and folks on board. I’m not sure I hold out much hope for their success but I’d be there to lend my emotional support if I was anywhere near downtown right now…

If you can’t make it you can always peruse FYR’s guide to refusing metro searches.

Metro’s Headquarters Building, Lobby Level from 6:30-7:30pm
600 Fifth Street NW
Washington, DC 20001

The Daily Feed
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Run Like Hell


Tree Monument Tree
Originally uploaded by M.V. Jantzen

Tonight’s Tomorrow is the annual lighting of the National Christmas Tree. President Bush will get in his limo at the back of the motorcade, drive a block and a half, and then get out at the Ellipse to take his spot in the heated box with the cool button where they’ll light up the Tree.

This means: The entire downtown core is going to be absolutely berserk starting right about NOW this time tomorrow. So, downtown core workers, run like hell. Or, walk downstairs, get a bottle of bourbon and a bottle of coke, and spend the next three hours in your office getting a little schnockered.

Either way. Leave work now.

Edit Sigh. When I drove by the Ellipse at 2pm today, and saw the towers & amps already flown for the event tomorrow evening, I assumed it was tonight. Apologies to everyone who went and got drunk thanks to my post. At least now you’ll have a hangover and won’t have to come in tomorrow? My advice for tomorrow: Get out early.

Entertainment, Music, The Features
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We Love Music: Vampire Weekend @ 930 Club – 12/08/08

If Vampire Weekend fans had a case of the Mondays at the 9:30 Club the past two nights, then they were delighted out of that funk and transported to, well, brace for cliché…the weekend.

Taking the stage Monday night against a large canvas banner of their January 2008 self titled album “Vampire Weekend,” the four band members looked shockingly youthful. Dressed in their trademark prepster style, there was tremendous display of plaid, three of four musicians donned tartan shirts, and the drummer, always edgy, rocked a tie dye shirt.

The band’s two night stint at the 9:30 Club marked their first DC performance since a February concert at the Rock and Roll Hotel. This DC performance gap is particularly ironic given keyboardist Rostam Batmanglij’s metro area roots; for Batmanglij, who had strong crowd support, playing this venue must have been surreal, as one of his first concerts, Sigur Ros, was at the 9:30. In one of the brief set pauses Batmanglij admitted that he had seen another act prior to Sigur Ros but was too embarrassed to share the name with the crowd. Hanson, perhaps?
Continue reading →

Special Events, WTF?!
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The Office Holiday Party

BYT Holiday Party 2K7, by Flickr user pjarrettphoto

BYT Holiday Party 2K7, by Flickr user pjarrettphoto

Today is ordinarily the day when I tell you about some comedic happening in DC, why you should go see it, and when some malcontent starts snarking in the comments about whether or not the comedian in question is funny.  But not today.  Why?

It’s December, and the back and upstairs rooms of bars and restaurants that house the semi-pro comedy scene in DC are largely booked up for that most dangerous of winter distractions: The Office Holiday Party.

The Office Holiday Party is a sneaky beast, with the volatile mixture of alcohol and coworkers, holiday spirit and people you would not otherwise choose to socialize with. For couples, there’s often double the holiday party peril, with the added landmine of introducing a spouse or partner to that geechy dude in Accounting. I’ve got some advice for you on how to get through the most common hazards of the season with your dignity- and your paycheck- intact.
Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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What could go wrong?

Photo courtesy of philliefan99

preparation, courtesy of philliefan99

My darling fiancée is gently harassing me to consider renting out our place for the inauguration, and the question of “what could go wrong” is the one that consumes me most when pondering the subject. Eric “Vampire Guru” Nuzum hilariously addresses the question of ick and the competition in the inauguration rental business hilariously over at the Prince of Petwork blog.

I’m saddened but not entirely surprised to discover that I am much more easily bought than a published author. Nuzum says “Call me crazy, but even $20k won’t wash away the vision of some Fortune 500 executive screwing a coked-up hooker in my bed.” Personally I could spend $1,000 of that to get my mattress steam-cleaned and sleep like a baby. On my gigantic pile of money.

Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
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Free Taco If You Love The Improv

Maseca.jpg
Genuine Maseca Corn Flour by Andy Castro

It was hidden away in a DC Improv email that you might’ve just ignored, but here it is, for all our readers: You can get a free taco at California Tortilla today if you love the Improv, and are able to write on paper. Well, I suppose they’d accept this entry, printed out, with the following highlighted, if your handwriting sucks:

Dear California Tortilla,

We Totally Love the Improv. This person does, too. Please give them a free taco.

Love & Kisses,
We Love DC

There’s one in Cleveland Park on Wisconsin, and another on 7th Street across from the Verizon Center in Chinatown. There are, also, Cal Tort locations in Virginia, and in Maryland.

The Daily Feed
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Cheaper Taxis!


Random Taxi
Originally uploaded by leftymgp

Yay! The DC Taxi Commission dropped the $1 fuel surcharge last night, beginning at 12:01 a.m. Thursday. Seems the DCTC finally woke up and realized a ‘fuel surcharge’ when gas is below $2 would be a good PR move…

…Except they’re discussing raising the base rate to $2. Boo! Nice way to find a different way to stick it to your riders, DCTC. Heck, I doubt the fuel charge would’ve been yanked if WTOP and the blogverse hadn’t started griping. Maybe for Christmas we could ask if Santa Fenty could make the commission more accountable and transparent…

The Daily Feed
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DC Council Says: Party All Night!


FotoWeek Gala + Open Bar = Good Time!
Originally uploaded by Hoffmann

The City Council last night approved the bill that would let DC bars serve until 5am for the weekend before the inauguration, all the way through the Wednesday immediately after. Sure, bars can be open 24/7 during those five days, but they can’t serve between 5am and when they’d normally open. But, get ready for some sweet all-nighters at hotspots throughout the city.

Here’s hoping that DUIs and other drunkenness-related crimes don’t spike to match.

Music, The District
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Whistling In The Dark: They Might Be Giants @ 9:30 Club 11/28/08

They Might Be Giants by La Tête Krançien

In my younger years I spent a lot of time listening to cassettes in my room, on my walkman or in the car. If you’re like me, They Might Be Giants 1990 release Flood was among the most played and beloved albums in my collection. I learned all the words and the trumpet parts, which have stuck with me from childhood through adulthood. This past Friday, I was able to show off these skills (sans trumpet) when They Might Be Giants headlined the 9:30 Club to perform the album in its entirety.

This show, along with a handful of other dates this fall, features the band opening for themselves with full-album performances, most notably Flood and Apollo 18 (the following night they performed Apollo 18 back in New York). This comes right in time with the increasing trend of artists who have long-standing tenure in the music business to perform some of their greatest albums. This fall, Built To Spill and the Meat Puppets toured together doing much the same concept, and London-based All Tomorrow’s Parties has been hosting the Don’t Look Back concert series since 2005. On this cold Friday night however, Washington, DC was host to a special night of music. Not generally done outside of their hometown of New York City, They Might Be Giants are looking back and paying homage to their most successful record to date. Continue reading →

Entertainment, Music, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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We luv you, Britney

Photo courtesy of ~BostonBill~
Hang in there Britney, courtesy of ~BostonBill~

Britney Spears, everyone’s favorite train wreck, released her new album today, but the real news is that she’s coming to DC!

Welcome, crazy dad, dangerous paparazzi, and baby daddy drama. The madness won’t descend on DC until March 24, but the internet presale started today and goes through December 5th at 10pm. If you’re willing to spend upwards of $300 three months before the actual show, all you have to do is enter promo code IHEARTBRIT at checkout. Don’t say I never did anything for you.

Downtown, Penn Quarter, Special Events, The Mall, We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: Pompeii at NGA

Marine mosaic detail, from a house in Pompeii (2nd century BC), by chrisjohnbeckett, on Flickr

"Marine mosaic detail, from a house in Pompeii (2nd century BC)," by chrisjohnbeckett, on Flickr

One of the most incredible sights in my life was watching angry red streaks of lava etch the side of Mount Etna. I was on my way to the Catania airport during a vicious rainstorm. As the lightning crackled through the dark sky and the burning streams pulsated, the laconic driver assured me in typical Sicilian fashion – “c’è normale” – that’s nothing, it’s normal, it isn’t even a “real” eruption. My heart was racing even though I was safely miles away from the volcano, so awesome was the power of nature.

So I can only imagine how more horrifying the power of Mount Vesuvius was when it erupted in AD 79. But the people of the Bay of Naples still live under its threat, no doubt echoing their Sicilian counterparts in thinking, “c’è normale,” even with the ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum close by to remind them. Pompeii and the Roman Villa: Art and Culture Around the Bay of Naples, at the National Gallery of Art, cleverly lulls you into a similar state of complacency. The exhibit first highlights the decorative art of Pompeii and the surrounding area, taking you through the various rooms and courtyards of a typical villa of the Roman Empire. Only at the end are you hit with a dark room and depictions of volcanic explosions, a haunting evocation of “La Civita” – the lost ancient city.

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Capitol Visitors Center Opens at 1pm Today


The Congress
Originally uploaded by tbridge

If you’ve been dying to get into the new Capitol Visitors Center, today’s your day. From 1pm to 4:30pm, they’ll be having an open house of sorts over at the new CVC under the East Steps. If you get there toward the end, head to the West Steps after you leave and catch the 5pm lighting of the Capitol Christmas Tree.

This year, it’s a 70′ fir tree brought in from the Bitterroot Range in Montana, and decorated with ornaments made by artisans of Montana. It’s also being decorated with LED lights, to keep the energy bills down, which is pretty nifty.

Before you go today, take a look at our preview, or maybe read Phil Kennicott’s critique of the architecture choices for the new space.

The Daily Feed
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Holiday Boat Parades!


DC Boats
Originally uploaded by diskychick

So have I told you all how much I miss summer enough? No? Okay. Well, I really really really miss summer. I miss sitting on the patio at the Washington Sailing Marina, I miss being able to ride the Potomac River Boat Co. boats without freezing my henie off (is that even how you spell henie?).

If you are looking for a quality boat that you can use for years to come, the Twin Otter Kayak makes an excellent choice. With its rugged durability and comfortable ride, you can find a great deal on one of these versatile kayaks. The Twin Otter has been around since 1990 and is known for it’s reliability and durability. There are only a few hundred produced so this means that if yours is out-of-date, you most likely won’t have to worry about replacing it for quite some time.

So when I heard about the boat parades happening this weekend in Balitmore and in Old Town Alexandria, I was overjoyed! Faux-summer! With boats! (And coats, but I’ll take what I can get, okay?) Both are happening this Saturday (Dec. 6).

Alexandria’s got the Holiday Boat Parade of Lights, complete with Santa and 50 or so lit sail boats and leisure boats. Santa arrives at 4:15 p.m., and the parade starts at 6 p.m.

Baltimore’s Inner Harbor is hosting the Baltimore Parade of Lights. The WaPo GOG says “The best spots for viewing the parade include the front of the Maryland Science Center and on Broadway Pier in Fells Point, as well as any waterfront venue open to the public.” Parade starts at 6 p.m.

So grab your ear muffs and your hats and head out to the water parades to long for the warm days of yore. Or just to celebrate the holidays, whichever.

Featured Photo, The Mall
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Featured Photo

Environmental Light Installation with Boy by Edward Hoover

When someone takes a photo of another person’s art, can the photo then be considered art itself?  My personal opinion is that in most cases it can, but this is a debate that will never be settled, much like the never ending film vs digital debate.  In the end, I don’t think it’s possible to come up with a definition for art which is probably why I love it so much.  It’s art when the artist says so, as long as they can explain why.

The above photo was taken at one of my favorite museums in DC, the beloved Hirshhorn.  According to the photographer’s notes, the boy above is mesmerized by Dough Wheeler’s Eindhoven, Environmental Light Installation (1969).  The amazing color sucks me in like an alien’s tractor beam – I just can’t stop staring at it.  The repetitious rectangles rely on each other to draw the viewer in because without one, the other would have no meaning.  Finally the punctuation, the exclamation point, in this case the silhouetted boy, is added to the end of the sentence and the photo becomes whole.  It almost looks like the boy is about to dive into a vast sea of blue.

Great shot, Mr. Hooper.  Be sure to keep adding all of your awesome photos to our Flickr group and don’t forget about our Holiday Photo Contest!

The Daily Feed
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TV Test Tonight


EIL-062351-03
Originally uploaded by Paul-W

It seems it’s on the local news every night: Analog TV is going away in February, so if you get analog signal over the air with an antenna, you’re going to need a converter box. Don’t know if that’s you? Tune in to any of the local TV stations tonight at 5:28pm. They’re doing a shutoff test, which means they’ll be doing a 2 minute shutdown of their analog signal. If you see the message that they broadcast, it’s time to do a little research about getting a free converter for your TV.

Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
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Outstanding in the Field: Vermilion

Photo courtesy of jenn larsen

Wall at Vermilion, courtesy of jenn larsen

Jenn L told us about her Vermilion experience a few days ago, and it reminded me that I had not shared this tidbit – perhaps out of bitterness.

I didn’t hear about Outstanding In The Field till it was too late to buy tickets for their turn through the DC area. A pity, since I have some enthuseasm for their primary mission: local food. When they passed through our area their guest chef was Tony Chittum of Vermilion and the location was a bit north of Alexandria at the George Washington Birthplace Monument. The OitF people blogged about it after it happened back in September and the pictures are lovely.

Just one thing: where are the shots of the food?

Entertainment, The Daily Feed
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Heads Up: Nerdcore Alert

MC Lars and MC Frontalot with YT Cracker at Mexicali Blues, Teaneck, photo by James Mitchell

If you don’t have a genre that fits your style of music, just make one up. That’s what MC Lars did. He calls his style “Post-punk Laptop Rap,” others call it nerdcore, but I just call it fun. His sound is similar to the recently popular Flobots, just slightly funnier and with a tad less ego thrown in.

Check him out next Tuesday night at Jammin Java for crowd-pleasing songs like “Download This Song,” which makes fun of out-of-touch record companies, and “Internet Relationships (Are Not Real Relationships).”