Monthly Archives: January 2009

Downtown, Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
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Truly Thrifty

Urbana Interior

Recently, I had lunch in Dupont Circle with my work BFF. We chose Urbana as our spot because of the “Urban Lunchbox” deal they have going on – a full three course meal (+ coffee) for 11.95, with a dollar of that going to Arc of DC. (The Arc is a great organization that aims to improve the quality of life of all persons with developmental disabilities and their families.)

At Urbana, diners get a choice of the salad or soup of the day, plus any of the sandwiches or personal pizzas on the menu, and they’ll finish you up with a cookie for dessert. I LOVED it. The portions were very generous, and the fare healthy and well done. Urbana is chic, the service was impeccable and the deal was a complete steal. Normally, my pizza alone would have cost $13, but with the lunchbox I got salad, said pizza, dessert and coffee for that price.

Plus, I have a crush on every Kimpton Hotel, and Urbana is located in the Hotel Palomar on P street so I even got a peek at the stylish hotel lobby. Everything in that hotel is designed immaculately. Even the plates and dishware were trendy. Click through for a peek at my super-sleek coffee cup. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Evidence of Germaphobe Designers

washington dc by wayan
Photo by Wayan

I wonder who in the Newseum bathroom design committee was the germaphobe that insisted they needed door wipes in the men’s room.

As a man who always washes his hands but notes the number of men that do not, I like the door wipe idea, but have a better one: electro-shock therapy for those that go urinal to door.

Entertainment, Music, The Features
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February Concert Preview

February might not be my favorite month of all time, what with the gross weather and the Valentine’s Day pinkness of it all, but there are plenty of exciting concerts and musical events in DC to perk up those winter blues! Here is my (completely subjective, not comprehensive) compilation of what’s going on music-wise for February. Continue reading →

Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
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Ethnic Dining Guide

Hotdogs and Rice with Broccoli.

Tyler Cowen’s Ethnic Dining Guide for the DC area has been updated for 2009. He starts off with a plug for his book, Discover Your Inner Economist, offers some rules of thumb for choosing ethnic food restaurants in general, lists some “must-eat” places, then launches into a grand, culturally-alphabetized list of restaurants of every regional and stylistic variety, with addresses and capsule reviews. The guide is huge and tirelessly comprehensive, definitely worth a scan if you’re hankering for an exotic dine-out this weekend.

(Link via Kottke. Pictured above: a traditional Filipino meal.)

The Daily Feed
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Didn’t They Forget Something?

washington dc by wayan
Photo by Wayan

Look closely at this photo. Isn’t that hole missing something? Like a way out for the earth movers down at the bottom? How are they going to get that equipment out? Or will they convert engines into boilers like that childhood picture book that I remember but forgot the name of.

Alexandria, Arlington, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, Tourism
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Tourism: Ice Skating

Photo courtesy of
‘Skating Together’
courtesy of ‘Karon’

There are few outdoor activities I enjoy when the weather gets this cold. Skiing and ice skating are about the only two that I daydream fondly about. So just in case this week’s iceageddon didn’t take you down, and you’re itching for more (or you want to tackle the ice with proper equipment), you’re in luck.  DC is home to tons of great indoor and outdoor ice skating rinks for you to take a spin (or a fall) on.  Continue reading →

Inaugupocalypse, The Daily Feed
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An Elephant Named Barack?

Barack.png

He’s just twelve hours older than the presidency he’s named after, but the Ringling Brothers’ newest Elephant calf is named Barack. While the President might rather have a few donkeys named after him rather than the traditional mascot of the Republican Party, it’s nice to see another endangered species add some numbers to their herd.

I suppose you could make some sort of joke about similarities in parentage, as currently, the Elephant Center isn’t sure which of their donors was the father just yet.

But that would be in poor taste. So we won’t make that joke.

Fun & Games, History, Inaugupocalypse, The Daily Feed
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Best Inauguration Picture Yet

Photo courtesy of
‘Ready for history’
courtesy of ‘afagen’

Click through this link for the most amazing full-screen high resolution picture of the inauguration. It’s incredibly entertaining, plus you can play fun games like  “find Beyonce” and “I didn’t know W had a side table!”. Plus, if you were lucky enough to have a seat up close, you’ll be able to play the most fun game of all – “find me!”

The Daily Feed
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A convoluted headline

Huh?

I was on WJLA.com looking to see if there were any more details on the shooting and hostage situation in Alexandria when I saw this. I read it several times and couldn’t quite figure out what that meant. He was mad she was defending his son? Is she a lawyer? Turns out he shot her after she interfered in his beating on HER son. I guess “crazed PG county jackass sent to prison” isn’t enough detail for the average news reader.

The Daily Feed
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Is This Your Snow Car?

washington dc by wayan
Photo by Wayan

I love the days after a snow storm. You quickly learn who drives to work and who does not. This car, like mine is still snow covered from Tuesday. I wonder if they are waiting for nature’s cleaning plan too: spring.

Food and Drink, Night Life, We Love Drinks
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We Love Drinks: Jimmy Valentine’s

Third Eye

"Third Eye" by Jenn Larsen, on Flickr

I swear time stops at Jimmy Valentine’s. It’s like an alternate universe, a wormhole, a gap in space. Every crazy visit reinforces the feeling that I’m Alice – diving through the looking glass while holding tightly to Hunter S. Thompson’s hand.

Or maybe it’s just that it’s a cracking good bar located in what many people would consider to be the NE wasteland. I’d hazard to guess that Trinidad isn’t high on the radar for any but the most adventurous night owls, though that’s changing radically with H Street’s success. Because of the location, a night out at Jimmy Valentine’s requires a certain commitment. The owners are committed as well, to keeping it grounded with locals as a place to hang out and have a good time, with a vibe that’s almost defiantly pretension-free.  

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Worried about ice? You should be!

Watch Your Step - by Mr. Ducke (Creative Commons)

Watch Your Step - Mr. Ducke (Creative Commons)

As I walked to the metro this morning, I realized that I saw a lot of sidewalks in my area that still had the awful combination of snow and ice all over them.  The first thing I thought is “why haven’t they shoveled”?  But I felt better when I realized that Arlington would quickly come down on those who didn’t shovel…

… I shouldn’t have been that hasty.  It turns out that Arlington, like many other counties and cities in the area, don’t require homeowners or businesses to shovel their sidewalks.  So although the streets are clear, the pedestrians are out of luck.

I don’t know about you – but I think that’s just ridiculous.  This isn’t a rural community with no sidewalks.  Plenty of people in the DC metro area have been convinced to give up commuting by car and walk to a bus stop, metro station, or to work.  So why don’t they require business and homeowners to clear their own sidewalks?

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Frozen Pool


Frozen Pool
Originally uploaded by M.V. Jantzen

How bad’s the cold been this winter? Well, check out these guys standing on the reflecting pool in front of the Capitol. I’m not sure it’s frozen all the way through, but certainly enough to hold up a couple dudes on the Ice.

Entertainment, Music, The Features
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We Love Music: The Killers at Patriot Center

Killers.jpg
The Killers @ Madison Square Garden by Aphrodite in NYC

Suffice it to say: The Killers are a Great Band that plays a Great Show. I just wish I could say that each album they put out was as good as their blockbuster Hot Fuss and its sophomore follow-up Sam’s Town. Day & Age just isn’t as good, and it showed last night at their show in Fairfax at the Patriot Center. Aside from top singles Human and Spaceman, the rest of Day & Age fell flat in front of the crowd. While better live than memorex, it was tough to see the band that rocked out so hard on previous albums watch the crowd ebb in front of their eyes.

Perhaps it’s that the sound wasn’t all that great in the Patriot Center (and it wasn’t, the engineering team needs to go back to school, there was some real balance programs for the whole first half of the concert.), or maybe it’s that the source material for Day & Age just hasn’t gelled yet. Regardless, the crowd came most alive for the partially acoustic version of Sam’s Town, which was a highlight of the show. Continue reading →

Downtown, Entertainment, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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And So Begin the Exemptions

Photo courtesy of
‘Cigar’
courtesy of ‘J$’

It’s gotta be nice to have a councilman in your organization; so that he’ll take on the first exemption to the smoking ban so you can have a cigar on St. Paddy’s Day. That’s right, the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick (and their circa 1998 website) have convinced Councilman Jack Evans (Ward 2) to put legislation before the council that would exempt the fraternal organization on St. Paddy’s day so they can have celebratory cigars with their celebratory whiskey.

This one seems crappy to me. I know, holiday, but if we do one exemption, it’s going to be a dozen of them. Better would be to write an exemption process and let people petition a committee of the council for it, instead of going the legislative route. It seems that Evans took this on of his own volition, but it seems to be an inefficient way to try to do this on a regular basis, if we want to do that at all.

The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Obama on Snow: C’mon Now. Really?

Here’s President Obama bashing on DC for the snow day that a lot of folks picked up today. I, for one, couldn’t agree more with our President. The roads were a bit icy this morning, surely, but not even the hills of Fairlington were impassable. Have we really reached a point in our society where we can’t handle a little frosty precip?

The Daily Feed
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Do You Seat Belt in Cabs?

washington dc by wayan
Photo by Wayan

DC requires seat belts in taxi cabs, but I do not think they mean back seats, only front seats. Why? Because I have never heard of anyone getting a $50 fine for no seat belt in the back seat. Have you?

Then why do taxi cabs have these seat belt stickers in the back windows?

Comedy in DC
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Comedy in DC: Become a Local Comic, Support a Local Comic

Photo courtesy of
‘Stand up 371’ (Jay Hastings)
courtesy of ‘YoLoPey’

Exciting stuff in the local comedy world this week, everyone.  There’s a new open mic, and a fun showcase happening at the Improv.  Make your plans quick, or you’ll miss out, and you don’t want that. Oh no, you don’t.

First, the open mic: Standup comedy has returned to the Comedy Spot in Ballston. Every Thursday night, Hot Broth Comedy starts at 7:30 in the Comedy Spot’s black box (which is really more of a gray box) stage. Show up at 7-ish to get on the list.  Okay, yeah, look, it’s not technically in DC. But there are some reasons you should check this out anyway- First, it’s run by Tyler Sonnichsen and Jake Young, who, in addition to being hilarious and committed to running a quality show, are also very professional (for comedians, I mean really), courteous guys who make newbies feel welcome. So if you’re looking to try this out for the first time, this is the show to hit.  Second, it’s ridiculously convenient for driving, metro-ing, AND planning- you don’t have to sign up in advance. And finally, it’s in a dedicated space rather than a bar like a lot of open mics are. So you won’t have to compete with the bar conversation, the local sporting event on the TV, the jukebox, or whatever. I’m delighted to see this happening and can’t wait to go check it out myself.

Second, the showcase: This Saturday, January 31st at 8PM, there’s an audition showcase for the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal. Which, let me just say it, is kind of a Big Freakin’ Deal. It’s the biggest, baddest comedy festival there is. It’s like, I don’t know, Cannes for Comics. Many of the area’s finest comics (including the scruffy guy adorning the top of this post) are going to be showing off for the scouts, so for a mere $20, you can go laugh yourself hoarse and support local performers. It’s a win-win, people. I mean, what were you going to do with that money, see Paul Blart: Mall Cop? Go watch some live comedy instead and have a little more respect for yourself in the morning. Go buy your tickets. 

News about local comedy events can be sent to tiffany at we love dc dawt com. I’ll love you forever. Seriously.

The Daily Feed
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Useful Free Stuff!


Peregrene Latte
Originally uploaded by lorigoldberg

Panera Bread (oh how I wish you were downtown DC, Panera) is giving away free coffee all day! YES! How USEFUL! Unlike free ice cream from Baskin Robbins, this free treat is perfect for this ice-out day we’re having.

Alongside the free coffee, you’ll be able to sample Panera’s new breakfast treats. Plus, if snow stirs up the gift-giver in you, participating stores will match every dollar you donate to local charities.

Life in the Capital, The Features, The Great Outdoors, Weekend Flashback
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Photo Flashback: Snow Edition

Photo courtesy of
‘Berries in snow…’
courtesy of ‘Roger Photos’

The WLDC Flickr pool has been abuzz with pictures of the snow. I listed snow-covered DC as one of the things I am most thankful for, and so it was my pleasure to comb through the great photos our flickratzi have submitted over the past 24 hours, and pulled some to post. So click on through to take a tour of our gorgeous city in the snow. Continue reading →