Monthly Archives: February 2009

Talkin' Transit, The Features
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Talkin’ Transit: O Bus, Where Art Thou?

Photo courtesy of
‘waiting’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

Chock full of WMATA today.

First up, it looks like the Circulator will be taking over one or two Metrobus routes this spring. This would increase the local service to five looping routes from the current three. Which routes aren’t yet determined, but Circulator officials have stated they can offer the same service as Metro for less money. Whether Metro agrees or not remains to be seen.

Additionally, the Fairfax Connector is proposing to operate three Metro lines beginning this summer.

Metro’s desperate to plug a $154M hole in their budget, so it would be in their best interest to look at letting local services handle it. But Metro would lose the line’s fare revenue and subsidies from the jurisdiction that is paying Metro for the service. While the operating costs would go away, they may be reluctant – or stubborn – to let that money go.

The Examiner‘s Kytja Weir does a great job looking deeper into the issue. Continue reading →

Entertainment, Penn Quarter, The Daily Feed
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Riggle It

Photo courtesy of
‘ROB RIGGLE’
courtesy of ‘Robotclaw666’

The Daily Show really seems to have a knack for turning out the big stars: Stephen Colbert, Steve Carell, and Ed Helms (now on The Office as Andy) all took their turns as correspondants before their current gigs.

So who’s excited that Rob Riggle, one of my favorites because he’s so obnoxious and over-the-top, will be at Sixth & I tomorrow night? I am! Amazingly, it’s not sold out yet, and tickets are $20 for the rest of today (they go up to $25 the day of the show).

We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: The Dog in the Manger

Photo courtesy of shakespearetheatreco

DOGRHRSL_039
courtesy of shakespearetheatreco

I opened The Washington Post today and found Peter Marks’ glowing review of The Dog in the Manger and thought “yep, yep, yes, yes! Exactly right!” Then I thought “shit, what’s left for me to say?”

Who are we kidding? Of course I can still find something to say.

Seriously – while I don’t agree with Marks across the board, I do agree with him on the big points: the show is great and worth your time. The translation is so well done that this 500 year old play has dialog that feels fresh while still being from its own time. David Turner is fan-freaking-tastic and riotously funny. The show’s a winner and you should go see it.

So what else? I’m not as thrilled with Michael Hayden’s Teodoro as he is, but he fills the role well enough. Maybe that’s just my feelings about the character, a man who is almost exclusively reactive through the whole piece. It’s probably the one problem the excellent translation simply couldn’t address and the one thing that’s going to be a little odd for modern audiences. There’s not a hint that Teodoro has ever thought of Diana romantically before he catches her eye and she starts to drop anvil-like hints on his head, yet it completely derails his existing relationship. It’s not an insurmountable problem but it doesn’t give Hayden a lot of room to excel. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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James Beard Award: Best Chef Nominees

Photo courtesy of
‘The Pancake Maker’
courtesy of ‘maxedaperture’

WLDC would like to congratulate all the DC metro area chefs who were nominated in the Best Chef: MidAtlantic category for the prestigious James Beard Awards:

  • Cathal Armstrong, Restaurant Eve
  • Anthony Chittum, Vermilion
  • Haidar Karoum, Proof
  • Peter Pastan, Obelisk
  • Tom Power, Corduroy
  • Vikram Sunderam, Rasika

José Andrés of Minibar was nominated for the Outstanding Chef award, taking company in greats like Tom Colicchio, Dan Barber, Stephan Pyles and Barbara Lynch.

The James Beard Award is touted as “the country’s most coveted honor for chefs”.

The Daily Feed, WMATA
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Random Act of Kindness

Photo courtesy of
‘at least we’re not outside anymore!’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

I was just at metro center when a train went out of service. All the passengers unloaded and the operator blinked the lights and the train went black. A man standing near me on the platform randomly reached out to hold the door open and then I saw it, a little movement from the end of the car, a cane tip.

The man on the platform had spotted an elderly passenger who couldn’t move very fast and wasn’t off the train yet. The man on the platform yelled for the operator to hold but the operator didn’t hear and shut the door, leaving the man on the platform to pry the doors to save the old man on board from being whisked away on an out of service train. It took him two battles with the door (as well as the help of myself and two other men) to help hold the doors until the old man managed to shuffle off the car to safety. The old man exited the train and moved away, and the man on the platform went back to his blackberry and ipod.

Random acts of kindness spotted. Reason eight hundred sixty seven why I love DC.

The Daily Feed
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See ya, quitters

Photo courtesy of
‘Action!’
courtesy of ‘curran.kelleher’

Well, it looks like all but a done deal – DC United is going to head over into Maryland’s PG County because they want someone to build them a new stadium. I only have two suggestions: forget this horse-hockey about keeping the name – you’re not welcome to it. You want to be DC United, be in DC. The Nationals aren’t called the grod-damned Montreal Expos anymore because they’re not in Montreal. You won’t be in DC either, so be honest about it.

Second, enjoy your new digs and the quality law enforcement. I’d suggest you don’t host any Bring Your Dog To Work days, and if any of your fans get picked up and throw in jail for drunk and disorderly I’d suggest making sure they’ve paid up their season tickets in advance; might be hard to collect from them later.

Downtown, Food and Drink, We Love Food
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We Love Food: Equinox

Photo courtesy of
‘proof.glass.2’
courtesy of ‘Ghost_Bear’

Situated on Farragut Square in the Downtown corridor, Equinox is unassuming on the outside. With a glassed-in atrium, it looks like it was once a lunch eatery or an after-work bar spot that has been transformed, to the best of an interior decorator’s ability, to an upscale dining room. After having a wonderful time at Equinox in the fall, partaking in the fall happy hour, I was dying to try Equinox for a full meal, and Valentine’s Day was the perfect excuse.

We were sat, and the meal started out with bread. I love bread – it has the potential to set the tone for the entire meal. Bread can be a warm welcome, a fabulous place for a meal to start, and unfortunately Equinox’s bread fell flat. Well, not the bread so much as the hummus that came with it. I’m a big fan of interesting spreads (hello, honey butter, yogurt dill cheese or herb butter) and so I was excited to try the hummus that came with a pastry puff bread and some sort of fruit and herb bread slices. It was bland. It was mostly tasteless, with sort of a weird aftertaste. I tried it with or without the bread, and have to say, that hummus was a mistake for the chef to send out. I could have gotten better hummus at Trader Joe’s. But luckily, the hummus was the worst part of the entire meal, and everything just got better from there. Continue reading →

Food and Drink, Fun & Games, The Daily Feed
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Cooking Classes for The Rest of Us

Photo courtesy of
‘Day 14: Rachel Cooking’
courtesy of ‘InspirationDC’

My roommate and I regularly burn things, under-cook things, and generally make a mess in the kitchen. It’s sort of a trial by error approach to cooking, but hey – that’s how you learn right? Well, until now. Cookology, a recreational cooking school, opened out in Dulles Town Center on Valentine’s Day.

It’s the perfect place for those of us who look at a huge slab of roast and think: “um, what knife do I use” and “what do I do with this weird bone” and “is there a sauce that would go with this that I just don’t know about” and “do I put this in a pan or in the oven or can I just stick this mess in the toaster oven and be done with it?” – all those questions make me wish I could take my middle school home ec class all over again. Cookology is here to answer all the questions I wished I had asked back then!

The site has yet to post classes and prices (please be affordable, please please please!) but they’ve got a list of classes that they’re starting with, including my favorite: “Ready to Bake, take home an entire week’s worth of meals” as well as assorted others, “Make. Eat. (Guys night!)” and nutritional cooking. Cookology also offers wine tasting nights, product demonstrations (got a new gadget you wish you could test before you commit?) and every Friday is Date Night where you can cook with your significant other – perfect for Matt and I, we’re always trying to figure out new fun dates.

I love it, I’m excited! Where do I sign up!?

The Daily Feed, The Great Outdoors
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Urban Gardening Forum on Saturday

It may be the middle of winter, with freezing temps back and more talk of wintry mix coming from the weathermen, but it’s not too soon to start thinking about planting your garden. RootingDC is holding their second annual Urban Gardening Forum this Saturday at the Carnegie Library.

The forum is designed to bring DC Gardeners together to  share resources and foster partnerships between those who are working towards common goals of a greener, healthier DC. Are you a community gardener in Washington, DC? A teacher with a schoolyard garden? A member of a garden club or block club interested in beautifying your neighborhood? Involved with a non-profit leading a gardening program? Or, are you interested to get involved with such community projects? Sounds like this is the event for you.

Alexandria, Fun & Games, History, Special Events, Weekend Flashback
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Photo Flashback: George Washington’s Birthday Parade

Happy Birthday, GW

Yesterday, we headed out to the “largest parade celebrating George Washington’s Birthday in the USA!” – Alexandria’s George Washington Birthday Parade. How can you beat that as the perfect homage to President’s Day? Here it is in a photo review, from clowns to horseback riders, the parade had it all. Continue reading →

24 in DC
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24 in DC: Episode Seven (4:00 to 5:00)

Photo courtesy of tbridge
Jack and the Capitol 2
courtesy of tbridge

Hey there everyone. Tom and Tiff are currently being held captive in a basement of a Los Angeles bodega Dupont-area shop  so I’m going to be judging tonight’s battering of our beloved down. Jack don’t want to hurt you, DC, but you just make Jack so ANGRY….

Top of the hour means recap time to catch you up to date. I think this is the one where Jack faces a moral quandary and does what he has to in order to protect America. At the end of the last episode some extended gunplay had led to tragedy: over a dozen cases of Negra Modelo and Modelo Especial were broken and the beer sprayed everywhere.

Oh, and the First Dude got shot too.

Let’s go!

4:00 and they’re coming into the not-Dupont shop. Agent Freckles has barked at high volume that the first dude was shot but don’t spread it around. Look at the upside, at least he’s not a journalist with a headwound.

Then again, there’s no such thing as a West Arlington Hospital, so how bad can the care be?

4:05 and the quickest clearance process ever is taking place in the Oval Office. Where’s your SF86, Buchanan? Continue reading →

Food and Drink, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Free Z Burgers Today

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flickr user: midstreammom

Get them while they’re hot! The Z Burger chain in Glover Park (not sure if this applies to all DC Z Burgers) is giving out free burgers tonight. These burgers seem less greasy than Five Guys and more like the homemade from your backyard barbecue type. Choose from a long list of toppings. I learned about the GP giveaway from this month’s Glover Park Gazette, which is always a fun neighborhood read.

Sports Fix, The Features
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Sports Fix: Capital Delight

Photo courtesy of
‘090127 Alex Ovechkin’ courtesy of ‘Dan4th’

Ben here, filling in for Tom as he wings his way back across the Atlantic. He’ll have more National angst in a couple weeks, I’m sure.

Capitals
Record: 36-16-5 (77 points)
Position in Division / Conference: First / Tied for second

Two words to describe the current sports darlings in town: On fire.

And at just the right time. The Caps enter this week, just about 2/3rds through the season, at a red-hot pace and fighting with perennial standings goliath New Jersey on a near-nightly basis for the second spot in the Conference. The Caps are 9-2-2 in their last 13, though their road record needs some work, evening out at 14-12-4.

Ovie, to no one’s surprise, has scored 27 goals in his last 29, including a hat trick last night against a surprising Florida team. Alex Semin knocked in another point last night as well, notching himself as the teams’ fourth 50-point scorer this year. Mike Green had a NHL record eight game point streak for defensemen come to an end, however, but his success is typical of a well-oiled hockey team just hitting the right stride for the upcoming playoffs.

With the NHL trade deadline nearing, it’ll be interesting to see how McPhee sees the team and if any moves might be made. Barring a total failure by Theodore – who’s been showing consistent signs of his early Vezina career – the team look solid enough to go far come April and May.

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Mama Ayesha’s Presidential Mural


Mama Ayesha’s Presidential Mural
Originally uploaded by carlweaver

I was walking with my lovely wife to get some Ethiopian food in Adams Morgan yesterday when I saw this mural on the side of Mama Ayesha’s restaurant at 1967 Calvert Street, NW. There’s Mama Ayesha posing in front of the White House with all the presidents from Ike to Obama. And notice the motif of Ike being in front of an autumn scene, symbolizing death, and Obama near a sunrise, possibly symbolizing the dawning of the age of Aquarius. It gives me hope, I guess, or maybe some other single-syllable word relating to my wishes for the future.

Mostly what this mural does for me is make me wonder why Rich Little stood in for George H.W. Bush. Also, why is Johnson holding a book like that? To hide his presidential woody, perhaps? Go check it out and if someone asks why you are staring at it so long, just say that you are trying to figure out why LBJ is smiling like that.

Food and Drink, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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RW Extender

Photo courtesy of
‘a vegan is crying…………….’
courtesy of ‘LaTur’

Last night kicked off one of my favorite weeks of the year, restaurant week. Places are slammed with people looking for cheap eats, and plenty of places extend their RW picks beyond just this week. WaPo’s GOG has the full list, but I’ve narrowed down my picks for you so you can make the best of the extenders.

First, I’d hit up Farrah Olivia, it’s a good deal. Jaleo is supposed to be delicious, and I will be finding out next week myself, when I head to Crystal City for the Crystal Couture event. Oya has upped the anty and is offering the $35.09 prix fixe menu through August (aka next RW) so don’t rush over any time soon, but mark it down to go for some special trendy night out on the town, cause Oya is delish.

PS7’s is one of my all-time favorite places in DC, so grab your spot now and you won’t be disappointed. Urbana and Willow are great, both fresh and tasty, though I’d do Urbana only for dinner because you can get it for much cheaper with the Urban Lunchbox deal at lunch. If you like Indian, which I don’t care for, Raskia is the place to be.

Ahh, affordable tasty eats are my favorite.

Weekend Flashback
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Weekend Flashback: 2/13 – 2/15/09

Photo courtesy of imageining
My Valentine, courtesy of imageining

And a Happy Belated Valentine’s Day to you all. Hope your weekend was full of everything you wanted it to be.

So what did you all do this past “weekend o’ love”? Well, after the jump, find out what some of your fellow residents and visitors were snapping photos of around the area. And please, if you see something that you like, click over to their Flickr stream and let them know. Our resident photogs are awesome and we should show our appreciation for sharing their work with us. Continue reading →

We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: Disney on Ice

Disney on Ice

Okay, I get it, I know, Disney on Ice: Disneyland Adventure isn’t something you’d ususally find on WLDC, nor would it be something that I would typically write about as an author, but when you’re offered comp tickets, I mean – hey? Who would turn down some good old quality time reliving your childhood? Plus, it’s an excellent escape from all the “grown up” thinking I’ve been doing recently, what with a new job, taxes, and a stinky economy. So one night in the “happiest place on earth”? Well, fine, I’ll give it a shot. Also, truth be told, I’m totally the kid who wrote papers for school on the Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan drama. I followed Michelle Kwan‘s life story. I know who Scott Hamilton is, and envied his 80’s sequined flared get-ups for the Olympics. Kristi Yamaguchi? Yes, please.

So off we went for a night of saccharine plotline and figure skating… Continue reading →