By Ben H. Rome
‘Wild DC – Immature Bald Eagle – 6-27-09’ courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’
The weekend before the ‘mass exodus’ of the Fourth holiday…and it was a gorgeous one. Eastern Market now open, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in full swing, boating and water sports on area rivers and even simple ‘backyard’ fun – our area photographers caught it all.
So before this short work week gets into full swing, sit back and reminisce a little. And get ready for the long weekend!
By Rebecca
‘Paolo’s Ristorante’
courtesy of ‘john w’
At around 10pm Saturday night, Paolo’s Ristorante on the corner of Wisconsin Avenue and N Street NW caught on fire. I happened to be sitting across the street having a drink at Martin’s Tavern, when I noticed black smoke billowing out the back roof of the restaurant; shortly thereafter we saw flames. At the time, Paolo’s was in full swing, packed with diners and DCers prepping for a night out. Two fire engines promptly appeared and the small blaze was adeptly extinguished–it took about an hour or so, for the whole operation to be over. It was very cool to see the DCFD is full action. This included two ladders in operation, hooks pulling down flaming debris, and multiple fire extinguishers. I even spotted a female firefighter. Yeh, chick, represent!
From my vantage point, the fire was not very big and most likely started in the kitchen at the back of the restaurant. It looked to be near some sort of chimey-esque vent. Given the fire’s size and location, and the fast response of the DCFD, I assumed everyone (staff and patrons) got out OK. This conjecture was furthered when I walked by Paolo’s at 1:30am and saw the staff sitting at the restaurant’s bar having drinks and chilling out. When it’s 11pm on a Saturday night and your workplace, which happens to be a bar, closes unexpectedly, what else should you do besides grab a drink, enjoy the weather and hit up the nightlife? Continue reading
By Tom Bridge
‘Circulator panning’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’
I’d much rather see this service offered for the rest of Metrobus, but you’ve got to start somewhere. DDOT now offers realtime tracking of the Circulator buses for all WAP-enabled mobile phones. That means you can always see where the nearest Circulator bus is, and whether or not you should just say screw it and take a cab. Not so bad, but where’s this for the rest of the WMATA bus lines? There was NextBus service for a few routes, as it was in beta-testing, but WMATA pulled the plug on that one faster than safety upgrades for the 1000-series cars.
Here’s hoping the Circulator isn’t the only line with this kind of availability.
By Tom Bridge
While Monumental is traditionally the realm of the markers and monuments and memorials left throughout the city, Council Chairman Graham said something at this morning’s re-opening of Eastern Market that stuck with me. He said that Eastern Market was DC’s own Monument, more so than any of the Washington monuments. He couldn’t be more right. Let’s take a look at our rededicated monument to city life.
Eastern Market was constructed in 1873, designed by Adolf Cluss. The District was attempting to urbanize and part of that plan was a series of local markets for produce and meat. Cluss designed Central and Eastern markets as part of the new system. As the Post would point out in the wake of the fire, Eastern Market is truly local. The architecture of the space, done in the Italian style, in old red brick, is set at odds with the Federal style of granite, marble and columns.
By Don
‘June 219’
courtesy of ‘tsuacctnt’
John Catoe has indicated that he’ll have to cut the chat short and end it at 3:00. With 1/3 of the time now gone he has (sort of) answered the cutting question of “how long will red line delays be this weekend?”
By AcaciaO
‘Ice Cream’
courtesy of ‘Josh Friedman Luxury Travel’
If you’re around Union Station, you may still have a chance to catch up with the Blue Bunny man, who will hand you a delicious Frozen Yogurt treat for free! People were walking by and ignoring him, but our interaction went something like this:
“Free ice cream!”
Me, doing a double-take. “Yes!!”
Him: “Right?? That’s what I’m saying!”
By Don
Firefly‘s gotten a lot of mention around here but we’ve never done a comprehensive review. When I had to pick a place to meet an out-of-town friend who was staying off Scott Circle, Firefly seemed like a no-brainer selection. My darling wife and I met her and another dining companion on a Thursday night expecting a highly enjoyable experience.
We did not get exactly what we expected.
By Don
‘DC Metro’
courtesy of ‘SWP Moblog’
Don’t forget that WMATA’s GM John Catoe will be having his online chat at 2:30p today. I’d bet Tom’s left ear that it’s going to be hugely attended so you might want to plan your question in advance and be ready to paste it in promptly at 2:30.
‘Every Food Fits – When Life Gives You Cucumbers…’
courtesy of ‘staceyviera’
Bread for the City is working on “filling the food gap” from when their food pantry went way over budget in May. When a food pantry goes over budget, it’s because there’s a greater need in the community for food assistance, and because donations may not be coming as freely. Food pantries get pinched from both sides in a recession. Every little bit helps, so if you can, send them some money today, and don’t forget to join us at our first anniversary party next week, where we’ll be accepting cash donations for Bread for the City at the door.
By Tom Bridge
When a fire decimated the inside of Eastern Market early in the morning of April 30th, 2007, the city lost one of its own best monuments. Built in 1871, architected by Adolf Cluss, Eastern Market was the city’s first enclosed produce markets, a supermarket before Giant, Safeway or Magruder’s were even a twinkle in their founders’ eyes. After 26 months of restoration and renovation, Eastern Market reopened today, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by Mayor Fenty, Congresswoman Norton, Council Chairman Gray, Council members David Catania, Tommy Wells and Kwame Brown, and former Council member Sharon Ambrose.
The new interior of Eastern Market features all of the 2007 vendors, from Canales Meats to Calomiris & Sons fruits. The $22M renovation also features, to the relief and delight of all, Air Conditioning and Restrooms. Chief among the renovations, though, is a full fire sprinkler and alarm system designed to minimize damage and alert the authorities.
We’ll have a bigger feature on Eastern Market this afternoon in the 3pm Feature slot.
By Donna C.
‘Obsessed with the woods’
courtesy of ‘Vagabond Shutterbug’
When I was a kid, a friend and I decided to spend the night in the yard…until our horse snorted loudly outside the tent door and we ran screaming to the house.
Camping also makes me think of watching meteor showers from sleeping bags spread under the sky, freeze-dried cobblers gone hilariously awry, adventures with bear canisters, and way too much rain.
One thing’s for sure — camping breeds good stories. Get some new ones by joining the Great American Backyard Campout and sleeping outside Saturday night, when it’ll be clear and 60-odd degrees. Your balcony a bit cramped? Head to wide open space in Shenandoah or George Washington National Forest. Then flambee some s’mores.
By Tom Bridge
‘Circuit Board Art’
courtesy of ‘tbridge’
The Post is reporting this morning that the trackside train proximity sensors did not function properly on Monday, or in a test on Thursday. These sensors are designed to detect where the trains are in the system and provide that information to other nearby trains to slow or stop them based on proximity.
Metro has undertaken a complete review of all the electronic relays on the Red Line, and will keep the system operating on manual with a maximum speed of 35mph until the review is complete, which may take a few weeks. We’re going to be on manual for a while, so that means adjusting where you’re standing on the platform, as trains are going to be pulling forward to the 8-car mark even at 6 cars long. In addition, Metro will be moving all of the 1000-series cars to the center of trains for safety purposes. If you see a 1000-series car at the front of a train, mark down its car number, time of day and where you saw it, and put it in the comments here? We’ll make sure Metro knows about it.
By AcaciaO
Last night, on H St. and 8th NE, a block party formed to honor the memory of the late, great Michael Jackson. The mourners then turned to H St. to spread their love with passers-by, including the Circulator, 90, 92, and X2, among many other supportive motorists. One of the noisiest honkers waved his vinyl copy of Thriller out of the window as he drove by.
By Donna C.
‘20080620-5428’
courtesy of ‘sskennel’
CarbonfreeDC wants to launch an Extreme Green Neighborhood Makeover — and has beat out 2,500 others to become one of 10 finalists in the Green Effect competition sponsored by National Geographic and SunChips.
The plan? To sponsor 20 homes on a city block in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Washington, DC, helping the families green their homes and lower their energy bills. The five best ideas will win $20,000.
Can you volunteer to star in the video? On Sunday at 4:30, CarbonfreeDC needs volunteers to star in the video it will post to the contest site. Come to National Geographic Museum on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. for the filming, and stay for drinks and snacks at Beacon Bar & Grill.
By jasmine
‘Personal Vision’
courtesy of ‘1Sock’
I read an article in Express yesterday that I haven’t been able to get out of my head. It was about color photographer William Eggleston, whose work is displayed at the Corcoran right now. The part that was amazing to me is his technique: he doesn’t take multiple frames of his subject and pick the best one, like most photographers. He takes one shot. Just one. And they’re not just good, they’re defining-art-photography amazing. This, I have to see. The exhibition, William Eggleston: Democratic Camera, Photographs and Video, will be open through September 20.
By Kirk
‘Pointy Houses in a Row’
courtesy of ‘Bill Jones Jr’
“Creative people have LA and stylish people have NYC,” said a person that I met at the bar. “Nerds like you and I, we’ve got Washington. It’s our city, man.” Flippant, yes, but philosophical at the same time. This stranger that sat down next to me on a Friday evening hit at what, to me, makes DC a great place: community. It’s part Mecca for CLA geeks, like myself, and part city of unseen potential. Since getting to know Washington, DC, I realized that its a place that most Americans visit, but never actually see. The true beauty of this city is known only to residents and this provides a strata of a commonality that binds them together. Why do I love DC? Community, plain and simple.
I’ll admit that I lived in the area for a solid 4 years before I began to discover that DC actually had a personality. Cracking the marble facade of the city takes time and effort. To most, Washington, DC is a giant, historical landmark. It holds our nation’s great monuments and provides beds for its leaders. It’s an effective, yet insular bastion of power that lacks the cultural panache of other, major cities.
By Katie
‘the market lunch’
courtesy of ‘staceyviera’
It’s a titch humid out there, eh, DC? But that’s okay, we’ve got enough foodie news to go around. So, without further ado, all the news fit to eat in the District. From bees to patios, to wine dinners and a new naptown restaurant, read on… Continue reading
By Tom Bridge
‘TwitterFailWhaleScreenshot_2’
courtesy of ‘MikeBlogs’
One of the first rules about having a Twitter account is that, if your messages are public, you have to assume that everyone you know can and will read your tweets. So, that means if you’re talking about work, or end up saying something like, “In americas ghetto anacostia… If i get scared i will just yell chinese carry out! They will not shoot me.” while working for the DC Jobs program? That means you’re going to get fired.
Congratulations, David Le, that, coupled with a few of the other tweets from the article makes me glad the city fired you.
By Katie
‘Engine Co. No. 28’
courtesy of ‘flipperman75’
The Neighborhood Restaurant Group (who brought you Rustico, Evening Star, Eat Bar, etc.) has announced the opening of a new concept, the Columbia Firehouse in Old Town. With two different restaurant experiences, and two bars, the Firehouse will be quite the addition to the Alexandria dining scene.
The 80-seat upstairs dining room will serve as a classic chophouse with most of the restaurant’s meats and all of its charcuterie selected, butchered and prepared by Red Apron. The 120-seat dining room downstairs will offer a casual menu with a focus on modern American comfort food, small plates and sandwiches, such as dry-rubbed & smoked chicken wings with buttermilk blue & firehouse bbq sauces, Maryland crab cake with jicama slaw and Dijon aioli, and the firehouse burger.
Columbia Firehouse will also be home to two bars. The main bar, located on the ground floor of the restaurant, will specialize in pure, authentic versions of classic cocktails including Rickey’s, Fizzes, Sazeracs and more. he second floor bar and adjoining lounge will be open for special events, and will allow cocktail enthusiasts to sample a rotating menu of creative concoctions, as well as aperitifs and after-dinner drinks. I’m sure I’ll have much more information for you when it opens.
By Don
‘DC Meetups – 09-03-22 – Your Move’
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’
It’s been going on a year since the Metro was festooned with ads for Fallout 3, a post-apocalypse game set in the DC region. Apparently The Conduit doesn’t have the same sort of ad budget since it released a few days ago without any sign of it around our mass transit. But if you want to run around a digital District looking for information about an alien conspiracy and happen to own a Wii perhaps you want to pick this one up.
It’s presumably less depressing than Fallout 3 since everything isn’t a destroyed wasteland. As a bonus, the enemy is named the Drudge. It’s unclear if there’s another group in the game called the Politico that runs around desperately trying to get the Drudge to link to them. I’m hoping that the Drudge wear a silly hat, at least.
If you’ve played the game please chime in and let us know how it is as a representation of DC. You know how much we love to drone on about representations of our fair city.
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