Monthly Archives: July 2009

The Daily Feed, WMATA, WTF?!
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Red Line Incident

Photo courtesy of
‘Metro – Vault – 12-15-08’
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

A man was hit and injured by a Red Line train at the Van Ness-UDC Metro station this afternoon after he put himself on the tracks intentionally, according to WMATA. DC Fire & EMS retrieved the man from under the first car of the train and transported him to an area hospital. Until the incident scene is formally documented, the Red Line will be single-tracking from Cleveland Park to Friendship Heights, resulting in (yet more) delays.

Is this Metro’s worst year? It’s look like it.

Update: Metro says that “normal” (degraded) service has returned after the accident.

Life in the Capital, The Daily Feed
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DC: Meet The Amazing Race

Photo courtesy of
‘uh, where are we?’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

So you think you know DC? The city’s hidden gems, obscure facts, secret tunnels and back routes? Next Saturday, Aug. 1st, offers you a chance to put all that trivia valuable knowledge to good use.

It’s the first-ever GO Urban Adventure Race, a nationwide series of scavenger hunts that kicks off here at home. Next summer, DC will host all winning teams in the championship race.

Here’s the deal — teams of two will receive clues via text message and will travel by foot, Metro or bus to a GOpoint. They must complete a physical or mental challenge to get their next clue and move on. Clues are tailored to DC’s unique make-up and history. After finding 12 GOpoints, competitors race to the finish — and a party, of course!

All proceeds benefit The Vallon Institute, which raises money for environmentally and health-friendly programs. And the race is green, with organic t-shirts and perks for doing planet-friendly deeds. Sign me up!

The Daily Feed
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Who doesn’t love Gargoyles?

Photo courtesy of
‘St. Patrick’s Church – Cornered – 3-4-09’
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

They’re so cute and evil! They’re so… Hunchback of Notre Dame. Or Batman Returns. They kind of remind me of Dobby in Harry Potter. Alright, you can project your own pop culture references onto these little guys when you go on the National Cathedral Gargoyle tour. Admission is $10 per adult; $5 per child (12 and under); or $30 per family. No reservations necessary.

Upcoming dates (all Sundays at 2 p.m.):
July 26
August 23
Sept. 27
October 25

Food and Drink, Interviews, Life in the Capital, Penn Quarter, People, The Features
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She Loves DC: Jill Zimorski

jill and wine

Jill rushes up to greet me wearing a bright green cardigan and a cute black Ann Taylor dress. (I know, because I have it in pink!) She’s not what you expect in someone whose credentials boast “Certified Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers” and “has completed the Advanced Certificate Course offered through the Wine Spirits and Education Trust.” Jill just looks like she could be any of my girlfriends, but with a totally rockin’ day job – beverage director for Café Atlantico, the popular Penn Quarter eat place that hides Minibar. She’s been with Jose Andres since 2006, and seen Cafe Atlantico through quite a bit. We sat down to talk about my favorite subject – DC, paired with my other favorite subject – food and wine. (Heavy on the wine, given Jill’s passion!)

Me: Name the best part of DC in your opinion?
Jill: I think it would have to be the endless variety of people who you can meet, and what you can do here. My list of things I want to do is long, and some of it you can do on your own and other things with friends. Continue reading →

Getaways, The Features
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Getaways: Monticello

The Monticello

“I am as happy no where else and in no other society, and all my wishes end, where I hope my days will end, at Monticello.” –Thomas Jefferson, 1787

Strolling the grounds of one of America’s most famous homesteads, with its tidy green spaces and views of the Blue Ridge Mountains stretching out from either side, one could see why Thomas Jefferson sought always to be here, at Monticello. Monticello, with its book-lined walls, its stretching gardens and its needs, was — for Jefferson — the only place worth being, even during his trips to France as U.S. Minister or his time as president. And honestly, who could blame him?

The day trip to Charlottesville, Virginia, from DC was inspired in part by a graphic essay by Maira Kalman in the New York Times called “Time Wastes too Fast.” Kalman retells her own pilgrimage to Monticello with a quaint and quirky awe at the man, his accomplishments and his life there. “If you want to understand country and its people and what it means to be optimistic and complex and tragic and wrong and courageous, you need to visit his home in Monticello,” she writes. Okay Maira, I’m sold.

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Blogging the Fire Department

Photo courtesy of
‘DC Fireboat and Memorial Bridge’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

Yesterday a friend sent me what is becoming my new favorite blog, Raising Ladders, which is the story of Alex, a probie firefighter/paramedic with Engine Company 15/Rescue Squad 3 in the District of Columbia. The writing is phenomenal, and you get to see a whole other side of our city from the vantage point of a young firefighter working in the city he loves. Be ready, though, I’ve lost a couple hours to the site in the last couple days, and you very may well get sucked in, as well. I dare you not to gawk for at least 15 minutes at his photography, though. Dare you. Oh, and if you don’t read the story about talking with the crackhead? You’re missing out.

The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Watch as Teddy Devours Secretary Sebelius

Okay, so that’s not exactly what happens in this PSA about the Flu. But with the sound off, it sure looks like Teddy is going to raise the Secretary over his head and stuff her into his gaping, grinning maw as an after-race snack.

Or maybe I just haven’t had my coffee yet.

Seriously, though, wash your hands and stay home if you’re sick, the Flu bites.

The Daily Feed
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DC United in Talks to Build Stadium (Again)

Photo courtesy of
‘DC United at RFK – Now and Forever -5858’
courtesy of ‘Joe Tresh’

Now and forever, not so much? Washington Business Journal reports today that DC United CEO Kevin Payne has restarted his discussions with DC council member Jack Evans, D-Ward 2, and Delegate Eleanor Holmes-Norton, D-D.C., about the potential of a new soccer stadium being built in the district around Poplar Point near the Anacostia river. Payne’s been here before, as he was in talks several months ago with Mayor Fenty, but the Mayor abandoned talks when it was evident they could not possibly swing funding a project of this magnitude.

The hope of United officials is to build a 20,000-seat stadium costing at least $175 Million so they can leave the archaic RFK, where DC United has won 100 games in 13 seasons (not too shabby!) With their $1.2 Million lease expiring after the 2010 season, commissioner of Major League Soccer, Don Garber, suggested the team relocate if they can’t find adequate funding to build a new stadium. Booo!!!! Bad idea. Continue reading →

History, Monumental, The Features
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Monumental: Fort Marcy

DSC_1761

Driving the George Washington Parkway north along the Potomac, you can almost miss the entrance to Fort Marcy Park. It’s not a well-known Civil War fortification, not being a sight of one of that war’s destructive battles, but it was one of the key components of the Union’s defense of the capital. (It’s also known as the place where White House Counsel Vince Foster’s body was discovered in 1993, but that’s not really relevant today.)

At the beginning of the Civil War, there was only one operational fort (Fort Washington, over in Maryland) to defend against Confederate encroachment. A huge effort was made to establish a defensive ring of forts around the capital, eventually resulting in a ring of eight enclosed forts and over 90 gun batteries by 1865. These preparations made DC one of the most heavily fortified cities in the world at that time.

Continue reading →

All Politics is Local, Business and Money, News, The Daily Feed
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Reopening 7th St. SE?

Photo courtesy of
‘IMG_7025’
courtesy of ‘Sean Robertson’

After the infamous Eastern Market fire two years ago, Mayor Fenty ordered 7th St. SE closed on weekends to make room for stalls displaced by the disaster.  As most of you know, the market reopened several weeks ago, and WaPo reports that store owners along 7th are requesting that the street be reopened.  They are concerned that parking and traffic difficulties resulting from the closure are limiting their business, most of which comes on weekends.  Stores along market row report a 35% to 75% drop in business since the road closures began.

Their pleas have caught the attention of the City Council, which plans to visit the issue in several months. For now, the government wishes for the street to remain closed to facilitate the revitalization of Eastern Market. 

It seems to me that the 7th St. closure shouldn’t have any effect on Market Row businesses.  There are many, many side streets in the area and ample parking on the blocks surrounding 7th. I’m not entirely sure why the closure of a single block would limit their number of customers.  Besides, Eastern Market is always packed.  According to the WaPo article, the majority of these businesses’ patrons are market goers. If anything, I’ve noticed an increase of people on the weekends.  I’m guessing that there are factors aside from the road closure that are hurting these shops’ revenues.  The economy?  Changing tastes and interests?  An increasingly younger clientele? It could be any number of things.

What are your thoughts on the matter?  Does 7th St. need to stay closed, or should it be reopened?

Arlington, Food and Drink, We Love Food
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We Love Food: Minh’s

Photo courtesy of
‘Day 63: Minhs’
courtesy of ‘InspirationDC’

I discovered Minh’s pretty quickly after moving to DC. You see, I have this thing for rice paper summer rolls and peanut sauce. I love them, and I want them at least once a month. Back where I come from (cue the country song), there is this amazing Vietnamese restaurant called Lang Van’s, owned by a friend’s family. I was upset to leave Lang Van’s, so I quickly searched out a substitute. Minh’s certainly lives up.

With one of the largest menus I’ve ever seen (trumped only by Cheesecake Factory) you pretty much can’t go wrong at Minh’s. Located between Court House and Clarendon out in Virginia (where arguably all the good Asian food hides) Mihn’s is situated on Wilson Boulevard in a nondescript office building. I’ve had friends tell me that they’ve ridden past it a million times, never noticing it. I wonder how that could be, seeing as there are huge neon signs in the window, but that’s just me. (Hey, I never claimed Minh’s was trendy, or sleek, or chic!) The outward appearance isn’t the fabulous part of Minh’s, the food is. Continue reading →

The Features, We Love Weekends
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We Love Weekends: July 25-26

Photo courtesy of
‘IMG_0629’
courtesy of ‘blakespot’

Katie: To kick off the weekend I’m going to try and swing by Urbana to partake in their $3 birthday celebration to snag myself some $3 pizza and $3 prosecco. On Saturday I’m headed out to see Jason Mraz with G. Love and Special Sauce at Merriweather Post Pavillion – perfect summer lawn concert! Sunday I’m meeting fellow food writer Jordan Wright (have to give her a shout out, she’s fabulous!) for a dim sum brunch she promises is “off the hook”. Afterwards I’m taking a friend shopping for an overdue birthday present and stopping by Georgetown Cupcake for what will be, if you can believe it, my first time there. And what Katie weekend would be complete without pool time? At this point you should just assume it’s happening.

Acacia: I will be dedicating this weekend’s plans and this weekend planner entry to my good friend and roommate Sam Rosen-Amy, whose birthday it is TODAY and whose birthday celebrations are commandeering my weekend. Happy Birthday, Sam, you are 23 on July 23rd. I hope this means I don’t have to get you anything now… Okay, that being said, tonight we’re heading over to start the celebratory weekend with an outdoors screening of Top Gun down in SW by the waterfront. Friday or Saturday I may finally check a visit to the Newseum off my to-do list. Sunday, after recovering from Sam’s birthday party part 2, I think I’ll check out a reading by author Elizabeth Hawes on her book “Camus, a Romance,” at Politics & Prose. From the sound of it, that book is like if I went and chatted it up with all of Hemingway’s relatives and then wrote a loveletter to him. (PS Happy 110th birthday Big Papa)

Continue reading →

Adventures, Essential DC, Fun & Games, History, The Daily Feed, The District
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A Movie Location Tour Of DC

Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

DC’s become a hot spot for filming these days! Real World, Real Housewives of Orange County, Blonde Charity Mafia, as well as Reese Witherspoon, Night at the Museum and so many more. It’s a wonder that we didn’t get a DC movie site bus tour any earlier. But it’s here now, better late than never.

Screen Tours has arrived to take you and other interested parties around DC to all our hot film spots. Shop in the mall where No Way Out and True Lies were filmed; stand on the steps where Father Damian fell to his death in The Exorcist; visit the bar used in St. Elmo’s Fire; go to the park used in The Sentinel and see locations from Wedding Crashers, Thank You For Smoking, Election, X Files, Independence Day, Forrest Gump, and many others. From classic films of the seventies such as The Godfather II, All the Presidents Men, and Being There to the recent Transformers, Mission Impossible III, West Wing, 24, and The Visiting, the tour of Washington DC TV and movie sites takes tour guests on a journey of the timeline of filming in DC.

Tours run Saturdays at 10 am and depart from Union Station. Detailed information on all tours can be found at www.screentours.com. Advance purchase is required, as tours normally sell out. To purchase tickets call Zerve at 800-979-3370 or visit them online.

The Daily Feed
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DC is the Place to Be!

Photo courtesy of
‘Life in a Moving Van’
courtesy of ‘harryalverson’

The Washington Business Journal reports that Washington DC (when compared to states) has been the most popular migration destination during the first half of this year, according to United Van Lines migration study.  We’re leading all the states, with 63.6% of all moves going in to the District, with only 36.4% leaving the District.  Michigan is on the opposite side of the spectrum, with 70% of moves leaving the state.  Maryland and Virginia are both just about breaking even, with approximately as many moves in as out.

To what do we owe this surge in popularity?  Well, I originally thought it was due to people wanting to work for our hot new neighbor,  but it turns out that DC was also the most popular migration destination last year too, before Obama moved in.  So what do you think it is?

The Features, We Love Arts
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Fringe: Pepe the Mail Order Monkey and Hopelessly Devoted

Photo courtesy of
‘Franciscan Monastery Candle’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

Pepe The Mail Order Monkey

Mom told me that if I couldn’t think of anything nice to say I shouldn’t say anything at all.

Hopelessly Devoted

Vincent Lacey & Natalie Sullivan do a show that is – more or less – about being Catholic which runs under an hour and… well, it’s fun. That’s really pretty much it and that’s enough: this show never pretends that it’s going to dig into any weighty analysis, ask any hard questions or deliver any hard answers about faith in the modern world. Sure, there’s one somewhat serious scene about what happens when a religious conversion outlasts the relationship that prompted it but its awkwardness is packaged with an equal amount of humor. The show ends strong and on its most amusing number. In it, both performers do a delightful sendup of just how wrong an institution can go when its desire to become more modern and relevant outpace its actual ability to be hip.

A few moments don’t work well; there’s an implication that there’s some more weight in the conversion scene than is actually there but it moves on into another unconnected bit quickly enough that you won’t mind. That’s true of any of the stumbles here, most of which revolve around an audio setup that could use better balance – by the time anything irks you they’ll be on to something new. Odds are it’ll be something that will bring you a smile.

Pepe the Mail Order Monkey Musical has two more showings on the 24th and 25th at Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church.
Hopelessly Devoted runs once a day through the 26th at the Goethe Institut.

The Daily Feed, WMATA, WTF?!
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NTSB: More Circuitry Failure

Photo courtesy of
‘tunnel’ courtesy of ‘volcanojw’

According to Dr. Gridlock today, the track circuit behind last month’s crash has apparently been failing to detect trains since a key component was replaced back in December of 2007. The NTSB also said that this component – a part of the WEE-Z bond – is the other end of the paired impedance bonds. The board had said previously it may have been the impedance bond at the other end of the circuit, the one that was replaced five days before the crash.

This new finding now begs the question of Metro: just how bad is their maintenance and trouble-shooting of the train protection system? And what, pray tell, will John “Baghdad Bob” Catoe, Jr. say next?

It’d better include the words “I’m sorry, DC.”

Crime & Punishment, Life in the Capital, News, The Daily Feed, The Great Outdoors
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Sexual Assault in Rock Creek Park

Photo courtesy of
‘Beach Drive tunnel’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

WUSA 9 reports that a female jogger was sexually assaulted as she ran in Rock Creek Park yesterday.  Police say that a man dragged her into the woods and assaulted her at around 7am.  While Rock Creek park is generally a safe place, please use caution while running there, particularly until this perpetrator is caught. Hopefully this isn’t something serial.

The Daily Feed
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Kastles Make Playoffs


Kastles Cheerleaders by Max Cook

The Washington Kastles lived up to their motto “Refuse to Lose” last night by destroying the Springfield Lasers, 21-14.  With playoff hopes on the line, the Kastles (7-7) needed to bring their A game to beat the Lasers (12-2) who have already clinched the top seed in the Western Conference championship.

The first three sets looked like child’s play for the Kastles.  In men’s doubles, Scott Oudsema and Leander Paes easily beat Martin Damm and Raven Klaasen 5-2 thanks to some powerful serves and amazing net work by Paes.  The doubles duo has really found their rhythm and become a force to reckon with.

Next up in women’s singles, newly acquired Nadia Petrova showed the Lasers’ Vania King why she’s the #10 ranked women’s singles player in the world, not in World TeamTennis.  King showed finesse and put up a good fight by tying Petrova at three games each, but the Russian put the smack down by serving three aces, winning some amazing vollies, and winning the set 5-3.

Continue reading →