Monthly Archives: July 2009

Music, Night Life, The Features, We Love Drinks
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We Love Drinks: DC9

"Pure Evil" shot, DC9

"Pure Evil shot, DC9" by Jenn Larsen, on Flickr

“Are you sure this is the right place?”

I was witnessing a mesmerizing scene, social tension galore. The speaking girl’s perfect blonde updo was trembling as she stood in line with her equally coiffed crew. Deposited by a cab with a gaggle of well-heeled preps, it was obvious she’d never hit this part of town before. But leading the way was a wild-eyed boy with a ringleader look that said – you will get out of your comfort zone, my friends – and so the girls followed him in, wide-eyed, longing for L2 Lounge. Instead they got DC9.

I’m teasing, I’m sure they had a raring good time dancing their solid gold hearts out. For a while, this girl’s nervousness was justified. There wasn’t much at the corner of 9th & U until DC9 became hipster paradise, and I’ve seen a lot of shady activity on that block over the years. Nowadays, the action is really centered around Nellie’s, which spills out on the sidewalk with lots of beautiful boys. I don’t see how you could still be nervous about the neighborhood when you see that party. But, we live in a segregated nightlife city, in more ways than just race.

DC9 carries the distinction of being one of the most unpretentious dive spots in the city. Equal parts bar, dance club and music venue, it’s been the indie hangout since its opening in 2004, fitting somewhere between the Black Cat’s Red Room and the H Street corridor on the rotation list. The fact that those tight button-down kids I mentioned earlier could get swallowed whole and turn into loose dancing fools upon hitting the upstairs is one of the reasons I love this place.

Another reason is that it’s pure evil.
Continue reading →

Entertainment, Essential DC, Food and Drink, Life in the Capital, Night Life, Penn Quarter, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Washingtonian Best Of Party In Review

Washingtonian Best Of Party 2009

Young Washington was out in full force last night at the 2009 Washingtonian Best Of party. Packed to the gills with preppy twentysomethings, DC’s best restaurants put on a show in the National Building Museum. Open bar, small samples from nearly 100 restaurants, we were certainly busy making the rounds. Who shone? Who flopped? Who ran out of food? Who hugged me? Click on through to find out. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Kastles Host McEnroe Tonight


John McEnroe by Max Cook

Tuesday night was a special night for Kastles fans, or more accurately, for Serena Williams fans.  In front of a record sold out crowd, Williams and the Kastles made the Newport Beach Breakers look like a high school JV team.  While Scott Oudsema and Leander Paes lost the opening men’s doubles set, the Kastles quickly recovered, winning 22-12.

Continue reading →

The Features
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We Love Weekends: July 18-19

Photo courtesy of
‘Evening in the Pavilion’
courtesy of ‘kimberlyfaye (sorta back)’
Oh yes, it’s almost the weekend again. Can you hang in a little longer? Here’s what we’re looking forward to this weekend:

Katie: I’m headed home for a good friend’s wedding this weekend. If I were to stick around DC, though, I’d probably play tourist a little bit and head to the Jefferson Memorial for some quality time on the paddle boats. After an hour of floating around the tidal basin, I’d grab myself some soft serve from the refreshment stand and me and my frozen treat would take a walk to the WWII memorial to dip my feet in the fountain. (Which is strictly prohibited. Don’t say I told you to do that. You did not hear that from me.) For a night out on the town I’d probably hit up Zentan and spend some quality time looking out over my fair city having cocktails by their rooftop pool.

Jenn: At some point this weekend, I will enjoy a delicious serving of Sicilian Almond gelato at Pitango on 14th Street, and a basil champagne cocktail at Belga Cafe. I’m also in the mood for some Greek blood and guts with the Keegan & Dizzy Miss Lizzie doing a wacky version of “The Oresteia” as part of the Fringe Festival – just two more weekends to Fringe so get going! If you want to escape from the heat hit the Archives for a Saturday noontime showing of my favorite film ever, Lawrence of Arabia. But I should be out battling my bike. Only one of us can win. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed, We Green DC
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Vote to Green DC!

Photo courtesy of
‘VOTE’
courtesy of ‘christaki’

A green effort in DC may soon win a national contest — if you vote!

CarbonfreeDC is one of 10 finalists in the Green Effect competition for its “Extreme Green Neighborhood Makeover” campaign, which would use the $20,000 winnings to help 20 families from a low-income city block in DC to green their homes and lifestyles, and save money. National Geographic and Sun Chips are sponsoring the competition.

You can vote once a day through Monday. Cast yours now!

The Daily Feed
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And now, my life is complete.

Photo courtesy of
‘WTF!’
courtesy of ‘christaki’

I just need to share with you one of the ways in which the We Love DC Flickr Pool contributors make my life better on a daily basis. Not only do they provide many of the lovely photos which adorn and illustrate our entries, but they occasionally come up with gems like this one: spicy cock-flavored soup mix. (This photo labels it “Authentic Jamaican Spicy Cock Mix,” in case you are interested.

Yes, I’m 12. Sorry.

The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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If Only DC had a Llama Farm


Asstastic tea cup
Originally uploaded by carlweaver

It’s one of those days, I guess. I felt as asstastic as my tea cup at work today so I went home early to sleep it off. It seemed perfectly normal when I woke from a dream this afternoon, wondering about the llamas at the DC llama farm. What? You didn’t know DC had a llama farm? Well, it doesn’t, unless you count the zoo, which turns out to have some llamas. One thing you can say about the llamas, though, is that at least they earn their keep by being used as food for larger animals at the zoo, unlike those lazy, no-good welfare pandas, who can’t even be trained to fetch me the right size bamboo for my grape trellis. Stupid pandas.

Oh, good lord. I need to get back to sleep.

News, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Shots Fired at Capitol, Constitution Blocked at Delaware Ave

Picture 3.png

We have reports coming in of gunfire near the Capitol. There has been a significant police response, and we’ve seen tweets that suggest that Constitution is closed at Delaware street headed west. Breaking News On suggests that a 35-year old male is headed to the hospital, and WUSA-TV has reported that this was a police-involved shooting.

Update 1: WJLA has the first to print story: A 35-year old male was shot by Capitol Police around 5:15pm, and the all-clear was given at 5:35pm. The person shot attempted to run the barricade at the parking area, but was unsuccessful, which is when the gunfire happened.

Update 2: Constitutition Ave is now shuttered from 1st Street NW to 1st Street NE and will probably remain that way for some time while the crime scene is processed.

Update 3: NBC Washington has Images from the Scene today.

The Daily Feed
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Thanks for the hard-driving reporting, Washington Times

Photo courtesy of
’84/365 – Read me. Please.’
courtesy of ‘bp6316 (comp dead, catching up soon)’

I guess after WaPo’s public drubbing over ethical lapses this month the Washington Times was feeling a little left out. North Carolina newspaper The State has revealed a number of emails sent to Governor Sanford’s office while he AWOL and our other local paper is one organization that reached out to his staffers.

“If you all want to speak on this publicly, you’re welcome to Washington Times Radio,” wrote staffer Joseph Deoudes to Sanford spokesman Joel Sawyer on June 23. “You know that you will be on friendly ground here!”

Pretty impressive.

The Daily Feed
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Those are NOT lettuce leaves

Not actual lettuce leaves. Photo courtesy Twitter user @dalebanks

Not actual lettuce leaves. Photo courtesy Twitter user @dalebanks

I’m calling bullshit on PETA here. The models handing out veggie dogs are clearly NOT wearing “nothing but strategically placed lettuce leaves.” If it’s not clear from this photo, you can definitely see from this one. Green lace is not lettuce, and a veggie dog is not food.

But, you know, I’m sure the faux lettuce are made from cotton and nylon, no animal fibers involved. Because we certainly wouldn’t want to exploit any animals while parading half-nekkid Playmates around DC.

Entertainment, History, Media, News, The Daily Feed
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Vote DC’s Ed Walker into National Radio Hall of Fame

Photo courtesy of
‘Studio Microphone’

courtesy of ‘curtis.kennington’
Ed Walker, American University graduate and DC radio legend, has been nominated to the National Radio Hall of Fame in the category “Local or Regional — Pioneer.”  With his soothing voice and radio history expertise, Walker has hosted The Big Broadcast,  a four hour radio show featuring classic radio programming from the 30s, 40s and 50s, since 1990.  These classic shows (Suspense, Flibber McGee and Molly, Dragnet, Gunsmoke, Lux Radio Theater, etc.) offer us a weekly reprieve from computers and TV, and transport us back to a time when big movie stars like Orson Welles, Gary Cooper, Gene Harlow and Jack Benny communicated their acting and comical talents to the American public over the airwaves. Continue reading →

Comedy in DC
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Comedy in DC: Gimme Some Variety

Photo courtesy of
‘Last night at Dr. Dremos – 35’ Hampton Yount
courtesy of ‘Aaron Webb’

Mid summer ( I KNOW, HOW IS IT THE MIDDLE OF JULY ALREADY?!) is kind of a weird time for comedy. The college audiences that fuel the smaller shows have gone home, but that also means that bored comics get… experimental.

In practice, that usually just means some other stuff mixed in with the comedy but in the case of the “There Will Be Laughter” show at the Drafthouse on Friday the 31st, it could get a little weird.  Hampton Yount and Will Hessler are putting it on. Both are quite funny and have made me laugh riotously on multiple occasions. But Hampton gets… a little punchy. The last time I saw him get up (albeit for an audience made entirely of other comics, so grain of salt here), his time culminated in a sketch that involved a woman’s wig, a t-shirt with some slogan scrawled on it in black Sharpie that I can’t remember probably because I blocked it out, a basketball under his shirt, and I’m pretty sure there was a Whoopie cushion in there somewhere. Anyway, my point is, when Hampton says, “Sketches, Stand-Up, Song, Alcohol, Merriment,” it’s the merriment part you’ll remember most. Continue reading →

News, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Flyers Beat Caps AGAIN

Photo courtesy of
‘Tied Up’ courtesy of ‘clydeorama’

Yes, yes, I know. There’s no actual hockey going on. But, there is.

News came down today that the NHL and NBC have announced the teams and location for the 2009-10 Winter Classic. As expected, it’s in Boston at Fenway Park. Yep, the Boston Bruins hosting. And following prior year NHL logic, the other team will also be a rising powerhouse with a top-notch superstar, right? Like, as expected, the Washington Capitals with Russian powerhouse Alex Ovechkin?

Wrong.

Nope, the League, in its continued head-scratching pathetic screwball logic, has named the hated Philadelphia Flyers as the other team. That’s right, those despicable FLYERS. Supposedly, the decision was made because Philadelphia has a bigger hockey television market than Washington.

Say what? Guess the NHL and NBC forgot about the tremendous buzz the Caps/Pens series put on. Or the continual highlight-reel goals by Ovie, or his mounting hardware from numerous awards, or the fact that the Caps are one of the top five most exciting teams to watch…

Yeah, I know. I don’t get it either. Stupid ****ing Flyers.

Life in the Capital, The Features
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This is Why You’re Fat

Photo courtesy of
‘Typical Beltway traffic’
courtesy of ‘brianmka’

This past week, Time Magazine ran an article on why southerners are so fat.  The article was in response to a new report showing Mississippi as the state with the highest rate of obesity for the fifth year in a row.  The top five heaviest states are all in the south: Mississippi, West Virginia, Alabama, Lousiana, and South Carolina.  The typical causes of obesity are all there: southerners tend to be poorer, so they have less money to buy nutritious food; southern food is greasy and fried; it’s too hot to exercise outdoors; the list goes on.  But this article also included the fact that many southern towns lack access to public transportation, that many places lack sidewalks, and that there are few safe places to bike.

It’s refreshing to see a national publication tie the physical environment to obesity.  Suburbs and more rural areas have typically been home to more overweight residents than central cities: by driving everywhere, you’re not getting the exercise you would be by walking to the bus stop, or biking down the block.  Suburbs also have fewer destinations within walking distance: going to the grocery store or heading to the movies require car trips, rather than bike or walking trips.   We’re lucky in the District that we have a great public transportation system, lots of sidewalks and crosswalks, and a growing system of bike lanes and paths– things that encourage us to lead more active lives.  Because of that, we’re on average about 6 pounds lighter than our exurban counterparts.

Continue reading →

Dupont Circle, Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
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$3 Pizzas? $3 sparkling wine? I’m There.

Photo courtesy of
‘Urbana Interior’
courtesy of ‘needlessspaces’

One of my favorite Dupont lunch and happy hour spots, Urbana, is turning 3 years old! Next week, July 20-26, they’re running some badass happy hour specials – most of them for only $3. This is a recessionista’s heaven!

First, they’re running happy hour specials (4 p.m. to 7 p.m.) featuring rotating $3 small plate specials featuring dishes from Chef Alex Bollinger’s new summer menu. (Monday’s $3 small plate will be three bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with Laura Chanal goat cheese.) They’re also doing $3 Peroni, Estrella Galicia, Prosecco and house red and white wine, and $3 half-portion pizzas! The regular portion is enough to share, so you should be set for two drinks and dinner for $9!

Second, in celebration, Chef Bollinger is running a $30 three-course tasting menu featuring his newest summer items, with a selection of appetizer, entrée and dessert. The menu will be offered daily from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. in the restaurant’s dining room. All dinner guests can toast to and blow out candles for Urbana, and will receive a complimentary glass of Prosecco and a cupcake (with birthday candles of course).

Cheers to that!

The Daily Feed
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Harry Potterpalooza, Part 6

Is that Rita Skeeter?

Last night, Harry Potter fans around the district lined up in a now years-old tradition of festive midnight releases of the latest cinema installment. Full disclosure: yours truly was among the eager fans at the midnight showings at Gallery Place. I say showings, because at Gallery Place alone there must have been 6 or 7 “midnight” showings, staggered minutes apart: 12:00, 12:01, 12:02, 12:03… you get the idea. Tickets to showings were sold out last night, though the Cleveland Park screening sold out over Fourth of July weekend. (They did still have tickets to their 3:30 a.m. screening as of last Tuesday, however. Appealing.) Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Would you like some sexy with that veggie dog?

Photo courtesy of
‘hot dogs’
courtesy of ‘stu_spivack’

Starting at 12pm, a scantily clad Playboy Playmate of the Year Jayde Nicole will be handing out free veggie hotdogs on Capitol Hill (Rayburn courtyard, to be specific). She’ll be wearing nothing but strategically placed lettuce leaves and handing out vegetarian starter kits along with the dogs as part of PETA’s “National Veggie Dog Day.” Just don’t squeeze the mustard too hard– you’ll squirt the nice lady. Thanks to MetromixDC on Twitter for the tip.

Foggy Bottom, The Daily Feed, WMATA, WTF?!
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Foggy Bottom Platform Escalator Fail


Foggy Bottom Platform Escalator Fail
Originally uploaded by brownpau

So you know how the Foggy Bottom Station escalators are actually a two-layered system of bottlenecks? Today the platform-to-mezzanine bottleneck was made worse by one of the two up escalators being blocked off (at rush hour with no work being done on it at the time, natch) so that hordes of work-bound Metro riders had to cram on to one single escalator. Good thing there wasn’t a fire. Thanks, Metro!

Essential DC, Food and Drink, Life in the Capital, The District, The Features
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Frozen Treats: DC’s Best Creameries

Photo courtesy of
‘Saturday Road trip’
courtesy of ‘gregoirevdb’

They tell me the first step is admitting you have a problem. So here it goes: I am shamelessly, hopelessly, horribly in love with ice cream. Now, I say ice cream, but in actuality, ice cream is a pretty generic term for what I really mean – frozen treats. I don’t care if it is gelato, custard, actual heavy-cream ice cream, or even italian ice. As long as it is sweet, and frozen, it qualifies. My partner in crime for ice cream loving is my friend Melissa, who has the genius idea to host an ice cream bar at her wedding. She’s the only one who truly understands my love. We’ll talk about going to a Nat’s game, and the first thing out of our mouths will be “OOOOH DIPPIN DOTS!” It’s a passion, not just a hobby, people.

So when I was informed that July is National Ice Cream Month, well, then, fine. That sealed it. I had to share with you, my dear We Love DC reader, my favorite ice cream (loose term) eateries in the city.
Continue reading →

The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Barack Hussein Obama Park? Not So Fast.

Photo courtesy of
‘every presidential departure is carefully choreographed’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

Okay, I get that DC is place with a name for everything, and that the park at 14th & Girard Streets is as of yet just named for its location, but do we really need to name it Barack Hussein Obama Park, as per the recommendation of Councilman Jim Graham?

I mean, I like the guy, but he’s been in office all of six months now, and we’re just going to go naming things after him willy-nilly? Can’t we see if he can actually pull the troops out of Iraq, or enact meaningful Climate Change legislation, or fix the healthcare system, or maybe just make it halfway through his term before we start naming things after him? Surely there are community figures important to DC that are more deserving? Perhaps an Eleanor Holmes Norton Park, instead? At least she’s been our representative for the last 18 years.

But, it may be a moot point, as DC Wire points out in their update: “No public space in the District shall be named in honor of any living person, or in honor of any person who has been deceased less than 2 years, unless the deceased person was a President or Vice President of the United States, a United States Senator or Representative, a Mayor of the District of Columbia, or a member of the Council of the District of Columbia.”

So, time to rewrite the law to exclude seated politicians? Either way, this isn’t happening right away.