Monthly Archives: October 2009

Comedy in DC, The Features
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Funniest Celeb in Washington Recap

Sam Donaldson
Sam Donaldson throws out the “Ceremonial First Joke” by Corinne Whiting

Sometimes DC and its power players are unintentionally hilarious. This past Wednesday evening, however, at the 16th Annual Funniest Celebrity in Washington Contest, politicos, media folk and other local “celebs” took to the stage to be purposefully funny. Some jokes triumphed, filling Connecticut Avenue’s cozy, underground Improv lounge with delighted laughter. Other jokes (and/or their delivery) flat-out bombed, instead filling the room with uncomfortable silences and forcing squirming spectators to squeeze their seatmate’s arm while slinking deeper into the darkness.

But alas, not everyone’s a born comedian, and I give those brave souls credit for stepping out into the Improv spotlight in this notoriously straight-laced town. In any case, the gathering under one roof of such an odd cast of characters—from “Joe the Plumber” to Americans for Tax Reform’s Grover Norquist—provided superb if surreal people watching. Only in DC. And despite recent accusations to the contrary, event organizers claim proceeds (individual ticket sales started at $200) go to a good cause (we hope so anyway, we really do). This year’s fundraiser is said to benefit the charity StandUp For Kids, and show producer Richard Siegel, likely none-too-pleased with recent press, did remind us umpteen times that this event was “for the kids.” Our fingers are crossed.

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Something new for parents to worry about

Photo courtesy of
‘runningtracks01_f5’
courtesy of ‘Shi Yali’

Today’s Metro Connection on WAMU is going to be discussing the subject of “crumb rubber,” a sort of mulch made from old tires that’s been the up and coming material. Sometimes it’s put out in chunks, sometimes surfaces are made out of it, like running tracks or the flooring in the playground area out at the national zoo.

Apparently a memo has been leaked from the Environmental Protection Agency that indicates some concerns with the use of crumb rubber. I can’t find a copy of it at the moment so it’s unclear whether this is a general issue or just in regards to childhood exposure. Presumably these are questions that will be answered on Metro Connection. Right before a thousand other questions are raise and not answered.

Listen live or look for a recording to be available online sometime this afternoon.

We Love Arts
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Edward Burtynsky: Oil

Highway #1, Intersection 105 & 110, Los Angeles, California, USA, 2003. Chromogenic color print. Photograph © Edward Burtynsky

Highway #1, Intersection 105 & 110, Los Angeles, California, USA, 2003. Chromogenic color print. Photograph © Edward Burtynsky

Thankfully for those of us in D.C. who love art, especially those with a particular fondness for photography, we have Paul Roth and the Corcoran Gallery of Art.  Over the past couple of years they’ve had an amazing lineup of photography exhibits, showcasing a dream team of photographers including Annie Leibovitz, Richard Avedon, Ansel Adams, and William Eggleston.  All known for completely different styles of photography (although it has been argued that Leibovitz is “copycatting Avedon“), there’s been a genre on display for everyone.  Continuing their record of hosting world class and historically important photography exhibits, the Corcoran opens Edward Burtynsky: Oil on Saturday.

I don’t read art magazines.  I don’t read art blogs or subscribe to their RSS feeds.  I don’t have a degree in art history and I’ve never taken a photography class.  I prefer to learn about art by experiencing it first hand, by learning about it from others, or by pure coincidence.  About a year ago I was adding movies to my Netflix queue when I came across a documentary called Manufactured Landscapes.  I had never heard of Edward Burtynsky but was enticed by the description of this film about “an examination of industrialization and globalization”, a concept that has always been interesting to me as I tend to look at things from a 10,000 foot point of view.  Needless to say that when I watched this documentary I was immediately a fan of Burtynsky’s, not necessarily for his photographic abilities, but for what he was interested in showing his audience.  Leibovitz can show you glamorous photos of Angelina Jolie with perfect lighting and makeup, but no matter how impressive they may be, you are only left with feelings of lust or admiration.  On the other hand, when you see Burtynsky’s photo of three Bangladeshi men standing barefoot in a pool of oil, you are left with feelings of wonder, with sorrow, with relief that you have a desk job.  Burtynsky’s photos are not only beautifully executed pieces of art, but they make you think and want to know more, which takes his photography to the next level.

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed, We Green DC
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Rhinos with Glue-on Shoes?

Photo courtesy of
‘DSC_3464’
courtesy of ‘randystoreyphotography’

Mere days after Happy the Hippo left the National Zoo to go live with a harem — or as We Love DC author Carl suggests, pushed out by gentrification, the arrival of the elephants — comes the promise of more fun stories of zoo animals.

On Monday night at Shirlington’s Signature Theatre, former National Zoo Director Lucy Spelman will give a talk about her book, The Rhino with Glue-on Shoes and other surprising true stories of zoo vets and their patients. In addition to up-close-and-personal accounts of the zoo’s residents, she’ll talk about the special bonds between human and (very large) beast.

The Daily Feed
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Fringe Does DC

Photo courtesy of
‘Federal Center SW Metro Stop’
courtesy of ‘KrS-NrY’

If you caught last night’s episode of Fringe, you might’ve noticed that it was set in DC. But, like much of 24, it wasn’t actually here. They had the station interior supposed to be more like that of Union Station, with train announcements and track assignments. So, Fringe Producers, in case you were curious: This is what the inside of Federal Center SW’s Metro actually looks like. See how it’s dark and foreboding, sort of like your show? And not exactly like a train station in any way shape or form?

I was, at least, pleased to see that they got some of the details of the metro system right, with signs referring to Blue line trains, and that one of the signs in the background seemed to resemble one of the System Advisory notes, so I’ll give you a pass, but please, come check out DC, you won’t regret it.

Entertainment, We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: Measure for Measure

Taffety Punk's Measure for Measure: Esther Williamson as Isabella, and Kimberly Gilbert as Angelo

Esther Williamson as Isabella, and Kimberly Gilbert as Angelo
Photo by Kristin Holodak

“Measure for Measure” could be described in simplest terms as a “he said, she said” kind of play. When fellow author Don shared his thoughts on Taffety Punk’s current production with me, it fascinated me that we had two disparate views. So why not mimic the play’s conceit and split the review?

Before we go into it, plot please? The leader of the free world gives it all up temporarily for some meditation practice, leaving a stuck-up prig in charge as a test. The prig goes to town cleaning up the junkies and whores, jailing a reprobate with a hot virgin as a sister. Virgin begs for her brother’s life, prig will give it if she sleeps with him. All hell breaks loose with the leader working the marionette strings behind the scenes.

At least, that was how my professor described it.

So here goes, our little gender joint review experiment… Continue reading →

Adventures, News, The Daily Feed
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Accident at Georgetown Whole Foods

Fire trucks arrive

Fire trucks arrive

At around 7pm last night, an elderly driver crashed into the underground garage entrance of the Whole Foods at 2323 Wisconsin Avenue NW.  Details are still emerging as to what caused the accident, but The Examiner reports that the elderly woman driving the car had minor injuries, there were no other injuries reported and that the building structure suffered minor damages.

According to an eyewitness report, who was in the Whole Foods by the meat counter, there was a loud collision-like noise and a rumble from the impact.  Immediately, a Whole Foods employee came running up the garage stairwell, yelling for the entire store to clear out and customers began heading (in a somewhat civil manner) to the Wisconsin Avenue exit.

When I interviewed a Whole Foods’ employee, who was a witness to the accident, they  said the elderly driver had been coming down the garage entrance and had sped directly into the wall. The employee speculated that perhaps the driver had stepped on the gas instead of the brake.  From the picture I took from the top of the garage ramp (which is as good as I could get from my pauper cell phone,) the entire front of the driver’s car was smashed in, indicating to me, that the car was going very fast at the time of impact. That no one was seriously injured in the accident is a great fortuity considering the amount of Whole Foods’ employees and customers present at this high volume shopping time. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Stand Up and Be Counted!

Photo courtesy of
‘Immigration March I’
courtesy of ‘maxedaperture’

The Washington Post just ran an article about a campaign to spread the word that everyone living in America should complete a Census form.  With the 2010 Census kicking off in a few short months, efforts are underway to educate minority populations (particularly Latinos who may be here illegally) that completing a Census form does not put one at risk of being deported.  Census workers take a vow of confidentiality and will not report people living here illegally to immigration officials.

Filling out a Census form is very important– it’s the one time every ten years that the government gets an accurate idea of the population of the country, and it can affect everything from congressional representation to state funding allocations.  So consider this a public service announcement: when you get your form next April, fill it out and send it back, regardless of your legal status.  The more DC residents that respond, the more funding the city will get for community services and facilities that we all use.

Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
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Serious Eats on the Half Smoke

halfsmoke.png

My good friend Craig pointed out Serious Eats’ article on the Beloved Half Smoke, which includes a fine history of this excellent regional delicacy. True fact: for the first year I lived in DC, I couldn’t believe that the street hotdog carts sold half-packs of cigarettes. I had no idea just how clueless & stupid when a friend of mine introduced me to the real deal. Craig was also quick to point out that you can even get half smokes shipped anywhere in the US via the ever-awesome Ben’s Chili Bowl.

The Daily Feed
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Fall = Chilly = Chili = Cook-off, right?

Photo courtesy of
‘Mark Ein’
courtesy of ‘maxedaperture’

Miriam’s Kitchen‘s is hosting its first ever Chili Cook-Off. You can participate in one of several ways: show off your momma’s best recipe, judge the chili entries, or simply fill your belly with tasty samplings and enjoy the fun. But pick your role soon, because there are only 15 chefs, 10 judges and 40 tasters allowed.

The competition throws down on Thursday, October 22 from 7-10 pm at a private home in Columbia Heights. Click here to sign up.

Not that helping out a local food kitchen while having a little fun isn’t good enough, but to sweeten deal, We Love DC’s very own, Kirk, will be whipping up a pot of goodness just for you, Dear Reader.

The Daily Feed
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Columbus Day Metro Closures Announced

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

Metro has announced station closures and train detours for Columbus Day weekend (which extends through Monday, a federal holiday that not everyone gets to take off) while they replace large pieces of track and inspect and maintain others. They provide a tiny and poorly-compressed map of the closures that might be helpful if you’re willing to squint and compare it to the regular map. (Metro! I do this for a living! Help me help you!)

The short version is, the Yellow and Green lines will be a nightmare, and you should avoid them if you need to take them through the eastern part of the city.

The two ends of the Green line will be operating, but the segment in the middle, between Navy Yard and Gallery Place/Chinatown, will not operate AT ALL. So if you’re someone dependent on the Green Line to get into the city from the Branch Avenue end… you’re screwed, because there are no transfer stations along any part of that segment. If you’re using the other end of the Green Line, you’ll still be able to switch lines at Gallery Place to get around.

Since the Yellow Line’s bridge over the Potomac is part of theInstead of heading toward Fort Totten from L’Enfant, the Yellow Line will basically be doubling a portion of the Blue Line route until Stadium/Armory instead of coming over the river from the Pentagon, and will come into L’Enfant on the lower platform with the Blue/Orange lines. So you’ll still be able to get around if you’re dependent on the Yellow Line, but with some hopping around and transferring multiple times if you want to get to Fort Totten.

The Daily Feed
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Galileo one step closer to re-opening

Photo courtesy of
‘Galileos Teleskop’
courtesy of ‘karsten.planz’

If you’re a fan of Roberto Donna and have been missing his food – assuming you’re not going to cooking classes in his home – you should be excited to hear that we’re getting closer to a firm re-opening date. In late November the alcohol board will hear a petition for a liquor license for what’s named as “Gallileo III” at 600 NW 14th St.

That part’s no surprise; we’ve known for quite a while that Donna would be opening a restaurant in the old Butterfield 9 spot, but here’s an interesting tidbit on the petition: operating days and hours are listed as “11:30am – 2am” Sunday through Thursday, 11:30 through 3am on Friday and Saturday.

Is that a CYA move in case of future choices or does Mr Donna intend to expand operating hours beyond what Galileo used to offer? I know I speak for several of WLDC’s authors in hoping for the return of the lunch offerings, but this may go beyond that: not only are those the listed operating hours but they also are the hours being sought for alcohol vending, suggesting more full service than what used to be offered.

Regardless of final operating hours this is a likely sign we’re not going to see the restaurant open before Thanksgiving. You could run a restaurant without alcohol but it’s where the big money is. Besides, who’s going to eat pasta without a glass of red?

The Daily Feed
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Bike to Work on the Metropolitan Branch Trail!

Photo courtesy of
‘cruisin”
courtesy of ‘m hoek’

Now that it really feels like fall here in DC, it’s the perfect time to start riding your bike to work.  But doing so can be a little intimidating for a first-timer having to negotiate potentially bike-unfriendly roads alone. If you live in Silver Spring, Takoma, Brightwood, Brookland, Fort Totten, Edgewood, or Eckington, you’re in luck– the Metropolitan Branch Trail is a great way to bike right to downtown DC.

And even better, Rails to Trails is organizing Monday Morning Commute Convoys on the Metropolitan Branch Trail every Monday morning in October (except for Columbus Day).  Rails to Trails folks will lead bike convoys from designated locations along the Metropolitan Branch Trail and head off to Dupont/Shaw, NoMa/Judiciary Square, and Chinatown/L’Enfant Plaza.  It’s a great way to ease into bike commuting and see how well the trail connects these DC neighborhoods with downtown.  If you’re interested in joining the convoy, sign up here (registration is required).  And even if you can’t join the convoy, check out the Metropolitan Branch Trail sometime– even though it’s not yet 100% complete, it already offers a great link through some of DC’s beautiful historic neighborhoods.

Music, The Features
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October Concert Preview

Photo courtesy of
‘Colbie Caillat’
courtesy of ‘Martijn vdS’

Oh my, does October bring delightful things. It feels like fall, and that means not only that the leaves are changing color but that we’re in the magical yet short time where the temperature is just chilly enough at night to cool off some of those tiny concert venues a bit but not too cold to have to bring a giant coat.

Check out my completely subjective roundup of all the concerts I’m excited about in October, including The Bravery, Pinback, Colbie Caillat, and even Hanson and KISS after the jump. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Things looking poor for Graham

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

The Washington City Paper has a piece on Councilman Graham and his employee Ted Loza. In case you’re thawing out of a long sleep: Loza stands accused of accepting bribes and Graham denies any knowledge or involvement.

While no evidence has been offered up that Graham was tied in to any corruption, some of WCP’s findings are not going to do any favors for his credibility. WTOP quotes Graham as stating that Loza had no ethical problems but WCP’s article provides compelling evidence that Graham knew about a number of Loza’s past problems with others, including an incident where he got into a bar fight and threatened the bar owners with liquor license trouble.

The article goes a little off topic when it delves at length into a description of Loza’s problems with the mother of one of his children. While it’s not a description that makes him sound like a real class act, the article does not give any indication that Graham is or is not aware of most of the described situation.

This looks likely to dog Graham for quite some time and may possibly tarnish his credibility for the remainder of his career.

The Daily Feed
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The post-suicide pain & suffering

Photo courtesy of
‘MEDFLAG 2009 – Mass Casualty Scenario – United States Army Africa – 090806-F-8133W155’
courtesy of ‘US Army Africa’

A few weeks ago I wrote about a recent suicide on the Metro tracks. A few commenters took me to task for being pretty harsh in my suggestion that if someone does not get help and is determined to kill themselves that they take another approach. As I said then, I think the harm they do to witnesses and the train driver – who are unwilling participants in their demise – is near unforgivable. While they’re clearly not thinking clearly I wish they’d think of others if they cannot think of themselves.

WaPo has an article today about the trauma these drivers deal with after someone uses them as a weapon against themselves and it’s heart-wrenching. Both in the descriptions from the drivers of the moments they’ll never forget and the descriptions of how they went back to work – or tried to – after long periods of adjustment.

After several weeks of office duty, she made her first attempt to operate a train, a daytime run on the Red Line. A training instructor drove through the Rockville Station. Then Lee took over. She was fine until they went underground. “As soon as I hit the tunnel, I screamed,” Lee said. “I was seeing that vision of someone walking toward me.”

Lee was out on workmen’s comp for five years, seeing a string of psychologists.

The Daily Feed
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Cabs to be scarce in Adams Morgan this weekend

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

So Councilman Graham is pulling his bill that would establish a medallion system and overhaul the cab industry in DC. He insists that it has nothing to do with the mess going on in his office involving bribery over cab-related legislation (suuuuure, we believe you), but is because cab drivers are in such an uproar over it. The Post article covers arguments about too many cabs in the city, the nature of the investigation of Graham’s office, blah blah blah yadda yadda, but here’s what you need to know:

Some cab drivers are planning to just not pick anyone up in Adams Morgan after the bars close this weekend. Usually cab strikes in DC are tempests in teapots because DC cabbies are logistically hard to organize and it’s hard to get every independent cab driver to give up his livelihood for a night, but this action seems very intelligently targeted. The nightlife scene in Adams Morgan combined with challenging public transportation access AND street crime means that cabs are a particularly integral part of peoples’ weekend plans. Meanwhile, the cabbies will still be out picking up fares and making money, just elsewhere in the city, making it easier for a critical mass of cabbies to participate.

So you might actually notice this cab strike. If you’re going to Adams Morgan this weekend, suck it up and designate a driver.

We Love Weekends
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We Love Weekends: October 3-4

Photo courtesy of
‘Fall is here’
courtesy of ‘afagen’

Paulo: We’re still unpacking from our recent move to NoVA, but all Saturday I’m going to be at First Baptist DC’s Fall Book and Bake Sale, giving out free cupcakes — and later donating blood. Hopefully I won’t keel over right then and there because we’ll be visiting Old Town that evening for a friend’s housewarming, and en route I want to check out the Washington Masonic Memorial.

Kirk:  This will be my first weekend in the city for the past few weeks, so I’ve got to pack in all the DCness that I can.  On Friday I’ll be catching up with an old buddy from Texas at the Vienna Inn, in VA.  The Vienna Inn is one of the last, true sports dives in the DC area and is a quintessential part of life in Vienna.  On Saturday I’ll be having a guys’ night out with some old roommates.  To facilitate responsible drinking (probably taking place at the likes of Gibson and Wisdom) a friend has used some expiring hotel points to book us a room at the Willard, something I’m terribly excited about. Sunday will be spent recovering from said guys’ night.

Katie: A good chunk of my weekend will be spent at the Ritz on M street getting to know Westend Bistro’s Chef de Cuisine Joe Palma. Cathy and I will be researching another one of our Capital Chef features by heading to the Alexandria farmers market with Chef Palma and cooking up a storm in Westend’s kitchen. I also plan to visit the Russian Bazaar at some point and maybe spend more time in Old Town hanging out at Art on the Avenue street festival. I can’t turn down a good pie baking contest. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Hello Francophiles: Celtic Harp Concert Tomorrow

Photo courtesy of
Cécile Corbel
courtesy of the Alliance Francaise

Celtic. French. (Middle-Eastern?). Harp. Tomorrow night.  8:00 p.m. The Celtic sounds of French harpist and singer Cécile Corbel will resonate from Grace Episcopal Church (1041 Wisconsin Ave NW). Cécile Corbel was awarded the 2005 Paris Jeunes Talents Musique prize (translation = “The Young, Hot, French Musicians Award,” yes?).

Cécile’s musical repertoire spans from traditional Celtic (Breton, Irish, Scottish) to Middle-Eastern (Turkish, Israeli, and Sephardic). Her harp and solo talents are said to “border on poetry and melancholy.”

With the eternal vibrations that pass through her work, her strong sense of her culture, and a good dose of charisma, she is a beguiling chanteuse, and the harp becomes a wizard composed of a lovely kind of music that is at once pointed and accessible.

The concert is hosted by the Alliance Francaise (that’s the “All-e-ance Frahn-sez” for the non-francophones) which brings a good number of cultural gatherings and celebrations to our fair city throughout the year. Continue reading →