Monthly Archives: November 2009

The Features, Where We Live
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Where We Live: Petworth

Photo courtesy of
‘1304 Monroe Street NW’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

Welcome to this week’s Where We Live!  So far, this feature has taken us to every quadrant of the District, and soon, we’ll be expanding to include Maryland and Virginia suburbs.  But first, let’s look at a DC neighborhood that has a real sense of community: Petworth.  Read on to explore this fantastic community in Northwest DC.

History: Petworth was originally two country estates in Washington County, DC (not part of L’Enfant’s original city) owned by John Tayloe.  The city eventually expanded up to this area, and in the 1880s these two estates were purchased for development.  Seemingly overnight, a neighborhood popped up, with thousands of similar-looking brick rowhouses developed in the 1920s and 1930s.  This area was promoted as an ideal place to live, with the convenience of a streetcar (which ran from downtown up through Silver Spring and stopped in Petworth) but the parks and quiet residential nature of the suburbs. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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New! Twitter Lists

Photo courtesy of
‘Dropped list.. i’d like some’
courtesy of ‘Tyrannous’

We’ve got a new feature to announce here associated with our Twitter Account: Local Lists! We’ve got five to start with, and we’re working on four more. Here are the five we’re announcing today:

We Love DC Food
We Love DC Blogs
We Love DC Sports
We Love DC Music
We Love DC Theatre

To start with, all of these are venues, either restaurants/bars, concert halls, theatre companies or their management. Are we missing someone? Either put it in the comments here, or email twitterlists at welovedc dot com with the appropriate folks. What else would you like to see us turn into Twitter lists?

Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
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Picks for Weekend Wineries

Photo courtesy of
‘Winery’
courtesy of ‘InspirationDC’

My favorite weekend activity this fall has been heading to wineries. I celebrated Virginia Wine Month with a fervor – give me a bottle of wine and some cheese, a nice patio, sunshine and a view and I’m pretty close to heaven. I love to escape the city and relax – if you’ve never been I’m here to tell you, it’s as good as a day at the spa. This upcoming weekend is going to be a gorgeous one, they say. And with the fall leaves at their peak, this weekend is an ideal one to head outside the city and experience what the Virginia countryside has to offer. So where should you go? Well, here are some of my favorites from this season for your consideration. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Because there hasn’t been enough bum-talk today…

Photo courtesy of
‘@px with @TomGreenLive after the show at the Irvine Improv’
courtesy of ‘playerx’

If Dr. Ruth Jacobs’ incoherent discussion of the purposes of the anus wasn’t enough bum-talk for you today, I’ve got another one for you.

A new inmate security device is being tested in Maryland prisons. Invented after an offhanded remark by a corrections officer that their biggest security problem was “people hiding things up their rear ends,” I am astonished that nothing like this has been invented before. Called the Body Orifice Security Scanner (or BOSS, which is the best acronym ever for something like this), it’s a chair that the inmate sits in so that the machine can scan them for metal objects hidden in their bodies. Sometimes it’s something simple like keys hidden between the toes, but it can also find cellphones stashed in more intimate locations. How has it taken us this long to figure out how to non-invasively determine whether a more invasive search is needed?

And finally, if you’re wondering why I chose a photo of Tom Green for this entry, congratulations for having never been subjected to the song that you may watch below:

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The Features, We Love Drinks
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We Love Drinks: Fall Cocktails

Monaco

"Monaco" by Jenn Larsen, on Flickr

Fall cocktails… Once upon a time, that just meant drinks with heavy cream. No more, thanks to some brilliant mixology (my waistline is thankful too).

I’ve been sampling some luscious fall drinks. Everyone is rolling out menus featuring autumnal tastes – apple, pear, cinnamon, pepper, rosemary, cardamom – oh my. Spice has cream beat! Mulling and infusion are everywhere. It’s a good season for sipping slowly, admiring how flavors change and deepen over the course of your evening. Sigh.

Another fantastic benefit of all these freshly squeezed juices and housemade sodas and herbal infusions is that many bars are now offering non-alcoholic versions of their cocktails. With lots of parties and events in the fall, if you don’t feel like imbibing or are not able, you should always feel unabashed to ask. A good bartender should be able to respond without making you feel like a second-class citizen.

So let’s get down to it, shall we? Some of my favorite fall cocktails, with the usual quirky candlelit odd-angle photographs…
Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Hate comedy

NBCWashington brought this delightful bit of kooky from Monday’s gay marriage hearings to our attention. Doctor Jacobs – who has presumably never prescribed a suppository – is here testifying, among other things, that the anus is an exit only accessory port and that allowing gay marriage mess that all up.

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Her inarticulate performance is hysterical – in several senses – and I say this to all opponents of letting consenting adults make their own decisions about who to marry: oh please, please find more people like this to be on your side. Every time they open up their mouth they help those of us who believe in marriage equality.

People, The Daily Feed
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Our Ovie, Full of Grace…

Photo courtesy of
‘sky’
courtesy of ‘volcanojw’

So Washington Capitals owner and bazillionaire Ted Leonsis spills the beans that he had Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople (cue TMBG!) bless himself and the Great Eight last night at a private event at Vice President Joe Biden’s home.

Now, I know there’s some concern that the Caps may well falter without their primary offensive force…so I guess why not employ some Holy Back-up, just in case? Especially since the Devils (out of New Jersey) showed the Caps last night just how much they need Ovechkin.

So does this mean Ovie’s up for sainthood if the Caps win the Cup?

We Love Weekends
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We Love Weekends, November 7-8

Photo courtesy of
‘Hard at Work’
courtesy of ‘knascar’

Does anyone else feel like this is the longest week ever? I’m so relieved the weekend is almost here. Here’s what we’ve got going on this weekend. Share your plans with us in the comments.

Tiff: My birthday is next week, so I’m kicking off the celebration a little early. On Friday, I’ll be catching dj lil’e and Super Diamond at the 9:30. On Saturday, I think sleeping off the exhaustion of the last couple of weeks is in order, followed by Dhoonya Dance’s Bollyb!end. Sunday is still up in the air, though it’s possible I may get out the camera since I had to miss last night’s photowalk.

Corinne: I’m excited to delve into FotoWeek this weekend with its many activities scattered around the city. Saturday, if I can find any takers-with-vehicle, I’d love to head out of the city to soak in autumn in all its glory, perhaps at some vineyards or on a nearby hiking trail. Sunday I hope to pick up some much needed tips at The Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show at the Convention Center. Sunday night I’ll be cheering on those Globetrotters, hoping they do some more Dutch dancing…or at least arrive first at the Amazing Race Pit Stop.   Continue reading →

The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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OMG WTF BHO?

Via FuckYeahDC comes this beautiful piece of wackiness. It’s a mashup of a Japanese エロゲ (eroge) called My girlfriend is the PRESIDENT, and modern day politics. I mean, who doesn’t get all hot and bothered talking about Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin? Okay, so that’s everyone. But this video is worth it for the sheer and absolute “What the %^&*ing %^&* did I just watch?!” factor, and the understanding that someone, somewhere, really thinks that Vlad Putin and Kim Jong Il are secretly in bed together.

News, The Daily Feed, WMATA, WTF?!
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$14M Power Distribution Unit Replacement?

Photo courtesy of
‘wheat pennies bw’
courtesy of ‘christaki’

The root cause of yesterday’s Metro failure was the death of a 27-year old Power Distribution Unit (be sure to click through for the pictures of what was left… (read yesterday’s interview with Chuck Goolsbee to get more detail as to what these do), and while there’s an interim solution in place, full replacement is necessary. Metro is estimating that this will cost approximately $14M to do correctly, including upgrades and replacements of HVAC gear, and a new generator. This is the sort of capital improvement that happens maybe once a quarter-century, so it’s likely that they’ll get it, however, when I asked Chuck about the cost, this is what he said: “I could build an entire new datacenter facility for 14mil!”

Yikes. That’s a bunch of money…

The Daily Feed
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Darnestown Annual Bazaar & Boutique


Beans in the Belfry IMGP6253
Originally uploaded by carlweaver

Unfortunately, I will be out of town for this but the annual Darnestown church bazaar will be happening this Saturday from 8:30 to 3:30. They always have some cool stuff to buy and this is a great opportunity to pick up an affordable holiday gift for that special someone you don’t want to pay full price to make happy.

If you want a nice drive into the Forbidden Zone outside the Beltway, this is about the last weekend you will be able to see the fall colors, so go out to rural Maryland to this sale. All proceeds help support various charitable organizations.

Take I-270 to Route 28, go seven miles and find the church on the corner of 28 and Turkey Foot Road. You will be glad you made the trek.

News, The Daily Feed, WMATA, WTF?!
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WMATA Backpedals on SmartBenefits Changes

Photo courtesy of
‘Newspapers Newspapers Newspapers’
courtesy of ‘staceyviera’

With the change in SmartBenefits (ie, MetroChecks) looming large, and confusion running rampant concerning the potential changes, Greater Greater Washington reports that some employers are going to have the option to stay as it stands after January 1st. The difficulty appears to be in the concept of pretax deductions. If you’re taking money out pre-tax for Metro fare, and fail to use it by the end of the month, the money has to revert to the employer, and thus, the employee. Unfortunately, that paperwork is not straightforward, so there’s a delay here.

Penn Quarter, The District, The Features
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Photowalking: Chinatown/Penn Quarter

Photo courtesy of
‘Scooter’
courtesy of ‘The Digital Story’

An intrepid group of 25 photographers met last night at the Friendship Arch in Chinatown to explore the neighborhood, take photos, and talk with visiting photo guru Derrick Story. It was a cool fall evening, but the light was good, and the company better still. Dig on deeper for the best of the bunch, or browse the whole tag at Flickr.

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Reminder: Photowalk with Derrick Story Tonight!

Photo courtesy of
‘beer reflection’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

Hey all, just a quick reminder, we’re meeting at 7th and H Streets tonight at 6pm for the We Love DC Photowalk with Derrick Story. We’ll head east to Fifth Street, south to E Street, and then wend our way through Penn Quarter. There’s a draft route past the break, but check twitter for our formal location, as we’ll be tweeting it sporadically. We’ll end up for an informal beverage or two at RFD on 7th, just north of where we started.

Continue reading →

Downtown, Food and Drink, Penn Quarter, Special Events, The Features
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Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show: Paula Deen Brings the Butter

Paula Deen and Jon Ashton in LOL Theater

courtesy of The Tiny Kitchen

You thought I was kidding about the butter until you saw this picture…

Things have been a little crazy this fall, and I’ve been missing out on my usual weeknight and weekend HEAVY dosage of the Food Network. Alas, this weekend, I am excited to get some face time with my favorite stars, in addition to some DC super-chefs.

This Saturday and Sunday (November 7-8), the 2009 Metropolitan Cooking and Entertaining Show is coming to the downtown convention center. For a $20 admission ticket, you can visit the showroom floor, a cooking demonstration or a knife skills class.

The show room floor will feature over 200 caterers, personal chefs, appliance manufacturers and party planners, but one of the true benefits of your General Admission ticket is access to the Tasting and Entertaining Workshops. Continue reading →

Food and Drink, News, People, Special Events, The Daily Feed, The District
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Iron Chef Comes To The White House

Photo courtesy of
‘The White House – The Dream Home of Many Children’
courtesy of ‘adcristal’

The Food Network announced today that Mario Batali, Bobby Flay and Emeril Lagasse came to the White House last month (how did we miss this?) to film a special two-hour Iron Chef episode, called “Super Chef Battle”. Michelle Obama and White House Executive Chef Cristeta Comerford gave Batali, Lagasse and Flay the challenge of using produce from the White House garden as the “secret ingredient”. In new-media fashion, Flay even tweeted about it this morning.

The special episode premieres Sunday, January 3rd at 8pm ET. Here is the full New York Times article (and a picture of Mario Batali wearing RIDICULOUS orange shenanegans on his feet).

$5 says FLOTUS wore a cardigan for the episode.

The Daily Feed
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Wait, who’s sleazy?

Photo courtesy of
‘Sleaze Twisto SanFrancisco Graffiti Art’
courtesy of ‘anarchosyn’

Today’s WaPo story about PETA interns opens up with a description of a recent PETA public event against meat.

This self-assured knowledge is useful when the PETA interns are naked, which happens occasionally, like at a recent Friday demonstration when Kelsey Jaye stands with another “PETA Beauty” in a makeshift shower on Pennsylvania Avenue by the National Archives. They languidly wash each other with cruelty-free soap and ignore heckles from the gathering crowd.

then a little further down

He’s so skeezy. All the men here are so skeezy, snapping pictures with their cellphones, pretending to read the literature given to them by Line Moeller, another PETA intern who is wearing a teeny terry cloth robe. “I’m just . . . interested . . . in what they’re . . . saying,” says the man who wants the water to be cold. He stares slack-jawed at Jaye and her shower mate, who are saying nothing. (Unknown to the men, the Beauties are wearing panties.)

Jaye is used to this. These things happen when you are a PETA intern.

Just so we’re clear: Men, skeezy. Topless women soaping each other in public or wearing revealing clothing inappropriate for public in order to get attention: “These things happen.”

Five Favorites, The Features
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Five Favorites: Circles, Triangles, and Squares

Photo courtesy of
‘Budding Tree’
courtesy of ‘FredoAlvarez’

DC has all sorts of weird land left over where the grid of street meets up with diagonal avenues. In many places, these intersections have been altered to create circles, triangles, and squares. Pierre L’Enfant originally envisioned these squares to be focal points of nearby neighborhoods, providing a place for residents of a particular state to set up shop in the Nation’s Capital. Today, many of these circles and squares fulfill L’Enfant’s vision of neighborhood focal points. Here are our five favorites:

Number 5: Stanton Park. Stanton Park is located in the Near Northeast part of town, at the intersection of Maryland Avenue and Massachusetts Avenue NE. It was another original L’Enfant creation and was originally called Reservation 5. The park was named after Lincoln’s Secretary of War, Edward Stanton, after the Civil War (though interestingly, the statue in the center is not Stanton but Nathanael Greene, a Revolutionary War hero).
Continue reading →