Daily Archives: December 3, 2009

The Daily Feed, WMATA, WTF?!
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Metro’s Budget Disaster, Fare Hikes Possible

Photo courtesy of
‘Empty Metro Car’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

$175 million. That is the current projected budget gap for Metro for the fiscal year. That is a gap some $30m larger than what was predicted just three months ago and you may be paying the difference. WaPo wrote today that Metro’s managers recommended this morning that up to $92 million of that gap be made up through fare hikes. That would require a full 25 cent increase on each fare, bus and rail, to cover 50% of the total shortfall. But why is Metro even worse off than expected?

Well revenues are down, of course. Way down. But why?

Officials said the main reason for the growing gap is the bad economy, which has meant fewer riders and less revenue.

Friends, you and I and everyone in between know that the economy, however recessed it might be, is NOT the reason Metro’s revenues are falling like crazy. Job loss is not why ridership is far below estimates. Does anyone even remotely believe this? Of course the economy has hurt every business, and Metro has to be run like a business (sort of). But COME ON WMATA. Walk up to a mirror and the answer to your falling revenue will look you right straight in the face.

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The Daily Feed
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The Residents coming to the 930 club

Photo courtesy of
‘an optic volcano’
courtesy of ‘katherine_hitt’

If you’re a fellow gen-xer and were at all into odd music during your youth then you’d probably recognize The Residents‘ signature eyeball motif. I honestly hadn’t thought of them in years, despite having really enjoyed Meet the Residents. However the almighty wikipedia indicates they’ve never really stopped creating, and now they’re coming to the 930 Club on Feb 7th of next year. I’m somewhat surprised by the venue, given that when Negativland came through two years ago they only rated the under 100 seat Warehouse.

The Daily Feed
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Spread Holiday Cheer To Those In The Armed Forces

Photo courtesy of
‘Half way through’
courtesy of ‘sermoa’

The holiday season is more than a time to gorge yourself with home-cooked meals and family bonding. It’s about giving back and making people smile. The American Red Cross and Pitney Bowes, Inc. encourages you to do just that by getting involved with the Holiday Mail for Heroes program.

The program is in its third year and offers the opportunity to share holiday cheer with our men and women in uniform. It’s simple to do — just fill out a greeting card!

How does the program work? Easy. Send all cards to:

Holiday Mail for Heroes
P.O. Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456

The deadline for these cards is December 7th, so get writing!

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Alexandria, Food and Drink, Interviews, People, The Features
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He Loves DC: Lamar Brown

Lamar

Earlier this week, I sat down with Lamar Brown, engineer and corporate drone by day and wine connoisseur and entrepreneur by night. His cozy shop just off King Street in Old Town Alexandria, Carafe Wines, is the city’s only “micro-winery,” allowing customers to sample and then bottle their own wines. With grape juices shipped in from vineyards in Chile, California, New Zealand, Italy, France and Washington, to name a few, it may not be the most green method, but he’s created a truly unique niche for delightfully aged wines made right in good old Alexandria.

Having lived in Northern Virginia for 10 years, Lamar had a vision to take his extreme interest and admiration for good wine to the next level. His dream was realized two years ago, and now, he proudly allows his customers to make their own wines and their own private labels.

Nestled between a gorgeous marble bar and a bustling fireplace, I sampled the Rosso Miscele Reserve, a Tuscan-styled wine vented from Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and later a dab of the Merlot Reserve, a full-bodied wine with hints of red cherries, toasted oak and herbs. Then we sat down to business and focused on Lamar’s storied history with wine, the DC area, and, of course, what wine pairs best with Matchbox sliders.

What inspired you to start Carafe Wines?
Actually, a love of wines, to be honest. And I saw a cool niche. The whole wine making experience actually originated in Canada. I ran into it there, and I worked with a lot of Canadians to bring the concept to DC. I did some research, and DC area is actually the second most wine-centric area in the country outside of California. So, we sell more bottles per capita than anybody. I thought people would get a cool kick out of being able to make their own wine.

So, why do you think DC is the number two area for wine purchases in America? Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Pro tip for bank robbers: Leave your ID at home

Photo courtesy of
‘The Cell’
courtesy of ‘andertho’

Alleged bank robber Kelvin James Crosby, 28, of High Point North Carolina was pinched in our fair city during a traffic stop. We’ll be sending him back to NC to stand trial for a bank robbery, during which he is reported by police to have dropped a personal document with his name on it. After finding this document, police compared a picture of Crosby to the surveillance tape and decided that was a good enough match to justify putting a warrant out for his arrest.

I’d like to think that if I was going to go stick up a joint I’d avoid carrying around my bills and love letters, but perhaps it was a spur of the moment kind of thing inspired by this bit of mail that drove him to it. You can insert your own lobbyist/congress crooks-coming-to-DC joke here.

The Daily Feed
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The Onion at the National Press Club tomorrow

Photo courtesy of
‘National Press Club – Bottoms Up – 1-30-09’
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

I’m still waiting for my invitation to join the National Press Club, but they’re opening their doors to any and all tomorrow evening. Three of the writers and editors from America’s Finest News Source, The Onion, will be there to talk and flog their new book, Our Front Pages. I’ve heard some of these folks doing their shtick on the radio recently and they’re as pithy and funny live as they are in print. The event’s no charge but the same can’t be said of the bar afterward – it’s pay as you go. It’s understandable – you’d never get journalists to leave an open bar.

We Love Weekends
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We Love Weekends: December 4-6

Photo courtesy of
‘Sidewalk Chalk Abstract’
courtesy of ‘Kevin H.’

Another week, another weekend. Thank goodness it works out that way. [Insert your winter holiday of choice here] is closing in, so this might be the last weekend you get to yourself, free of obligations or shopping or drunk uncle Charlie sharing family history you’d have been happier not knowing. I refuse to believe aunt Jane would do such a thing, brown acid or not, Chuck.

Here’s what we few, we happy few, we band of brothers and sisters, will be up to this weekend.

Max: Friday night I’ll be headed over to Reyes + Davis gallery to see Fine Lines, a drawing exhibition featuring one of my favorite local artists, Kate McGraw.  Afterward I’ll be strolling over to Flashpoint to check out Disco Pigs, a play about “two inseparable violent creatures, who have developed their own language from birth”.  Well that should be interesting, hmmmm?  On Saturday I might head up to the closing party for Portrait 2.0 to hang out with some of my photography buddies, that is if I can get motivated to trek up to Pyramid Atlantic in Silver Spring.  Sunday I am determined to see a movie, relax, and get ready for another fun filled week at work.

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News, The Daily Feed, The District
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Sen. Corker’s Daughter Carjacked Near Verizon Center

Photo courtesy of
‘Slow Down’
courtesy of ‘spiggycat’

Tennessee Senator Bob Corker’s oldest daughter Julia, 22, got carjacked last night at the corner of D and 7th Streets NW (near the Verizon Center) by two attackers. One of the men stopped to ask Corker where Gallery Place was while the other opened her driver’s side door, pulled her out of the vehicle, choked her, and threw her to the ground where she then lost consciousness.

She awoke from her brief stint of a black out only to find the attackers driving away in her SUV. Lucky for Corker, her SUV was equipped with OnStar and police were able to track the men down and arrest them.

Corker was not seroiusly injured in the attack.

News, The Daily Feed, The District
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Ride With Style: New DC Sports Vanity Plates Are In-The-Works

Photo courtesy of
‘Preamble (203/365) (048/365) [Explored]’
courtesy of ‘kimberlyfaye’

Want to drive with pride while donning your favorite team’s colors with a new vanity license plate? You could be soon thanks to council members Kwame R. Brown (D-At Large) and Jack Evans (D-Ward 2) who announced their plan to create plates for the Redskins, Wizards, United, Capitals and Mystics on Tuesday.

All plates would still say “Taxation without representation”, but at least now you can add a unique touch to the front and rear of your daily ride.

Extra fees would include a one-time payment of $25 for the plate and a $20 biennial renewal.

The only question I have is: What about those Nationals? They need some love too!

Music, Night Life, The Daily Feed
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Cratenfire.com Presents A U St. Showcase of DC Talent

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Yours truly has a one-song set on U Street tonight. Interested in catching the stage debut of Rachel Levitin & Paul Derlunas? Stop by the Cratenfire.com Local DC Talent Showcase down at Station9 located at 1438 U Street NW.

The event features a house band to kick-off a night of rockin’ DC tunes at 7 pm, followed by the showcase at 8 pm. Blues, R&B, Rock, Pop — there will be something for everyone to groove to. So lace up those dancin’ shoes, throw on some of your finest threads, and head out to U St. to scout some fresh DC talent.

Admission is 18 to enter/21 to drink with a $15 cover (if you’ve got a college ID it’s only $10). Pricey door fee? Yes. Potential for a priceless night on the town? You betcha!

Photo by Isaiah Headen.

The Daily Feed
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Give a Little So a Child Can Smile

Photo courtesy of
‘More Fun Than a Barrel of Monkeys’
courtesy of ‘marciadc’

One of the reasons I love this time of year is the opportunities that abound to give. Since my family and I practice the “Season of Giving” in every literal sense, I want to make our readers aware of an opportunity that exists to give at least one child a smile this Christmas season.

The Georgetown Child Life Unit is running a toy drive this year for kids who will be forced to stay at the hospital for Christmas. Operation Snowpile collects toys and then runs a free “store” so parents can select and provide gifts for their kids. It’s a small way to help reduce the emotional, financial and physical stresses these families face during the holidays with a loved child having to stay at the Georgetown Child Life Unit.

There are a few ways you can help. The easiest option is to make an online donation by Dec 12, so the organizers can purchase toys for the store. You can also donate toys yourself, by either dropping off a new and in-the-package toy at Greater Goods (1626 U St. NW) or buying one online through one of Snowpile’s cooperating sponsors, who’ll then donate part of the sale to the cause. (Snowpile has indicated this isn’t on the website yet, but will be soon.)

Take a few minutes and pay it forward this season. You’ll make a difference.

Interviews, People, The Features, We Love Drinks
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We Love Drinks: Josh Volz

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Josh Volz, at Marvin. Photo credit: Sam Vasfi

We Love Drinks embarks on a series where we look behind the bar, profiling the many people – from mixologists to bartenders, sommeliers to publicans – who make your drinks experience happen.

“The coolest winter I ever spent was a San Francisco summer,” Josh Volz quips as he mixes up… a San Francisco Summer cocktail. A bartender who can quote Mark Twain is high in my books. He’s a man in total command of his sometimes chaotic bar, flooded by loyal regulars and dandies alike. Always in motion, befitting the vibrant and constantly shifting scene of Marvin, he’s rustling up a hand-crafted cocktail with no pretension and no intimidation.

“What’s the one thing people would be surprised to learn about your job?” I ask.

Josh laughs.

“That it’s easy,” he replies.

This I find hard to believe, watching him juggle multiple drink orders from both the bar and the servers at one of the busiest spots in DC. Not to mention, this is a man who came to cocktails relatively late – his first taste of liquor wasn’t even until the age of twenty-five. But it’s a fitting job description for someone who strives to run an inviting, approachable bar. He’s got a wry sense of humor and a balanced, classic cocktail style. I genuinely enjoyed sitting at Marvin’s downstairs marble bar getting to know him and his regulars better. Isn’t that the best part about going to a bar anyway?
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