Monthly Archives: December 2009

Adventures, Fun & Games, News, The Features
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Snow Details, Snow Fun

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

Update 11:52: THUNDERSNOW HAS BEEN REPORTED AT QUANTICO! You hear me?? THUNDERSNOW I SAY!

Update 11:38AM: (From NWS Senior Meteorologist Logan Johnson): This will now easily be the biggest December snowstorm on record in DC. It is very important that people stay OFF the roads and also that people report their snow totals to the National Weather Service at lwx-report@noaa.gov. Heaviest bands of snow arriving right now in Arlington/DC area so snowfall totals will pick up quickly.

On a side note, DCA is closed until at least 1pm.

UPDATE 9:25AM: We are now in a blizzard warning until 6pm this evening! This means winds over 35mph in addition to our substantial snowfall (up to 22″), as well as very reduced visibility.

Quick snow recap of the latest:

  • We could see 9″ by morning and UP TO 2 feet of snow by Sunday morning. That is kah-ray-zee.
  • Blizzard warnings have been issued for areas east of the city, including La Plata and Annapolis, MD.
  • We are all in a winter storm warning through Sunday morning. 30 HOURS LEFT!
  • There is no milk left in the DC metro area. At all. Like for real.
  • DC has issued a snow emergency starting at 7am, so MOVE YOUR CARS.
  • Nancy Pelosi had to leave Copenhagen early to make sure she could get back to the Hill before DC is swallowed up by fluffy white stuff.
  • It’s very possible that Metro may be an underground ONLY system starting tomorrow. Map and details here.
  • Virginia is already in a state of emergency.
  • DC area news stations will have up to the minute coverage starting at 2am and will give you updated reports every minute on the minute. Team coverage expected at every area grocery store and intersection.

    • By now, you know all there is to know about this #snowpocalypse #snOMG storm. You’ve read our post from earlier today with a description of what thundersnow is and how it could happen tomorrow, making this megastorm even more entertaining. And above you have all of the latest details you could EVAR want! So let’s have some fun with this snow thing. Everyone in our area is going crazy right now and it will only get worse tomorrow. Play along.

    Continue reading →

    The Daily Feed, We Green DC
    By

    Georgetown to Get Shady

    Photo courtesy of
    ‘A Tree Grows In Georgetown’
    courtesy of ‘hohandy’

    If you think you’re seeing trees sprout up overnight in Georgetown, your eyes aren’t deceiving you. By the end of December, Casey Trees and Trees for Georgetown will have planted 47 trees along the residential streets. Most will go in existing, empty tree boxes, but a couple will go in new ones.

    The new trees are Nuttall oak, Swamp white oak, Parrotia persica, Sweetgum, London plane, Chinese elm, Zelkova, and Shumard oak.

    Fun & Games, The Daily Feed, The Great Outdoors
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    Don’t get struck by lightning while sledding, but…

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

    It’s going to be WILD out there tomorrow. With all the snow coming down tomorrow morning during the thunder storm, we’re thinking there’s a pretty good chance for some decent sledding, if not SKIING.

    So, where should you head to, and what’s your weapon of choice?

    I did a little internet surfing and WeLoveDC author surveying, and here’s what we came up with (but disclaimer, do not trespass! Please check any signs and be cautious of your boundaries, and ESPECIALLY of oncoming traffic, duh).

    Sledding Hills by Location

    In the city:

    • Meridian Hill Park (NW, U Street) *Recommended by WLDC Author Tom
    • Fort Reno (NW by American U.)
    • 3545 Williamsburg Lane, NW (NW, Cleveland Park)
    • Georgetown University’s old school of dentistry (NW, Burleith)

    Continue reading →

    The Features
    By

    Maps for People Who Love DC

    DC Ork Poster

    DC Ork Poster

    As an urban planner, I really love living in a planned city, and I love maps of DC too– so much that I recently looked around and realized that the majority of wall-hangings in my home are DC maps. So for those of you looking for a holiday gift for someone who loves DC, let me suggest a couple decorative maps that are currently hanging in my home that could make great gifts for the DC-lover in your life:

    DC Ork Poster
    This was an early Christmas present this year, and already it is one of my favorite DC things. It shows the District’s neighborhoods by their names, creating a very cool effect. While this is extremely useful for determining which neighborhoods I haven’t yet covered in my Where We Live series, it’s also just really cool looking.

    Continue reading →

    Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
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    Friday Happy Hour

    Photo courtesy of
    ‘spruce goose’
    courtesy of ‘rabid_c’

    Welcome to the first ever Friday Happy Hour, your weekly, single-drink primer.

    In the Christmas spirit, I’m going to recommend a beer the bears the taste of the season.  Well, it bears the taste of your Christmas tree, anyways.  Spruce Goose, by Steamworks Brewing Co., is a strong ale brewed with spruce tips.  As you can imagine, the beer has a distinct pine flavor, which evokes the vestiges of the Christmas season like none other.  The ale is balanced and fruity, with subtle yet distinct overhang of spruce.  The pine is prevailing flavor, but it’s not over powering such that you get a full, complex range of flavors as you sip the beer.

    It can be had from Rick’s Wine and Gourmet in Alexandria, as well as at other specialty shops in the area (readers: be so kind as to report sightings).

    The Daily Feed
    By

    Christmas Camel Back at Mount Vernon

    Photo courtesy of
    ‘Mount Vernon – Aladdin – 12-26-08’
    courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

    Now through Jan. 6, Mount Vernon is having a special holiday celebration with historical chocolate-making demonstrations, 18th century dancing, and a Christmas Camel named Alladin.

    Yes, that’s right, a camel, back by popular demand. It seems our founding father had a penchant for exotic animals, and in 1787 he paid 18 shillings to bring in a camel at Christmastime to entertain his guests. Hmm, do you think they were surprised? (And is that little “Alice the Camel” ditty now playing in your head?)

    This year’s stand-in comes from the Full Moon Ranch Home in Berryville, VA, and is said to be very friendly, though of dubious help in a snowpocalypse. More on our man GW and his camel after the jump. Continue reading →

    Business and Money, News, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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    DC Area’s Most Expensive Toll Road…

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

    …will be the Intercounty Connector in PG and Montgomery counties.  The ICC, which will be completed next year, is scheduled to levy a $6.15 toll, each way. That amounts to around $0.35/mile, shattering the standing area record at $0.28/mile, held by the Dulles Greenway.  According to MTA, the exorbitant fee is necessary to cover road maintenance and construction costs.  If it makes you feel any better, the ICC will not be the most expensive road in the nation.  That distinction is held by SR-91 is California, which charges nearly $1/mile.

    People, The Features
    By

    Why I Love DC: Michael


    ‘In the Shadow of the Capitol’
    courtesy of ‘Bogotron’

    I love this city because of its shadows, what casts them, and who lives within them.

    I love the promise of the dream and the bitterness of the truth and how they coexist here. I love the power-brokers, hypocrites, and professional liars. I love the bus drivers, cab drivers, and the waitstaff at New Big Wong.

    I love all the idealistic young people who flood to our city every new Fall college term. I love watching them evolve into social climbing jerks and cynical drunks. I love the few who make it through and actually do some good. I love all the wonks, feds, consultants, soldiers, and spies.

    Continue reading →

    Tags:
    News, The Daily Feed, The District
    By

    Thunder, Thunder, Thunder, ThunderSnow!

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

    (Hopefully you read that title to the theme song of the popular 80’s cartoon)

    UPDATE: NWS just issued a Winter Storm Warning with up to 20″ of snowfall.

    Unless you’ve been hiding for a few days, you know that our beloved city is in for a real winter storm this weekend. And by that I mean REAL. A once every three years or so kind of thing for DC with predictions of over a full foot of snow even inside the beltway. But what makes this storm even more unusual than simply the amount of snow that could fall is the fact that we could experience the meteorlogical phenomenon that is thundersnow. DUN DUN DUN. A thunderstorm with snow? What? Crazy talk? Luckily, we have Logan Johnson, a Senior Meteorologist with the National Weather Service, here to save the day.

    “Thundersnow is a rare weather phenomenon, which is basically a thunderstorm that forms in weather that is cold enough for the precipitation to fall in the form of snow instead of rain. Thundersnow is rare because normally thunderstorms need warm and moist air to form. Cold and drier air, like what occurs during the wintertime, is not very conducive to the development of thunderstorms. The two things that are necessary for thundersnow are the presence of unstable air and a force that will push this unstable air upwards. This force of rising air is provided by strong low pressure. The low pressure will push the unstable air upwards, allow for clouds and thunderstorms to form, and provided that the atmosphere is cold enough, it is thundersnow,” writes Logan. His full detailed and exclusive forecast just for WeLoveDC, including a complete explanation, is after the jump.

    Continue reading →

    The Daily Feed
    By

    Shelter Hotline for Inclement Weather

    Photo courtesy of
    ‘Habitación’
    courtesy of ‘Daquella manera’

    In the impeding frigid weather and possible snow, should you see someone on the street and think they’re in need of shelter, you can call the DC Department of Human Services Shelter Hotline Number at 1-800 535 7252.

    They can provide transportation to a shelter and also provide blankets and clothing to homeless person who choose not go to shelters. It’s a fantastic public service and one that should be called if you have any worry, however slight, about the health and safety of someone on the street.

    News, The Daily Feed
    By

    Fenty To Sign Same-Sex Marriage Bill Today

    Photo courtesy of
    ‘well-dressed mayor’
    courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

    Mayor Fenty is scheduled to sign the same-sex marriage bill approved by the DC council at All Souls Unitarian Church in a public ceremony today.

    Why sign the bill in a church? All Souls’ senior pastor Rev. Robert Hardies told the Washington Post that Fenty’s decision to sign this historic bill in a house of worship, “[…] is symbolic of the strong religious support for this bill in D.C.”

    According to WTOP, supporters of the bill expect same-sex couples to have the ability to marry in DC as early as March.

    The Daily Feed
    By

    Right to Bare Everything on trial in Fairfax today

    Photo courtesy of
    ‘no mires 2 / don’t look 2′
    courtesy of ‘tutescin’

    The WaPo’s breaking news blog reports that Erick Williamson’s trial for indecent exposure is today. You may remember this case from two months ago when police arrested Williamson because a woman reported that he’d exposed himself to her and her child. Whether Williamson made a concerted effort to be seen or not is a big part of the argument. It’ll be interesting to see how this turns out, but in the mean time: close your curtains.

    The Daily Feed
    By

    DC in Cookies

    Courtesy of the Four Seasons Hotel

    Courtesy of the Four Seasons Hotel

    This week, the Four Seasons Hotel unveiled a gingerbread replica of the Smithsonian Castle. Talk about a sugar rush. To make this three-foot-high confection, Executive Pastry Chef Charles Froke used 100 pounds of gingerbread dough, 50 pounds of icing, 30 pounds of icing for snow, 20 pounds of sugar, and five pounds of chocolate. It will be on display at Seasons restaurant, open during breakfasts and weekend lunches and brunches.

    To see the Mall and more in sweets, day or night, head to the lobby of the Marriott Wardman Park.

    Or see a gingerbread version of the White House within its State Dining Room — you know, if you’re a random tourist or someone unmentionable.

    The Features, Where We Live
    By

    Where We Live: The Palisades

    Photo courtesy of
    ‘dream house, pt. 4’
    courtesy of ‘NCinDC’

    Welcome to the last Where We Live of 2009!  It’s been a fun year exploring DC’s neighborhoods, and to close out the year I wanted to profile one of the lesser-known neighborhoods in the city: the Palisades.  This neighborhood is beautiful and scenic and has a real sense of community, but because there’s not great transit to the area it is a bit cut off from the rest of the city.  And since it is lesser-known, here’s where it is: it runs along the Potomac River, from the western edge of Georgetown University all the way to the Maryland border.  Read on to see why it’s worth a trip out there!

    History: This is another neighborhood that was developed on a streetcar line.  The area was laid out in 1893 by the Palisades Improvement Company, and was developed as a streetcar suburb on the line that connected Georgetown and Glen Echo.  The residential character of the area grew, and by the twentieth century the area was being developed with large homes and estates.  The streetcar line was shut down in 1961, but the prominence of the area grew.  The post-war era attracted developers to fill the area with subdivisions and large homes, and today the Palisades is a mix of houses from many different eras.

    Continue reading →

    The Daily Feed
    By

    Keep Living in the Past

    Photo courtesy of
    ‘Drawing of proposed National Airport’
    courtesy of ‘DC Public Library Commons’

    The District has a very cool history, and it’s amazing to think how it has changed over the years. One of the coolest parts of this history is how DC has physically changed since it was planned. We talked a little bit about this when I busted the myth that DC was built on a swamp, but here’s an even cooler way to see it: historical map overlays in Google Maps!

    There are two maps you should really check out, DC in 1851 and DC in 1861. You can make these layers transparent and see how the landscape of the city has changed since then. Hains Point, the Jefferson Memorial, and the Lincoln Memorial were all water back then, but places like Georgetown look exactly the same. Take a look and leave a comment with anything cool you find!

    The Daily Feed
    By

    Bring on the Bubble

    Hirshhorn
    Courtesy of Diller Scofidio & Renfro

    On Monday, the New York Times blew the roof off of the Hirshhorn Museum’s plan to build a 145 foot tall bubble-shaped meeting hall, estimated to cost a cool $5 million (that’s roughly 5 million packs of Bubblicious).  Quickly thereafter, the Washington Post followed up with an article that basically said, “What a dumb idea.  Art museums should be about art, and only art.”

    First, why can’t our own newspaper be the first to break a story about something incredibly cool happening in DC?  Come on, Blake.  Get your nose out of the air.  New York Times, +1.

    Second, the Hirshhorn Bubble, if it is indeed erected, will be one of the best things to happen to the DC art scene.  The Tate Modern in London is known as one of the most revered art museums in the world, not only because of its amazing collection but because they allow the building to be an extension of the art.  Remember Doris Salcedo’s Shibboleth?  Washington Post, -1.

    As you can tell, I welcome this idea with open arms and think it would add some spark to DC’s conservative reputation.  I always hear, “DC art will always come in second to New York art.”  That’s partially because New York doesn’t poo-poo creativity and reserve art for the elite.  Take off that business suit, DC, and put on a swan dress.  Live a little, and bring on the bubble.

    The Daily Feed, WMATA
    By

    Catoe: Budget-Driven Service Cuts Likely

    Photo courtesy of
    ‘double vanishing point’
    courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

    So if Catoe has his way with the budget, say goodbye to 8-car trains. And the peak period turnbacks at Grosvenor. And look for more crowded trains and buses.

    Catoe unveiled his plan this afternoon to deal with the (now) $40M budget gap in Metro’s books.

    Bus and rail service reductions, including lengthening the time between trains and buses. Gaps could increase by a minute during rush hour to upwards of 10 minutes over the weekend. Such service reductions would save the transit agency an estimated $4M.

    The timetable for such cuts could be as early as February of next year through at least June, when Metro’s fiscal year ends. But keep in mind that Catoe & Co. have indicated that next year’s shortfall is now around $175M, so it’s quite likely such cuts – if approved – will become “permanent” for the foreseeable future.

    The Daily Feed
    By

    Catoe Says What He Should Have Said in June

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

    WMATA General Manager John Catoe made a statement to Metro’s board today in which he declared “war on anything and everything that stands in our way of making our system as safe as it can possibly be.”

    I applaud Catoe’s statement, because really, when tens of thousands of people are trusting you with their lives every day, that’s exactly what your attitude should be. Too bad it came after the worst safety year Metro has ever HAD, and not immediately after the June 22 Red Line crash, or the deaths of employees inspecting tracks, or the crash that totaled three cars in a railyard. It seems pretty sad that this had to wait until Senator Barbara Mikulski hung him out to dry.

    All Politics is Local, Business and Money, Food and Drink, Night Life, The District
    By

    May We Have Separate Checks, Please?

    Photo courtesy of
    ‘I take the fifth’
    courtesy of ‘Lars Plougmann’

    It has happened to everyone at some point or another. You’re sitting with a group of your friends at the end of the meal, and the waiter drops off the check. Some of you had drinks, you split an appetizer, and your one just-laid off friend only had dessert. This is going to be one heck of a check to try and divvy up. Finally, after some awkward shifty looks, someone brave picks it up, you dig around in your purse for a pen and the person of your left busts out the cell phone calculator. You pass the check around, and inevitably someone forgot to bring cash. You flip over the check, write dollar amounts next to your last names, and yet the bill doesn’t add up in the end. Someone gets shafted, someone else insists they paid what they owe when the obviously didn’t, and your friend that is the notoriously bad-tipper left 50 cents on a $25 bill. It’s just generally awkward all around and someone in the group winds up taking a big hit to the wallet. It’s an awful way to end a meal. Last week, after one terribly frustrating experience at dinner with a huffy waitress and paying in way more than what I owed, I finally had it. I decided that this issue of splitting checks in DC needed to be investigated, so I set about doing just that.

    To begin, let me explain to you what I’m used to. In North Carolina, where I come from, individual checks are the norm. Generally you don’t even have to ask for them, but when you do ask for them, the waiter or waitress doesn’t blink an eye, and an itemized list appears with what you owe. Then you can tip on your total, and pay how you please – cash or credit. Unlike in DC, you don’t get a huffy waiter, and you definitley don’t have to scramble for pens or pound away on the cell phone calculator to divide the tax. Individual checks are just the way of the world down there – and maybe that’s not everywhere, but I’ve talked to so many people in DC that think it’s frustrating, annoying and unlike where they come from that I just HAD to investigate and write about it.

    So I interviewed a bunch of people – customers, wait staff from some of the area’s most popular restaurants, managers and also the king of power dining in DC, Ashok Bajaj – and have finally come up with some answers. You may not like them, but at least next time you go out on the town with six of your closest friends, you’ll be armed with better information. Continue reading →