Yearly Archives: 2009

Five Favorites, The District, The Features, WMATA
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Five Favorites: Metro Stations

Photo courtesy of
‘Woodley Station’
courtesy of ‘Tyrannous’

Hi, and welcome to a new feature called Five Favorites.  Our reader Jay suggested ranking favorite places in DC, and I’m going to start with five favorite Metro stations.  These are stations that are the best examples of vibrant, walkable, urban, mixed-use places in the District.  These are the Metro stations that you could emerge from at any time, and there’d always be plenty of people around.  This list is a mix of subjective factors and measurable data, so feel free to disagree and tell me which of your favorites I missed.

Number 5: Woodley Park/Adams Morgan. Ok, we all know that it’s annoying to have to walk across the bridge to get from the Metro station to the heart of Adams Morgan, but still– this Metro station is always full of people emerging from the ridiculously long escalators.  The Connecticut Avenue strip where you emerge from the Metro station is full of some great restaurants, and the 10-minute walk across the bridge to 18th Street puts you in the middle of it all.

The Adams Morgan neighborhood itself is a diverse, multi-cultural neighborhood with restaurants, bars, shops, and corner stores, and cute rowhouses and apartments mixed in.  While this stop just barely made it into the top five because of the distance to Adams Morgan itself, the vibrant, constantly-moving atmosphere of the area and the busy-ness of the Metro itself (residents and commuters in the mornings, people out on dates in the evenings, college students in the late evenings) make it one of the best mixed-use Metro stations in the city.  Walk Score: 95.  The Woodley Park Metro station has an average daily ridership of 8,000.
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All Politics is Local, Downtown, News, People, The Daily Feed
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DC Voting Rights Provision Unlikely

Photo courtesy of
‘Capitol up close’
courtesy of ‘brianmka’

Last week we reported that voting rights proponents were looking to add a provision in an upcoming defense appropriations bill that would grant DC representation in the House.  Well, it’s looking like that probably won’t happen, after all.  The chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Dan Inouye, a Democrat from Hawaii, has stated his intention to block the provision.  Senate Democrats fear that controversial additions to the spending bill could bog it down, or perhaps, kill the current iteration all together.  Rep. Holmes-Norton seems to be holding out hope that the provision will still make it into the bill, but many voting rights advocates are already looking for other means.

The Daily Feed, WMATA, WTF?!
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Metro Scares Adults, Small Children

Photo courtesy of
‘Ghost Train’
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

Metro will be scaring the crap out of kids and adults alike tomorrow. Well, more than they usually do. And not by hurting or potentially hurting anyone, for once. They’re going to be out with their Boo Bus at Anacostia Metro tomorrow between 12p and 2p to provide a safe and fun scare (wait, are those things consistent?) for those who want to see a Halloween-decked-out Metrobus.

The Daily Feed
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Continuing Redskin Insanity?

Photo courtesy of
‘Hear no evil see no evil speak no evil’
courtesy of ‘Clar@bell’

Dan Steinberg over at WaPo mentioned briefly this morning that now apparently, the media is no longer allowed to interview fans who’re tailgating on FedEx Field property.

Apparently, WUSA-9’s anchor Derek McGinty said last night that the team “told our sports director Brett Haber that this has always been team policy, but when he [Haber] pointed out that we and other stations, including their very own broadcast partners, have in fact always talked openly to tailgaters, there was, well let’s just say, no further explanation.”

A further update by Steinberg has a statement from one Redskin blogger, who confirms that it’s always been team policy mainly so that TV trucks won’t obstruct traffic flow. “This should not affect bloggers or print reporters who want to walk around and talk to tailgaters.”

This is becoming the best soap opera in town!

Fun & Games, News, The Daily Feed
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Wizards Win Season Opener, 102-91

Photo courtesy of
‘Caron Butler at the line’
courtesy of ‘afagen’

Don’t look now, but the Wizards won their season opener against the Dallas Mavericks last night.  For a team that won fewer than 20 games last season, it’s an impressive feat.  Gilbert Arenas announced that he was healthy by putting back 29 points with six assists.  The Wizards moved like a well oiled, respectable team and led the Mavs for almost the entire night, winning the game 102-91.  Is this a prelude of things to come?  Will the DC field a decent basketball team this year?  It looks hopeful, right now.  What are your thoughts from last night?

Talkin' Transit, The Features
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Talkin’ Transit: Future of P-G County Transportation

traffic flow

Stop-and-go traffic may become a thing of the past for Prince George’s County commuters. That is, if county planners have their way.

The county recently released its 171-page transportation master plan, which covers such ideas as extending WMATA’s Metrorail Purple and Green lines, High-Occupancy Vehicle lanes on heavily-trafficked roadways and other suggestions to get commuters out of their cars and onto public transit.

The plan, in the works for nearly two years, is directly in line with P-G’s overall growth policy, focusing less on residential development and delving more into mixed-use. The county wants its residents to be able to live, work and play in a more pedestrian-friendly environment.

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News, The Daily Feed
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Chinatown Coffee Releases Statement

Photo courtesy of
‘Chinatown Coffee’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

This evening we received a statement from Chinatown Coffee’s owner Max Brown, printed in full below the break. It appears that the Browns were unaware of Cho’s previous situation with Murky (something I find a little dubious) and that while he was to have stayed on as an employee manager of staff, that role will instead go to Travis Edwards, who will become the GM on Sunday. Read on for the full statement.

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The Daily Feed, WMATA, WTF?!
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WMATA silently edits news release

Photo courtesy of
‘Pravda’
courtesy of ‘aquateamhungryfort’

Earlier I linked to a WMATA news release on the changes to how SmarTrip SmartBenefits would be handled and disbursed. When reader Nate commented that he disagreed with me about the significant part of the story I went back to look at the release again… and was surprised that I had misremembered there being a section about how unused benefit deposits were refunded

When I checked another window, however, I discovered I hadn’t misremembered – WMATA had just edited the release and made no note of the change. Both releases state they were issued at 11:52am today. The original section that explains what Nate is talking about was the last bit of the second paragraph and reads as follows:

Any unused benefits will be credited back to the employer at the end of each month. Employees who currently contribute a portion of their pre-taxed salary to through the SmartBenefits® program should contact their employers to determine how that employer will handle any unused portion of their pre-tax contribution.

The new edited release makes some mention of “pre-tax benefits” but excises the word “contribution” entirely. Kinda sleazy.

The other changed sections are after the jump.

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News, The Daily Feed
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Coffee Maven Cho Faces 40 Years in Prison

Photo courtesy of
‘razor’
courtesy of ‘Skelekitten’

Nick Cho, famous for his work as a barista and coffee-shop owner, today surrendered himself to arrest and booking on 82 counts of tax fraud related to the tax debt that shuttered Capitol Hill’s Murky Coffee in 2008. According to the release from the OCFO, posted in full below the cut, he’s facing 180 days in jail for each count, if convicted, along with a $5k fine, and full restitution if convicted. That would be $410,000 in fines, plus restitution for the amounts not filed with the District in 2006 and 2007, as well as 41 years in jail.

The amount specified by the OCFO for delinquent taxes is over $100,000, which would be compounded with penalties, interest and additional fines.

Chinatown Coffee Company, where Cho currently consults on the coffee operation, did not have a comment this afternoon when reached by telephone. Cho was released this afternoon following the booking. City Paper’s Jason Cherkis has a bit of the backstory here as well. Cherkis has now also spoken with the owners at Chinatown Coffee.

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Entertainment, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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CityDance: Latitude

City Dance Ensemble, photo credit Paul Gordon Emerson

City Dance Ensemble, photo credit Paul Gordon Emerson

CityDance Ensemble has just returned to their DC homebase from tours in the Middle East and Chile, and are settling into the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theatre for two performances this Thursday and Friday at 7:30pm. “Latitude” features contemporary works by Artistic Director Paul Gordon Emerson, Choreographer-in-Residence Christopher K. Morgan, and others from Brazil, Chile, and Israel.

This year they were awarded the DC Mayor’s Award for Excellence in an Artistic Discipline, no small feat. They even run an early arts outreach program teaching dance to kids across DC. Dancer Magazine calls them “breathlessly innovative.” Go see why.

The Daily Feed
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New Ballston Building Uses Old Bob Peck Style

bobpeck

The work of mid-century American architect Anthony Musolino was at its finest in the Ballston dealership of Bob Peck. Built in 1964, very possibly at the height of Chevrolet as a company, the modern angles and shapes of the dealer were iconic. It was demolished in 2003 as part of the revitalization at the confluence of Wilson and Glebe in the heart of Arlington. While I never came to love those angles like some did, I certainly understand how iconic they were.

Interestingly enough, those same diamond patterns of the showroom’s roof will now be part of the Cooper Carey designed building at the same site. The towering glass office building will carry the same diamond pattern at the entrance. Beautiful appropriation of an iconic design.

The Features, We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: Dracula

Dan Istrate and Natalie Berk in Synetic Theater's "Dracula." Photo credit: Graeme B. Shaw

Dan Istrate and Natalie Berk in Synetic Theater's "Dracula." Photo credit: Graeme B. Shaw

Oh, Vlad. How we missed you. Vampires are back in fashion, sucking blood and living forever. Sad soulful looks are fine, but let’s say you prefer your undead to be more aggressive and lustful. Synetic Theater’s revamp of their smash rendition of “Dracula” will be just the thing to get you in the mood. For Halloween, that is!

The company throws themselves into the well-known tale with unbridled enthusiasm. In some cases, they are literally thrown – the physicality of Irina Tsikurishvili’s choreography caused the audience to gasp repeatedly. As always, the artistry of the ensemble creates breathtaking images – fluttering hands for firelight, tossing hair as horses, a crawling bat – too many to mention.

As Dracula, Dan Istrate’s raw masculinity and wry humor were so on target, I thought the women next to me were going to have several Victorian fainting spells. Continue reading →

All Politics is Local, Life in the Capital, News, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Dan Snyder and the Gestapo

Photo courtesy of
‘Under the lights’
courtesy of ‘brianmka’

Not to keep rubbing salt into the “Redskins are the worst” wound, but Dan Snyder seems more and more like a fascist dictator every day.  There have been several accounts, including two from last night alone, of people being kicked out of FedEx Field for expressing their true feelings for Mr. Snyder.  Apparently, he sicked a couple of security guards on critical fans, confiscating a banner and kicking them out of the stadium.  Nice.  Glad to hear he’s so confident in himself.  Let this be a lesson to the rest of you.  If you’re going to tell Mr. Musolli… I mean, “Mr. Snyder” that he sucks, don’t do it in his stadium.  He really doesn’t like it. But seriously, Dan, you do suck.

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News, Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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Wizards Kick It Off Tonight

Photo courtesy of
‘Washington Wizards’
courtesy of ‘RMTip21’

The Wizards kick off their season tonight in Dallas against Mark Cuban’s Mavericks. While it seems the Wiz will wait even longer for the holy trinity of Arenas/Jamison/Butler to be united, but since we’ve been waiting since 2007, anyhow, so what’s another 3-5 weeks? This will also mark the Washington debut of coach Flip Saunders, who took over at the helm during the off-season. Saunders’ past success with Detroit and Minnesota make him a candidate to lead the turn-around for the Wizards, but much is dependent at this point on getting everyone healthy and keeping them that way.

The Wizards start of with a brutal first fifteen games. Four of their first five opponents made the playoffs this year, and they’ll be down Antawn Jamison until mid November at the earliest. It’s not exactly the sort of situation you want a team that has so much to prove to be in so early in the season. This is the kind of stretch you want to see much later in the year, once the engine’s running on all cylinders. But, if Saunders can keep the keel even, and can come out of that first fifteen with six or seven wins, then I’d say there’s a fair chance the Wizards might be back to their earlier form. Don’t hold your breath.

Tipoff’s at 8:30 tonight, and the game’s on Comcast Sports Net.

All Politics is Local, The Daily Feed
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Obamas Wait for Swine Flu Shots Like Everybody Else

Photo courtesy of
‘Uh…Joe?’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

When it comes to the H1N1 vaccine, the CDC doesn’t play favorites. Not even for the president. Sasha and Malia have been vaccinated, as they are in one of the priority groups (young people under 24), but el presidente and the first lady have to wait like everyone else until the vaccine is available for adults 25 and over. Fair, right? Although now I am imagining Obama, delirious from having been struck down by the piggy flu, shouting from his bed, “Reid! Keep the public option, Reid! Reeeeiiiidddd!”

Mythbusting DC, The Features
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DC Mythbusting: Haunted DC

Photo courtesy of
‘Thomas Trueman Gaff Monument’
courtesy of ‘kimberlyfaye’

Hi, and welcome to a Halloween edition of Mythbusting!  This week, I’ll see if my mythbusting skills can translate to ghostbusting.  I’m going to tackle three different spooky DC myths and see if I can find any validity in the legends.  Sound good?  Let’s get started.

The Demon Cat in the Capitol: First off, let’s tackle one of the most widespread haunted myths of our city: the Demon Cat.  There are so many ghost stories involving a black cat who appears in the Capitol as an omen before national tragedies like presidential assassinations.  Legend has it that the cat has appeared before the assassinations of Lincoln and Kennedy, before the stock market crash of 1929, and even on September 10, 2001.  Apparently, there are even permanent paw prints in the Capitol that show the presence of the Demon Cat!  So is there really a Demon Cat?

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The Daily Feed, WMATA, WTF?!
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Burying the lead disappointment

Photo courtesy of
‘NO SMARTRIP -6480’
courtesy of ‘Joe Tresh’

WMATA’s press release about SmartBenefits talks a little about how some changes will be made to the SmarTrip behavior to comply with new IRS rules but leaves the really interesting thing for last. A sizable percentage of people in the area might get transit subsidies from their employers but here’s the real news for all SmarTrip users: no passes or online refilling of cards till Fall 2010.

WMATA blames this delay on the complexity of implementing these changes to meet IRA rules, but it’s hard to give this much credence given how horribly overdue they are in implementing this feature. IRS transit mandates might be why they couldn’t fit it into 2009, but what’s the reason they didn’t have it in 2004 or 2005?

The Daily Feed
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MLK Memorial Just Waiting for Building Permits

Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘erin m’

The negotiations over the design and placement of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial have finally concluded, with the National Capital Planning Commission voting unanimously to approve the revised design. It’s been sort of a long road for this particular monument, with conflicts arising over everything from the choice of a Chinese sculptor to what kind of security stanchions would be installed around the perimeter. But with the design approved, the National Park Service just has to issue building permits so that the construction can go forward.

The monument will be placed on the tidal basin, among the cherry blossom trees, sort of diagonally across from the Jefferson Memorial. The new memorial sounds lovely, so I’m looking forward to being able to view it, the Jefferson, AND the cherry blossoms in one trip. It’s scheduled to open in late summer 2011, so expect to pick your way around the construction site while walking the tidal basin for the next couple of years.

Fun & Games, News, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Redskins have a Case of the Mondays

Photo courtesy of
‘Colt Brennan and Marcus Mason’
courtesy of ‘Keith Allison’

What a night for the hometown team. The Redskins lost to the Philadelphia Eagles by a score of 27-17 in an absolutely miserable performance.  You may be thinking “10 points isn’t that bad,” but, I’ll remind you that half of the Eagles team is injured and that they lost to the Oakland Raiders, last week.  It’s bad.  Where to start with this?  The offense, while making a few clutch plays (hence the 17 points), had 3 turn-overs, one of which resulted in a touchdown for the Eagles. The line allowed Campbell to be sacked 6 times, oh, and Chris Cooley broke his ankle.  Things are not looking good.  On the defensive side, no one seemed to be able to stop Desean Jackson, who scored two touchdowns, one on a huge run and the other on a huge reception.  All in all, the Skins looked par for the course for this season.  The front office’s decision to mute Jim Zorn obviously had no positive effect on the play calling and the Redskins show no sign of improvement.  Honestly, get used to losing.