Yearly Archives: 2009

The Daily Feed
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Damn It Feels Good To Be A Cube Dweller

Photo courtesy of
‘747’
courtesy of ‘Paul L. Nettles’

I really hesitate to tell you this (so as to improve my own chances of getting tickets), but I wouldn’t feel right about hiding it from you. This year’s DC Labor Filmfest is going to feature Office Space, and in honor of the 10th anniversary of the movie that made the Ghetto Boys’ “Damn It Feels Good To Be A Gangsta” the anthem of cube-dwellers everywhere, Gary Cole (Lumbergh) and Stephen Root (Milton) will be appearing at the screening. there will, of course, be a red Swingline raffle as well. There’s a free showing at Georgetown’s ICC Auditorium on Friday, October 16th, and a ticketed showing at AFI Silver on Saturday the 17th.

Seems like a smart move for DC Labor to target white collar workers who may not think the labor movement is relevant to them by using Office Space. (Hat tip to WBJ’s “Working the Room” blog for the heads-up.)

Life in the Capital, Where We Live
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Your Rent Should Not Go Up This Year

Photo courtesy of
‘For rent’
courtesy of ‘quinn.anya’

If you’ve gotten off the metro in any of the suburbs you’ve probably seen big apartment advertisements offering large giveaways. If that wasn’t enough confirmation for you that the rental market is a soft, perhaps a report on apartments in our region from Marcus & Millichap will help.[pdf, free reg required] There’s some interesting info in that report and if you’re coming up on a lease renewal maybe we can help you use it to get yourself a better deal.

Part of why you see those snazzy banners with equally big offers is that the hardest-hit market is the “class A” asking rents, the higher priced places like Crystal City and along the Connecticut Ave corridor. Not all of the top-price spots have been hit though – some places like Dupont are bucking the trend for now because of their desirability. However overall vacancies are up and it’s unlikely that any region is going to be totally free of a hit; the M&M report says there’s just as many properties coming onto the market this year as last,  meaning more spots to fill.

More interesting is that many of the lower-priced rentals actually have ticked up marginally, perhaps because of people who are more down on their luck and looking for cheaper options. However they also are seeing vacancies rise, so this might be a brief lag about to be followed by more drops.

Let’s dig a little deeper and talk about how it might help you.

Continue reading →

We Green DC
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Here Comes the Sun: Solar Houses on the Mall

Photo courtesy of
‘Spain’s sun-worshipping house’
courtesy of ‘snapzdc’

The National Mall sure looks different these days, ever since they put in that new subdivision. What, you haven’t seen them? All those little houses run completely by the sun? Yes, it’s time for another Solar Decathlon!

In this event sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy every other year, 20 teams of university students from as close as Virginia Tech and as far away as Germany will compete in 10 contests to create the most attractive and energy-efficient solar-powered house. While of course the teams use emerging technologies, the focus is on practicality. The home that wins will not be just the most energy efficient; it also must look great and be tricked out with modern conveniences. To get your home in to contest hire the solar installer croydon service now.

In other words, these homes are concrete examples (or wood or metal or aerogel examples) that going green doesn’t have to mean going without. Sun Rise Power and Gas Company in Pittsburgh, PA gives a green alternative in the Philadelphia electricity marketplace.

And that means the houses all look really cool. What kind of fun gadgets might you see?
Continue reading →

All Politics is Local, The Daily Feed
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Rep. Norton Praises Nobel Award

Photo courtesy of
‘DSC_2725’
courtesy of ‘Ghost_Bear’

DC’s sole member of Congress, Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, issued a press release today remarking on the President’s surprise Nobel Peace Prize award this morning, saying “Obama Redeems Diplomatic Leadership and Re-Establishes America on World Stage” as a result of the award.

The world is abuzz right now over this award and whether it was appropriate and/or deserved and many mocking the award have commented that Obama received it merely for not being named George W. Bush. Rep. Norton makes her case for this being appropriate by pointing out how Obama’s views and approach differ from the previous administration – which is almost the same thing as saying “he’s not Bush”, albeit in a more diplomatic fashion.

(Full press release after the jump)

Continue reading →

Food and Drink, Foodie Roundup, News, The Daily Feed
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Foodie Round-Up: Openings Edition

Photo courtesy of
‘We’re Cooking’
courtesy of ‘Kevin H.’

I’ll be honest with you, reader. I just didn’t feel like putting together foodie round-up today, but I didn’t want to leave you hanging. So instead, like a good food blogger, I decided to write about the flurry of restaurants expected to open this month. So on with you, we’ve got greek, latin-asian fusion, a gastropub, and beer drinker’s heaven coming atcha in October. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Shuttle Service for the Green/Yellow This Weekend

Photo courtesy of
‘Metro in the snow’
courtesy of ‘brianmka’

If you’re not off on Monday, and you ride the Metro’s Green or Yellow Line, you probably want to read up on the shuttle service that will bridge the Yellow and Green line. There are specifically three shuttles:

  • Chinatown/Gallery Place to Anacostia with many stops
  • Chinatown/Gallery Place to Navy Yard, direct
  • Chinatown/Gallery Place to Anacostia, direct

Get ready for some serious Monday pandemonium, and weekend disruption. I’d just plan to work from home, if you can.

The Daily Feed, WMATA, WTF?!
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Metro $22M Short

Photo courtesy of
‘Moving Momentarily’
courtesy of ‘Ghost_Bear’

No surprise in that headline. Last night’s finance committee meeting had Carol Kissal, WMATA’s CFO, telling the board that if there is no upswing in ridership by the end of the year, that $22.4 million budget gap could get bigger. Her estimate so far is based on July and August ridership levels.

Interestingly, Kissal blamed ridership decline on higher unemployment, lower gas prices and the June Red Line crash. Maybe so, but those are “dodge” excuses, really. What about abysmal customer service, long rail delays on OTHER lines, a creepily-high incidental death rate, non-explanatory e-alerts, bus drivers hitting people and a really, REALLY bad PR image at the moment?

And more unsurprisingly, GM John Catoe “has a plan.” Of course he does. He’s John-freaking-Catoe. What the man says, goes. Even if he doesn’t tell everyone else!

Seriously though, looks like Metro’s threatening fare hikes next year, unless we all suck it up and ride.

The Daily Feed
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Would You Miss DC’s Parking Garages?

Photo courtesy of
‘wasteland’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

WaPo reported yesterday on how the parking lot under the Columbia Heights Target is losing $100,000 a month (that’s already $2 million dollars since its construction) due to lack of use.

At $1 an hour rates, you would think the garage could quickly fill for any number of reasons in a densely populated metropolitan region. But on any given day, the garage is at 25% – 47% capacity.

And what’s worse, the $40 million dollar parking lot was required by the city and funded by taxpayer dollars.

While perhaps District officials couldn’t have foreseen the disinterest in parking in Columbia Heights, Continue reading →

The Features, Where We Live
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Where We Live: Columbia Heights

Photo courtesy of
’11th Street NW Rowhouses’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

Another Friday, another neighborhood.  This week’s Where We Live focuses on a neighborhood that has reinvented itself over the past ten years, Columbia Heights. Columbia Heights has a lot to offer, from beautiful residential areas to the massive new DC USA development, and it’s got a pretty neat history too.  Read on to learn all about Columbia Heights.

History: Columbia Heights was originally a horse track and farmland directly outside the boundary of the City of Washington, and it was also the original home of Columbian College (which eventually became George Washington University).  In 1881, Senator John Sherman purchased a whole bunch of land in the area and named the development Columbia Heights, in honor of Columbian College.  In 1904, the college moved down to Foggy Bottom.  The federal government purchased some land and built Meridian Hill Park, and the area became an upscale neighborhood that attracted federal workers and military officers.  In the early 1900s Columbia Heights was one of the most desirable neighborhoods in the city, and attracted a number of notable residents.  By 1914, four streetcar lines connected Columbia Heights to downtown DC.

The neighborhood began to transform from a suburban neighborhood to an urban center in the early part of the twentieth century, with the construction of larger apartment buildings and the Tivoli Theater in 1924.  Columbia Heights was adjacent to the thriving black communities of Shaw and U Street, and became home to more African Americans during the first half of the twentieth century.  Then, of course, the 1968 riots happened.  Residents moved out, stores remained vacant for decades, and Columbia Heights lost its luster.

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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IBM Marketing Fail

Photo courtesy of

‘Metro Fail’
courtesy of ‘Karon’

Hey guys! You know what I just learned today? WMATA uses IBM software to keep track of buses and trains, to make sure that the system is always safe and on time!

So you know what that means, right? IBM wants you to be sure to know that they share some of the credit for WMATA’s record of safety and punctuality. Just so we’re clear.

Full press release after the jump so you can share in the levity.

Continue reading →

Food and Drink, The Features, We Love Drinks
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We Love Drinks: Gin at New Heights

Gin Flight, New Heights

"Gin Flight, New Heights" by Jenn Larsen, on Flickr

The first spirit I ever tasted was gin. It was that obligatory illicit shot from your parents’ liquor cabinet, the “hmm, what’s this all about?” experimentation. And – UGH – that first sip was enough to put me off “Mother’s Ruin” for life. For years afterwards the smell would provoke an instant reaction of, well, ick. 

It’s unfortunate, really, as gin’s complexity is overlooked by many like me whose introduction was less than ideal. But this lady with a past (I love the old Hogarth engravings of depraved Gin Lane in the 1700’s) is beloved by mixologists and enjoying a revival.

Case in point – New Heights restaurant has turned their downstairs bar into a gin joint, complete with a “Gin Manifesto” menu and gin flights. 

Wait, flights of gin? I just about fainted dead away when Rebecca first alerted us to this. In order to make it through a tasting without a PTSD attack, I needed back-up. It wasn’t hard to convince a gin-swilling friend – let’s call him Hogarth – to come along and help me get over the psychological trauma of my childhood sip, and enjoy a historic cocktail along the way.

Continue reading →

News, The Daily Feed
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Alexandria Police Capture Wachovia Robber

Bradlee.jpg

The Alexandria Police have caught the Wachovia Robber, according to their Facebook Page (now there’s a line I thought I’d never write.) After a 10:30am robbery of the branch on King Street in the Bradlee Center, a large police search took place, which included lockdowns at Frances Hammond Middle School, T.C. Williams High School Minnie Howard Campus, and T.C. Williams High School. Tweets indicated odd activity in the Bradlee center area, and it seems that the robber was caught shortly thereafter.

Crazy to see stuff like this go down in the neighborhood just next to mine! Glad they’ve got a suspect in custody.

We Love Weekends
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We Love Weekends: October 10-11

Photo courtesy of
‘Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes’
courtesy of ‘Kevin H.’

Despite the still-warm temperatures, the leaves are changing and it seems that fall is actually here. Which means that our weekend plans involve a lot less hanging out poolside with tasty beverages and a lot more cozying up in warm places with tasty beverages. What can we say? We’re creatures of the seasons.

Kirk: This weekend features one of the highlights of the year for me: the Purcellville Tag Sale.  This town wide yard sale features an awesome selection of antiques, books, oddities and assorted junk. I’m getting there early (like 7:30am) to make sure I can get my hands on the best of the selection.  Other than that, I’ll probably go to a HR-57 on Friday for some sweet, sweet jazz and possibly to Magnolias at the Mill on Saturday for some sweet, sweet beer (seeing as I’ll be in Purcellville, anyways).  All that aside, my main goal this weekend is not to be pulled over by the huge, and overly zealous Loudoun County PD.

Jasmine: I’m super excited about the Solar Decathlon houses being open to the public this weekend. If you haven’t been, it’s a little village of solar-powered houses designed and built by college students on the National Mall. They can be really creative and showcase some awesome technology, but it’s only through Monday so you have to get down there this weekend. Other than that, I’m thinking of taking advantage of the long weekend with one of the guilt-free getaways in Virginia. Loudon County? Shenandoah Valley? Maybe I’ll just close my eyes and point, they all sound just lovely. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Ben Ali Dies at 82

Photo courtesy of
‘busted!’
courtesy of ‘staceyviera’

Y’all, this is just so sad. Ben Ali, feeder of the hungry DC masses, has died at age 82. I don’t have a lot to add to that, so I’ll just provide some Ali-related reading material from around the Internets:

We’re sorry to see such a pillar of the DC Community pass on, and our thoughts, prayers, and best wishes are with the Ali family today.

Food and Drink, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, Special Events, The Daily Feed, The Great Outdoors
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Saloon Flea Market

Photo courtesy of
‘The Saloon, U Street’
courtesy of ‘Jenn Larsen’

Commy, owner of the Saloon, is hosting a flea market this Sunday at his famed, U St. pub.  He promises to offer “many unique items” for sale, the proceeds from which will benefit his international school building efforts.  On top of the interesting goods and the worthy cause, the Saloon will be offering $2 off its selection of excellent beers.  The market will run from 1pm-5pm and, contrary to normal Saloon rules, there will be a strict, no-sitting policy for the afternoon.  So, go out, enjoy a nice beer on what promises to be a lovely fall afternoon and support school construction in developing nations.

The Daily Feed, We Green DC
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It’s a Green Weekend

Photo courtesy of
‘Gingko Rain’
courtesy of ‘geishaboy500’

This weekend has lots of fun green goings-on.

Friday night is the Extreme Green Gala at the stylist Mott House on Capitol Hill, with live bands, organic food, a cash bar, an art show and high-profile environmentalists. The last one was great, with everyone enjoying the patio there. It benefits CarbonfreeDC’s Extreme Green Neighborhood Makeover.

The Green Festival extravaganza is Saturday and Sunday, with 350 green businesses (great for holiday shopping) and dozens of community groups, plus 125 speakers including activist Dr. Cornel West; actor/activist Ed Begley, Jr.; and revolutionary journalist Amy Goodman.

And the Solar Decathlon opens on the National Mall; a small village of solar homes constructed by teams of students will be open for you to roam — and see how good life can be without an electric bill.

Dupont Circle, Entertainment, Essential DC, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, Night Life, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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High Heel Race Date Set

Photo courtesy of
‘Are you gonna take me home tonight’
courtesy of ‘christaki’

OH MAN I JUST GOT RULL EXCITED because I just remembered that not only does October mean my birthday, it also means THE BEST EVENT OF THE YEAR, the High Heel Drag Queen Race! Squee!

Mark your calendars for Tuesday, October 27th, to watch all the ladies (and hot tranny messes) parade up and down 17th street. If you can’t wait ’til then, (and who can, honestly?) check out our past coverage including a photo gallery.