By Rebecca
‘First aid kit’
courtesy of ‘Marcin Wichary’
Summer months in DC, with their high level of physical activity and tourism, often remind me of the importance of official training in basic first aid and safety. Recently, for example, at a Saturday afternoon BBQ party, a friend of mine suddenly felt nauseous and woozy. He sat down and promptly fainted. Even though it’s been 3+ years since my Red Cross First Aid and CPR certification, my training came quickly back to me. Continue reading
By Katie
‘Hold ’em high’
courtesy of ‘Megan Garner’
At We Love DC, there are a few causes close to our hearts. One of them is Safe Shores, – The D.C. Children’s Advocacy Center. Safe Shores serves child and youth victims of abuse and witnesses to violence, with over 800 children and youth served annually. As children come in to Safe Shores, they’re often brought there directly from a crime scene, or directly on their way to foster care, so sometimes they aren’t in the best shape (as I’m sure you can imagine) and so Safe Shores staff will give them new clothing, duffel bags, and backpacks to take with them. It’s little, but sometimes it’s the little things, like clean clothes or a new backpack on an otherwise horrible day, that can make all the difference.
Unfortunately, like every other charity in DC, Safe Shores is feeling the economic downturn. So they’ve put out an all call for duffel bags and backpacks. This is where you, dear We Love DC reader, come in. Get your butt to Target, before August 3rd and put together a duffel bag full of children’s clothing, or a backpack full of school supplies. Continue reading
By Tom Bridge
‘2008 10 11 – Rockville – Gibbs St N2’
courtesy of ‘thisisbossi’
Unlike pretty much the whole world, I could not give a crap about Jon & Kate Plus Eight. I had never even heard of the show before Jon and Kate decided they’d rather live apart than together with their eight kids. But, apparently, like a never-ending string of plagues, she’s moving to Rockville. First the Interns, then Real World DC, now Kate Gosselin?
I thought the Obama Administration was supposed to rejuvenate DC, not be a douchebag magnet. C’mon Mr. President, can’t you do something about this? The Nation demands its Capitol be a GOOD place to live.
By AcaciaO
If you’re a DC feminist and you haven’t yet visited the Sewall-Belmont House I have two things to say to you: 1. For shame! The Sewall-Belmont house is a historical building and museum that once housed the suffragettes during the early twentieth century, back when it was still illegal for women to chill in hotels without their husbands. 2. Now is your chance. The Sewall-Belmont House will host an opening reception for with Empowered Women International’s new art exhibit tomorrow night from 6 to 8 p.m. The EWI exhibit, entitled “A Tribute to Women Artists as Change Makers,” will feature works in various media and across cultural backgrounds and boundaries. The exhibit opened on July 15 and will run through September 12. Admission is free but RSVPs are requested.
By Tom Bridge
‘City of Alexandria Police Department’
courtesy of ‘cliff1066’
In the wake of the car accident that left Alexandria Chief of Police David Baker under arrest for DUI, he has officially submitted his retirement paperwork to the city. In a letter to the town manager, he announced his retirement, effectively immediately, expressing regret for the incident and pride in serving the city over a lengthy career. Baker started with the MPD in 1970, moving to Alexandria in 1991.
By shannon
View We Love DC’s Favorite Streets in a larger map
The District of Columbia is a beautiful city, full of great streets that connect our favorite places. In Part 1, you saw half of our authors’ favorite streets in DC. The streets ranged from quiet, tree-lined residential streets to boulevards with views of the Capitol and thriving mixed-use districts. Here are the favorite streets of the rest of our authors:
‘FBI Building’
courtesy of ‘mastermaq’
Ben: E Street, between 11th and 7th, NW. I used to love walking this street when I was working at a museum in that area of town. The ominous, ugly J. Edgar Hoover building always seemed to attract my attention; I’d wonder who was looking out at me, and if the cameras were even then watching my every move. I know FBI counter-intelligence agents use that area to train their rookies in the art of counter-spycraft and I’d try to see if I could spot the trainees – or even the teachers. I’ve no idea if I was ever right, but it was a great exercise during lunchtime outdoors.
These days, however, I’m beginning to learn to love K Street NW, between McPherson and Franklin Parks. It’s my new stomping grounds for lunchtime and coffee breaks and the people-watching here is so great you just have to spend five minutes on a park bench and watch. So many stories just passing in front of me as I suck down my daily dosage of caffeine…
By Donna C.
‘Dew on bamboo’
courtesy of ‘Lip Kee’
Over the years, artists have tried to capture the magic of water in myriad ways. Sergio Martinez chose bamboo and organic hemp rope. His sustainably made eco-statues now leap over walkways at, fittingly, the Crystal City WaterPark, near Crystal Drive and S. 18th St.
Come by tonight from 5-7 p.m., and you can meet the artist himself. Sport & Health will lead “a yogic commemoration reflective of the eco-art.” And they’re giving away free yoga mats. Boat pose, anyone?
By Rebecca
‘Southern Belle (160/365) (005/365)’
courtesy of ‘kimberlyfaye’
Yup, that’s right. We’ve got another sweettooth focused shop opening in DC. But seriously, can you really have too many options when it comes to confections? My answer: No.
Something Sweet, the newest member of the cupcake community, opens this week at 3706 Macomb Street NW, right across the street from 2 Amys pizza and Cactus Cantina. Owned by the same group of restauranteurs as Surfside, The Rookery, Jetties, and The Bull Pen, Something offers goodies beyond just cupcakes, like brownies, coffee, sweets and more. Could be a great post dinner stop.
By AcaciaO
For city dwellers and even for suburbanites, the weather is like a hallway — we pass through it, briefly and hurriedly on our way to our destination. Weather is something that comes across out path through desktop clients and Blackberry applications, something we endure between the house and our car, or from the metro and work. Rarely do we commune with it, embrace it, experience it or even really much acknowledge it. Not so for Jim Reed, a photographer who has made an almost-20-year career out of being as close as possible and perhaps closer than is advisable to the most extreme meteorological events. Reed, promoting his 2007 book “Storm Chaser: A Photographer’s Journey,” will speak about his experiences Wednesday evening at 7 p.m. at the Corcoran Gallery of Art.
Though the book’s title is an editor’s dream — titillating, straightforward, evocative — Reed admits he has shied away from the title of “Storm Chaser.” The term has been around since the mid-twentieth century, a concept that has become increasingly popular with movies such as Twister and a new rash of television series such as the Discovery Channel’s reality show bearing the title. For awhile, Reed called himself an “extreme weather photographer,” avoiding the insanity and recklessness that “Storm Chaser” connotes. Continue reading
By Ben H. Rome
‘Pantsless Pearson Reappears’
courtesy of ‘Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com’
Roy Pearson isn’t coming back to the bench any time soon.
The latest chapter in the “pants lawsuit” saga dealt the former judge another blow. Federal judge Ellen Huvelle tossed out Pearson’s wrongful termination claim. Pearson had sued to get his job back as an administrative law judge after being fired thanks to his obnoxious and overly nasty $54 million lawsuit against a local dry cleaner.
“This case is a classic example of a plantiff pleading himself out of court by alleging a host of facts that only serve to totally undercut his claims,” wrote Huvelle in her opinion.
While we can only hope Pearson will just go away at this point, no doubt he’ll find some reason to appeal the decision.
By Ben H. Rome
‘City of Alexandria Police Department’
courtesy of ‘cliff1066’
More details coming out about Alexandria Police Chief David Baker’s DUI arrest on Saturday. Apparently, the intoxicated Baker failed four field sobriety tests. Two hours later, he blew a 0.19 – twice the Virginia legal limit – in a breathalyzer test.
Baker told police he’d had two beers 20 minutes before the accident. The chief is 6’1″ and weighs 210 pounds…
City Manager James Hartmann has placed Baker on administrative leave with pay; Baker is due in court tomorrow. An internal investigation is underway and expected to conclude by the end of the week. At that time, depending on the results of the investigation, Baker will know if he still has a job with the city.
The other driver, whose name is being withheld, was taken to the hospital and treated for whiplash and back pain. She was released later that night.
By Liam Darmody
‘food lines’
courtesy of ‘woodleywonderworks’
Despite how often we hear that DC is the closest thing to a “recession-proof” town because of all the government jobs here, private sector businesses continue to feel the crunch of tightening credit markets and an economy in which companies are cutting back on discretionary spending. Yesterday Arlington-based Corporate Executive Board announced that 155 employees accepted voluntary buyout packages. The company, which sells best-practice research mainly to Fortune 500 companies has seen a 14% drop in revenue to $117.4 million this past quarter, according to Washington Business Journal. And just after having recently consolidated its multiple DC-based offices into one massive corporate tower directly across the waterfront in Rosslyn, CEB had to lease 172,000 square feet of space to Deloitte. I interviewed at CEB a short while back and remembered thinking “man, there’s a lot of empty space around here…” Evidently they were planning to grow a lot more… Continue reading
By Ben H. Rome
‘Spies’ courtesy of ‘danielwaynecarter’
The International Spy Museum is in need of spies.
To support some expansions to their new GPS-based game, the Museum is looking for Cuban American actors age 25 or older (either gender) who would be willing to portray spies in some short video spots in the game. If you’re interested (or know someone who can fit the bill) or have further questions, contact Amanda at aohlke [at] spymuseum [dot] org.
And be sure to check out their new GPS-based game; it’s a great way to spend an afternoon around Penn Quarter – or get your visiting relatives out of your hair for a day…
By shannon
‘Help save more lives’
courtesy of ‘Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center’
We told you earlier about Jonathan Haupt, whose friends and family are trying to find a bone marrow match to save his life. Team Haupt has held several marrow registry drives all over the country in the past several weeks, but they’re still looking for a match. They’re coming to DC tomorrow and Thursday to register more people (particularly those of Jewish heritage, but all are welcome and needed), so if you can make it to either of these events please do. Bring a friend or a co-worker and know that you’re doing your part to give hope to millions of people. It only takes 10 minutes, and it’s a completely painless process that just involves a cheek swab.
Upcoming drives are Wednesday, 7/29 and Thursday, 7/30, 4:30 PM to 7:30 PM, at the JCC at 1529 16th Street NW. Closest Metro stations are Dupont Circle and U Street. Check out the website for more information.
By Carl Weaver
Is the flag upside down at NOAA HQ?
Originally uploaded by andycarvin
Andy Carvin snapped this photo this morning while riding by the NOAA headquarters. If you look at the full-size image, you can clearly see that the flag has been risen upside-down. As I recall from my Boy Scout days, that is a sign of distress. Fortunately, we now have 911 to dial when we are in distress, so I wonder what went wrong today that they somehow managed to raise the flag that way.
Anybody else catch this?
By Max
Where To Set One’s Eyes by Bogotron
Ah, the games we play in life. I met this girl and I thinks she likes me. I mean she touched my shoulder as she laughed at my joke and I’ve always heard that if they touch you then you’re in, right? That Greenpeace volunteer up ahead has a clipboard and is stopping people on the street. If I put on my sunglasses and ignore them, maybe they won’t ask me for a minute of my time. These games we play are all about body language, about how we interact with each other, about how we communicate with each other without talking, about how we maneuver through our daily lives. After all, life is the biggest game of them all.
Bogotron has captured a moment we’ve all experienced before, if not on a daily basis. You’re crammed on a Metro car full of complete strangers. The last thing you want to do is talk to them or make them think that it’s OK to talk to you. Maybe you put on your headphones or maybe you burry your face in your Sudoko book. Maybe you wear your sunglasses, one of my biggest pet peeves. You might glance at someone but not for long — wouldn’t want to be caught staring. You’ve had a hard day at the office and all you can think about is getting home, petting your dog, cracking open a beer, and doing it all again tomorrow. This is your life, and mine too.
By Liam Darmody
‘DC2NY’
courtesy of ‘Luc Van Braekel’
Living at 10th and M, I’m right in the center of DC to NY bus travel, as Bolt Bus (owned by Greyhound), MegaBus, and Eastern Travel Company (now owned by CoachUSA-parent company of Megabus) all run their operation from the parking lot that now sits where the old convention center used to be. But it appears that I’ve been taking the wrong buses because DC2NY bus lines, which leaves from closer to Midtown/Golden Triangle reported yesterday that they’ve enjoyed a 35 percent growth in its business over the last 12 months with a weekly ridership of 2,500 passengers at an average ticket price of $26, according to Washington Business Journal. This is pretty strong growth for a company that’s only 2 years old – especially in this economy. Continue reading
By Liam Darmody
‘Metro art’
courtesy of ‘voteprime’
Get used to this metro station, folks, because we’re thinkin’ you’re going to be heading to it quite a lot in the future. The rumors that have been circulating for months about the potential of a new restaurant/bar owned by the folks who brought us Marvin and The Gibson at 14th and U have been confirmed by the Prince of Petworth, who’s basing his report on a confirmation he received from Chris Donatelli, the developer behind the project.
Although the details are not crystal clear on what type of establishment will be, it will be dedicated in some way to Billy Simpson, the owner of Billy Simpson’s House of Seafood that occupied the space before it switched hands. If Marvin and Gibson are any indication, it’s going to be swanky and there’s going to be great beer and a patio. Suh-weeet! Am I going to be hanging out in Petworth a bunch now? Maybe not immediately, but I wouldn’t have dreamed of hanging out on U Street 8 years ago either…sign of changing times for Petworth, perhaps?
By Rebecca
‘Marine Corps Marathon’
courtesy of ‘phi’
OK, so you “missed” registering and training for this year’s Marine Corps Marathon. No biggie! You can still participate in the festivities by running the Marine Corps 10K. This 6 mile race will make its debut in 2009, on the same morning (Sunday, October 25) as the full marathon, so you get the pre-race nerves, course cheering and post-race hospitality. The course starts on the Mall, takes you around the Pentagon and ends up at the Marine Corps War Memorial. What better way to experience DC, then running through its streets in honor of our nation’s servicemen and women. Oo-raah!
By AcaciaO
‘the red umbrella’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’
You’re standing at the door, on your way out to head to work. It’s overcast and you’re having that ages-old debate with yourself. If your roommate/partner/dog is within shouting distance, you might turn to them, otherwise you’ll just say it out loud. “Do I need an Umbrella?” Have no fear, extremely lazy people everyone! Now there’s http://doineedanumbrella.com/. Once you’ve closed your NextBus prediction window (my other new tool of laziness convenience), open up a new tab, pop in your zip code and eccoloqua! If it’s above about a 40% chance or if its already raining, the supercomputer will declare YES! Though to be fair, if its already raining and you didn’t just look out the window, there may be other problems you should tackle.
Oh and, FYI: You do need an Umbrella. Or so it says when I put in 20002. when I try 20001, however, it says no. Hmmm… maybe its only going to rain in the NE.