By Katie
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courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’
I’m back! Betcha didn’t even miss me last week, cause Liam did such a good job of pinch hitting Foodie Round-Up for me. But regardless, it’s me again, and it’s prix fixe-apalooza out there in restaurant news, and there’s some drink news as well. Onward with you, foodie soldier… Continue reading
By Ben H. Rome
Driving the George Washington Parkway north along the Potomac, you can almost miss the entrance to Fort Marcy Park. It’s not a well-known Civil War fortification, not being a sight of one of that war’s destructive battles, but it was one of the key components of the Union’s defense of the capital. (It’s also known as the place where White House Counsel Vince Foster’s body was discovered in 1993, but that’s not really relevant today.)
At the beginning of the Civil War, there was only one operational fort (Fort Washington, over in Maryland) to defend against Confederate encroachment. A huge effort was made to establish a defensive ring of forts around the capital, eventually resulting in a ring of eight enclosed forts and over 90 gun batteries by 1865. These preparations made DC one of the most heavily fortified cities in the world at that time.
By Kirk
‘IMG_7025’
courtesy of ‘Sean Robertson’
After the infamous Eastern Market fire two years ago, Mayor Fenty ordered 7th St. SE closed on weekends to make room for stalls displaced by the disaster. As most of you know, the market reopened several weeks ago, and WaPo reports that store owners along 7th are requesting that the street be reopened. They are concerned that parking and traffic difficulties resulting from the closure are limiting their business, most of which comes on weekends. Stores along market row report a 35% to 75% drop in business since the road closures began.
Their pleas have caught the attention of the City Council, which plans to visit the issue in several months. For now, the government wishes for the street to remain closed to facilitate the revitalization of Eastern Market.
It seems to me that the 7th St. closure shouldn’t have any effect on Market Row businesses. There are many, many side streets in the area and ample parking on the blocks surrounding 7th. I’m not entirely sure why the closure of a single block would limit their number of customers. Besides, Eastern Market is always packed. According to the WaPo article, the majority of these businesses’ patrons are market goers. If anything, I’ve noticed an increase of people on the weekends. I’m guessing that there are factors aside from the road closure that are hurting these shops’ revenues. The economy? Changing tastes and interests? An increasingly younger clientele? It could be any number of things.
What are your thoughts on the matter? Does 7th St. need to stay closed, or should it be reopened?
By Katie
‘Day 63: Minhs’
courtesy of ‘InspirationDC’
I discovered Minh’s pretty quickly after moving to DC. You see, I have this thing for rice paper summer rolls and peanut sauce. I love them, and I want them at least once a month. Back where I come from (cue the country song), there is this amazing Vietnamese restaurant called Lang Van’s, owned by a friend’s family. I was upset to leave Lang Van’s, so I quickly searched out a substitute. Minh’s certainly lives up.
With one of the largest menus I’ve ever seen (trumped only by Cheesecake Factory) you pretty much can’t go wrong at Minh’s. Located between Court House and Clarendon out in Virginia (where arguably all the good Asian food hides) Mihn’s is situated on Wilson Boulevard in a nondescript office building. I’ve had friends tell me that they’ve ridden past it a million times, never noticing it. I wonder how that could be, seeing as there are huge neon signs in the window, but that’s just me. (Hey, I never claimed Minh’s was trendy, or sleek, or chic!) The outward appearance isn’t the fabulous part of Minh’s, the food is. Continue reading
By brownpau
Glass panels partly installed on Union Station Bike Center
Originally uploaded by brownpau
The Union Station Bicycle Center is coming along nicely; even now glass panels are being installed and the structure is really starting to look like its initial renderings by KGP Studios. Any Union Station-area bicyclists planning to use the facility when it’s completed?
By Tom Bridge
‘IMG_0629’
courtesy of ‘blakespot’
Katie: To kick off the weekend I’m going to try and swing by Urbana to partake in their $3 birthday celebration to snag myself some $3 pizza and $3 prosecco. On Saturday I’m headed out to see Jason Mraz with G. Love and Special Sauce at Merriweather Post Pavillion – perfect summer lawn concert! Sunday I’m meeting fellow food writer Jordan Wright (have to give her a shout out, she’s fabulous!) for a dim sum brunch she promises is “off the hook”. Afterwards I’m taking a friend shopping for an overdue birthday present and stopping by Georgetown Cupcake for what will be, if you can believe it, my first time there. And what Katie weekend would be complete without pool time? At this point you should just assume it’s happening.
Acacia: I will be dedicating this weekend’s plans and this weekend planner entry to my good friend and roommate Sam Rosen-Amy, whose birthday it is TODAY and whose birthday celebrations are commandeering my weekend. Happy Birthday, Sam, you are 23 on July 23rd. I hope this means I don’t have to get you anything now… Okay, that being said, tonight we’re heading over to start the celebratory weekend with an outdoors screening of Top Gun down in SW by the waterfront. Friday or Saturday I may finally check a visit to the Newseum off my to-do list. Sunday, after recovering from Sam’s birthday party part 2, I think I’ll check out a reading by author Elizabeth Hawes on her book “Camus, a Romance,” at Politics & Prose. From the sound of it, that book is like if I went and chatted it up with all of Hemingway’s relatives and then wrote a loveletter to him. (PS Happy 110th birthday Big Papa)
By Katie
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courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’
DC’s become a hot spot for filming these days! Real World, Real Housewives of Orange County, Blonde Charity Mafia, as well as Reese Witherspoon, Night at the Museum and so many more. It’s a wonder that we didn’t get a DC movie site bus tour any earlier. But it’s here now, better late than never.
Screen Tours has arrived to take you and other interested parties around DC to all our hot film spots. Shop in the mall where No Way Out and True Lies were filmed; stand on the steps where Father Damian fell to his death in The Exorcist; visit the bar used in St. Elmo’s Fire; go to the park used in The Sentinel and see locations from Wedding Crashers, Thank You For Smoking, Election, X Files, Independence Day, Forrest Gump, and many others. From classic films of the seventies such as The Godfather II, All the Presidents Men, and Being There to the recent Transformers, Mission Impossible III, West Wing, 24, and The Visiting, the tour of Washington DC TV and movie sites takes tour guests on a journey of the timeline of filming in DC.
Tours run Saturdays at 10 am and depart from Union Station. Detailed information on all tours can be found at www.screentours.com. Advance purchase is required, as tours normally sell out. To purchase tickets call Zerve at 800-979-3370 or visit them online.
By shannon
‘Life in a Moving Van’
courtesy of ‘harryalverson’
The Washington Business Journal reports that Washington DC (when compared to states) has been the most popular migration destination during the first half of this year, according to United Van Lines migration study. We’re leading all the states, with 63.6% of all moves going in to the District, with only 36.4% leaving the District. Michigan is on the opposite side of the spectrum, with 70% of moves leaving the state. Maryland and Virginia are both just about breaking even, with approximately as many moves in as out.
To what do we owe this surge in popularity? Well, I originally thought it was due to people wanting to work for our hot new neighbor, but it turns out that DC was also the most popular migration destination last year too, before Obama moved in. So what do you think it is?
By Don
‘Franciscan Monastery Candle’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’
Pepe The Mail Order Monkey
Mom told me that if I couldn’t think of anything nice to say I shouldn’t say anything at all.
Hopelessly Devoted
Vincent Lacey & Natalie Sullivan do a show that is – more or less – about being Catholic which runs under an hour and… well, it’s fun. That’s really pretty much it and that’s enough: this show never pretends that it’s going to dig into any weighty analysis, ask any hard questions or deliver any hard answers about faith in the modern world. Sure, there’s one somewhat serious scene about what happens when a religious conversion outlasts the relationship that prompted it but its awkwardness is packaged with an equal amount of humor. The show ends strong and on its most amusing number. In it, both performers do a delightful sendup of just how wrong an institution can go when its desire to become more modern and relevant outpace its actual ability to be hip.
A few moments don’t work well; there’s an implication that there’s some more weight in the conversion scene than is actually there but it moves on into another unconnected bit quickly enough that you won’t mind. That’s true of any of the stumbles here, most of which revolve around an audio setup that could use better balance – by the time anything irks you they’ll be on to something new. Odds are it’ll be something that will bring you a smile.
Pepe the Mail Order Monkey Musical has two more showings on the 24th and 25th at Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church.
Hopelessly Devoted runs once a day through the 26th at the Goethe Institut.
By Ben H. Rome
‘tunnel’ courtesy of ‘volcanojw’
According to Dr. Gridlock today, the track circuit behind last month’s crash has apparently been failing to detect trains since a key component was replaced back in December of 2007. The NTSB also said that this component – a part of the WEE-Z bond – is the other end of the paired impedance bonds. The board had said previously it may have been the impedance bond at the other end of the circuit, the one that was replaced five days before the crash.
This new finding now begs the question of Metro: just how bad is their maintenance and trouble-shooting of the train protection system? And what, pray tell, will John “Baghdad Bob” Catoe, Jr. say next?
It’d better include the words “I’m sorry, DC.”
By Kirk
‘Beach Drive tunnel’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’
WUSA 9 reports that a female jogger was sexually assaulted as she ran in Rock Creek Park yesterday. Police say that a man dragged her into the woods and assaulted her at around 7am. While Rock Creek park is generally a safe place, please use caution while running there, particularly until this perpetrator is caught. Hopefully this isn’t something serial.
By Max
Kastles Cheerleaders by Max Cook
The Washington Kastles lived up to their motto “Refuse to Lose” last night by destroying the Springfield Lasers, 21-14. With playoff hopes on the line, the Kastles (7-7) needed to bring their A game to beat the Lasers (12-2) who have already clinched the top seed in the Western Conference championship.
The first three sets looked like child’s play for the Kastles. In men’s doubles, Scott Oudsema and Leander Paes easily beat Martin Damm and Raven Klaasen 5-2 thanks to some powerful serves and amazing net work by Paes. The doubles duo has really found their rhythm and become a force to reckon with.
Next up in women’s singles, newly acquired Nadia Petrova showed the Lasers’ Vania King why she’s the #10 ranked women’s singles player in the world, not in World TeamTennis. King showed finesse and put up a good fight by tying Petrova at three games each, but the Russian put the smack down by serving three aces, winning some amazing vollies, and winning the set 5-3.
By jasmine
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courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’
If you’re a music fiend like me, you find a way to fit music in your budget– but if you don’t keep an eye on your spending, it can easily get out of control. But is there any way around just buckling down and buying $200 concert tickets or $18 CDs?
Oh yeah. Especially in DC, you can definitely go see great live music and get your hands on CDs for less than you think. Continue reading
By Donna C.
‘Front Step’
courtesy of ‘Michael Cornelius’
This just announced — CarbonfreeDC has won $20,000 in the Green Effect contest sponsored by National Geographic and Sun Chips!
They will use their winnings to carry out an Extreme Green Neighborhood Makeover, and help 20 families from a low-income block to green their homes and lifestyles.
Congratulations, Carbonfree DC — and thanks to everyone who voted!
By Katie
DC is a notoriously bad dating town. We regularly rank as one of the cities that turns to the internet to meet people – Match.com is legendary here, Craigslist, eHarmony and Chemistry.com are close behind. I can name at least twenty hot single lady friends that can’t figure out why they haven’t had a date in months. What’s the deal, DC boys? So when I read about Eight at Eight on DC Concierge (love her!) I was intrigued. Here’s the skinny – the service pairs four guys with four girls to have a casual dinner, simple as that. There’s no pressure, no “here’s your match! do you like him? do you? do you?” style dating, no blind dates, and, as DC Concierge points out, the worst that happens is you get a little networking done.
There’s a “dinner package” purchase, and a membership fee (DC Conceirge points out that this is exactly like a Match.com fee) but it sounds like a pretty affordable deal to me. A hostess will attend each event to break the ice and buy Eight at Eight diners their first drink. At the dinner, diners only for pay for what they eat and drink. Separate checks will be provided for each diner. Eight at Eight’s FAQ’s say, “We put together our dinner parties based on age and the interests you provide in your profile. Don’t expect a completely homogenous group, however – we’ll try to structure a diverse group with complementary interests that will give everyone something to discuss.”
The only red flag I can see? As We Love DC’s foodie, I’m totally insulted by the restaurant list for DC. But to meet a cute boy? I suppose (sigh) you can ask me to eat mediocre food for a night. (A glance at the upcoming events shows PS7’s on the list. PHEW. Saved.)
By Kirk
‘Chicken a la mayor’
courtesy of ‘Steve Punter’
Below is a suggested story that we received from a concerned reader calling herself “chickenbone.”
“What do you think we should know about?
Who or what? the vast amounts of chicken bones in certain areas of DC. It seems like people just throw them out the window. These are extremely hazardous to my dogs and others. its like eatting nails.
What makes it interesting? i swear sometimes i walk down the alley and there are like mounds of chicken bones. what is the deal? through them in the garbage. ”
Sic, Sic, Sic, etc.
So there you have it: chicken bones kill, through them in the garbage. Seriously.
By Rebecca
‘CIMG5537’
courtesy of ‘MGdesigner’
The poor, poor ukulele, it often gets a bad rap. Personally, I’m a fan of the instrument. Just check out Jake Shimabukuro’s While My Guitar Gently Weeps to see what I’m talking about. So I’ll be at tonight’s FREE Strathmore Outdoor Summar Concert series-Uke Fest 2009. Bring a picnic and a blanket, spread out on the lawn and get ready to hear some of the best ukulele players in the country. Enjoy!
By AcaciaO
Halfway through the fourth quarter in the Mystics game against the Indiana Fever last night, the jumbotron rallied the fans, asking them all to put four fingers in the air. Somewhere in my long sports education, I clearly had missed a chapter, as I was a bit confused. I was soon informed that this was an old football tradition, to put four fingers in the air to say “we own the fourth quarter.” (Duh.) It was a nice thought, but unfortunately it was Indiana who dominated, holding onto their ample fourth quarter lead to defeat the Mystics 82-70.
“I think our team had some really good spurts where we played really well, and we adjusted throughout the game,” said Mystics Head Coach Julie Plank after the game. “I give our team credit for how we competed. This is a veteran team, they’re an Eastern Conference finals team and I thought we competed with them, and I look forward to playing them next week at their place.” Continue reading
By Tom Bridge
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (the same people that brought you The Internet) is going to be moving from their unphotographable building on Fairfax Blvd in Ballston to a new facility, pictured above, which will probably also be unphotographable in Ballston, across from the Mall. The new building will be the first, when it opens in 2012, to fully align itself with the Department of Defense anti-terror construction guidelines. This will keep 800 DARPA jobs in Arlington, as well as 1,700 liaison jobs for other companies in the Northern Virginia area.
By Donna C.
‘Great Lettuce Harvest of 2009’
courtesy of ‘Wayan Vota’
An area filmmaker is now editing a documentary on seven community gardens in DC — and the people who tend, love, and learn from them.
The film will explore the role of these gardens not only as sources of fresh, nutritious food, but as outdoor classrooms, places of healing, centers of social interaction, and oases of beauty and calm in inner-city neighborhoods.
Already there’s a long and heartwarming trailer that shows all the good that playing in the dirt and growing your own food can bring. You can see it on the newly launched Community of Gardeners Web site.
