Yearly Archives: 2009

The Daily Feed
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WMATA seeks cyclist input

Photo courtesy of
‘Bike Garage 1’
courtesy of ‘Tony DeFilippo’

WMATA is having a public session next Wednesday, the 22nd, about bicyclists and how they use Metro as well as what needs are and are not being met. The first line of the press release says the meeting’s purpose is “to obtain input from riders on how to improve bicycle and pedestrian access for people who bike or walk to Metro” but it goes on to invite anyone who might be interested in cycling to Metro and promises a “presentation” at one point during the 3 hour (!) meeting. So presumably there’ll be some information there for the curious and an opportunity for input from non-cyclists with concerns or needs.

Metro Headquarters, Lobby Level Meeting Room
5:30p through 8:30p on July 22
600 5th Street, NW,
Washington, DC.

Business and Money, Downtown, The Daily Feed
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A Little Sim City For DC

Photo courtesy of
‘My SimCity (650K Residents)’
courtesy of ‘adamjackson1984’

With news about budgetary changes coming to the city, in an attempt to offset a $666M budget deficit, it’s definitely time to start thinking about the hard choices necessary to fix the gap in the city’s finances. Enter the Washington Post, who’ve designed a little simulator to alter the budget and work your way back toward a revenue-neutral DC. You can alter revenues (taxes) and expenditures (Marion Barry’s girlfriends) to narrow the gap.

It’s a good way for citizens to understand the choices at play when it comes to covering a budget deficit. Either taxes and fees go up, or services go down, and sometimes it’s a little bit of both. Choices have consequences: if you raise the taxes on the wealthy, they might move to Arlington or Bethesda, and you lose their revenue. It’s interesting, give it a look.

The Daily Feed, We Green DC
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Good Green Nibbles at Blue Ridge

Photo courtesy of
‘Subversive Supper: Inaugural Dinner’
courtesy of ‘Cooking With Jeff’

You’ve already heard from Katie that the new Blue Ridge Restaurant is mmm, mmm good. Next week, in addition to other foodie events, you’ll have a chance to hear from Chef Barton Seaver himself why it’s also good for the planet.

On July 22 at 6:30 p.m., join the newly formed DC Green Connection there to sample Chesapeake Bay oysters and other local delights, to hear why Chef Seaver sources all his items locally, and to raise a glass of organic wine to “green” goodness!

Adams Morgan, Essential DC, The Features, Where We Live
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Where We Live: Adams Morgan

Photo courtesy of
‘Adams Morgan’
courtesy of ‘citron_smurf’

Welcome to another edition of Where We Live. This week we’ll be covering the ins and outs of one of the District’s coolest neighborhoods, Adams Morgan. Adams Morgan is unique in DC in that it actually feels like a neighborhood during the weekdays and weekend days, and completely changes character on weekend evenings as it transforms into a concentration of drunk non-residents.  Unfortunately, some people only ever see the drunken frat party of 18th Street in Adams Morgan and don’t get to understand the really wonderful neighborhood behind it.  Here’s your chance to learn what else there is to it!

History: Adams Morgan gets its name from the two formerly-segregated elementary schools in the area, the all-white John Quincy Adams school and the (now closed) all-black Thomas P. Morgan school (therefore, the area is not actually called Adam’s Morgan or Adams’ Morgan, both of which I’ve seen everywhere).  In 1956 the Adams-Morgan Better Neighborhood Conference formed to improve the neighborhood, and jump-start urban renewal (not the Southwest Waterfront kind, though).  Interestingly enough, the neighborhood’s name was hyphenated as Adams-Morgan in the Washington Post up until 2001.

Continue reading →

Foodie Roundup, The Daily Feed
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Foodie Round-Up (July 13-17th)

Photo courtesy of
‘WINE. Not WHINE.’
courtesy of ‘staceyviera’
Ms. Katie’s headin’ home early for the weekend and so it is my pleasure to make a meeger attempt at filling those big ol’ shoes of hers by pullin’ together a Foodie Roundup for all you (y’all, in Katie’s words) voracious eaters out there. You ready for this?

Just when I thought I was getting over the trauma, er…I mean adventure?, of my tactile dining experience Katie tells me the folks over at banished productions announced that due to popular demand (a fact I highly doubt) they will be serving up two extra shows of A Tactile Dinner on Monday, July 20, 2009 at 7pm and 9pm at the Arthur S. Flemming Center (1426 9th St NW) in Shaw. Reference the review I wrote about my experience before deciding whether or not you’d like to attend.

The owners of popular Cork Wine Bar cordially invite you to  join them for an afternoon wine tasting on Sunday, July 19, 2009.  They’re gonna be learning about wines from the Jura Region in France with local distributor pals of at Potomac Selections.  Known as France’s smallest wine region, the Jura offers an amazing diversity of wines and wine styles.  You’ll taste delicious wines and learn about the Jura region, its varietals and winemaking.  The tasting starts at 3:00 p.m., costs $30, and is limited attendance to ensure the comfort of guests (awww, how nice!)

Next up, the folks of Asia Nine are throwing a “Full Moon Party” for a good cause. Here’s the skinny: Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Flash Mob Warning

Photo courtesy of
‘Funkin’ the War’
courtesy of ‘IntangibleArts’

Tomorrow, at several times during the day, in different locations throughout the city, there will be a flash mob protest of the Iranian elections. Only in DC do we have flash mob protests, instead of San Francisco, where they have flash mob pillow fights (okay, so we had one in April.), or Los Angeles, where they have flash mob zombie shambles. Now, lest you think I am making light, I am 100% behind the protestors tomorrow, provided they don’t wreck traffic, or behave like jerks. Here’s the times and places:

Union Station: 8:30 a.m.
Freedom Plaza: 10:30 a.m.
Lincoln Memorial: 12:30 p.m.
Dupont Circle: 1:30 p.m.
Embassy of Pakistan, Iranian Interests Section: 3:30 p.m.

Project Nur is organizing the flash mobs for tomorrow, with the Georgetown chapter leading the way. “Our peers in Iran are dying for freedom, it is our duty to show that
we are with them in these trying times,” said Corina Kwami, President of the Georgetown chapter.

What will the Flash Mob look like? That part is unclear. The announcement came out that, “the flash mob will offer an agitprop visual
demonstration of support for those in the streets of Tehran, braving
tear gas, bullets, and rocks.” But I’m not sure if they’re bringing just signs and banners, or perhaps if they’re going to act out a skirmish in place.

The Daily Feed, WMATA
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Metro Reorganizes Bus Customer Service

Photo courtesy of
‘Outside, Looking In’
courtesy of ‘Bogotron’

Metro has reorganized all of the hierarchy for Metro bus drivers. They started with just three garages, but have now deployed this system to all of the area garages, and they’ve collapsed some of the management bureaucracy and turned to their midline managers to help address customer service complaints. What’s this mean? Well, instead of each garage superintendent handling all the complaints for several hundred drivers, this is now a task for someone who might manage 20-30 drivers. Sounds like a no-brainer, but it’s cut down on complaints over the first quarter of 2009, and helped address some safety issues that might have gotten missed before. Well done, Metro.

Downtown, Essential DC, History, The Features
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The “New” Ford’s Theatre Museum

Photo courtesy of
‘DSC_3434’ courtesy of ‘Ghost_Bear’

Last night, Ford’s Theatre re-opened its museum after nearly two years of extensive renovation. The result is a transformed space that magnificently shows off the National Park Service and Ford’s Theater Society’s remarkable collection of artifacts of President Lincoln and the events surrounding his assassination on April 14, 1865.

The museum now tells the story of Lincoln from his arrival in Washington in 1861 through the Civil War and the sudden end of his life. Lauren Beyea, the museum’s publicist, explained that they “tried to create a greater sense of the context of what Lincoln’s life was like when he was in Washington. The city doesn’t have anything like that – we have monuments and things that are in tribute to him scattered around the District. But being Ford’s Theatre and storytellers ourselves, we thought it would be a great opportunity to really embrace the history that surrounds this place as well as Lincoln himself.”

So what can visitors expect now? Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Pepco Utilizing Federal Goverment for Utility Developments

Photo courtesy of
‘P.E.P.Co’
courtesy of ‘Hoffmann’

The amount of mine and my roommate’s energy bill is a hotly discussed topic amongst our group of friends. Mainly, the fact that ours is often double theirs. They attribute it to us (read: me) watching inordinate amounts of TV on my big screen, air conditioning an empty apartment, and leaving lights on all the time. Me? Never one for self-reflection, I think it’s just cuz Pepco gouges us.

Today, Washington, DC based Pepco Holdings announced that it will seek $142 Million in federal grants from the government under the American Recovery and Restabilization Act (ARRA). The utility company is seeking grants from the US Department of Energy “to help cover the cost of advanced metering infrastructure, distribution automation and direct load control equipment in its District of Columbia and Maryland service territories.   Continue reading →

We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: Barack Stars

photo by Colin Hovde
The full cast of Barack Stars
photo by Colin Hovde

Barack Stars isn’t a play or a musical – it’s almost two hours of sketch comedy that has a general but not terribly specific theme. I don’t say that as a judgment – I just want us to have our definitions in line. We can’t really talk about the script, overt or implied themes, or much of anything else we might use to rate a play. The performers aren’t really called upon to inhabit a character and make us empathize or connect with them; if anything, too much nuance is a detriment when  you’re trying to do an impression. It’s called a sketch for a reason.

So when talking about this production I’m lifting from my beloved Filmspotting (which I believe they said they lifted from someone else) and making a determination about if it’s good or not based on only one thing: Did it make me laugh?

Most definitely Continue reading →

The Daily Feed, WMATA, WTF?!
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Metro Union: Please Don’t Watch Us So Closely

Photo courtesy of
‘don’t panic’
courtesy of ‘nevermindtheend’

WTOP had the news this morning that the union of Metrobus and Metrorail employees would really prefer it if you didn’t video them not doing their jobs. While I can understand a bit of their frustration, in that they’ve been in the news lately for napping at the controls of a train, texting while driving a metro train, and reading a book while driving a bus, instead of for their largely accident-free existence, it’s a bit tough to agree with the Union President Jackie Jeter. Jeter said, “Being watched 24/7 is a problem. I don’t think any of us would like that. And I ask (riders) to respect the operators and the jobs that they do.”

So, maybe let them off next time they catch someone asleep at the wheel, or reading while driving the bus. I mean, we’ve all done that, right?

Right?

<Crickets>

Downtown, News, The Daily Feed
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Watergate Hotel to be Auctioned

 Photo courtesy of
‘Watergate and Moon’
courtesy of ‘M.V. Jantzen’

WUSA 9 reports that the Watergate Hotel will be up for auction next week.  The hotel’s owners defaulted on their loan payments last month and the foreclosure notice on the property expires next Tuesday.  If the current owners fail to make payments by that date, an auction company will start accepting bids on the Watergate.

Music, Night Life, The Features, We Love Drinks
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We Love Drinks: DC9

"Pure Evil" shot, DC9

"Pure Evil shot, DC9" by Jenn Larsen, on Flickr

“Are you sure this is the right place?”

I was witnessing a mesmerizing scene, social tension galore. The speaking girl’s perfect blonde updo was trembling as she stood in line with her equally coiffed crew. Deposited by a cab with a gaggle of well-heeled preps, it was obvious she’d never hit this part of town before. But leading the way was a wild-eyed boy with a ringleader look that said – you will get out of your comfort zone, my friends – and so the girls followed him in, wide-eyed, longing for L2 Lounge. Instead they got DC9.

I’m teasing, I’m sure they had a raring good time dancing their solid gold hearts out. For a while, this girl’s nervousness was justified. There wasn’t much at the corner of 9th & U until DC9 became hipster paradise, and I’ve seen a lot of shady activity on that block over the years. Nowadays, the action is really centered around Nellie’s, which spills out on the sidewalk with lots of beautiful boys. I don’t see how you could still be nervous about the neighborhood when you see that party. But, we live in a segregated nightlife city, in more ways than just race.

DC9 carries the distinction of being one of the most unpretentious dive spots in the city. Equal parts bar, dance club and music venue, it’s been the indie hangout since its opening in 2004, fitting somewhere between the Black Cat’s Red Room and the H Street corridor on the rotation list. The fact that those tight button-down kids I mentioned earlier could get swallowed whole and turn into loose dancing fools upon hitting the upstairs is one of the reasons I love this place.

Another reason is that it’s pure evil.
Continue reading →

Entertainment, Essential DC, Food and Drink, Life in the Capital, Night Life, Penn Quarter, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Washingtonian Best Of Party In Review

Washingtonian Best Of Party 2009

Young Washington was out in full force last night at the 2009 Washingtonian Best Of party. Packed to the gills with preppy twentysomethings, DC’s best restaurants put on a show in the National Building Museum. Open bar, small samples from nearly 100 restaurants, we were certainly busy making the rounds. Who shone? Who flopped? Who ran out of food? Who hugged me? Click on through to find out. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Kastles Host McEnroe Tonight


John McEnroe by Max Cook

Tuesday night was a special night for Kastles fans, or more accurately, for Serena Williams fans.  In front of a record sold out crowd, Williams and the Kastles made the Newport Beach Breakers look like a high school JV team.  While Scott Oudsema and Leander Paes lost the opening men’s doubles set, the Kastles quickly recovered, winning 22-12.

Continue reading →

The Features
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We Love Weekends: July 18-19

Photo courtesy of
‘Evening in the Pavilion’
courtesy of ‘kimberlyfaye (sorta back)’
Oh yes, it’s almost the weekend again. Can you hang in a little longer? Here’s what we’re looking forward to this weekend:

Katie: I’m headed home for a good friend’s wedding this weekend. If I were to stick around DC, though, I’d probably play tourist a little bit and head to the Jefferson Memorial for some quality time on the paddle boats. After an hour of floating around the tidal basin, I’d grab myself some soft serve from the refreshment stand and me and my frozen treat would take a walk to the WWII memorial to dip my feet in the fountain. (Which is strictly prohibited. Don’t say I told you to do that. You did not hear that from me.) For a night out on the town I’d probably hit up Zentan and spend some quality time looking out over my fair city having cocktails by their rooftop pool.

Jenn: At some point this weekend, I will enjoy a delicious serving of Sicilian Almond gelato at Pitango on 14th Street, and a basil champagne cocktail at Belga Cafe. I’m also in the mood for some Greek blood and guts with the Keegan & Dizzy Miss Lizzie doing a wacky version of “The Oresteia” as part of the Fringe Festival – just two more weekends to Fringe so get going! If you want to escape from the heat hit the Archives for a Saturday noontime showing of my favorite film ever, Lawrence of Arabia. But I should be out battling my bike. Only one of us can win. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed, We Green DC
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Vote to Green DC!

Photo courtesy of
‘VOTE’
courtesy of ‘christaki’

A green effort in DC may soon win a national contest — if you vote!

CarbonfreeDC is one of 10 finalists in the Green Effect competition for its “Extreme Green Neighborhood Makeover” campaign, which would use the $20,000 winnings to help 20 families from a low-income city block in DC to green their homes and lifestyles, and save money. National Geographic and Sun Chips are sponsoring the competition.

You can vote once a day through Monday. Cast yours now!

The Daily Feed
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And now, my life is complete.

Photo courtesy of
‘WTF!’
courtesy of ‘christaki’

I just need to share with you one of the ways in which the We Love DC Flickr Pool contributors make my life better on a daily basis. Not only do they provide many of the lovely photos which adorn and illustrate our entries, but they occasionally come up with gems like this one: spicy cock-flavored soup mix. (This photo labels it “Authentic Jamaican Spicy Cock Mix,” in case you are interested.

Yes, I’m 12. Sorry.

The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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If Only DC had a Llama Farm


Asstastic tea cup
Originally uploaded by carlweaver

It’s one of those days, I guess. I felt as asstastic as my tea cup at work today so I went home early to sleep it off. It seemed perfectly normal when I woke from a dream this afternoon, wondering about the llamas at the DC llama farm. What? You didn’t know DC had a llama farm? Well, it doesn’t, unless you count the zoo, which turns out to have some llamas. One thing you can say about the llamas, though, is that at least they earn their keep by being used as food for larger animals at the zoo, unlike those lazy, no-good welfare pandas, who can’t even be trained to fetch me the right size bamboo for my grape trellis. Stupid pandas.

Oh, good lord. I need to get back to sleep.

News, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Shots Fired at Capitol, Constitution Blocked at Delaware Ave

Picture 3.png

We have reports coming in of gunfire near the Capitol. There has been a significant police response, and we’ve seen tweets that suggest that Constitution is closed at Delaware street headed west. Breaking News On suggests that a 35-year old male is headed to the hospital, and WUSA-TV has reported that this was a police-involved shooting.

Update 1: WJLA has the first to print story: A 35-year old male was shot by Capitol Police around 5:15pm, and the all-clear was given at 5:35pm. The person shot attempted to run the barricade at the parking area, but was unsuccessful, which is when the gunfire happened.

Update 2: Constitutition Ave is now shuttered from 1st Street NW to 1st Street NE and will probably remain that way for some time while the crime scene is processed.

Update 3: NBC Washington has Images from the Scene today.