By Tom Bridge
‘Ever since I can remember’
courtesy of ‘ben pollard’
Well, we’ve had our time to make up our wills, get ready our bail monies, and shine up our truncheons; the Real World is Here. Washingtonian is looking for your help mapping out their stay in the DC area, and is asking for folks to email them, or twitter using #rwwatch to help keep tabs on this dangerous plague of human misery. Keep an eye on their map to figure out where not to go for drinks or dinner after work.
By Kirk
‘Workers’
courtesy of ‘squidpants’
The Real World watch has officially begun. Word on the street was that filming was supposed to begin this weekend, but it looks like that the actual date may be a bit later. I swung by the RW house on Saturday to try to catch a glimpse of the incoming cast, but found that the building was still in the final stages of renovation. From all appearances, furniture was being brought in and the final touches were being put on the aesthetics. We’ll have to wait and see when the soon to be drunken co-eds officially arrive, unless they managed to sneak in yesterday.
In the mean time, WaPo’s “Going Out Gurus” have compiled a handy list of Real World friendly bars for all of us to avoid. Cobalt, Russia House, the Shadow Room and Town make the list, along with a few others. Take note and beware.
By Carl Weaver
Homeless in Sugamo 2
by jamesfischer
It’s a slow day here in Georgetown, what with it being early still and thus nobody making too much of a fuss over me being the only guy in the neighborhood without one of those shitty men’s scarves all the pseudo-hip guys seem to be wearing nowadays. Being a bit bored, I decided to look at Craigslist to see what magic I could stir up. As I have said before, I am a big fan of the missed connections because they represent the bit of tension before a relationship blooms or withers.
I found this one, with a woman who admitted to flashing a homeless guy she found rather attractive:
Hot homeless man at 7-corners – w4m – 25 (Alexandria)
Me: driving bright blue car-gave you money and a wink to match. I showed you the tattoo on my boob.
You: ruggedly handsome, tall, clean cut beard, killer smile, jeans had some holes-and a flannel
I was going to ask for your number and I assumed you wouldnt have one. So I guess we will find out if you have a computer eh? If this is you tell me what the tattoo on my boob was.
I like to think I am a reasonably attractive guy and I never get boobs flashed at me in public. What gives, boob woman? What’s a gainfully employed guy have to do to get some cleavage flashing action? I know it’s like a charitable action to do that for the homeless, but don’t think the rest of us wouldn’t appreciate it too.
My guess for the tattoo: a black widow spider. Or a likeness of Charlton Heston. What’s your guess?
By Ben H. Rome
‘Protesters for a free Iran (14 von 16)’
courtesy of ‘dr_kim_veis [”o ]’
Everyone dry yet? Despite the soggy start, the weekend rolled into an enjoyable one and all our area photogs were out in force, covering a multitude of happenings. Enjoy! Continue reading
By Katie
‘Fresh & Frozen’
courtesy of ‘M.V. Jantzen’
Obama hit the Del Ray creamery (well, custard-er-ry, or whatever you call it) Dairy Godmother this afternoon. Good thing I snuck in last weekend for the Bordeaux Cherry, ’cause after seeing what happened to Ray’s Hell Burgers, lord knows Dairy Godmother will be a packed house for the rest of the summer.
Dairy Godmother tweets “President Obama and his daughters just left. Pres. had a hot fudge sundae and daughters had vanilla cone and brownie sundae with sprinkles.” and “Malia had a brownie sundae with a housemade brownie, van.custard, hot fudge, whipped cream and cherry. Then she gave her whipped cream to dad.”
Happy Father’s Day, Mr. President.
By Katie
‘Hand in hand’
courtesy of ‘Pianoman75’
Dining out, especially in a city like DC, can be a daunting task. More so when you’re trying to impress someone, like maybe someone you’re trying to get your kiss on with. Or maybe you’ve nailed down the right person for you, and you’re just looking for some creative food to keep you on your toes. Or maybe you’re ready to pop the big marriage question but are unsure of where to do it.
Well, lucky for you, I’ve got a round-up of perfect restaurants for any point in your relationship. From first dates, to a late night married take-out place, I have you covered. Read on, romancer, and let me guide you. Continue reading
By AcaciaO
‘bagpipe parade’
courtesy of ‘needlessspaces’
Nothing says summertime like… bagpipes? Okay, sure, Folger Library, we’re willing to take you at your word. Tonight at 7 p.m., the Shakespeare Library presents a free bagpipe concert in its Elizabethan Garden featuring musical talent Piobaireachd. Folger also recommends you try their Haggis recipe, dating back to 1610. Mmmm if its one thing I love in the DC heat, its delicious boiled meats. All kidding aside, check out free highland bagpipes tunes on a gorgeous June evening, tonight!
By Don
‘For the Bathroom Impaired’
courtesy of ‘maxedaperture’
Washington Post’s The Checkup blog is reporting that Nestle is recalling all of its refrigerated Toll House Cookie dough because of potential e coli contamination. Since it’s impossible for a human to resist eating at least some raw cookie dough (if not the entire tube) you should return it to its place of purchase.
recall notice and FDA’s press release here.
By Ben H. Rome
‘Stuck in Traffic.. 218 3rd St SE, Capitol Hill’ courtesy of ‘KrS-NrY’
In case you haven’t noticed, gas prices continue to rise. Which means commuting costs are going up again for those who choose (or have no choice) to drive to work each day.
Which of course, leads to Beltway congestion. And then the inevitable “who’s got the worst drivers” discussion, often yelled between cars with exclamatory sign language.
Who needs that?
Starting this fall, the Commuter Connections Work Program will begin paying people to carpool. That’s right. PAY YOU MONEY. Specifically, $2 a day.
By Donna C.
‘school bus’
courtesy of ‘unai pascual’
The Big Green Bus is coming to Saturday’s Bethesda Big Train baseball game. This summer, 15 Dartmouth students are driving this bus, powered by waste vegetable oil, across the country to raise awareness and spur action on climate change.
You can see them at the 7:30 p.m. game at Shirley Povich Field in Cabin John Regional Park. Wear your Bethesda Green t-shirt, or buy one there, and you can get a free ticket as long as their supply lasts.
By Katie
‘Artomatic 2009 Kerrin’s Appetizers’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’
Good Friday Morning, Washington! How are you out there? Is that, actual, like, sun? WHAT? Here I was thinking we had turned into the Amazon. I had bought a mosquito net and everything. But just in time for a *hopefully* sunny weekend, here’s all the news fit to eat in the District this week. We’ve got the Washingtonian Best Of Washington Party, Galileo III, a Mondavi wine dinner, where to celebrate Bastille Day, and um, Asian picnics on 4th of July (what?). Read on, dear readers. Continue reading
By shannon
‘Shrine of the Sacred Heart’
courtesy of ‘NCinDC’
The diverse and eclectic Mount Pleasant neighborhood is the topic of this week’s Where We Live. It was once a streetcar suburb and is now a mix of housing types with a main street of its own. It has great access to downtown and is right in between Adams Morgan and Columbia Heights, two very developed areas, but it has retained a quieter residential character. Read on to hear the very cool history of Mount Pleasant and what to check out next time you’re there.
History: The neighborhood dates back to 1727, when a large area of what is now Columbia Heights/Adams Morgan/Mount Pleasant was granted to James Holmead. The area was named Pleasant Plains in 1750, and then became part of the District when it was established in 1791. During the Civil War, the area was home to a hospital, and after the war the neighborhood became known as Mount Pleasant Village. The area was separated from the rest of the District by rural land, as DC hadn’t grown into its 10-mile square yet, which is why Mount Pleasant doesn’t quite line up with DC’s orderly grid of streets. In the 1870s, the area became the District’s first streetcar suburb, and many middle class residents moved in to take advantage of the quick commute to Washington City.
The area has changed a lot since then. In the 1950s, the neighborhood became racially segregated, with many white residents leaving the city altogether. The 1968 riots only made things worse, and the area entered a period of decline. However, throughout the 1960s Spanish-speaking immigrants began moving to Mount Pleasant, establishing vibrant communities of El Salvadorean and Dominican Republic immigrants. In the 1980s and 1990s, affluent professionals began moving into the area for its access to jobs downtown and its historic residential housing stock. And today, the population is a mix of all those eras: approximately one third of residents are white, one third are African-American, and one third are Hispanic.
Neighborhood Character: Mount Pleasant has a strong historic residential character throughout the neighborhood and a pedestrian-friendly commercial strip along Mount Pleasant Street. Rowhouses and smaller apartment buildings make up the neighborhood, and many historic structures from the early 1900s remain. The area is very walkable, with strong transit access and a variety of neighborhood destinations. In recent years, Mount Pleasant has been changing due to the nearby development of Columbia Heights. Tim, author of the neighborhood blog The 42 and Mount Pleasant resident of six years, had this to say: ” There obviously have been hundreds of changes, some from within and many from without. We’ve been greatly affected by the development of Columbia Heights. Most of that has probably been good for Mount Pleasant in terms of access to amenities. On the other hand, we’ve seen stagnant development of out own commercial strip at the same time.”
By Tom Bridge
‘Alex Ovechkin’
courtesy of ‘brianmka’
Congratulations to Alex Ovechkin on his second straight Hart Trophy as Most Valuable Player in the NHL. Ovechkin also picked up the Pearson and Richard trophies, as well, each for the second year running. Ovi had a seriously amazing season, Game 7 of the Quarterfinals notwithstanding, and we’re certainly glad to have him here in DC. Way to go, Ovi!
By Tom Bridge
‘Artomatic 1905 WASA Pumping Station’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’
Think your Pepco bill hike was bad? Meet Jeanette Cohen whose WASA bill went up 4,000% last month after WASA says she used over 139,000 gallons of water. Folks, that’s a 39-day shower, but yet, WASA won’t back down and are insisting that Mrs. Cohen, who’s 99 years old, pay the whole bill.
Class act, WASA. Class act.
No word yet on how much lead Mrs. Cohen’s house now contains.
By Tom Bridge
IMG_4438
Originally uploaded by liz.shen
Okay, I know, celebrity-gawking isn’t quite the same here in DC than it is in LA, but check out reader Liz Shen’s awesome photo set on the spot in Adams Morgan. Hope it was worth all the street closures!
By AcaciaO
‘IMG_2185’
courtesy of ‘KJB Photography’
Angelina is in town today, speaking at a conference for World Refugee Day at the National Geographic Museum. The theme of this years’ conference, which seeks to raise awareness to the on-going plight of refugees around the globe, is “Refugee Youth: Building the Future.” Additionally, Jolie was slated to have a meeting with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, but that was nixed, as Secretary Clinton apparently fell and broke her elbow yesterday. My sources indicate that she is currently on the Hill in the Rayburn building, perhaps on UN Refugee Agency business.
By Tom Bridge
‘CRIME SCENE DO NOT CROSS / @CSIï¼�cafe’
courtesy of ‘[puamelia]’
The Post and WJLA are reporting a double shooting in Columbia Heights that has shuttered 14th Street at Irving, as well as the south entrance to the Columbia Heights Metro, and WMATA is re-routing 52, 53, 54, H2, H4 and H8 bus lines around the incident.
It’s not clear the extent of the wounds of the victims, but both have been transported to area hospitals.
By Don
‘The Studio Theatre’
courtesy of ‘NCinDC’
Studio’s been a little tease since they first announced their upcoming season, which contained an item listed as “an unnamed Neal LaBute play.” Today they officially announced which play that is: Reasons to Be Pretty, which is currently running on Broadway. Studio shills it like this:
This play concludes LaBute’s trilogy exploring America’s obsession with physical beauty, a trilogy he began with two Studio Theatre favorites, The Shape of Things and Fat Pig–both runaway hits.
It’ll open next March.
By Katie
‘zentan interior’
courtesy of ‘needlessspaces’
Last night Inspiration DC‘s Rebecca and I headed over to preview Zentan, the new trendy hot spot at the Donovan House Hotel on Thomas Circle. The new hot spot opened on June 8th, after a bit of a kerfluffle (the space was supposed to be a new Todd English spot), when Chef Susur Lee of Shang in New York stepped up to fill in. Chef Lee, who is known for a wide variety of Asian-influenced restaurants, was also the second Canadian chef to appear on the Food Network’s Iron Chef America against Iron Chef Bobby Flay. So I was excited to see what came of all the drama – would Zentan live up?
Also, if you’ll let me ramble for a moment, Zentan signifies to me the solidification of the quality I’ve come to expect from hotel restaurants in our area. This is thanks in part to boutique chains like Kimpton, who work to pair quality Chef-driven restaurant concepts with their hotels. But excellent in-hotel restaurants are certainly on the rise in DC, and I have much higher standards for hotel restaurants here than I do when I travel. I was interested to see what Lee would bring to the District, plus get a peek at the Thompson Hotel. Continue reading
By Kirk
‘Travelling with Swine Flu’
courtesy of ‘Diego Cupolo’
Caitlin, one of our readers, alerted us to a case of H1N1 at America University. I will now pause briefly to allow you to panic.
Good? Ok! Media relations at AU sent out this press release detailing the situation. Apparently, an employee is at home sick with the swine flu. Students, faculty and staff that were in contact with the infected individual have been notified and advised of steps that they can take to avoid contracting the illness. I would like to remind our readers that despite what CNN, MSNBC and FOX News would like you to believe, H1N1 is not, in fact, the harbinger of doom for our civilization. Symptoms are similar to the seasonal flu and people generally recover from it within a few days.