Yearly Archives: 2009

The Daily Feed
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Free Concerts at Ibero-American Guitar Fest

Photo courtesy of
‘NMAI Teepee Sculptures’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

Come hear some people with skillz strum their guitars — it’s the annual Ibero-American Guitar Festival and this year it is being held at the National Museum of the American Indian. The fest will pay homage to the sounds and traditions of Ibero-American regions and cultures and will especially highlight the contribution of the guitar to these cultures.  The event is organized by the Association of Ibero-American Cultural Attachés in conjunction with The Smithsonian, and will honor the legacy of one of the greatest Latin-American composers, Heitor Villa-Lobos. While full access to the concerts will cost you, ($50 for the weekend or $30 for each day or $20 for each concert) concerts at noon on Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday are free.  Check out the full schedule, which also includes lectures and a screening of a bio of Villa-Lobos.

The Daily Feed
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Bringing the Cute to Improve Your Day

Photo courtesy of
‘Clouded Leopard Cubs are 12 weeks old!’
courtesy of ‘Smithsonian’s National Zoo’

Here at We Love DC, we are on the record as being big fans of cute baby animals. Oh yes, there is no National Zoo press release with photos that we will not ooh and aah over if it contains exotic baby critters. 

So with that in mind, I present this representative photo of recently-posted Flickr photos of the clouded leopard cubs, now 12 whole weeks old.  And I would just like to say:

I WANT TO RUB HIS BELLEH.

Food and Drink, Night Life, The Features, We Love Drinks
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We Love Drinks: Cantina Marina

"cantina marina" by Somewhat Frank, on Flickr

"cantina marina" by Somewhat Frank, on Flickr

Sometimes you don’t care about lovingly crafted cocktails or the beautiful people or even 12% ABV beer. Sometimes you just want a drink in a plastic cup. With a view.

Cantina Marina is the kind of place you could easily find in Florida, a simple almost shack-like atmosphere on the Gangplank Marina, with three sides open to the elements and the waterfront view. This is an extremely casual scene where flip-flops, beach dresses and short shorts reign. It’s getting to be quite packed now that the weather is warm – whether we’ll ever see sun again is anybody’s guess – but you can easily hang out here on an overcast drizzling day like I did.

It’s really a perfect spot for an afternoon delight, with spots to perch on ranging from the center square bar surrounded by tables or the outside seating right on the water. Decent but not too exciting bar food means noshing of the mostly-fried Gulf Coast variety. Happily they feature my favorite summer drink of the moment, the Dark ‘n Stormy, made with rum and ginger beer. Oh, sexy steel drums… no wait, that’s just my head. Continue reading →

All Politics is Local, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Linestanding

Photo courtesy of
‘La Guardia to New York 6’
courtesy of ‘GregPC’

The Daily Beast has a piece up today on the noble profession of line-standing, and how the character of the profession is changing as the people who want a guaranteed spot to watch a hearing in the Capitol go from being bike couriers or interns to being the Homeless. The video’s pretty insightful, and asks the question: Should linestanding be permitted as part of the democratic process, where those who can pay someone to stand in line on their behalf get all the access?

This seems to be another case of paying the homeless to do something (y’know, like union protesting) that you should be paying staff to do, but that just might be me being ornery.

The Daily Feed
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Curious censoring

Photo courtesy of
‘Censura’
courtesy of ‘Inti’

At this point “change the default password” advice is pretty old news. Similarly, pranks when people don’t do so are also a little tired – there’s  a whole gallery of altered signs accompanying an article on the web indicating what the default password is over here. NBC4 has a shot here of a roadsign sign that’s been tampered with here in our area and made to say things that VDOT probably doesn’t normally say to the public. I mean, maybe in Manassas but not on the GW Parkway!

More interesting to me, though, is the parts of the image NBC blurred out. Okay, F*** I get why you redact that. B***SACK? Is ‘ballsack’ really censor-worthy?

Entertainment, Food and Drink, Fun & Games, The Daily Feed
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DC Brownie-Off!

Photo courtesy of
‘7465 brownies ftmfw’
courtesy of ‘imcountingufoz’

So, as I informed you earlier, Bliss Spa is now in DC! “Welcome to the land of luxe lotions, line-levelers and lip gloss.” But for now, Bliss is having a brownie-off to see which DC bakery will supply the brownies for Bliss’ infamous brownie bar at the DC location.

The competitors? Baked & Wired vs. Bread & Chocolate vs. Heller’s Bakery.

Got an opinion? Vote over at You Be the Fudge.

The Daily Feed
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Gay Marriage Referendum Goes to Court

Photo courtesy of
‘Capital Pride Parade’
courtesy of ‘spiggycat’

WAPO reports that the authors of the recent Gay Marriage Referendum are taking their cause to court, asking judges to overturn the Board of Elections and Ethics’ Monday decision to block the proposal.  The Board ruled that the Referendum, designed to annul the City Council’s decision to recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere, was in violation of the city’s Human Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation.  The Board stated that the proposal would extend or deny rights to legally married couples based strictly on their sexual orientation, thereby making it illegal.  The Plaintiffs argue that Dean v. District, a 1995 court case which ruled the denying marriage to same-sex couples did not violate the HRA, validates their proposal. An expedited hearing has been requested.

Continue reading →

Getaways, The Features, The Great Outdoors
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Getaways: Chincoteague & Assateague

Wild Ponies at Sunset, Assateague

"Wild Ponies at Sunset, Assateague" by Jenn Larsen, on Flickr

Relinquish control to nature. That’s extremely difficult for an urbanite like myself. But, I was on the fast track to total anxietyville and desperately needed an escape. What better way to unwind than leaving yourself behind on a five mile bike trek through a barrier island refuge? Sighing upon spotting wild ponies? Napping on a deserted beach? Being bitten by insanely voracious mosquitoes?

Ok, this last is not quite as relaxing as the rest! Definitely watch out for those bloodsuckers while you enjoy some sea-drenched nature just three hours away from DC, on the Chincoteague Island National Wildlife Refuge and Assateague National Seashore. With some 14,000 acres of barrier island habitat including marshes and long stretches of beach, this is a naturalist’s dream.

The town of Chincoteague itself is rather like a rusty old tugboat that does its duty with a trusty nonchalance. It’s not a glamorous destination, but there are plenty of decent seafood places, surf shops, cute boutiques, and decadent ice cream parlours. It’s still milking the “Misty” books, Marguerite Henry’s tales of the penning of the famous wild horses. Yours truly learned to ride on a Chincoteague pony back in the mists of her teenage years and still has a soft spot for these extremely tough and beautiful animals. There are pony rides to be had here, of course, but I suggest you rather seek out viewing them in their natural habitat on Assateague (unless you are or have kids, in which case, they will love a ride). Continue reading →

People, Sports Fix, The District, The Features
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Sports on the Hill: Youth Sports As They Should Be

Photo courtesy of
‘get coach! 2’
courtesy of ‘popofatticus’

Last week, Sports on the Hill, nee’ Soccer on the Hill, held the first-ever volunteers and coaches recognition dinner in its 25-year history. As a newbie coach of a U-13 co-ed soccer team with the league, I sat quietly at the dinner and listened as the history of the league and those who make it was spun out before me. Before listening to their stories, told one after another as if to emphasize and aggrandize each previous, my perspective of the organization was pretty microscopic and limited to soccer. I met my thirteen players and their parents twice weekly — once for practice, once for a game. They would run around and kick the soccer ball, I would yell in encouragement and instruction, then we would all go home. But the people who make Sports on the Hill a great place for DC kids to learn and love sports, do what I do times one hundred, and have been doing it since I was in diapers.

One of the first things I did when I first moved to DC was search for a sports league where I could coach soccer. Coaching, in a relaxed sense of the word, was something I had been doing pretty much since I was old enough to make 5-year-old peewees take me somewhat seriously. Without question I needed to connect to the community somehow, and I needed to be around organized sports — a need fostered by almost 20 years of incessant practices, games and other sport-related activities. At first though, I struggled to find an organization that would both accept me–as a flawed and comparatively inexperienced coach–and be acceptable–an environment that was more learning and fun, less competition and scholarship-seeking. Basically I was looking for a re-incarnation of Eastwood Youth Soccer, in Syracuse New York, the somewhat underfunded, haphazard but dedicated league that had given me my start. Continue reading →

Entertainment, The Daily Feed, The Mall
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Celebrity Sweat on the Mall


Reese Witherspoon by UltimateGraphics

This just in!  Some website I’ve never heard of is reporting that Reese Witherspoon, a lucky member of my top 10 20 list, was spotted being all hot and sweaty on the Mall yesterday.  As you may or may not know, she’s in town filming How Do You Know with Owen Wilson who was nowhere to be seen.  It appears they have their product placement covered with her wearing a Nike top and Under Armour shorts (and I can only imagine what else).  Sources on the scene say that Reese was actually sprinting to my house.  How do I know?  She’s running north, that’s how.

If you spot Reese or any other celebs around town, be sure to let us know!  Or, you know, send them to my house.

DC Victory Gardens, We Love Food
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What do I do with all these vegetables?!

Photo courtesy of
‘The salad beds’
courtesy of ‘boboroshi’

So by now, your Community Supported Agriculture share has started generating produce. And if you planted spring crops in your garden, you might be harvesting some food. (Unless you’re mrmoonpie, who was WAY AHEAD of all of us, because he is too cool.) And the farmers’ markets are starting to fill out with actual farm produce, rather than jars of last year’s preserved produce.

If you’ve jumped as enthusiastically into the fresh-and-local food as we have in the Bridge house, this probably means that you’re shoving stuff into your fridge when you don’t quite know what to do with it.   So far we’ve gotten an enormous bunch of kale, a large bunch of spinach, more asparagus than we know what to do with, and strawberries coming out of our ears, plus a couple of bunches of spring onions, and that’s JUST from the CSA.  Here are some tips on how to enjoy what’s in season in these couple of weeks now, as well as preserving it for later. Post your suggestions in the comments, or let us know what else you’ve got that you don’t know what to do with. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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You Should Go, Now.


IMG_0287
Originally uploaded by Addison H.

So I rarely do this, just put up a post swooning about a restaurant, with nothing particularly newsworthy to announce. But ya’ll, the new Glover Park eat place Blue Ridge is GOOD, and that is news enough. Blue Ridge is affordable, casual, with entrees around the $12 price point, and with great service, and a lovely patio, it is quickly becoming one of my favorite restaurants in the city. It’s time for you to get your rear in gear and visit.

With a heavy-focus on southern (and the sweet potato in particular), I loved every single thing I tasted. The house-made bacon stood WAY out as my new favorite bacon in the city. I loved the sweet potato fritters, as well as the root beer float I had for dessert. I tried the trout and the fried green tomato BLT, and will food dream about them both. I’m sure you’ll be hard pressed to find something you don’t like on the menu.

The drink list is well thought out, with a heavy focus on affordable house wines served in a cafe glass. I tried both house whites and liked them. So, what are you waiting for?! Go, now!

News, The Daily Feed
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Hero of the Day: Jared Cohen

jaredcohen.jpg

I’ve watched over the last six days how an election in Iran was wholesale hijacked, how the people revolted, how they circumvented their government’s heavy-handed filtering of the Internet, and how they used social media tools to keep right on going. So, I present to you, a guy who may well have saved lives and continued a nascent revolution. His name’s Jared Cohen, and he works for the State Department. No, he’s not a new hire, not a product of the Obama Revolution, he’s someone that Secretary Condi Rice hired in 2006 to look at the Middle East, how to talk about the Middle East youth movements, and how to engage with a part of the world that we have a hostile relationship with.

But Cohen’s achievement was picking up the phone over at Foggy Bottom and asking Twitter and NTT to postpone the maintenance window to a time when it wouldn’t have such a drastic consequence on the unfolding of history. Well done, Mr. Cohen. Well done.

Dupont Circle, The Daily Feed
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Dupont Staycation


suite bett by loop oh

We all need vacations.  I could go for a three month (or permanent) vacation right about now.  However when times are tough and your wallet is a bit thinner than usual, you might think about skipping your trip to Paris and instead having a DC staycation.  Instead of researching French bistros and quaint places to eat baguettes and cheese, why not stay right here in our fabulous city?

The key to a successful staycation is to get out of your house and into a hotel.  Might I suggest the new and improved Dupont Hotel?  They recently did a $50 million renovation and all rooms feature either a king or two double beds, complimentary wireless Internet, flat-screen TVs, heated bath floor tiles, Frette bath robes and Kiehl’s bath amenities.  The best part is that they’re offering their rooms at $100 off their regular nightly rate, a deal that’s hard to pass up.

So ditch the kids, pack your fancy lingerie, and slip into a world of luxury.  If you’re still longing for baguettes, cheese, and an overall rude French experience, might I suggest Bistro du Coin?

The Daily Feed
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Artomatic halfway point

arto2009logo

We’re past the halfway point for Artomatic 2009 – running 38 days total from May 29th till July 5th, today makes day 20. Have you been yet? Multiple times? I had to miss the opening because of this darned honeymoon obligation but I’m hoping our visiting guest will be interested in going this week.

If it’s anything like last year’s Artomatic it’s so big that it’s hard to see it all. Anyone got a can’t-miss artist to shill?

Alexandria, Talkin' Transit, The Daily Feed
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Alexandria Fires Up the Money Cameras

Photo courtesy of
‘DSCF6337’
courtesy of ‘lakelandlocal’

Alexandria has powered up their revenue-generating red-light cameras along Route 1, as well as on Duke Street in an attempt to make us all “safer”. While this is probably less expensive than parking a police officer on the corner with a ticket pad, that certainly seems like something that would chasten people for running the light rather than just treating it as an “expensable” behavior like going over your cellphone minutes.

The Daily Feed
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DC Property may be the World’s Best Investement

Photo courtesy of
‘Washington Monument – North View – 7-15-08’
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

Property in DC may be pricey, but, according to the Association of Foreign Investors in Real Estate (AFIRE), it’s worth it.  In their 17th Annual Survey of Investors, AFIRE listed Washington, DC as the top international city to buy property in.  With property values in the US beginning trending upwards, foreign investors are apparently looking to DC, NYC and San Francisco to lead the national market out of it’s current funk.  They expect full recovery by 2010.

The Daily Feed
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Paper or Plastic? Either Way, it Costs a Nickel

Photo courtesy of
‘Plastic bags’
courtesy of ‘Gabriel Thomas’

Being non-green (we need a color description for non-environmentally conscious people, by the way) just got a bit pricier.  Yesterday, the City Council gave final approval to a measure that imposes a 5-cent fee on disposable bags.  The new law is designed to encourage the purchase of reusable bags, which will hopefully cut down on pollution in the Anacostia river.  Revenue from the new tax will go towards environmental clean up and public, anti-littering campaigns.

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Office Schedule Change – Ugly Sweater Day Revisited


Justin’s Ugly Cat Sweater
Originally uploaded by nerdcoregirl

What? A high in the 60’s? It’s June, for Pete’s sake. I just wish I had a nice cat sweater and a beer and I could stay at home, away from the impending craziness, snow-induced accidents and obvious breakdown of order in the world. It’s too cold to be June. After all, this isn’t a God-foresaken area of the world where you expect misery and suffering. Well, maybe you do in a place like Bethesda, but certainly not here in good old Georgetown.

It’s too cold today. I’m going back to bed. Wake me when the revolution comes or the mothership lands. Whichever comes first.

Comedy in DC
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Comedy in DC: You got comedy in my music venue

 

Velvet Lounge, July 10

Velvet Lounge, July 10

Okay, so first I have to get this Dylan-with-an-arrow-through-his-head thing out of the way. There’s this show at the Velvet Lounge on July 10th. It’s called 3 Chord Comedy, and it is, as the image above implies, comedy in a venue that generally focuses on music. It starts at 7PM, and the cover is a mere $2. Remember all those videos I showed you a couple of weeks ago? You can see several of those comics live at this event- Jake Young, Hampton Yount, and Seaton Smith. I promise, Jake has more than 42 seconds of material, no matter what his clip implies.  Also appearing will be Eli Sairs, Aparna Nancherla, and Justin Schlegel, whose only clips on YouTube seem to be a voiceover about horse genitalia and an interview for some Toyota advertising campaign. So you know, call that one an adventure and check out the clips from the other comics, all of whom are regularly performing professionally around the area. You should go, because  July 10th is a Friday, it’s on U Street, and it’s only $2, which is about as cheap as planned showcase gets. Continue reading →