Monthly Archives: January 2010

Downtown, Fun & Games, People, The Daily Feed, WMATA, WTF?!
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Damn, Crowded Metro Station! You Scary!

Photo courtesy of
‘not goin’ anywhere?’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

Was anyone else at the Chinatown Metro station yesterday evening at around 6:15? I was, and I was pressed into the mass of humanity unsuccessfully attempting to move around the station. It all started because a red line train, which I was on, had to offload at Judiciary Square, thereby causing a delay that resulted in platforms down the line filling up. I got to Chinatown, got off the train and proceeded to work my way through a human traffic jam for 20 minutes. New trains would come in, but the platform was so crowded that passengers could barely get off and the doors would close before anyone waiting could board. This exacerbated the crowding problem and the platform just got more and more full. I’m pretty sure that no one died or anything, but I was witness to a few fights. The best part: this was just a Monday evening. Nothing special was happening.  I really do love mass transit.

(Yes, I know the picture’s not of Chinatown.)

Featured Photo
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Featured Photo


DCA by brokensquare

Ah, the airport.  Is it strange that I find it to be a magical place?  It’s where people come together, some sharing the same flight, others departing to different destinations, but all part of a worldwide system that just somehow works.  You make your reservation online, pack your tiny tube of toothpaste, roll in with your luggage, wait in line to check in, take your shoes off, watch as your cigarette lighter passes right through security, get to the gate and scope out your fellow passengers, grab some food to bring on the plane with you (since the days of free meals are long gone), turn your portable electronics off so as not to interfere with the plane that was built in the 1970’s, sit back, relax, help the person next to you with their oxygen mask before placing yours firmly around your nose, resist tampering with the smoke alarm in the lavatory, read SkyMall and wonder who actually buys this stuff.  You gaze out the window and admire the polished wings, held together with rivets as they pierce through wispy clouds at speeds of over 400 miles per hour.  Oh but wait – what’s that?  Before you know it you’re placing your tray and seat back in their full upright position and the stewarde – um, flight attendant is welcoming you to Los Angeles.  It’s magic I tell you.  Without breaking a sweat, you’ve flown, through the air mind you, to the opposite side of the country.

But like most magic tricks, there’s more than meets the eye.  While you were begging for an exit row seat and anxiously waiting for the gate attendant to call Seating Area 3, the ground crew was loading your luggage, stocking those $10 boxes of airplane food, fueling the plane, de-icing the wings, pushing it away from the gate, oh, and taking photos of the spectacular sunrises that bath the runways in deep hues of purple, orange, and yellow.  Magic, I tell you.

The Daily Feed
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Big Chair Coffee is Open!

Photo courtesy of
‘72145-05Crop’
courtesy of ‘furcafe’

When a neighborhood coffee shop opens, it’s generally not that big of a deal.  But when the coffee shop is the first one in the city east of the Anacostia River, it is– residents see it as a sign that more retail growth could finally be coming to Anacostia.  So it’s great news that Big Chair Coffee opened yesterday in Anacostia.  David Garber of And Now, Anacostia is thrilled that there’s finally a “legit place to go in the neighborhood”, and he tells me that the coffee is worth a trip across the river.  Definitely stop by and check it out– you can’t miss it, since it’s across from the big chair (formerly the world’s tallest chair!) on Martin Luther King Avenue SE.

The Daily Feed
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Harriet Walters’ Handbags Up For Auction

Photo courtesy of
‘Lolo (Barcelona)’
courtesy of ‘scalleja’

Anyone out there want their own little fashionable piece of DC scandal history? Well look no further then the Harriet Walters’ online designer bag auction currently taking place and run by the U.S. Marshalls Service. Imelda collected shoes. Harriet handbags.

Besides, I totally needed that Louis Vuitton bag anyways. And so what if it happened to be evidence in a $50 million dollar embezzlement case. I’m a slave to fashion.

Auction runs until Thursday, January 22nd.

News, The Daily Feed
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30 Days Started Last Week

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Tomorrow, when Congress gavels itself back from recess, the 30-day clock on a number of important DC legal measures begins. If you’ve not been following along, you may need to be reminded: Every law passed by the City Council and signed by the Mayor must in turn be reviewed by Congress. Now the 30-day clock is session days, and not calendar days, but best guess would be that the bill would pass out of Congress’ authority by the end of February.

Update: We received an update from the Congresswoman’s office: The 30-day calendar actually began on January 5th with a Pro-Forma session, meaning we’re five legislative days closer than initially reported.

The Daily Feed
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Crystal Couture (and Spring) Are Coming


Cocktail
Originally uploaded by abbeyfranke

Fashion-lovers in DC, rejoice. Crystal Couture is coming back the first week of February for a full run of fashion shows called, “Jungle, Jeans, Tats and Tees.” The event will be taking over an empty storefront across from the Jaleo in Crystal City. Bring on the Springtime! (and the models…)

Photo by Malek Naz Freidouni

Food and Drink, The Daily Feed, The District
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Restaurant Week Begins

Photo courtesy of
‘Bangkok 54’
courtesy of ‘Amberture’

I don’t know if it is because I’m busy right now, or something, but you guys I’m going to have to admit a sin to you. I’m just not feelin’ restaurant week right now. For some unknown reason, it’s just not ringing my bell, or whatever. It’s a little close to the holidays, and it’s cold. I don’t know. Usually I’m stoked, but this time I’ve only got one reservation and I’m just kind of bored by it. BUT, I feel obligated, that if you ARE feeling it (which, good on you! for real.) that I am here for you. I just wanted to drop you a friendly reminder that it’s happening, now. If you haven’t made reservations, I’d recommend: Bibiana, Ceiba, Poste, Adour, Volt, Zentan, Willow, 1789.

Lisa over at Dining in DC put a ton of energy into creating a post all about the menus and extensions, and bless her for her enthusiasm, cause I just don’t have it. Now I think I’ll go take a nap, or something.

Adventures, Essential DC, The Daily Feed
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Case of the Key Bridge Hanging Ropes Solved

Photo courtesy of
‘Ripples’
courtesy of ‘S. Parker’

Ever been driving on the George Washington Parkway and seen those mysterious ropes dangling underneath the Key Bridge? Have you ever wondered, what crazy person is rope swinging into the Potomac? Or, perhaps someone has a secret July 4th firework viewing spot?

Well, the WaPo’s Answer Man, John Kelly, has put the mystery to rest. They’re not for bungee jumping, rather the ropes are used to help inspectors “access the inclined portions of the Key Bridge’s mighty arches.” Phew! What a relief!

The Daily Feed
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Water Main Break in Dupont


Water Main Breakage by maxedaperture

Earlier today I was alerted via Alert DC of a water main break at 17th & P Street NW in Dupont Circle.  While I didn’t see the geyser that was reported by a DCist reader earlier this morning, there is still a steady flow of water flowing onto the street as of about noon.  Streets in a one block radius are closed and DDOT crews are on the scene (as is a swarm of local media representatives).  This should make for a nice ice skating rink later tonight.  Be safe, DC.

The DC 100, The Features
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DC Omni 100: #6 Black Pudding

Photo courtesy of
‘Black Pudding with kidney – The Botanical Breakfast – The Botanical AU19.50’
courtesy of ‘avlxyz’

It’s time for another item from the DC Omnivore 100 list of the top one hundred foods every good omnivore should try at least once in their lives.

Let’s get over the squeamishness now, and call a spade a spade. Black pudding is blood sausage. Ahhhh…I said BLOOD! Now we know what we’re eating and we can directly correlate it to a real live animal,  not some amorphous substance. So now that we’ve established that, freaked out a tad and gotten over it, let’s talk about how delicious black pudding is.

In its simplest form, black pudding is a combination of onions, a few herbs, barley, bread crumbs, meat, seasonal vegetables, or heavy spices and, typically, pork or cow blood. I supposed for some it’s the incorrect assumption that the only ingredient in black pudding is blood that makes it SO unappealing. However, the best black pudding does not use too much blood, and has an even mixture of the other ingredients. It’s this perfect combination that makes the flavor of black pudding to be so rich, complex and delicious.

Traditionally, black pudding is served as part of a full English breakfast, such as the one I recently enjoyed at Ireland’s Four Courts in Arlington, VA. A full English breakfast gets you a few slices of black pudding, eggs (cooked to your liking,) baked beans, fried tomatoes, hash browns, toast, bacon, white pudding (a relative of black pudding but sans blood) and perhaps a few other odds and ends depending on the cook and restaurant you’re at. If you’re new to black pudding, the small amount provided as part of the meal will be an excellent way to sample this iron rich, savory treat. And if you don’t like it, at least you’re left with plenty of “friendly” food. Continue reading →

Crime & Punishment, News, People, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Another Cuddling Incident

Photo courtesy of
‘Cop Car in Georgetown’
courtesy of ‘Hoosiers United’

Has the “Georgetown Cuddler” returned?  Police report that a woman in Glover Park awoke on Sunday morning to find a stranger spooning her in bed. Upon discovery, the man fled without stealing anything, or otherwise causing any property damage.  This crime bears striking resemblance to a spate of sexual assaults that occurred in Georgetown, last year.  In all cases, women asleep in their homes awoke to find a stranger fondling them. This is first such incident since August.

The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Tian Tian and Mei Xiang Try Again

Photo courtesy of
‘*Caution* Do Not Attempt To Enter The Tian Tian Man Cave *Teddy Bear Sleeping*’
courtesy of ‘Daniel.Techie{TaiShan~4Ever} @ 127.0.0.1’

This was the big weekend for Tian Tian and Mei Xiang to try for another Butterstick (okay, nothing could replace our Tai Shan, but that doesn’t mean we don’t want another baby panda to coo and gush over) and that meant there was a lot of panda sex this weekend. According to the Zoo, though, all that hot and heavy action wasn’t for much (“competent mating did not occur” – which is kinda the story of Youth in Revolt), and they had to tranq both animals and help them out a little bit.

Mei Xiang and Tian Tian will spend the next 3-6 months in separate enclosures to protect the nascent pregnancy (assuming there is one…) and the mother. Hopefully by summertime, we’ll have a new panda to cuddle. And may I just say, as cute as these animals are, evolution sure is against these guys…just one opportunity to mate per year? It’s worse than having a girlfriend in another state.

The Daily Feed
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A Look Into DC’s Netflix Queue

Rental Map.png

In case you missed the NYTimes this weekend, check out their map of the DC Netflix queue by zipcode. Some of the fun is seeing where the dividing line is. DC’s most rented movie was Benjamin Button, that is, unless you live in 20064 (Catholic University) in which case it didn’t even make the Top 50.

Changeling was big in 20032 (Congress Heights/Bolling). Slumdog Millionaire was only playing North of the Anacostia, while Seven Pounds was only big on the South side of the Anacostia. Burn After Reading and Eagle Eye shared the same split. I could seriously play with this one all day.

The Daily Feed
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Metro Doesn’t Open Doors

Photo courtesy of
‘no-one’
courtesy of ‘cacophony76’

Another scary Metro-related story in the Washington Post today!  On Friday, a train malfunctioned and was taken out of service and all passengers were ordered off the train.  A few passengers couldn’t get out in time though, and they were trapped inside the train for several stations with the lights turned out and no way to escape.

The three women who were trapped tried the red emergency button to contact Metro (to no avail), and they pounded on the windows while screaming for help at every station that the train passed through. They eventually caught the eye of a Metro employee at Metro Center, who helped get them out.  It’s hard to imagine that this could happen, and I hope Metro is taking steps to make sure that other passengers don’t get trapped on ‘No Passenger’ trains in the future.

The Daily Feed
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Southeast Freeway Ramp Closures This Weekend

Photo courtesy of
‘SR 520 Traffic’
courtesy of ‘Oran Viriyincy’

Attention all drivers – if you plan on heading anywhere near the Southeast Freeway this weekend, you might have a few detours in your future. Part of the freeway will be off-limits to cars and trucks, according to WTOP.

DDOT is in the process of demolishing a couple ramps leading to RFK stadium, so look out for ramp closures after the I-295 exit.

“What that means for motorists is that they will have to stay to the right and take the I-295 exit for the 11th Street Bridges, or exit earlier,” says.

DDOT spokesperson John Lisle says that a good alternate route to get across the Anacostia River would be the South Capitol Street Bridge. The goal of this entire project is to tear down concrete while making sure there aren’t any cars under the bridge, hence the closures. They’re a precautionary measure. Good call, DDOT, good call.

All scheduled work is between 5 a.m. and 10 p.m. on Saturday, but if the work isn’t done by then, it will continue on into Sunday.

Need alternate routes to get around? DDOT has posed the following:

To reach Pennsylvania Avenue:

  • Take the Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue exit
  • Turn left on Good Hope Road, SE
  • Turn left on Minnesota Avenue, SE
  • Detour Ends – Turn either right or left on Pennsylvania Avenue, SE

DDOT has also suggested that drives avoid any detours by taking these following alternate routes:

  • From the SW Freeway, take the South Capitol Street exit
  • Cross the South Capitol Street (Frederick Douglas) Bridge
  • Take the Suitland Parkway Exit
  • Take the ramp for I-295 North

The Features
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Poker, Blackjack and More Coming This Summer

Photo courtesy of
‘Game over’
courtesy of ‘banspy’

Save on the flight to Vegas and skip the traffic-ridden drive to scary Atlantic City – table games are right around the corner. Few DC area residents know it, but legit and legal table game gambling will soon be just a 75 minute car trip away. Roll the dice, try your luck at 21, bet on red over black or even go all in – pick your poison. It’s coming this summer. In addition to betting on horse races or applying your skillful strategies at one of the thousands of slot machines, Charles Town Races and Slots is just 6 months away from offering all of your favorite table games right here in the DC metro area. There is nowhere else even remotely this close to DC where you can go and gamble away the days and nights.

There is much money to be made if one does it the right way when gaming at 메리트카지노. Unfortunately not everyone operate their business as they should and this is why many of them disappear every week and new ones are launched instead. There are over 1000 of online casinos to choose from at this very moment. Picking the right one is by no means an easy task. You have to take into account all the variables to be sure that the money you deposit is in safe hands and that your winnings will be paid out fully.

So many people from the metro area head to Vegas and Atlantic City to get their gambling fix – and many more head underground for poker – that I predict the popularity of these table games will exceed even what Penn National Gaming, the parent company, is counting on, If you want to gamble with out the need to make a travel, visit https://super88bet.com/. I’m pretty sure that later this year, you and your buds will be heading up to West Virginia for a little fun at the tables. It’s going to happen. It will become the local place for bachelor parties and birthday trips, a quick weekend away with the spouse, and even where you take your out-of-town friends who’ve never been to a real casino before. It’s going to be huge and DC area residents benefit from the locals’ decision to allow table games. Well, Penn National benefits anyway (unless you’re Rain Man). But at least you’ll be entertained!

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Those new reusable bags need to be washed occasionally

Photo courtesy of
‘detergentification’
courtesy of ‘telemetry9’

I cannot help but think that there’s some connection – after only one week of reusable grocery bag encouragement in scandal central, Washington D.C., we get a study suggesting that your grocery tote may pose a hazard to your health.

Via Lifehacker we have this piece out of Canada about a study finding “some level of bacteria” in 64% of the 24 bags checked at random. It’s not much of a sample set but it does raise the question – does anyone actually wash those bags?

At least one Canadian official does, or at least manages to sound so matter-of-fact about something I don’t think I have ever heard anyone say before.

But B.C. provincial health officer Dr. Perry Kendall said reusable bags do not pose a serious public health risk if consumers treat bags as they would cutting boards or food preparation surfaces, and wash them regularly and dry them well.

Have any of you, for one nanosecond, thought of your re-usable bags as “food preperation surfaces?” My darling wife and I made the switch to reusables about a year ago and it’s never crossed our mind to wash them.

Food and Drink, The Daily Feed, We Love Drinks
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Friday Happy Hour

Photo courtesy of
‘Elmer T Lee Bottles’
courtesy of ‘SauceSupreme’

Hello, and welcome to another edition of Friday Happy Hour, your single drink  primer for the weekend.

Couple being gone for the holidays with a busy week at work and I feel like I haven’t been home in ages.  Add in the cold and I’ve got a great incentive to stay at my house for most of the weekend.  Accompanying me will be my favorite bourbon, Elmer T. Lee.  This little known distillation from from small, Kentucky establishment has won accolades from many connoisseurs who’ve sampled it.  It’s a sweeter, mellower bourbon, with a distinct, candied overtone.  Some call it toffee, some call it caramel, some call it honey.  It bears an understated complexity that reveals a new flavor with every sip.  It’s an extremely pleasant and drinkable bourbon.  Have it neat.  You can buy Elmer T. Lee at Schneider’s of Capitol Hill.

The Daily Feed
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In Christmas withdrawal?

YouTube Preview Image

The epiphany has come and gone but we have this pretty snowfall – does it put you in the mood for some christmas music even if we’re past the season? We won’t tell if you indulge yourself a little. You can justify it to yourself by saying hey, it’s Anthony Kearns – he’s a famous performer all year round. It’s an event that happened at the Capitol Hill Club, so it’s local interest.

Or just butch up and enjoy some lovely music.