Monthly Archives: March 2010

The Daily Feed
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Local Girl from “The Bachelor” Up for Auction

Photo courtesy of
‘in a taxi window*’
courtesy of ‘mofo’

In case you missed her from the most recent season of The Bachelor, Ashley Elmore, a high school teacher in Fairfax, made it to the second round of the huge hit dating show just a few months ago (I admit, I watched most of it, but please don’t tell anyone that, seriously). She grabbed TV land’s attention when she put on her sexy classic flight attendant’s costume for Jake. Unfortunately, the costume didn’t quite get the job done for her. No worries Ashley fans, she’s not done trying to find love. Ashley is putting herself out there one more time and going up for bid at what has become DC’s hot trendy way to raise dollah dollah bills – a date auction! Not that I…um…have any experience with such things, but I hear they are lots of fun.

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Talkin' Transit
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Talkin’ Transit: Snow Blower Edition

Photo courtesy of
‘South Smithsonian Escalators’
courtesy of ‘william couch’

It’s going to be in the sixties and sunny for the next few days, and memories of record snowfall and Metro closures are quickly fading. But I want to take you back a month, to twenty-inch snowfalls and closed federal offices. Every time that we’ve had a massive snowfall in the area over the last 22 years that I’ve been here, someone suggests that Metro should buy equipment to deal with big snow falls. And every time the idea gets shot down with an argument about how we can’t afford to be prepared for once every seven years/decade/lifetime storms.

With each mounting inch of snow, and each dollar that it costs to dig out, I began to doubt that, and I decided to see how much it costs to buy equipment that might help Metro fight the snow. I contacted the friendly folks at the Chicago Transit Authority and asked them about their equipment and what they do to handle the snow.

Metro closes all above ground stations when snow reaches between six and eight inches. They do this to protect the undercarriage of the trains and for fear that trains won’t be able to get power from the electrified third rail. In contrast, CTA has no such predetermined parameters and try and maintain normal service until it is unsafe to do so.
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Food and Drink, Life in the Capital, News, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Social Safeway: The Supermarket Superstar

Photo courtesy of
‘Shopping – Race to the Checkout’
courtesy of ‘David Blackwell.’

Great googlie mooglie!  With all the interwebz chatter about the grand reopening of the Social Safeway at 1855 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, one would think this was the greatest development in DC since sliced bread, and as one of those local residents, who has been supermarket less for almost a year, and therefore semi-breadless, it is indeed a long awaited event! And no, Whole Paycheck (aka Whole Foods) does not count as a supermarket, even though I do love their produce and two-for-one pizza Tuesdays.

This Safeway is going to be, quite frankly, TheBomb.com. Not only will it be  Safeway’s most state-of-the-art, greenest, opened 24 hours, full-service grocery store to date, but it will also feature: a wine cellar complete with a wine steward, a specialty cheese department with certain varieties flown in fresh daily from Europe; a sit-down sushi bar; brick-oven pizza; Italian-style gelato bar; an upgraded Starbucks coffee bar; indoor/outdoor seating area featuring a fireplace, HD televisions, complimentary WiFi, and open balcony overlooking Wisconsin Avenue; a SunTrust Bank; a Bergmann’s Dry Cleaners; and wait for it……..A NUTBAR!!!!! offering a wide selection of warm, ready-to-eat nuts that can be flavored or ground on site to create spreads and butter. OMG!!!!

Social Safeway 2.0 is set to open its brand spanking new, glorious, long awaited doors May 6th.  From the looks of the construction site’s live webcams, there’s a fair amount of fixing up to do in the next month and a half month. Giddy up Safeway! Giddy Up!

News, The Features
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Major Fire at 19th & Sunderland in Dupont

fire in dupont photo credit Angelica Bailey
Photo by Angelica Bailey, special to We Love DC

The office building above the Levante’s restaurant on 19th Street near Dupont Circle is currently in the midst of a serious fire. It started shortly after the lunch hour today, and is currently being fought by a number of DC’s Bravest. Engine 4 (Hornet’s Nest) Ladder 9 and Ladder 14, and an EMS and Fire command units and several ambulances. They’re moving trucks onto New Hampshire Avenue, as well, to fight the fire from all sides. According to EMS scanner reports, the fires are in the ductwork now, probably starting from Levante’s kitchen. They’re venting the roof with an axe and a chain saw right now.

Updates as they come.

And, to add insult to injury, those cars stuck at meters on 19th and elsewhere, trapped by the fire trucks, are all being ticketed. Way to go, DC DPW. (apologies to DDOT who I initially and incorrectly identified as issuing tickets.)

Video and more pictures below the cut

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The Daily Feed
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Nats Notch First Spring Training Victories In Florida

Photo courtesy of
‘Let Your Fan Flag Fly!’
courtesy of ‘Kevin H.’

After going 0-11 in Spring Training so far, the Nationals get their first win by frying those Florida fish (aka the Marlins) with a 12-3  victory  on a split squad day in Viera, Fla. (via NatsJournal Twitter account) The rest of the squad is currently up 4-2 after 9 innings in Jupiter, Fla. and are have Jesse English on the mound trying to close it out as we speak.
Update 3:48 p.m. – Make that TWO victories for the Nats today. Final score in Jupiter is 4-2 vs. the Cardinals. RHP  John Lannan went 4 scoreless innings on this outing.
The Daily Feed
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Bollywood/Hip Hop Fusion Workshop This Weekend

Photo courtesy of
‘Dhoonya’
courtesy of ‘erin m’

Dhoonya Dance is hosting their popular BollyHipHop workshop this weekend in the Chevy Chase Athletic Club at 1:30. It’s 2 hours, $30 in advance/$35 at the door, and a really accessible way to try out Bollywood dancing in a context that won’t feel so unfamiliar before committing to a longer class. Also, it’s highly aerobic and a great way to shake off the winter hibernation mode, so I recommend you check it out if you’ve been looking to find some alternate forms of exercise.

The Features, We Love Drinks, We Love Food, We Love Music
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St. Patrick’s Day: What’s the craic?

Irish banneSign of the times at Bottom Line by Corinne Whiting

St. Patrick’s Day seems to fall at a good time of year—just after we’ve groggily “sprung forward” and just as we’ve been teased out of our winter hermit holes by the sweet promise of spring. Winter vacation seems a lifetime ago; Memorial Day beach treks couldn’t feel farther out of reach. Truth be told, we’re ready for some good craic.

This holiday always seems an ideal time to check in with Irish mates I haven’t properly caught up with since my last trip to Éire. I write friends based in happenin’ Dublin and off “busy” getting sunburned in fabulous places around the globe to wish them a happy Paddy’s Day. (Note: if you accidentally let slip “St. Patty’s Day,” prepare to be scolded for incorrectly feminizing the legendary saint!) This year I surveyed my friends’ March 17 plans, knowing that the night before would be the big night out thanks to a national holiday on St. Patrick’s Day. Over there March 17 seems a day, at least for my friends, to take it easy—catching up over pints and coffees, cycling into the country and, most importantly, avoiding the chaos of city centre. The downtown Dublin parade, it seems, can be saved for the kids and tourists.

So what then does March 17 (unfortunately not a holiday here) mean for Washingtonians? Perhaps the Obamas will dye the White House fountain green again (touch wood). And while the holiday will no doubt give venues an excuse to charge covers to droves of bar goers on a random Wednesday night, it will also give bar goers an excuse to spend a Wednesday night clinking glasses of green beer, downing Irish car bombs and flaunting real or feigned ancestry (“Kiss Me, I’m Irish” buttons, anyone?). It’s also a day when cultural traditions get a wee bit muddled here in the “melting pot” of America—Scottish and English customs become Irish; anything Celtic goes….

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Mythbusting DC, The Features
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DC Mythbusting: The 2010 Census (Or, How You Are Worth $4,656)

Photo courtesy of
‘274/365 Filling out the census’
courtesy of ‘eiratansey’

I love busting myths about the city in this feature, but myths about owning vs. renting, the international nature of DC’s residents, and how no one is from DC would be impossible to bust without cold hard data.  And where do we get that data? The Census!  And now is an exciting time– Census forms should be arriving this week, and now you get to do your civic duty and fill out your form.

There are a lot of myths about the Census– who should fill it out, what the information can be used for, etc– and this is the first time that many of us are the heads of households filling out these forms.  Lucky for us, we’ve got Maurice Henderson, the director of DC Counts, to help us bust this week’s Census-related myths.  Check out what Maurice had to say about three big myths Census myths.

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The Daily Feed
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Kastles Fill Roster on WTT Draft Day


WTT King Trophy by Max Cook

Today the Washington Kastles filled out their roster for the 2010 season on World TeamTennis Draft Day.  With an impressive team headlined by the Williams sisters, repeating as WTT champions looks entirely possible.  The Kastles traded for the first overall pick in today’s draft, welcoming doubles masters Leander Paes and Rennae Stubbs back to the team.  The roster is rounded out by Bobby Reynolds and Angela Haynes (we’ll miss you “Boom Boom” and “Puchy”).  And last but certainly not least, coach Murphy Jensen will be back for a second year to fire up the players and entertain the crowd.

This season’s schedule is now online and packed with incredible matches featuring Martina Hingis, John McEnroe, and of course, Anna Kournikova.

The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Help Teddy Win (No, Really)

Photo courtesy of
‘Teddy comes on’
courtesy of ‘afagen’

Poor Teddy Roosevelt hasn’t ever won a Presidents’ Race at Nats Park, and we all know that’s a crying shame. But there’s no reason at all that he should have to lose to some pathetic foam hotdogs from Milwaukee. As part of March Madness, ESPN is sponsoring a multi-sport mascot madness, and the Racing Presidents need your help. They’re up against the racing sausages of Milwaukee in a second round battle. Vote here. It looks like they’re down by 12%, but I’m hoping the loyal DC crowd that reads this site can help fix this.

The Daily Feed
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Spring Trends via M29 Lifestyle

Image Credit: M29 Lifestyle for We Love DC

Another spring trend report coming your way…

This time our exclusive We Love DC look comes from the new “lifestyle boutique” in Georgetown, M29 Lifestyle.  The newest store to hit M Street is best described as kitschy and cool – carrying an assortment of gift items, home decor, and apparel with a unique focus on the artists and designers behind all of these hand-selected pieces. Everything about M29 Lifestyle is appealing to the eye, even the store itself is designed in such a fashion where natural light streams in from floor-to-celling windows and items are presented in a breezy, atelier-style way.

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The Daily Feed
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No Trespassing At Bear Rock Cafe

Photo courtesy of
‘Freedom of Speech’
courtesy of ‘Cazimiro’

Pop quiz: A repeat customer comes to your cafe and orders a bagel and a couple of slices of tomato. You:

  1. Give them the tomato slices for free
  2. Charge them a reasonable fee for the slices
  3. Demand they pay for a sandwich, and then ban the from the store

If you answered 1 or 2, you might be ready to manage a neighborhood cafe. If you answered 3, you might be ready to run the Bear Rock Cafe in Falls Church. Seems Cazimiro‘s pregnant wife stopped by at the store which is right below the condo where they live, the owner lashed out at the cashier for only charging 50 cents for the tomato slices, and then asked her not to return to the store.

After the couple posted about their experience on Yelp, the owner apparently tried to involve Arlington police, getting them to issue a no trespass notice. Doesn’t exactly seem like the sort of thing you’d do to neighborhood customers (or, really, any customers) over such a small infraction. And reading some of the other reviews, this off the wall behavior doesn’t seem to have been a one time thing.

Arlington, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Clarendon Strikes up a St. Paddy’s Eve Parade

Photo courtesy of
‘Lemon #37’
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

Remember how it snowed in February? I definitely don’t need to remind anyone that the city lost a lot of events in the storms. Well, among the many things that got Snowpocalypsed was the annual Fat Tuesday parade hosted by the Clarendon Alliance. Not to fear, instead of being completely swept away in a snow drift, the parade transformed into a St. Patrick’s Day eve festival – i.e., tonight! If you want to check it out, and it actually is more fun than you’d think, floats will begin rolling up Wilson Blvd. at around 8 p.m., starting from Barton Ave.

In the area or venturing out to Clarendon for the parade? Why not give a little back while you’re out preparing for St. Patrick’s Day? Relay for Life Arlington will be hosting a post-parade gathering at Mister Days at the corner of Washington blvd and N. Highland St. Present this coupon, and Mister Days will generously donate a portion of your check to Relay For Life of Arlington. You can also make a donation at the door, and there will be a small raffle for gift certificates to the bar and other exciting items.

News, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Kwame Brown: Screw a Kid, Get Fired

Photo courtesy of
‘Kwame Brown’
courtesy of ‘tbridge’

That this needs to be said out loud, or written into law, is one of those moments where you shake your head, laugh, and then quietly cry to yourself inside. Yesterday emergency legislation was sponsored by At-Large councilman Kwame Brown to make sexual contact with a student a fire-able offense at DCPS. While the council has yet to take action, swift passage is expected.

If you’re asking who on God’s green earth would think it was okay to have sex with a student, you need but point to the myriad cases that make it to the rolls of Fark.com every month. But, given the wake of the layoffs scandal at DCPS this past Fall, and Michelle Rhee’s controversial remarks concerning the sexual proclivities of at least one teacher who was RIFfed, I suppose it needs to be done. In the meanwhile, we all weep for DCPS at large.

Featured Photo
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Featured Photo

Photo courtesy of
‘The Lockhouse at Lock #10’
courtesy of ‘andertho’

If you didn’t read the title of this picture, you might not have noticed the lock house at first. It doesn’t catch your eye, hiding in the trees. A different take on the phrase “cannot see the forest for the trees.” The lock house stands at lock #10 on the C&O canal.

Andertho went for this old look processing and hit the spot. It looks old, spooky, and a little haunted. I like the look, and it makes me want to head out and explore the locks and trail on the C&O, again. Maybe once it’s dry.

The Daily Feed
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Area Parks Are All Wet

Photo courtesy of
‘Waters rise around Roosevelt Island’
courtesy of ‘snapzdc’

As the flood flows on, more pictures flood in — this time, with news of the parks.

Great Falls and its ever-popular Billy Goat Trail have been closed since Friday. Earlier today, a park official told me the towpath was accessible for a short distance around Old Angler’s Inn, but underwater above and below that point.

In addition to inundating Washington Harbour and the Mt. Vernon Trail, the Potomac has spilled into now-closed Theodore Roosevelt Island and covered parts of the Potomac Heritage Trail as it heads north from the island’s parking lot.

And while there’s the broken lock at the C&O Canal, at mid-afternoon there was just quick-flowing muddy water — and fortunately no houses or pianos or cows floating through. More pics after the break. Continue reading →

News, Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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Ovi Gets Two Game Suspension

Photo courtesy of
‘Check’
courtesy of ‘brianmka’

As I feared, Alex Ovechkin picked up a two game suspension for his (perfectly acceptable) hit on Brian Campbell. The Caps GM George McPhee said this afternoon: “We have no problem with the way Alex tried to finish his check. Unfortunately, an injury resulted. We are disappointed with the suspension but do not want to comment further.” While we wish Brian Campbell a speedy recovery, this should not have resulted in a suspension. You want a hit that should’ve been a suspension? Check out Cooke vs Savard. Hell, that didn’t even draw a penalty!

Ovi will forfeit $232,000 or so in salary, or approximately an Aston Martin DB9. Hell, any time that the head of NBC Hockey, a noted lover of Sidney Crosby, stands up for you against the call, that’s a sign that the refs made a bad call.

The Daily Feed
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Mirror to the World Opening This Weekend


Seawall Shops, Galveston Island, 2008 by Timothy Hyde

A group of exceptional local photographers will be displaying their work at Photoworks Gallery in a show called Mirror to the World.  Curated by the group’s leader and mentor, Frank Van Riper, the show aims to show “stories of sensitivity and visual texture, and of course, photographs to linger over.”  Like most group shows, there will be an eclectic mix of photos ranging from natural devastation to Easter preparations at a Russian Orthodox Church, and of course they will all be for sale.

Opening Reception
Friday, March 19th, 6-9 PM

Photoworks Gallery
7300 MacArthur Boulevard
Glen Echo, Maryland 20812

We Love Food
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We Love Food: The Most Delicious Day of My Life


Pupusa at El Charrito
Yummy photos courtesy of Dan at Kitchen Geeking

Delicious is a word I use often. And by often, I mean constantly. I love the word delicious almost as much as I love the food that makes me say it. Everything about delicious is a win-win. Therefore, be it resolved, that Saturday March 6th was SO FULL OF WIN. If you don’t know just how delicious the ethnic food of DC and NoVa can be, you are missing out in the worst kinda’ way.

My Saturday started by meeting up with good friend, fantastic amateur chef and ultra foodie and blogger Dan Tompkins. We started throwing out types of cuisines, regions of the world that were a “must hit” for the day and names of hole-in-the-wall places that were favorites of mine. Just listing out the countries we could potentially consume in the hours to come lead to a very enamored and elated couple of hungry, hungry guys.

“Let’s start at the taqueria on Washington, then we have to grab some of my favorite falafel at Astor, hopefully they have koshari too…then we definitely need chickpeas from Ravi Kabob. I think a visit to Present for Vietnamese is also very much called for and it’s totally on our way out to Great Wall, the giant Asian grocery store.”

If our initial list of food stops had actually been the limits of this day, it still would’ve ranked up there with some of the most delicious days of my life. But thankfully Dan and I don’t let silly things like goals keep our food egos in check. We go all out when we get together and this day was like none other that had come before it. This, my fellow DC friends, was the most delicious day of my life. Our bellies happily danced to the tune of food induced merriment brought on by the entire world’s best dishes meeting their demise in our mouths over the course of 9 hours. Mexican, Egyptian, Bolivian, Lebanese, Pakistani, Peruvian, Afghan, American and more!

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The Daily Feed
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Washington Harbour Boardwalk Flooded

Potomac River Floods Washington Harbour

We’ve got a major Coastal Flood Warning today, with the tidal Potomac swelling to 3-4 ft above flood level, and 5-10 ft around Georgetown. Be safe and cautious if you live or work near the Potomac River or the C&O Canal, and don’t try to drive through flood water. The National Harbour boardwalk and parts of the driveway to K Street are inundated, and as has already been mentioned, a broken C&O Canal lock may cause additional flooding in Lower Georgetown. Parts of the The Mount Vernon Bike Trail are underwater, and of course Old Town Alexandria is getting swamped as well.

After the jump, a hydrograph and some bigger photos. Continue reading →