Monthly Archives: November 2010

Five Favorites, The Features, Where We Live
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Five Favorites: Neighborhood Elements

Photo courtesy of
‘Colors!’
courtesy of ‘kimberlyfaye’

For the past year and a half I wrote the Where We Live feature for We Love DC.  Every edition would take me to another neighborhood in the city, where I’d talk to residents and find out what makes that neighborhood a great place to live. And while every neighborhood was different, and there were some unique characteristics of particular neighborhoods (like the neighborhood rooster in Takoma), there were a lot of similarities too.  After a while, I’d hear the same things over and over again as the main things that people love about their neighborhoods.  Here are some of the elements common to our favorite neighborhoods in the District.

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News, The Daily Feed, WMATA, WTF?!
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TBD does Escalator Census

Photo courtesy of
‘Escalators sure are pretty’
courtesy of ‘Karon’

TBD this week sent their intrepid community people through a grand tour of the Metro, charting each and every station’s escalator status. All told, Metro is missing about 13% of their total escalator fleet right now due to mechanical failures of one sort or another, which is both more than it should be, but also somehow less than I thought it would be.

In the decade or so that I’ve lived here, this has been Metro’s white whale. They organize high level commissions, or an escalator repair academy, or promise that they’ll get better, and it seems that they never do.  It’s rare that I encounter a day where all the escalators along my travels are working. Monday last week, about a third of the escalators I encountered on a red line jaunt (Brookland/CUA – Woodley Park – Farragut North – Gallery Pl. Chinatown), and several made ominous noises that had me wondering if I was about to experience some free-wheeling good times at the bottom of an escalator.

It seems that escalators, though, are the least of the problems of an aging system that had several other major crises this week, including a roof cave-in at Farragut North, a train collision with track equipment on the Red Line, and the communications being down yesterday.  I’d much rather Metro fix problems like those first, as we can all use a few more stairs in our lives these days.

The Daily Feed
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Organic farm loses humane certification after animal care violations discovered

Photo courtesy of
‘Zola on the Go Blackberries’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

The story people were talking about on Twitter this morning, you know, before Metro went silent, was the organic farm that had supplied several DC restaurants turning out to be a pretty horrible place for animals after all.

Black Eagle Farm, in rural Virginia, was found to have its animals in a variety of filthy, hazardous, and inhuman situations, including animals being left with the corpses of other animals, dogs being locked in sheds with their own feces, and a dead goat still tied to a fence.

The story illustrates the difficulty of knowing whether one’s suppliers and producers are continuing to operate in the way that one expects, or if they’ve gone off the rails and just stopped feeding the chickens. Trust is extended all through the food supply, whether one is buying grocery store garlic that’s been imported by the ton from China or taking deliveries from the organic farm 100 miles away.

The farm had been in financial trouble for some time, and the owner, Ralph Glatt, insists he knew nothing about the conditions, having been in Europe for several months trying to raise money to save the farm. He is currently attempting to reorganize under another name and regain the agricultural land that had been sold off in bankruptcy.

All Politics is Local, The Features
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A Conversation about the TSA with Eleanor Holmes Norton

Photo courtesy of
‘tsa scanner’
courtesy of ‘silas216’

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton may not have a vote on the House floor, but she does serve on several powerful committees and subcommittees where the esteemed Delegate for the District of Columbia does have a vote and a good deal of clout.  One of those committees is the Transportation committee, on which she sits, and is also a member of the Aviation Subcommittee.  In addition, she serves as a member of the Homeland Security Committee which oversees the DHS and their sub agency, the Transportation Safety Agency.

The TSA has come under heavy fire in the past two weeks over the deployment of millimeter-wave and backscatter scanners which allow the TSA to peer through a passenger’s clothing and look for harmful objects.  Many object to these new imaging solutions as they can tend to be fairly graphic, (potentially NSFW) and have lead to mockery of genital size among TSA employees and assaults.

Yesterday, we had a few minutes to spend with the Congresswoman and asked her about these new scanners, and what she thought Congress might do.  The transcript is below the cut, but I can spoil it a bit: I was hoping for better from the Congresswoman.

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We Love Weekends
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We Love Weekends: November 20-21

Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

Jenn: It seems like suddenly winter is here, so warm up with some hot jazz Saturday night with the Ravi Coltrane Quartet at the historic Sixth & I Synagogue. Coltrane is the son of jazz legends saxophonist John Coltrane and pianist Alice Coltrane, but he’s his own man on the saxophone and is backed by one of the best rhythm sections playing today. Afterwards you could snuggle up under a furry wrap and escape with a Hot Peanut Buttered Rum at POV, now serving their warm cocktails menu on the heated roof terrace. Or hit some theater, with the Tectonic Theater Project performing this weekend only at Arena Stage. Their play cycle dealing with the murder of Matthew Shepard and its aftermath on the town, The Laramie Project and The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later, is bound to be riveting. I’ll have reviews of that and Synetic Theater’s restaging of The Master & Margarita, with artistic director Paata Tsikurishvili’s return to the stage, up next week.

Patrick: I’m really bummed that I’m missing the big We Love DC staff meeting on Friday- but somebody has to cover the Wizards/Grizzlies game. So you’ll find me on the floor of the Verizon Center and around the press tables. Say hi if you catch me typing away. Saturday afternoon I have a hot date with the National Museum of Crime and Punishment. I’ll have to remember to bring my sunglasses for the CSI Experience exhibit– I’m sure it’ll be hot… perhaps too hot to handle(YEEEAAAAAA *cue The Who) Saturday night is still up in the air but now that I’m halfway through No Drink November, I could use some suggestions on a place that will whip up some non-alcoholic cocktails! Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Free Slurpees and a Free Concert this afternoon

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If you’re looking for a reason to get out of your office this afternoon, how about a free Slurpee from 7-11?  They’re running events at Union Station (10a-2p) and City Center at 11th & H (4-8p).  The Slurpees are bi-partisan Purple, and will be free to those attending.  In addition, Blues Traveler is on-scene from 5 to 7 to play a concert.  Get on out and have a free slurpee!

All Politics is Local, The Features, WTF?!
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A Modest Proposal for DCDSC

Photo courtesy of
‘Real World DC House’
courtesy of ‘TheGirlsNY’

With Kwame Brown’s At-Large city council seat vacating due to his move to the Council Chair’s office, the DC Democratic State Committee is in a rare position of power: they get to appoint his replacement to serve a shortened term.  At least a dozen people have picked up petitions to serve in this capacity, and the final choice rests with the DCDSC alone.

We have a modest proposal for DCDSC: make the contest a reality show.

The citywide general election for Brown’s final replacement is going to be an absolute circus, sure, but there’s no reason that DCDSC can’t make their replacement process just as fascinating for the public to watch, and at the same time, they can call attention to issues that are prevalent in the District and could use some nationwide exposure.  So here’s my proposal…

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The Daily Feed
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DC Dept of Health wants to know: what kind of condom are you?

Photo courtesy of
‘Condoms’
courtesy of ‘robertelyov’

There’s no question that DC has an AIDS problem that’s in need of creative solutions. DC’s infection rate is one of the worst in the nation, and it’s not been getting much better.  NBC Washington spotted one of DDOH’s latest efforts, and that’s their new “What Kind of Condom Are You?” quiz.

The quiz offers six questions of three answers each, and positions itself along side many Facebook quizzes and other manners of low-impact amusements.  So, DC, what sort of condom are you? I was a little disappointed that they kept the results so…vanilla.

Food and Drink, The Features, We Love Food
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We Love Food: Surfside

Photo courtesy of
‘Surfside for lunch’
courtesy of ‘vincentgallegos’

I’ve never been big on take-out. By the time I decide what I want, find the menu, call it in, wait forty-five minutes, go pick it up, almost drop it on the way home, and finally get home and realize they got my order wrong, I’m not really hungry any more. And the truth is that on most occasions, I can make food that tastes better than what a restaurant lets sit for 20 minutes in a Styrofoam container. And did I mention I’m cheap? All that makes for a pretty tough road for take-out purveyors everywhere.

But as we all know, there is an exception to every rule. In this case, it’s Surfside. It might have a little something to do with its proximity to my house, but what puts it above and beyond the rest of the many take-out options in Glover Park is the food. And don’t worry, people of not Glover Park, eating in at Surfside is even better than trying to eat it off my lap in front of a TiVo-ed episode (or two) of the new 90210.

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All Politics is Local, News, The Daily Feed
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Committee of 100 to Gray: Fire Gabe Klein and Harriet Tregoning

Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘erin m’

Lydia DePillis from Washington City Paper this morning published a letter (and some very astute analysis) from the Committee of 100 to Mayor-Elect Gray asking him to please fire Gabe Klein and Harriet Tregoning and appoint new (and more friendly to them) leadership at DDOT and the District Office of Planning. Specifically, the C100 cite the loss of a Streetcar Grant (which wasn’t Klein’s fault) and Tregoning’s choice of input tolerance (which DePillis correctly identifies as meaning disregard for their input) and send the whole thing to Gray.

Now, here’s my two cents. It may be early in the transition, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Gray make a clean sweep of Fenty appointees, rockstars like Gabe Klein included.  Klein’s Circulator buses are popular in the downtown-going crowd, but not across any of the bridges except those to Virginia, and his Streetcar program has raised the ire of one of Gray’s biggest allies, Marion Barry.  Gray can certainly use this letter like an excuse, and part ways with Klein and Tregoning, lose little political capital, and come away with a stronger ally in the Committee of 100, for what good that would be worth.

Personally? Klein has made DDOT a lot more visible to its residents, increased popular services, and added a bike-share program that has taken off.  While that means public transit has been the focus of DDOT instead of cars, it’s provided the opportunity to strengthen a part of DC that has been suffering for a long time, and in light of Metro’s recent suffering, that’s a necessary part.

capitals hockey, The Daily Feed
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Caps Drop Sabres 4-2

Photo courtesy of
‘DSC_9042’
courtesy of ‘bhrome’

The Washington Capitals went into last night’s game against the Buffalo Sabres with a chip the size of the second period on their shoulder. For the last few contests, the Caps have suffered a relapse of play midway through their games and some media has taken the team to task for it. After all, their second period stutters have allowed their opponents to come back into the game.

History almost repeated itself last night.

The Caps had a great first period, cruising to a 2-0 lead with goals by Nicklas Backstrom and Matt Bradley. And the second period started out well, with David Steckel snapping a wrister behind Sabres goalie Ryan Miller to put the game all but out of reach. But then, it nearly happened again. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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WMATA communications down

Photo courtesy of
‘commuters in motion’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

WMATA’s Communication systems are down this morning, including PA systems, PID boards, data feeds (for services like NextBus), and their website.

So basically anything that could tell you when the next train or bus will be arriving, including the site you’d be downloading schedules from.

Enjoy your commute, and remember that someone at Metro is having a worse day than you.

The Daily Feed
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Ba Bay Opens (Softly) Today

Courtesy of Ba Bay

It may only have 49 tables and not take reservations, but it might just be worth your while to head over to Ba Bay this week to test out the new restaurant during their soft opening. Located in the former Locanda space on Pennsylvania Ave. on Capitol Hill, Ba Bay is a “modern Vietnamese” restaurant that serves traditional Vietnamese fare with a splash of Western influence.

Owned by cousins Khoa and Denise Nguyen, the restaurant (which translates to “Madame Seven”) is not only named after their grandmother, but also pays tribute to the food she cooked. Chef Nick Sharpe, formerly of Sonoma, has designed a menu that is meant to be shared. Diners should expect dishes such as a Vietnamese charcuterie plate, a classic bowl of pho, and Braised Chicken in Caramel Sauce with Oysters.

The soft opening will start today and run for about a week, and is open for both lunch and dinner (but closed on Mondays).

The Daily Feed
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Task force recommends Metro governance changes

Photo courtesy of
‘Smithsonian Metro Station’
courtesy of ‘mlaichtastic’

…and all of DC says, “Uh, no kidding.”

A task force assembled by the Washington Board of Trade and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments recommended a number of changes to enhance WMATA’s efficiency, accountability, and service quality. Some would be relatively simple to implement, such as a board orientation so that new board members could get acclimated to their roles more quickly.Others would require more effort to amend the compact that established WMATA in the 1960s.

The task force also suggested that a governance commission be established, in addition to the existing board, composed of the mayor of DC as well as the governors of Maryland and Virginia. The idea is that this commission would be better at holding WMATA’s board accountable, but given Virginia’s usual attitude of “thanks for the tax base now please stop asking for money” toward NoVA, I don’t see the Virginia governor being all that effective at making a difference at Metro.

News, The Daily Feed
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Marion Barry defends welfare reform, clings to myth that FBI set him up

marionbarry.jpg

Marion Barry went on Fox Business news today to talk about his plan to reform the welfare system, but got taken off on a tangent to talk about his arrest 20 years ago for crack cocaine.

Fox: “Are you the best person to do this? With all due respect, your honor, you disgraced yourself in office…and now you’re trying to be the example for welfare reform and a real shift.  I put it to you sir, you’re not the best example.

Barry: “Well, that’s your view about it. The FBI 20 years ago set me up, entrapped me, spent $50M. That’s all behind us now.”

Barry then went on to compare himself to Nixon going to China.  Gotta love hizzoner. The whole clip is worthwhile, as the TANF situation is certainly that could use reform, but is reform lead by Marion Barry worth working on?

The Daily Feed
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Hot Ticket: Simian Mobile Disco @ U Street Music Hall – TONIGHT


Simian Mobile Disco.

You may know the UK remix duo known as Simian Mobile Disco from their reworkings of Muse, Air, and The Klaxons but tonight at U Street Music Hall get ready to see another side of them. Simian Mobile Disco have spent the last year crafting a series of original minimal techno tracks and releasing them as 12’s on their own label. The whole project is called “Delicacies”; as each track is named after an exotic delicacy discovered by the two during their world travels.

All year Simian Mobile Disco have been showing off their great new sound and their live mixing talents by hosting ‘Delicatessen’ parties in the UK. Now they are collecting their singles onto an album and bringing their ‘Delicatessen’ parties to the US. Their limited run of US events kicks off tonight at U Street Music Hall. I can not wait to hear Simian Mobile Disco’s spare electronic beats and mellow techno melodies working out U Hall’s custom built sound system. This is one of the best acts the U Hall has booked yet!

Sample one of SMD’s ‘Delicacies’!

Simian Mobile Disco
@ U Street Music Hall
TONIGHT – $15
Doors at 10pm

Comedy in DC
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Ask We Love DC: Drama in the workplace

Photo courtesy of
’11/18/09: Just Breathe’
courtesy of ‘@heylovedc’

Dear We Love DC,

I’ve gotten myself into quite a pickle. It started out well enough. I married a great guy. He’s successful in his career; I’m successful in mine. We’re popular in our community and active on the charitable scene. We even started a really lucrative business together as a second career. But then it all fell apart. Someone who is clearly jealous of our success called the feds about our side job- it’s all a big misunderstanding, of course, but in the process of it all someone may have overheard me talking to my husband about placing some money in my undergarments. I mean, what woman hasn’t used her brassiere as a spare pocket from time to time? But now all anyone on the Internet can talk about is how I was “hiding evidence” and “stashing bribes” and all that. Meanwhile, I’m trying to demonstrate my innocence over here. How can I ever get my reputation back?

-My Cup Runneth Over in Maryland

Dear MCRO,   Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Bring on the Beaujolais

Photo courtesy of
‘est arrivé’
courtesy of ‘theogeo’

School night schmool night. If you’re a dedicated socialite, you’ll make it out past midnight to taste the release of this year’s Beaujolais Nouveau. The French wine is released on the third Thursday of November, and 12:00 a.m. marks the signal to start popping bottles. Because everyone loves a good countdown, this somewhat nondescript wine is always the most anticipated vintage of the year.

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