Monthly Archives: December 2010

The Daily Feed
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DC9 to reopen Wednesday

Photo courtesy of
‘DC9 Memorial Ali, The Morning After’
courtesy of ‘Chris DiGiamo’

DC9, alleged site of the beating that claimed the life of Ali Ahmed Mohammed in October, is slated to reopen on Wednesday evening.  DC ABRA has temporarily lifted the closure of the space until their January 19th re-assessment hearing, which should hopefully have the final medical examiner’s report.  Requests for comment via email from DC9 were not returned, and the phone is not being answered at their location at this time.  The club is listed to be opening at 9pm on their website.

I fear the scene at DC9 on Wednesday will be anything but jovial, and that a strong protest will happen at the site.  I’ll be there Wednesday and will hopefully have more news as we get closer to the event.

We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: A Girl’s Guide To Washington Politics

Photo Colin Hovde

How good is Wooly Mammoth’s A Girl’s Guide to Washington Politics? Well let’s take a look at the buzz.

The show blasted through the theatre’s box office before the production opened, breaking every imaginable pre-sale record in the theatre’s 31 year history.

The show’s opening night was attended by not one, not two, but 12 female members of the Senate.

A lot of the buzz can be attributed to the famed Second City. The show was written and is performed by Second City talent. Those that aren’t familiar with the Chicago-based Comedy Conservatory will certainly know some of the many alumni that have walked through those hallowed halls. Notable alumni include Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Stephen Colbert amongst many others.

The Second City name and the success of their 2009 production of Barack Stars has given A Girl’s Guide very high expectations. Luckily the show delivers everything you expect: a solid sketch comedy show that follows the recipe for a great night of comedy.

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Arlington, Entertainment, The Daily Feed
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Food Network TV To Film At Arlington’s Liberty Tavern

Photo courtesy of
‘so long, cerveza!’
courtesy of ‘staceyviera’

The DC area is no stranger to food shows all around cable, and today Food Network makes a visit to Arlington’s Liberty Tavern where crews will be filming in Clarendon this morning and evening for the show, “Meat & Potatoes.” The show features chef Rahm Fama as he travels country talking about, what else, meat.

Liberty Tavern, known for curing and preparing cuts of meats in house, features a meat-heavy menu according to General Manager Sean Lowder. I had the opportunity to talk with him over the phone and he sounded excited for Liberty’s first appearance on National television.  The crew worked all weekend cleaning everything up for their big moment on TV.

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We Love Arts
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DC Arts Head South for the Winter


Eva and Adele and all other photos by Max Cook

I recently traveled to Miami to experience what is probably the most important contemporary art fair in North America.  As the sister event to Art Basel in Switzerland, Art Basel Miami Beach is held annually in early December, a time when many of us here in DC are ready to escape the chill of winter.  Sometimes called “the Olympics of the art world”, it brings together a vast quantity of art from all over the globe, more than you could ever hope to fully appreciate in four days.  The main fair in the convention center alone consists of thousands of works of art, or at least what galleries are hoping to sell to you as art.  And by “you” I mean you the celebrity, the oil tycoon, or the granddaughter of the guy who built a railroad back in the 1800’s.  Many of these buyers are looking to decorate their houses with art — that costs as much as our houses.

Some of the artists who have work on display may seem familiar, especially if you’ve been to recent exhibits at such places as the Hirshhorn Museum, the Tate Modern, or the Museum of Modern Art in New York.  If you’ve had your heart set on buying work by Damien Hirst or Louise Bourgeois, you could have found the perfect piece at Art Basel to go right next to the Lamborghini under your Christmas tree.  If a C-Class Mercedes is more indicative of your budget, the main fair is more of a “look but don’t touch” affair, much like a museum.  Luckily there are several incredible satellite fairs selling more affordable art, such as PULSE, SCOPE, and Aqua, and it was here that you could find several DC galleries selling their work.

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The Daily Feed
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Like it or not, there may be carols on your commute home

Photo courtesy of
‘Caroling 2009’
courtesy of ‘photofarmer’

Before I say anything else, let me just say that I have nothing but love for Christmas Music, and in the general sense, for Christmas Caroling.  But is the Metro the right place to do it? Organizers of this evening’s caroling flashmob on the Metro, Melanie Spring and Jason McCool believe that it is.  We spoke with Melanie this morning to talk about the event and its goals.

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The Daily Feed
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Food Truck Tracker

Photo courtesy of
‘179/365’
courtesy of ‘anokarina’
Now, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the stage…The Big Cheese. Though they had a soft opening last week, this is the first day that The Big Cheese is out in full force. Serving grilled cheese goodness with products sourced from Cowgirl Creamery, this is definitely going to be one of my new cold weather favorites. Give it a try today if you’re in L’Enfant Plaza and let us know how it goes!

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Sports Fix, The Features
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Week 13 Recap – Skins vs. Buccaneers

Photo courtesy of
‘FedEx seats’
courtesy of ‘BrianMKA’

The weather conditions on Sunday matched the Redskins mood following the 17-16 loss to the Bucs. Key mistakes hurt the Skins despite the rejuvenated run game and solid defense. After having a 10-3 lead at halftime, the Skins gave up 17 unanswered points to Tampa Bay in the 2nd half. Donovan McNabb then led the Skins on a two minute drive and capped it off with a touchdown to Santana Moss with 9 seconds left in the game. All they needed was an extra point to tie the game and send it into overtime, but Nick Sundberg snapped the ball too high for Hunter Smith to recover and the kick was not even attempted. The Bucs escaped with the victory. The Skins are now 5-8. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed, WMATA, WTF?!
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Hot Start To Your Commute Today: Fire At Metro Center Ravages Blue/Orange Lines


‘light‘
courtesy of ‘futraprime‘

Lucky for me I didn’t have to go to work today, which would entail riding the Orange Line to Rosslyn.

If I did I’m sure I would of been one of the many angry tweets about this morning’s commute.

If you haven’t heard (of if you haven’t arrived into the office yet), a report of smoke/fire at Metro Center around 8 AM this morning caused delays up and down the line as trains single tracked to get around the mess. The situation at Metro Center has since been resolved but now riders are facing the residual delays, packed cars, and a malfunctioning switch at Foggy Bottom that caused a temporary split on the lines. Luckily the switch malfunction has been cleared as well but I wouldn’t be surprised if commuters are still struggling to get to work as of this posting.

Can you say #MetroFAIL this morning?

capitals hockey, The Daily Feed
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Rangers Pummel Caps 7-0

Photo courtesy of
‘Ovechkin’
courtesy of ‘a digital cure’

There’s an old saying that goes “it’s darkest before the dawn” or somesuch. Maybe the Caps need to engrave that mantra in the locker room, because this last stretch of games sure look as bleak as the Washington skies this morning; if the team lives up to its preseason hype in April, then this could be where things seemed bleakest. Continue reading →

Weekend Flashback
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Weekend Flashback: 12/10 – 12/12/10

Photo courtesy of
‘Bird Lady of Adams Morgan’
courtesy of ‘Photos by Chip Py’

If this morning’s dusting wasn’t enough to convince you that the cold heart of winter is here, the next few days of cold temps will probably do it. Fortunately, we’ve got the warmth of the impending holidays around the corner to beat back the chill for the moment.

So while you’re gearing up for another week – probably your last full week, if you’re a federal employee – use our Flashback to linger a bit before diving headlong back into the grind. You’re welcome!

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The Daily Feed
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Redskins Cheat Sheet: Week 14 v. Tampa Bay

Photo courtesy of
‘McNabb passes to Torain’
courtesy of ‘BrianMKA’

There’s a moment when “There’s only three games left in the season?” turns into, “Phew, there’s only three games left in the season.” That may have happened yesterday, and so you get the intonation of that sentence right, we here at We Love DC are proud to provide you with the Cheat Sheet talking points for your office hot cocoa break this morning. It’s Monday, you shouldn’t put any “holiday cheer” into that cocoa, but given yesterday’s game, WLDC will not officially endorse that activity.

Dan Levy of Press Coverage put it into terms quite beautifully this morning: “Feeling bad for a Redskins fan after epic failures like Sunday is like feeling bad for a friend who keeps getting sick eating dairy but refuses to admit he’s lactose intolerant.” After loss number three in a row, holding a 5-8 record, I think we can officially say that the season is all over but for the bedtime stories.

Still, if you feel like you want to talk about it, read on for your bullets.

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Sports Fix, The Features
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Washington buried by Avalanche; Caps lose fifth straight


‘DSC_9186’
courtesy of ‘bhrome’

There were a few snow flakes in D.C. on Friday, the first of the season and a reminder that Father Winter is just starting his yearly torment.

On Saturday, Washington was hit by an Avalanche.

The Capitals dropped their fifth straight game on Saturday, losing 3-2 to Colorado before the 78th consecutive sellout at Verizon Center.

To be fair to the Caps, they actually played pretty well.

Washington outshot the Avalanche 42-26. Hits were tied at 25 each. The Caps had a solid 13 takeaways. In the third period, attempting to climb out of a 3-1 hole, they dominated the Avalanche zone, forcing Colorado’s young team to hold on for dear life in the last ten minutes of the game, barely squeaking away as the Capitals repeatedly banged on netminder Craig Anderson’s door.

It was a solid effort.

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Night Life, The Daily Feed
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Arlington Co PD Setting Up DUI Checkpoints this Weekend

Photo courtesy of
‘DC in Motion | DCPD’
courtesy of ‘Danilo.Lewis|Fotography’

TBD is reporting that Arlington County Police will be setting up DUI checkpoints this weekend. Where these will be we don’t know, but in the past they’ve set up these on US-50 west of Washington Blvd and in the Clarendon areas. Plan for a designated driver and if you drink too much, take a cab. There’s already enough crazy drivers this time of year without adding alcohol to the mix.

Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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Stoudemire Puts On Shooting Clinic As Wizards Drop One At Home

Photo courtesy Patrick Pho

The Knicks  entered the Verizon Center Friday night riding a seven game winning streak on the road.

In other words they were exactly the team the Wizards are aspiring to be after starting the season 0-12 on the road. The Wiz came back home after a long stretch away from DC, playing the last five out of six on the road.

However the home cooking wasn’t as sweet as Knicks fans filled the seats inside the Phone Booth, making some wonder if this should be counted as an away game. Of course when you play a local big market like New York having a few extra fans cheering for the away team should be expected.

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The Daily Feed
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Metro employees blow off assault reports

Photo courtesy of
‘Warp Speed Captain!’
courtesy of ‘Dan Dan The Binary Man’

TBD reports on an assault that happened on the Red Line Tuesday night on a train at Union Station. A group of teens had been getting increasingly rowdy while preparing to exit the train, and as the train idled, one turned and threw his gallon jug of iced tea into the face of an elderly man seated near the door, breaking his nose.

That’s horrifying enough, but when other passengers attempted to contact the train operator via the emergency callbox, they were told to stop messing around with the callbox. Then a station employee at New York Avenue told the passengers to stop bothering him and use the callbox to contact the operator. You know, the one who had just blown them off. It wasn’t until Rhode Island Avenue that a station manager actually showed any interest in helping, and the injured passenger finally got some help at Takoma Park.

There are very good reasons (like the other trains headed for the station) that train operators are not permitted to take it upon themselves to hold a train, but they definitely ARE supposed to report these incidents to Metro central control so that police response can be coordinated and train holds can be managed by those who can make those decisions.  It’s probably a good idea to keep the Metro Transit Police number in your cell phone in case a cranky employee blows you off in an emergency: 202-962-2121.

The Features
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A We Love DC Interview: Amy Morton of Morton Fine Art


*A Pop-up Project, Pretty Little Things, 2010.


Since art appreciation and collection has historically been considered a past-time saved only for the affluent and rich, it is no surprise that a fine art gallery can sometimes be an intimidating place to enter.  However, a new take on the art gallery in DC, called Morton Fine Art (MFA), will challenge every preconceived notion you may just have about the art world.  Morton Fine Art is an art hybrid – one part traditional art gallery and one part, well, one part anything but traditional.  This month, MFA is presenting Pretty Little Things, a jewelry exhibition, as part of their on going and super successful exhibition concept called *A Pop-up Project.

We Love DC had the opportunity to talk with the founder and owner of MFA, Amy Morton, about Pretty Little Things, DC, and what art currently hangs on her living room wall.
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The Daily Feed
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The Saturday Evening (Art) Post

Photo courtesy of
‘Edgewood #1’
courtesy of ‘Rolenz’

No plans for Saturday night? Make the evening artastic with one of the events below. Or go to both and edify yourself times two.

First up is Artisphere, which is celebrating the opening of their new exhibit, Party Crashers: Comic Book Culture Invades the Art World. The exhibit documents the comic aesthetic in contemporary art, and is installed in tandem with a sister show at the Arlington Arts Center. A new ART bus will be running between the two spaces on Saturday evening. Sweatheart, the cheeky band of exhibiting artist Thom Lessner, will be playing after the reception starting at 11:01. Reception is from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. Free admission.

Don’t feel like leaving the city limits? Albus Calvus Classrooms, an initiative of the Albus Cavus collective, is hosting their Gala 2010 at The Fridge on Barrack’s Row. There will be a silent art auction, body painting and live performances. Proceeds will go to support the group’s spring workshops, which will teach people like you how to paint murals and write poems, among other things. 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tickets start at $20.

We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: Candide


Geoff Packard as Candide in the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s production of Candide, directed by Mary Zimmerman. Photo by Liz Lauren.

Candide is a fun, frothy, silly, perky and at all times beautiful and engaging r-

Wait, have I said “romp” this year? I’m firmly in favor of limiting certain over-used review words and “romp” for sure appears in the rogue’s gallery.

Well, let’s err on the side of caution, shall we?

Candide is fun and likeable, often clever, never fails to be beautiful, and hums along all the way through its not-insignificant almost-three-hour length. The biggest flaw it has is the description that WSC the Shakespeare Theater Company has chosen to saddle it with on the poster: “directed & newly adapted from the Voltaire by Mary Zimmerman.”

Hoo boy, well that just screams fun, don’t it?

Well, it is, and if it lacks a little bit of the depth and gravitas – another over-used review word! – that we often see on stage at the Harman, well, I’m okay with that this holiday period. Let me tell you why.

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Sports Fix, The Features
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Better Know An Alma Mater: Military Bowl Edition

Photo courtesy of
‘_MG_6239’
courtesy of ‘dbking’

On December 29, the University of Maryland and East Carolina University football squads will tangle at RFK Stadium for the Military Bowl. Leading up to that game, we thought it’d be fun to look past the gridiron and try to take a look at some of the culture of the two institutions and areas. Naturally, College Park is probably more familiar to DC residents than Greenville, but hopefully we can still share some interesting stuff you may not know.

Join us after the jump as we play “Better Know an Alma Mater” with these two schools.

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