Yearly Archives: 2010

The Daily Feed
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The Washington Game

Photo courtesy of
‘Livan Hernandez Pitching’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

If you’ve got some affection for both our area and baseball then you might want to go give a listen to the segment from WAMU’s Metro Connection about DC’s baseball history. It’s a fun ten minute bit that roams through over a hundred years of history, but for my money the best part is about the time before baseball’s rules were standardized.

The “Washington game” included a rule variation that allowed the hitter to keep running the bases and racking up runs until the ball was found.

Guest Paul Dickson said “I imagine this was particularly effective at twilight.”

Give it a listen.

We Love Weekends
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We Love Weekends, May 1-2

Photo courtesy of
‘Earth Day Concert Dancers’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

Max: Since I’ll be taking Friday off this week, I’m going to pretend that Thursday is part of the weekend.  I’ll be going to the Freer and Sackler Galleries for Asia After Dark to eat, drink, and be cultured, before picking up some friends from DCA.  They’re both DC virgins which means I’ll be showing them all of the major monuments, a Smithsonian gallery or two, the National Cathedral, and of course visiting Lauriol Plaza for numerous margaritas and queso dip.  If they’re not burnt out we may check out some of the embassies during the Around the World Embassy Tour.  I can already tell you what I’ll be doing next weekend: absolutely nothing.

Rebecca: My weekend centers around the 85th running of Gold Cup taking place this Saturday at Great Meadow in The Plains, Virginia. If you’re not familiar with Gold Cup, it’s a day at the track with steeplechase races, Jack Russell Terrier races, corporate sponsored tents, tons of tailgating, cornholing, hat contests and UBER-preppy clothing. So Friday I’ll be resting up and making jello shots for Saturday’s bus ride over to the race. Saturday will be completely dominated by race day and debauchery. Sunday will involve heavy recovery and hydration activities with perhaps a trip to Z-Burger for some much need greasy, hangover-cure food. Continue reading →

Food and Drink, News, The Daily Feed
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Porter’s: Closed? …or Closing?

0429101246-00

Fellow We Love DC author Dave Levy heard word that Porter’s in Dupont (located at 1207 19th Street) was being shut down so I ran outside my office to sneak and peak.

That’s when I ran into the movers. All outdoor and indoor furniture was being manhandled into a moving truck upon my arrival just 10 minutes ago.

We are currently awaiting confirmation from a source providing additional information that the moving truck is related to the bar’s final days at its Dupont location.

Look for more on this story as it becomes available.

Porter's: "Closed for the time being."

Update, 3:33 pm: Porter’s is officially closed for the time being. Ownership respectfully declined further comment. However, Porter’s does hope to re-open in the future. (Photo above taken at 3:27 pm via mobile phone.)

Update, 2:57 pm: Three phone calls made to Porter’s within the last hour were not answered. All calls received a busy signal.

Continue reading →

Business and Money, Food and Drink, News, The Daily Feed
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13 DC Cosis Change Ownership

Photo courtesy of
‘cosi’
courtesy of ‘sara~’

13 Washington, D.C. Cosi restaurants will be changing their ownership from Cosi Inc. to Capitol C Restaurants, LLC in a deal worth $8.4 million, which translates to roughly 4 million Chicken T.B.M. sandwiches and 2 million Signature salads.

Capitol C plans to expand its Cosi restaurant reach by opening  an additional 6  locations in the district.  There are currently 143 Cosi establishments throughout the U.S. and U.A.E., 44 of which, like Capitol C’s locations, are operated as franchises.

The Daily Feed
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Nats On-Track For Winning April, Beat Cubs 3-2, On To Florida

Photo courtesy of
‘9TH_1891’
courtesy of ‘MissChatter’

Here’s a fancy fact: After yesterday’s 3-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs, the Washington Nationals are guaranteed a curly “W” for the entire month of April. The Nats are two games over .500 and are 1.0 game behind the division leading New York Mets (who are hot on a seven game win streak at the moment, knocking the Phillies out of first).

The last time the Nats had a winning record in a season was September 2007. So this whole “being two games over .500” thing is quite a turn-around for a team that’s been plagued by poor ball playing since their inaugural season.

More good news: at least they’re putting it into perspective. Now that the Nats know they can play decent ball and have the man-power to do so, they want more. Continue reading →

Entertainment, Life in the Capital, The Features, We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: Helios, Eadweard Muybridge

Eadweard Muybridge, Horses. Running. Phryne L. Plate 40, 1879, from The Attitudes of Animals in Motion, 1881. Albumen silver print. Image courtesy of the Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of Mary and Dan Solomon 2006.131.7.

Helios: Eadweard Muybridge in a Time of Change at the Corcoran is the world’s first, comprehensive study of the photographer’s influential and inspirational career. Reigning over the field of photography for much of the second half of the 19th-century, Muybridge was a pioneer of the visual medium – bringing together both science and art in a seemingly effortless fashion.  The exhibition includes over 300 elements, spanning from books – to albums – to stereographs (and even a Zoopraxiscope), all of which portray pieces of a process, establishing the foundation of the Muybridge legacy.

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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For the Greener Good

Photo courtesy of
‘green roof’
courtesy of ‘(afm)’

Building environmentally sound buildings is extremely important because people spend the majority of their life indoors, and nobody wants to live, work, or play in a space that could be potentially detrimental to their mental or physical health.  Furthermore, even more imperative, is the status of our schools.  A place where children are meant to grow and learn – and be safe – yet, many primary and secondary schools expose children to toxins and other potentially harmful deficiencies.

Tonight, the National Building Museum is hosting For the Greener Good Lecture Series on Sustainable Schools, where expert healthcare, design, and education panelists will convene to share ideas for building schools – discussing the art and science of the education environment.

Learn why greener schools mean a brighter future for everyone.

For the Greener Good Lecture Series: Sustainable Schools will be from 6:30 – 8:00 PM. The cost is $12 for members and $20 for non-members, Free for students with valid ID. You can purchase tickets here or at the door.

capitals hockey, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Heartbreaker in Chinatown

Photo courtesy of
‘IMG_9124’
courtesy of ‘jessie.whittle’

As I exited the Verizon Center this evening, I saw a few things that spoke to what I had just witnessed.  Dejected Caps fans covered their Ovechkin jerseys with jackets and pull overs.  I walked past a sign showing a basset hound with its ears held out straight; “SURPRISED?” it asked. Frankly, yes.  Surprised, shocked, slightly embarrassed; the Caps, the best team in the NHL, had just been defeated by a number eight seed in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.  How did it happen? I’m sure there a dozen perspectives.  Mine is that the Caps never quite figured out how to get inside the Canadien’s defense and play the net. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Washington, DC: Birthplace of Television?

Photo courtesy of
‘Televised War’
courtesy of ‘Karon’

From the “Things They Did Not Teach Me In School” file comes this interesting bit of DC trivia (hat tip: reader Al McGilvray):

The first licensed television station in the US, W3XK, started right here in DC on July 2, 1928. It originally broadcast 5 nights per week from Charles Jenkins Laboratories at 1519 Connecticut Ave. NW, which is now the home of Gallery 10. By 1929, the station had moved to Wheaton (that location is now a private residence). The station broadcast electromechanical television, first in 48 lines of resolution, then 60, before finally being liquidated in 1932 by RCA.

By 1934 Philo T. Farnsworth was demonstrating electronic television, which is the electrons-and-cathode-ray-tube-based technology of our youth. So technically, DC is the birthplace of failed television technology, but never you mind about that.

Jenkins also has the dubious distinction of airing the first TV commercial, for which he was fined by the government as it was a violation of his broadcast license.

Five Favorites, The Features
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Five Favorites: Vantage Points

Photo courtesy of
‘DC’
courtesy of ‘alifayre’

Washington is a beautiful city, with its grand avenues and grid street system. But it’s hard to really absorb the beauty of the city from street level. Flying into Reagan National Airport offers great views of the city, and even the view from space is spectacular.  But there are plenty of other places around town that offer great views of the city too, so here are my picks for my five favorite views of the District.

Continue reading →

Food and Drink, Interviews, The Features
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He Loves DC: Nathan Anda of Red Apron

Nathan High Res

So I’ve been trying to cut back on my meat intake. Well, that is, until I met Nate Anda of the Neighborhood Restaurant Group’s Red Apron Butchery. Anda shattered my dreams of a meat-free existence and replaced them with ridiculously delicious beef jerky and charcuterie. Every cured meat I tried from his line made me love pork. I was able to whip up pizzas, salads, cheese and breads.

I met Anda at the Dupont Circle Farmer’s market, and he loaded me up with recommendations, pointing out stalls with his favorite product pairings. I rushed home to try them and haven’t looked back since. His products are impeccable, and I couldn’t wait to talk to Anda about why meat, why DC and what he loved about them both.

Katie: How long have you lived in the DC area?
Nathan: Since January 2002

What is the best thing about DC, in your opinion?
Its a smaller city than New York and LA. It’s easy to get around, and I almost always run into somebody I know when I’m not planning on it (that can be good and bad I guess), and DC gets great concerts!

What would you change about DC if you could?
I can’t stand the traffic.

What inspired you to create Red Apron?
I have always had an appreciation for using local farmers and getting in the whole animal and finding ways to utilize everything. Michael Babin (owner of Neighborhood Restaurant Group) and I toyed with the idea of a butcher shop about 5 years ago and once EatBar opened, the menu was really meat/charcuterie based; that’s when the real research and development took place. After traveling to Italy a couple years back and seeing the salumerias and macelerias, I knew that’s what I wanted to do. Continue reading →

News, The Daily Feed
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Giant Duct Crashes Down on Cafe Owner’s Cars in Dupont

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If you work in Dupont Circle near 18th and Connecticut odds are you heard a loud thud not too long ago. My co-workers and I looked out our window to see that a giant duct fell off the side of a building on the corner of N St NW and Connecticut so yous truly went to investigate.

It appears a duct vent connected to the 1800 Cafe located on N St came crashing down this afternoon and totaled 1800 Cafe owner Mike Choi’s car. The duct also crushed the glass of his father’s windshield. Both cars were located in their usual parking spaces in the alley behind the cafe.

No one was hurt.

More photos after the page break. Continue reading →

Media, The Daily Feed
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WaPo Exec.: “Wait And See” Before Pay Walls

Photo courtesy of
‘Irony’
courtesy of ‘bhrome’

For District residents who spend a lot of the day in front of computers, refreshing news sites or even just clicking the occasional link from a friend, an open way to get to content on local newspaper sites is pretty crucial. If you are one of those people, you are likely wondering if it will stay that way forever here in D.C., especially since other major newspapers are either planning or have already built subscription models that will impact how and at what cost we can have access.

Of course, given the prestige of the Washington Post in the journalism community, there are lots of people interested more than just cube dwellers about what its business plains entail in this regard. The answer? To be determined (and not in the Albritton kind of way). Speaking to a collection of student journalists from the Harvard Crimson over the weekend, Washington Post Co. Vice Chairman Boisfeuillet Jones, Jr. said the paper would “watch and see what happens before we jump into something like [the New York Times’ upcoming metered model].”

Jones did mention that something is likely in the works, but there is at least a little bit of time before we know for sure what will happen to the news we get from WashingtonPost.com.

The Daily Feed
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One road to TBD

Photo courtesy of
‘boxes’
courtesy of ‘volcanojw’

We’ve heard a lot about the process of TBD heading towards launch. First it was an unnamed Politico project with Jim Brady attached, then more names were attached, then the announcement of the new name.

How about a little insight into how one of the director of community engagement, Steve Buttry, ended up at such a venture? His wife, author Mimi Johnson, penned this essay about how Butty came to walk away from the print business and  head towards the online journalism world.

I never worked in newspapers – though I considered a photojournalist path briefly – but I was a newsprint reader and loved it. I didn’t stop getting the paper daily till this year. What she had to say about what led her household to stopping daily delivery and how it impacted them mirrored my experience.

I no longer rely on an editor to pick and choose what news I will read. My news is no longer a day old. The only limit is the time I will give it. I hit links off my Twitter stream. I troll newspaper web sites. I visit all-digital news sites. Newspapers have cannibalized their product to make ends meet for so long, I’ve lost nothing in the way of quality.

It’s a  great essay. Former and current print readers will feel a resonance. Those of you who have never known anything but online might get a hint of why some of us get a little wistful for the newspapers we loved decades ago, and which seem to have been leaving us longer than we’ve been leaving them.

News, The Daily Feed
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Sad Panda: Mei Xiang Not Pregnant

Photo courtesy of
‘National Zoo – Resting Her Head – 12-30-09’
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

Sadly, the news from the National Zoo this morning is that Mei Xiang was not pregnant with a new younger sibling to now-absent Tai Shan. The Panda pregnancy process is fairly opaque, even with trained veterinarians involved, and pseudo-pregnancies are the norm with these creatures. There will be no Butterstick II: Electric Bugaloo, for which we are all quite sad. Bad pandas are cute as buttons. Adult pandas? Meh.

The Panda enclosure opens again this morning, if you wanted to let Mei Xiang and Tian Tian know your feelings on the matter.

Stupid welfare pandas.
Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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31 Flavors for Just 31 Cents!

Photo courtesy of
‘Baskin Robbins’
courtesy of ‘Dahi(‘-‘*)’

We all remember growing up on 31 flavors…Baskin-Robbins that is, so why not stop in to one of their locations for some good ice cream and an even better cause?  Tonight from 5-10pm participating stores will celebrate 31 Cent Scoop Night to honor our country’s firefighters.  Not only will you be able to grab some ice cream for just 31 cents, but you can actually make a difference too.

The Baskin-Robbins Community Foundation is donating $100,000 to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF).  The NFFF is an organization dedicated to the memory of fallen American firefighters and the prevention of future deaths of firefighters on the job.  Some locations will even give you the chance to donate to your own local fire charities.  So don’t be afraid to exercise your sweet tooth tonight, it will all be worth it!

The Daily Feed
By

Nats Out-Pitch the Cubs for the Win

Photo courtesy of
‘a closer’s windup’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

And on the coldest day at Wrigley Field so far this season Livan Hernandez said, “Let the Nats Win.” And it was so.

Okay, so maybe he didn’t really say that. But it happened.

The Cubs (10-11) spent Tuesday night demonstrating their greatest weakness – a one-dimensional offense relying on the home run – and Jim Riggleman’s Nationals (11-10) reaped all the benefits.

Livan allowed one run on six hits over seven innings, raising his impressive ERA from 0.75 to 0.87, which is still pretty gosh darn impressive. Capps pitched a scoreless ninth, which was also his ninth consecutive save. Long story short: the Nats out-pitched the Cubs.

Yes, that really happened. The Nats out-pitched the Cubs. They even scored a few runs while they were at it, leading the Nats to their eventual 3-1 victory.

Nyjer Morgan lived up to his lead-off man title by tripling to left center in his first at-bat. Ian Desmond singled to bring Morgan home, and Cristian Guzman followed that up with an RBI triple to center. Talk about the top of the line-up getting it done (something the Cubs offense is incapable of doing so far this season on a consistent basis). The Nats had all the runs they would need to win  three batters into the entire game, without Ryan Zimmerman.

With that said, the Nats close the series at Wrigley this afternoon with a 2:20 game time before heading to Florida to face the Marlins.

Luis Atilano (1-0, 1.50) will get the start for the Nats and Ryan Dempster (2-0, 2.60) will take the mound for Chicago.

Talkin' Transit
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Talkin’ Transit: Wishful Thinking

Photo courtesy of
‘tunnel vision*’
courtesy of ‘mofo’

Metro has a new (interim) general manager, and what follows is my “welcome to DC, please fix Metro” letter. Some of it is needed work, but admittedly, some of my wishes are wishful thinking.

Dear Mr. Sarles,

Welcome to Washington. I hope the city and the mild weather we’ve been having agrees with you. I trust you are slowly learning the ropes over at Metro HQ, and that you’re keeping your promise to ride the system (at least once in a while).

I’m sure that you’ve been briefed by some of the best and the brightest at Metro, already. I hope you’re well on your way to understanding some of the major issues facing Metro, and that you still have some space on your plate for some of the less critical items as well.

Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to drive into the office. It was a smooth, fast ride at 5:30 in the morning. Faster than Metro could have got me there. I did have to pay for parking, and at $12, it wasn’t steep but not something I could afford to do every day. More and more, though, I find myself contemplating paying that every now and again. In the evenings, especially if I stay downtown for a leisurely dinner, I tend to cab it home.

It didn’t always used to be that way, Mr. Sarles. Until the last few months, it was rare for me to cab anywhere. Now, I’m trying to wrangle a deal for parking and taking taxis over half the time. The problem? Well, it’s item one on my list.

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Find-a-Designer Day

Photo courtesy of
‘genuine in attitude………….’
courtesy of ‘LaTur’

Are you thinking about renovating, re-decorating, or building a new home?  Well, if so, you may just be in luck.

Traditional Home is hosting Find-a-Designer Consumer Day this Thursday at the Washington Design Center.  At the event you can meet the magazine’s Editor-in-Chief, Ann Maine, learn about the process of working with a designer from a DC-area pro, Barry Dixon, and even register to receive a FREE 30 minute design consultation.

Find-a-Designer Consumer Day is on Thursday from 2-6 P.M.

To register for a free consultation call 202.646.6100.