Yearly Archives: 2010

The Daily Feed
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Office Drones: New Food Truck Headed Your Way

Photo courtesy of
‘Cubano’
courtesy of ‘jeffreyw’

I don’t know why I bother getting excited about food trucks, since they pretty much never make it down to the extreme end of the Mall where I work, but I am nonetheless excited to hear about El Floridano, a food truck that originated with owner Stephan Boillon’s quest for the perfect Cuban sandwich. Because the only thing better than a Cuban sandwich is a Cuban sandwich that can come to me. (Even if it doesn’t, in practice.)

It’ll be a couple of weeks before Boillon’s truck will be on the road and ready for service, but follow him on Twitter to get all the news.

Sports Fix
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Sports Fix: Nearly Summertime Edition

Photo courtesy of
‘DC United vs Chicago Fire 01’
courtesy of Max Cook

D.C. United
Record: 0-4-0
Last Two Weeks: 0-1-0
Place:Last in the league, no points.

This was, thankfully, a week of rest for D.C. United, who’ve suffered ignominious losses at the hands of fate, and brutal beatings when they were outmatched. For a club that competed for a playoff spot last year, United’s shortcomings this season are numerous and deeply frustrating to watch. Without much spark on offense, they’re playing cautious football, with lots of strategy and footwork, but with no way to get it past the keeper.

Having been to the last several home games, the problems aren’t with Santino’s righteously colored kicks, or the cheering masses from Barra Brava and the Screaming Eagles; they’re deep in the heart of United itself. It’s frustrating to see a team struggle so hard to find their own identity under new leadership, and always-bespoke Curt Onalfo is struggling himself. He was very critical last week both of himself and of his players, after the loss to Chicago.

United plays a non-league match to play-in to the U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday night against FC Dallas, and then hosts the Red Bulls on Saturday, and the KC Wizards next Wednesday, all at RFK. Come on down and see if we can’t get our boys a win, eh?

Onward to the Nationals continued .500+ play and the Redskins’ wheeling and dealing.
Continue reading →

Adventures, Entertainment, Fun & Games, Music, People, The Daily Feed
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Bethesda DJ School Opens Wicka Wicka

Photo courtesy of
‘Hirshhorn After Hours #60’
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

Just when you thought Bethesda couldn’t get any cooler, Beat Refinery, a DJ school modeled after NYC’s famed Scratch DJ Academy, opens its doors to teach students how to drop the beats and trip the light fantastic DJ style.

Classes take place in an all-new, tricked out room in Bethesda’s Bach to Rock music school, and classes have been designed by famous DJs who jetset around the globe dropping killa beats. Class size is small, 8-10 students, and are a manageable 90-minutes and the course runs for 6 weeks. Beginner class start with the basics: an overview of DJ theory, usage of DJ software, equipment set-up, basic beat counting/matching, etc. You can learn more details about the classes at Thrillist.com

So now it’s time to think up you’re stellar DJ pseudonym. I call DJ We<3DC. If you’re having trouble thinking of a moniker, Rum & Monkey offers a sweet DJ Name Generator. I also call “DJ ThunderCat”

The Daily Feed, We Green DC
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Jolly Green Giants

Photo courtesy of
‘Green grass, Masonville Cove’
courtesy of ‘sidewalk flying’

In its just-released May issue, the Washingtonian names the winners of its 2010 Green Awards, which honor those who protect the environment and teach others the importance of eco-friendly living.

Loyal We Love DC readers may recognize a few names — Philip O’Neal and Rhon Hayes, co-founders of Green DMV, whose Greater Washington Green Jobs Corps graduates weatherized the Gospel Rescue Ministries homeless shelter earlier this year; Seth Goldman, co-founder of Honest Tea, who told us why he loves DC; and Tracy Bowen of the Alice Ferguson Foundation, which organized the massive Potomac River Watershed Cleanup for which We Love DC co-sponsored a site earlier this month.

See the issue for more on the efforts these and all honorees have made. A hearty congratulations to all the winners! Keep up the great green work!

capitals hockey, The Daily Feed
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Caps’ Green Finalist for Norris

Photo courtesy of
‘Washington Capitals Defenseman Mike Green’
courtesy of ‘marc.benton’

Congrats to Washington Capitals defenseman Mike Green being named a finalist for the NHL’s Norris Trophy, awarded to the league’s top defenseman. Green was named one of three finalists on Friday, alongside Drew Doughty (LA Kings) and Duncan Keith (Chicago Blackhawks).

Green was a finalist last year and a runner-up to Boston’s Zdeno Chara. Green led all defensemen during the regular season in goals (29), points (76), assists (57), and power-play goals (10). He faces some tough competition for the Norris with Keith and Doughty; the winner will be announced on June 23 during the NHL’s awards show in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Cheer on Green and the Caps tonight as they attempt once again to close out their first round playoff series in Montreal versus the Canadiens.

The Daily Feed
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Asia After Dark

Photo courtesy of
‘Sackler Stairway’
courtesy of ‘andertho’

If you thought that our post on the Hirshhorn After Hours was interesting, then perhaps this event may find you well.  On Thursday night, the Freer and Sackler Galleries will be hosting a similar event called Asia After Dark, Tibetan Twilight.  You can enjoy music via DJ Chris Linux or see Tsewang Yangzom perform traditional Tibetan songs, while also taking in the artwork of Gonkar Gyatso with a drink in your hand.

Interesting note:  The suggested attire for the event is to wear blue, red, white, green, and yellow – all significant colors in Tibetan Buddhist culture.

Asia After Dark will be held at the Sackler Gallery on Thursday from 6:30 – 10:30 PM.

The Daily Feed
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Happy 5th Birthday, Screech!

DSC01682

As some of your may or may not know, today was Screech the Eagle’s 5th Birthday. He celebrated all over every nook and cranny of Nationals Park with the help of some of his closest mascot friends from the greater DC, Maryland, and Virginia region.

Check back in tomorrow for an inside look at how Screech and the rest of NatsTown celebrated their dear feathered friend’s birthday!

For now, here are a couple photos to tide you over after the page break. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Breaking: Redskins Trade Jason Campbell to Oakland

Photo courtesy of
‘Jason Campbell on the big board’
courtesy of ‘brianmka’

With every new quarterback acquired during the off-season (Rex Grossman, Donovan McNabb), it was getting more and more likely that Jason Campbell’s time with the Washington Redskins was running out. Apparently, his last days with the team are now final. Adam Schefter is reporting that the ‘skins have traded Campbell to the Oakland Raiders, and terms appear to involve Washington acquiring a 4th Round pick in 2012. A developing story, and more to come…

The Daily Feed
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Congratulations, Totten Life, On Skeeball Glory

Photo courtesy of
‘the view from behind the net’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

The dark corners of H Street Country Club last night shone with the brightness of DC’s vast blogging scene. Representatives from a dozen DC blogs came out to play the mighty sport of knaves, skee ball. Wooden spheres flew mightily up the ramps and into the gaping maw of the waiting machine, ringing bells, flashing buzzers and all manner of sirens, while bloggers chatted, cheered and imbibed. The stakes were high: pride, glory and the love of the city.

The event was thanks to The Hill is Home‘s Claudia Holwill, who felt that the only way to unite the city was through the power of skee ball. So, what followed? Camaraderie, inebriation and epic skee ball. Continue reading →

Dupont Circle, Essential DC, Life in the Capital, People, The District
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Legends of DC: Diego D’Ambrosio


Jack Evans, Diego’s Wife, and Mayor Fenty by Max Cook

About five years ago, shortly after I moved to DC from Philadelphia, I was in search of a place to get a haircut as everyone does when they move to a new city.  Those of you who know me are aware that it doesn’t require a great deal of effort to cut my hair, just some electric clippers and a straight blade.  But as a kid, my dad and I went to the same barber for years, and despite not having as much hair as I did when I was eight years old, it’s a tradition that I still enjoy today.  As a resident of Dupont Circle, it didn’t take me long to stumble upon Diego’s Hair Salon at 19th & Q Street NW.  Little did I know that I’d stumbled upon one of DC’s legends.

Continue reading →

Adventures, All Politics is Local, Life in the Capital, News, The Daily Feed
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DDOT To Implement New Safety Rules For Pedicabs

Photo courtesy of
‘DSC_2432’
courtesy of ‘bhrome’

Under new rules proposed today by the DDOT, D.C. pedicabs will have to meet additional safety standards.  The new rules include requiring seatbelt usage for every passenger, establishing pedicab equipment requirements, mandating that pedicabs only operated  on public streets and in accordance with the “safe operation of bicycle regulations,” and prohibiting pedicab operators from parking or riding on a sidewalk, from riding while intoxicated, from parking in a restricted zone identified for other vehicles and from riding on any D.C. street with a posted speed limit of more than 30 mph.

Across the U.S. pedicabs are growing in popularity as are the number of accidents involving pedicabs.  It’s quite possible that these new rules may open the door for further regulations, such as pedicab licensing and mandatory insurance for all operators. The new rules are currently under public commentary and will likely be adopted in 30 days.

The Daily Feed
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PSA: Be Adults, Don’t Boo “O, Canada” at Game 5

Photo courtesy of
‘Canadian Embassy’
courtesy of ‘InspirationDC’

The fan base of the Montreal Canadiens, the opening round foe for our beloved Capitals, has gained a little infamy in recent playoff memory: a vocal minority has been heard at games hosted in the Bell Centre booing the Star Spangled Banner when played before the puck drops.

There are two options here now that the series has returned to D.C. with the Caps just one win away from the next round. Some misguided folks may think it’s appropriate to mirror the response during the Canadian national anthem. However, this wouldn’t exactly be a great mark on the District, and a completely childish way to act. Please note that the better option is a heck of a lot classier, and Russian Machine Never Breaks is hopeful that we’ll get it right:

I have a feeling the Caps fans in attendance on Friday will do the right thing.  They might even follow the example of the much-loathed Boston Bruins fans, who faced the exact same situation a few years ago.

Behold:

YouTube Preview Image

So go this evening and Rock the Red. Cheer the Caps to a series win as loud as you can. Just remember that your friends here at We Love DC ask that you do so with class, especially during “O, Canada.”

The Features
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10 Reasons to Register for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure

Registration is now open for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure on June 5th, one of the area’s biggest events that raises millions of dollars for local community groups.  Here at We Love DC (a pro-boobs organization), we think the event is so worthwhile that we’ve compiled the top ten reasons you should sign up for it:

10. You don’t even have to show up! You can register to run or walk the 5K, but you can also Sleep In for the Cure.  And you still get a t-shirt out of it, while raising money for breast cancer treatment.  All you non-runners out there– you can now participate in a charity run that doesn’t involve running!

9. You’ll be running for women everywhere. When you see the “In Memory Of” and “In Celebration Of” tags everywhere on race day, you’ll be reminded that virtually everyone knows someone that’s been affected by breast cancer.  You’re running for mothers, sisters, daughters, girlfriends, wives, aunts, friends and co-workers everywhere.

8. You can be a part of DC’s largest athletic event.  Last year, 45,000 people participated (by either walking, running, or sleeping in) in the Race for the Cure, and 50,000 are expected this year. And not only is it the biggest race in DC, it’s the largest 5K in the country.

Continue reading →

Entertainment, Essential DC, Fun & Games, News, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Panda on Preggers Watch

Photo courtesy of
‘Panda sign’
courtesy of ‘brianmka’

Starting at 4pm, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s female giant panda, Mei Xiang (may-SHONG), will be a 24-hour pregnancy watch.  FONZ volunteers and animal care staff will closely monitor the panda for maternal behaviors (nest building and cradling of small objects) through keeper interactions and a series of 38 cameras set up throughout the giant panda habitat.

You can check on Mei Xiang through the National Zoo’s pandacam and view a birth should it occur. FYI: Because of increased traffic levels, pandacam visits will be limited to five minutes per session. You can refresh the page to continue viewing, unless there’s just way too much site traffic.

Zoo scientists instated the 24 hour watch as tests of Mei Xiang’s hormone levels approached baseline and indicated that the end of either her pseudo or real pregnancy is near.  If the pregnancy was legit, we should see a new cub within 24 hours.

The Features, Where We Live
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Where We Live: Ballston

Photo courtesy of
‘Night at Church’
courtesy of ‘oparrish’

Welcome to another edition of Where We Live. This week we’re focusing on Ballston, the western end of Arlington’s fabulous Rosslyn-Ballston corridor. Ballston offers a great balance between access to Northern Virginia (like Tysons/Fairfax/Farlington) and access to DC, and it’s actually a pretty cool place to live and hang out.

History: Ballston was a major crossroads during the eighteenth century, and it was named after the Ball family (whose family cemetery is in the neighborhood). In 1896, the Washington, Arlington, and Falls Church Electric Railroad (a streetcar) was constructed along what is now Fairfax Drive, and the area developed as a streetcar suburb. In 1951 the Parkington Shopping Center opened where the current Ballston Common Mall is, and the area became known as Parkington. The area declined in the 60s and 70s as it was really just a retail-dominated suburb, but Metro came along in 1979 and changed that. Since the opening of the Metro station, the area has continued to redevelop, replacing the suburban sprawl of the 50s and 60s with more compact urban development. Today Ballston is a thriving retail, office, and residential center.

Continue reading →

Media, The Daily Feed
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Jonathan Slevin Done As Washington Times Publisher

Photo courtesy of
‘examiner’
courtesy of ‘(afm)’

Patrick Gavin of Politico is reporting that the contract Jonathan Slevin, just six months after being named publisher and president of the Washington Times, will not be renewed. It has certainly been a trying time for the second daily in town over the last few months, which has axed its sports coverage, gone through layoffs and tried to find many other ways to try and cut costs. While WaPo has been able to grow in revenue in the last few financial quarters, mainly on the back of some of its non-media entities like Kaplan education, things are certainly not going as well in the other press shop in town.

Update, 2:03 p.m.: Patrick Gavin has taken to Twitter to stick up for his report, even as a Times spokesmen is denying it.

The Daily Feed
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Meddle in our local governance? Let’s see how you like it.

Photo courtesy of
‘West Point wins collegiate boxing championship’
courtesy of ‘The U.S. Army’

Utah’s rep, Jason Chaffetz, has tried to meddle in our voting rights, gay marriage, and gun control issues. Shadow rep Mike Panetta figures that if they want to mess around in our sandbox then we’ll mess around in theirs. So he’s planning on using his two-year-old political action committee, the “Free and Equal D.C. Fund,” to spend money going after folks like Chaffetz who have decided to reach out and tinker around here with DC’s choices.

As of 11am April 23rd the current effort, the ActBlue “send Jason packing” fund, has raised $101. I don’t think Chaffetz is shaking in his boots here, but I admire the symmetry.

I’ll suggest, though, that rather than targeting a highly secure seat in Utah perhaps the money would be better spent continuing to educate people.  I’m always amazed when I talk to distant friends and find that highly educated folks are completely unaware that DC lacks voting representation and can have its legislative decisions overridden by Congress. Panetta has indicated that perhaps that’s the kind of content he’d like to see in the ads he’d run against Chaffetz, but I’m inclined to think a less specific and more positive message would be more successful.

Business and Money, Food and Drink, Life in the Capital, News, The Daily Feed
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Get Your Greek/Turkish On

Photo courtesy of
‘Greek Salad’
courtesy of ‘christaki’

Starting April 30th, Dupont Circle will be getting a new Greek and Turkish restaurant. Agora will feature small plates prepared on the wood-fired oven and charcoal fired BBQ grill, and overseen by Turkish born Chef Rasit Gulsen, formerly of Nizam’s Restaurant in Vienna, VA.

The restaurants menu will feature Turkish and Greek fare reflecting owner, Latif Guler’s, heritage growing up in the small town of Foca, Turkey.  The restaurant will highlight wines and beer from the Mediterranean regions of Turkey and Greece, and will serve a nice selection of Ouzo, an anise-flavored spirit widely consumed in Greece.

The two-story, 170-seat restaurant located at 1527 17th Street, NW, (aka the “doomed” spot that was formerly Jack’s, Le Pigalle, Peppersm, etc.) has been transformed to a Mediterranean oasis by Brie Husted Architecture and features a collection photos that capture the everyday life of picturesque Foca. Other features an upstairs expansion complete with 48 seats that can be used for private dining and a sidewalk café that can accommodate 34 guests for both the lunch and dinner service.