Monthly Archives: May 2011

Downtown, Education, Special Events, The Features, We Love Arts
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National Geographic Live: May 2011

©Sunny Khalsa; courtesy National Geographic

May winds down the Spring 2011 National Geographic Live series of programs. If you’re looking for something to do in the evenings, we highly suggest you check out some of their offerings this season. And to provide further incentive, we are providing two lucky readers with a pair of tickets to an event of their choice this coming month!

To enter the drawing, simply comment below using your first name and a legit email address, listing the two events from the following program list you’d like to attend. (Note that there is one event not eligible and we’ve noted it for you.) Sometime after noon on Wednesday (May 4) we’ll randomly select two winners to receive a pair of tickets (each) to one of their selections.

(For ticket information, visit online or call the box office at (800) 647-5463.)

Music On…Photography Moby ($18) (SOLD OUT)
May 9, 7:30 pm
Moby has sold more than 20 million albums worldwide, played over 3,000 concerts in his career, and has had his music included in hundreds of films, such as Heat and The Beach. He has been taking photographs for as long as he’s been making music. See his riveting images and be among the first to learn about his much-anticipated new project.

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Food and Drink
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One Year Later: The Chesapeake Room

My favorite part of The Chesapeake Room is the decor. Everything inside looks absolutely beautiful and hand-crafted. There aren’t many bars I would call elegant, but this one is a beautiful maple color and has some of the highest and most comfortable bar stools.

When Chesapeake Room opened on Memorial Day 2010 I was there just one week later, and the place was still working out the kinks. One year later, I think some of its dishes are just amazing. The restaurant has what it calls a simple mission, highlighting products from Mid-Atlantic farms and waters, so you can taste how fresh all the ingredients are.

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We Love Music
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We Love Music: The Submarines @ Black Cat, 4/28/11

Submarines @BlackCatDC-2
All photos courtesy of Paivi Salonen

I’m a pretty cynical guy, to say the least. It would be really easy for me to write off The Submarines for writing corny love songs. But I can’t.

I’ve seen plenty of bands that are too cool to acknowledge the audience; I’ve seen rock stars that act like gods. So it’s refreshing to see a band as humble and genuine as The Submarines. You could tell how excited the band was to play for us that night. They were pumped that they sold out the venue – the tiny, intimate Backstage at the Black Cat. I felt like we were the biggest audience they’d ever played for!

I mean, I’m sure we weren’t, considering their profile. The Submarines rocketed to fame by getting their songs into iPhone commercials, and TV shows such as Gossip Girl, Grey’s Anatomy, and Weeds. Their synth-infused indie pop provides a background of optimism, although the cheery vocals mask the heartache hidden in the lyrics. It’s hard to ignore their similarities to The Postal Service – bright, well-crafted pop songs with male/female vocals.
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Eat Like Me
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Eat Like Me: April’s Best Dishes

Photo courtesy of
‘Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup’
courtesy of ‘[F]oxymoron’

This month saw me head to Spain for a family trip, where I ate my weight in jamon. To prepare for the trip I didn’t bother learning any Spanish, but I did make sure to eat a ton of American comfort food so I wouldn’t miss the land of my birth. And that land is one of Chinese take out, Wolfgang Puck, and nachos. It’s a complicated land, but it’s mine.

Where I Ate: Smith Commons, The Source, Fireworks Pizza, Ted’s Bulletin, Young Chow, Bourbon Steak, Meridian Point, Le Pain Quotidien, Ventnor Sports Bar, Lyon Hall, Sushi-Ko, Wisey’s.

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The Daily Feed
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The Spontaneous Party


DSC_2508
Originally uploaded by maria jpeg

The news started to trickle out around 10:15 last night that US Forces with help from US Intelligence agencies had found and killed Osama Bin Laden in Abottabad, Pakistan. I got the news during the cleanup from yesterday’s Sweetlife Festival, and as the news began to firm up, the word passed through the remaining staff at Merriweather Post Pavilion, and everyone’s eyes lit up.

For those of us who were resident here ten years ago when Flight 77 hit the Pentagon, this is a day that many of us thought wouldn’t come. The first response from everyone I told was raised eyebrows and surprise, followed almost universally with a fist-pump.

There’s been a lot of hand-wringing this morning on social media services about what it means to celebrate in the face of another death among the tens of thousands that followed the attack on the World Trade Center and Pentagon in September of 2001. But celebrate many did, with a raucous gathering in Lafayette Park and around the Northwest Gate to the White House last night, and spilling up Vermont Avenue toward K Street.

The photos from our Flickr Group are just starting to flow in as people wake up and process what it was that happened last night.

In a town where we’ve had more cause for mourning than celebration, to see DC go wild like it hasn’t since Election night in 2008, well, color me happy for the momentary jubilation.

Sports Fix, The Features
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Caps Dropped By Bolts In Overtime of Game 2

Photo courtesy of
‘Ovechkin Tosses First Star Puck to Crowd’
courtesy of ‘clydeorama’

A group of reporters huddled around a television in the press room at Verizon Center on Sunday night after the Capitals had lost Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Stanley Cup Playoffs semifinals 3-2 to the Tampa Bay Lightning in overtime. Deadlines momentarily forgotten, the drama of the night swirled up in wonder and emotion that has nothing to do with hockey.

Osama Bin Laden Is Dead.

Normally this would be the spot where I lay on the analytics. The logic of how the Caps have let two games at Verizon Center slip away after dominating much of the play only to come up short handed and staring the end of their season in the face. But, hockey is a game played by grown men. In the grand scheme of things, it is almost a trivial pursuit.

At the same time, it is anything but.

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The Daily Feed
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Nats Strand Too Many Men, Giants Win By One

Photo courtesy of
‘Lofty View’
courtesy of ‘MudflapDC’

The Nationals had a real chance at beating the San Francisco Giants Saturday afternoon but squandered the opportunity losing 2-1. Washington drew nine walks throughout the day and only recorded two hits in the one-run loss.

John Lannan pitched well until the seventh inning collapse that cost the Nats a run scored by Giants third baseman Miguel Tejada to take the lead. The fourth inning was the highlight of Lannan’s day and for the Nats on defense. Continue reading →