Yearly Archives: 2011

The Daily Feed
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WLDC Sports Ticker – February 9

Photo courtesy of
‘See you in Spring Training…’
courtesy of ‘BaseballBacks’

Lead Item: On a Sunday when the Heat play the Celtics and the Magic play the Lakers, it’ll be pretty funny that the third game most people will be watching will involve the Wizards on the road in Cleveland. You see, something is very likely going to give by that game, either the 0-for-the-road Wiz will get their first win away from Verizon this season or the Cavs will get off the schneid to end their league record losing streak. Assuming the Cavs don’t ruin it by beating either Detroit tonight or the Clippers on Friday, Cleveland will have lost 27 straight leading into the contest with the Wizards. The Wiz have two “tune up” games at home, so we already know that they’ll leave the Sunday either 1-25 on the road of 0-26.

The Ticker: Have you seen the “Olsen’s Army” and “The General” ads around the metro? I have to say, between Coach Ben and the good news about Charlie Davies week long “try out,” hoping this can be a good season for United…the Washington Nationals, signing your discarded infielders to minor league deals since 2011…as Dan reminded us, yesterday’s loss to the Sharks was more about mid-season hockey than it was about any prognostication toward the playoffs…DC area college hoops update: George Mason (20-5), last out – win, 78-63, over UNC-Wilmington, next up – Saturday vs. James Madison; Georgetown (18-5), last out – win, 83-81 over Providence , next up – tonight at Syracuse; Maryland (15-8), last out – win, 91-70 over Wake Forest , next up – tonight vs. Longwood.

Final Number: 869 – the number of miles 30,000 pounds of baseball equipment traveled this week on the road between Nationals Park and the Nats’ spring training home at Space Coast Stadium in Melbourne, Florida.

Talkin' Transit
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Talkin’ Transit: Sarles in Charge

Photo courtesy of
‘Metro Blogger Roundtable’
courtesy of ‘Samer Farha’

Last week, Metro’s new, permanent General Manager and CEO Richard Sarles held a blogger roundtable to talk about system safety, improvements in customer service, and bag searches. You probably read about it here and there, so I’ll leave the recap to below the fold and tell you about my impressions of Sarles and why I think he’s going to be the most important head of the system for the foreseeable future.

Sarles is a relatively soft spoken guy, but he’s got a gravitas that lets you know he’s both in charge and very well versed in the details of the system he runs. He’s also very much an engineer, having come to management at NJ Transit later in life. He understands the system, and strikes a pragmatic tone in his talk with us.

He brings that engineering background to the role of GM, and already has a systemic plan to return the system to what’s referred to as a “state of good repair.” That means, essentially, that the critical systems of transporting people have to be well maintained so that they do not pose either a safety or breakdown hazard. And that’s a long way away.

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The Daily Feed
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Hot Ticket: Linkin Park @ Verizon Center, 2/10/11


“A Thousand Suns” cover.

Two time Grammy Award winning rap/rock group Linkin Park comes to the Verizon Center on Thursday night. Formed in Agoura Hills, California in 1996, the band has sold over 50 million albums worldwide, including “Hybrid Theory” and “Meteora”. What more can you say about a band that has spawned hard hitting songs like “One Step Closer,” Crawling,” and “Numb”? Touring on the strength of their latest album, the politically charged “A Thousand Suns”, Linkin Park promises to bring a high energy performance to the stage.

Also on the bill is Pendulum, an drum and bass band from Australia and Does It Offend You, Yeah?, a British electronic rock group. Both opening bands have been garnering considerable buzz overseas over the past two years.

If you’d like to get a preview of the concert, you can head over to linkinpark.com and get a free EP download of official bootlegged songs from the current tour featuring all three bands. Thursday night promises to be one of the most memorable concerts for the first quarter of 2011 and tickets are still available!

Linkin Park
w/ Pendulum & Does It Offend You, Yeah?
@ Verizon Center
2/10/11
$42.50 – $72.50

The Daily Feed
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“Beer 2.0” Dispenser On Its Way to Verizon Center

YouTube Preview Image

Seriously, sometimes it’s just the simplicity of Ted Leonsis’ announcements that makes him one of the most fun owners in any of the major leagues. In an ever-so-brief post to his Ted’s Take blog today:

Bottoms Up Beer Dispenser

We got one.

Check it out at tonight’s Wizards game.

Or Saturday’s Caps Game

And then he links to the above video. Come on, that’s just straight cool. For more info on this delightful invention, I highly recommend this Wired piece from last month.

UPDATE: It’ll be just outside section 114, according to Leonsis.

Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
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Food Truck Tracker

Photo courtesy of
‘20100825_fojol_0018’
courtesy of ‘Amber Wilkie Photography’
Happy Hump Day! Just think, in two days it will be the weekend. Until then, maybe you should reward yourself with lunch from a food truck. What else beats standing outside in the cold?

Yesterday we told you that Fojol Bros earned spot on Eater’s “List of Top Twenty Food Trucks in America.” So maybe try that truck out if you haven’t been before; it’s “Indian with flair.”

Click on through for our ThestrEATS-powered lunch map!
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All Politics is Local, Essential DC, Life in the Capital, News, The District, The Features
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DC Farm To School Network

Photo courtesy of
‘i fear school lunch’
courtesy of ‘amarino17’

Although I’m not THAT far out of high school, my memories of cafeteria lunches are fairly limited, which leads me to believe that the food served was…well…unmemorable. That is, it wasn’t good enough to be noteworthy and it wasn’t bad enough to be permanently seared into my mind. I have foggy images of square pizza, sloppy joes, grilled cheese, lasagna, and a salad bar which in the 1990s (and I’m dating myself) was a groundbreaking, yet sadly disappointing and unappetizing, addition.

Given my, and I’m supposing most people’s, middling school lunch experience, I was extremely inspired when I learned about the DC Farm to School Network, a coalition of advocates working to connect Washington, DC schools to local farmers to get more healthy, local foods into school cafeterias. With the ultimate goal to improve child health, reconnect students with where food comes from, provide health, food, and environmental education opportunities and support the local food economy. Continue reading →

Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
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First Look: Vento

ventooo

Photo Courtesy Vento

Go to Vento.

There was only one downside to my Saturday night visit to the new Italian trattoria: I couldn’t help but to chastise myself over the fact that it had taken me almost three months to head there in the first place.

From the second I walked in, Vento passed my first test: ambience. The Dupont Circle restaurant is unpretentious, beautiful, classy and chic. I absolutely love the lighting.  The noise level is energetic, but somehow you don’t have to yell for your dining companions to hear you.

Second test is service. A lot of people disagree with me, but I’m a firm believer that service has to be up to par with the food in order for the establishment to be considered a good restaurant. Our server greeted me from the moment I sat down and my wine and water glasses stayed pleasantly full during the meal. Drinks-wise there is a nice selection of wine, but not the annoying “let me throw a phone book down on your table.”

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Entertainment, Fun & Games, Music
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The Winning Ticket: Slightly Stoopid

As a way to say thanks to our loyal readers, We Love DC will be giving away a pair of tickets to a 9:30 Club concert to one lucky reader each week. Check back here every Wednesday morning at 9am to find out what tickets we’re giving away and leave a comment for your chance to be the lucky winner!

This week we are offering up a winner’s choice! We are raffling off a pair of tix to catch Slightly Stoopid and Fishbone perform at 9:30 Club next week. Since the two bands are dropping their ska, reggae, funk grooves on Wednesday (2/16) and Thursday (2/17) our winner not only gets to rock out but also gets to choose which night he or she wants to do so! Just let us know your preferred night when you leave your comment below.

For your chance to win these tickets simply leave a comment on this post using a valid email address between 9am and 4pm today. One entry per email address, please. If today doesn’t turn out to be your lucky day, check back here each Wednesday for a chance to win tickets to other great concerts. Tickets for this concert are available on Ticketfly.

For the rules of this giveaway…
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The Daily Feed
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Solar Decathlon, Now with Extra Carbon Emissions!

Photo courtesy of
‘surPLUShome’
courtesy of ‘afagen’

The City Paper’s Lydia DePillis broke the news early this morning that the Solar Decathlon, usually held on the National Mall near the Smithsonian Castle, is moving down to the National Harbor.  The change in venue will certainly affect the attendance of the event, which always felt to me to be more discovery-by-accident than “Hey, let’s go see the solar houses!” Add in that the only way to get there by public transit is a bus that runs just twice an hour from the Branch Ave metro, and you’ve got a recipe for hiding this great event from the public eye.

Way to go, Department of Energy and Interior, that was some bang-up thinking so your event planner could get a few more rewards points from the Gaylord hotel chain.

News, The Daily Feed
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D.C. Attorney General dismisses DUI cases

Photo courtesy of
‘Light Patrol’
courtesy of ‘Nick.Fisher’

Freeman Klopott of the Examiner has the eagle eyes. Late yesterday, he spotted a series of dropped cases by D.C Attorney General Irvin Nathan, all of which were DUIs.  Last Spring, the Intoxilyzer 5000 series blood alcohol testers fell under serious scrutiny when 8 of the department’s 10 units were suspected of producing faulty results. Since then, the Police Department has been trying to get the new Intoximeter machines certified with the medical examiner’s office, but failing that, they were pulled off the street last week.

Police were collecting evidence using the Intoximeter machines, but according to internal police emails presented by Klopott, not presenting those results in court as certified evidence, due to the conflict with the medical examiner’s officer over certification.  As an intermediary measure, police are now collecting urine samples from suspects to use in court. More information on breathalizer legal cases and dui on the best legal agency near you.

I think there’s something doubly scary here: 1) That Police can’t trust their own equipment to give them solid results and 2) even if they could, watching case after case be thrown out while the potentially irresponsible go free without punishment will have an effect on morale.

The Daily Feed
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Sharks beat Caps on a day in February

Photo courtesy of
‘Alex and Alex’
courtesy of ‘jakarachuonyo’

Oh, the potential headlines seem so dramatic.

“Sharks take a bite out of the nation’s Capitals”

“San Jose proves to the NHL that Caps are not contenders”

“Silicon Valley switches the circuits of D.C.’s hockey team”

By now you should realize that the Caps lost to the Sharks, 2-0 at the Verizon Center on Tuesday night. Anti Niemi got the win for San Jose with 25 saves. Michal Neuvirth took the loss, making 34 stops.

Really, it was some classic February hockey. A hot team on a momentum gaining road trip coming to visit a smug team feeling good about itself because it just blew through its two primary rivals over the weekend and thinks that it can go toe-to-toe with anybody. The smug team comes out flat, can never gain traction on the ice and all efforts come in vain as things eventually start to unravel in the third period. The postgame interviews are short and redundant and everybody goes home to bed to wake up for practice the next morning.

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The Daily Feed
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Get Your Demo Ready for Fort Reno 2011

Photo courtesy of
‘100 Cassettes’
courtesy of ‘Marc Arsenault – Wow Cool’

The glorious jewel of DC summertime music, the Fort Reno concert series, is now opening the window for submissions.  The organizers are looking for local and original music (sorry cover bands, no joy for you) and are now soliciting for you to send your demo tapes in. They’re looking for physical tapes, CDs or Vinyl, and they don’t need your whole press kit, just a link to your website if you’ve got one, and one awesome song.

Now’s your chance, DC, form up that grindcore ska band, or that shoegazer artrock string quartet, or that screamo folk group, and get that demo in.  You’ve got from Monday until the 12th of March to send in your demo.  Get on it! The very future of music depends on it.

Entertainment, Music, We Love Music
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We Love Music: Chromeo @ 9:30 Club, 2/6/11

IMG_7473
All photos by Michael Darpino

Per Michael’s advice, I thought I’d cruise over to the 9:30 Club on Sunday night to dance with single ladies with good taste in music. I even came up with the perfect line – “excuse me, do you care about sports? Me neither.”

Okay, not entirely true. I try to care about football at least once a year, so I caught the first three-quarters of the Super Bowl. And I pretended to be heartbroken when I had to leave before the final quarter to catch Chromeo. They played two shows this weekend – Saturday night’s sold out forever ago, but The Game meant there were still tickets for Sunday. But even with competing activities, Chromeo nearly filled the club. It proved to be a great venue for these guys – with a full stage setup, complete with stadium-style lighting, backup dancers, and their trademark sexy-leg-synthesizers, Chromeo showed off their bona-fide rock star credentials.
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Adventures, Essential DC, Food and Drink, Fun & Games, History, Life in the Capital, News, The Daily Feed, The District
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Eater Names Fojol Bros To Top 20 Food Truck List

Photo courtesy of
‘Fojol Bros. of Merlindia’
courtesy of ‘Dave Kleinschmidt’

Ahhhh…Fojol Brothers. You make lunch in DC so strange, wonderful and delicious. You are well worthy of your newly bestowed spot on Eater’s “List of Top Twenty Food Trucks in America.” Represent DC baby! Represent!

If you have yet to experience the cuisine and showmanship of this food truck, you are clearly living an unfulfilled DC life. Staffed by mustachioed, Sgt. Pepper costumed order takers and cooks, this clown car-esque truck roams DC streets serving up Indian fare (both veggie and non-veggie) to the office bound, weary masses.

Congratulations Fojol Brothers. We salute you!

The Daily Feed
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Testudo Gets a “This is Sportscenter” Spotlight

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For the second time in as many months, Washington area sports are getting another spotlight from the Worldwide Leader’s long running “This is Sportscenter” ad campaign. This time our subject is the mascot of the University of Maryland – Testudo the Terrapin.

He’s late to a meeting…because he’s a turtle. This is up there with the Oregon Duck starring out at the ducks on the pond in terms of excellent uses of silent mascots in the ESPN series of commercials – although nothing beats the abuse that Otto the Orange gets in the ads.

via Testudo Times

Mythbusting DC
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DC Mythbusting: You’re Saying it Wrong

Photo courtesy of
‘I before E’
courtesy of ‘dharmabumx’

Neighborhood names are a touchy subject here in the District, and residents tend to get riled up about what an area is called or what a Metro station is named.  But outside of that, are we even saying these names properly? Chances are you’re actually saying or writing some of these places incorrectly. Read on for some of the most frequently mispronounced names in Washington.

Glover Park rhymes with clover park, right? Wrong. The neighborhood north of Georgetown takes its name from Charles Carroll Glover, a landowner from the 1800s, and the Washington Post tracked down his granddaughter back in 2005 and asked her about how her family pronounces its name.  Her reply?  “GLUH-ver. Please. Everybody calls it GLOH-ver, and it’s absolutely wrong. It’s GLUH-ver Park.”  But that hasn’t stopped the debate– many residents still say it rhymes with Grover, the Sesame Street character.  So either way you say it, someone will probably tell you that you’re wrong, but if you’re trying to be historically accurate it should sound like lover and not like clover.

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Music, The Daily Feed
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U Street Music Hall’s (Twitter) Manifesto

There are many, many reasons that I love and support U Street Music Hall. One of them that I don’t get to write about very often is the dedication of U Hall’s owners to making their club a great experience for music fans and music makers alike.

On Saturday night, in the middle of UK DJ/Producer Sinden’s set, a customer reached into the DJ booth from the dance floor and angrily slammed Sinden’s laptop shut after being denied a request that had already been played. This is a very uncool thing to do in general, but particularly when you consider the facts that a laptop is a key component to a DJ’s arsenal, Sinden was in mid-set entertaining a packed club, and LAPTOPS DON’T GROW ON TREES AND ARE EXPENSIVE TO REPLACE. The incident really upset/incensed co-owner Will Eastman, who prides himself on offering a great U Hall experience for both the audience and the talent. Starting on Saturday night, Eastman began twittering about the incident. His tweets carried over into Sunday and he even had a few on Monday. Eastman’s tweets read like an informal manifesto for his club. Some choice tweets are reprinted here with Eastman’s blessing.

@willeastman:

“Public service announcement: an asshole closed @gsinden laptop because he wouldn’t play a request. Said asshole is now banned for life.”

“Public service announcement: DJs @uhalldc do not play requests.”

“I love every U Hall supporter & I want everyone who supports U Hall to know douchebaggery will never, ever be tolerated there. Period.”

“Ok, I may lose some followers here, but I’m going to tell it like it is.”

“If you don’t really love music, if you just wanna get drunk and try to get laid, don’t come to @uhalldc It’s not for you.”

“If you like to fight, go worry about your tiny penis somewhere else. Do not come to U Hall.”

“If you like to grind on girls, go to a strip club. Do not come to our club.”

“If you’re too drunk to read the sign that says Emergency Exit, you should go home.”

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Food and Drink, Foodie Roundup
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Dining One Year Later: Ping Pong Dim Sum

DSCN4675

All photos by author

Snap-shot verdict: Wonderful decor and ambience, but some dishes are winners while others leave something to be desired.

Here’s the thing about small plates. I love them, but I hate them. You see, I love to eat, and 99% of the time I leave a tapas/small plates restaurant still hungry — at least I do when I’m out with people whom I can’t risk frightening. Anyway, this is my long-winded way of telling you that Ping Pong Dim Sum is (to me) one of those places. But, with the reasonable prices I can thankfully keep eating until I’m full.

Ping Pong opened up back in December 2009 and serves on average 3,200-4,000 guests per week. The best part of the restaurant is the design — think cool light fixtures, round tables, wooden benches, and mood lighting of sorts. There’s definitely a coolness factor here, especially if you’re in that young professional crowd.

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The Daily Feed
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Rep. Allen West’s “plan” for DC Voting Rights

Photo courtesy of
‘Bad Idea (crop)’
courtesy of ‘starbuck77’

While I applaud Rep. Allen West (R-FL) for taking a keen interest in the politics of the District of Columbia, his plans to address representation for the District through a taxation exclusionary zone in the District seem at odds with what the citizens of the District want (voting rights), at odds with how to accomplish what they want (through the will of those who live here), and at odds with his Tea Party backing (Really? You want to get increase the deficit by $20B+?).

I’m sure that this is just a trial balloon on West’s part, putting up a possible solution to a crisis without thinking it all the way through. While this would make DC an attractive area for the wealthy (what, “Real” Housewives didn’t do that already?), wouldn’t the influx of shelter-seeking Americans drive out those who already live here through higher rents (born by market demand) and further harm the area?

 

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