‘Bumblebee’s accident’
courtesy of ‘BrianMKA’

Thanks to DCist for passing on video of one of the Transformers 3 cars (Bumblebee, if you follow that sort of thing, which I don’t) t-boning an MPD SUV that appeared to be rushing toward the scene of an emergency.

As you watch the video, the action isn’t on the street immediately in the foreground, but the street apparently in the background. You see an ambulance pass by the filming, then Bumblebee starts its cruise, followed by several other production vehicles, and then the SUV speeds into the intersection and the stunt car collides with it. I recommend you to check my reference for more information on what to do on these cases and how to get the best legal counselling for your case.

According to Fox 5, the officer driving the SUV is a bomb technician and was responding to the suspicious package call at 9th and F, but was using a different radio channel than the officers securing the filming location. You know, the extremely well publicized filming location. Continue reading →

We normally draw the line for our DC-area blog at the beltway but hey-

• It’s a slow news day
• Just over the Bay Bridge past Annapolis isn’t a long drive by any means
• Those of us stuck in the office while the rest of you get the day off need a little fun.

What could be more fun than being a secret superhero at a wedding? How about having all the men being secret superheroes and getting outed by their significant others?

That’s what happened at Erin & Tim’s wedding at the Bulle Rock Country Club and photographer Tony Hoffer was there to capture it. You’ll need to click through to get the full effect but you should do that to see the other photos anyway. My fave is the subtle Steve Ditko shout-out one of the guests is doing.

Thanks to Tony for permission to run this shot and to The Daily What for pointing me to this page in the first place.

TBD’s Facts Machine blog has called attention to some odd claims made by Marion Barry on the relationship between state/District taxes and federal taxes. Because, you know, people might be inclined to take tax advice from Marion Barry.

Personally, I think Facts Machine went a little too easy on Hizzoner because Barry seems to have no realistic idea at all of the relationship between increased local taxes vs. federal taxable income, but it IS true that if you’re paying more to your state (or the District), you’re paying less to the feds. Just not very MUCH less.

‘vince gray blogger roundtable’
courtesy of ‘Dave Stroup’

Vince Gray’s campaign will be moving its remaining ward town hall meetings out of the schools they were originally scheduled to be in. District law prohibits city property from being used for partisan political purposes and the campaign had been criticized for holding campaign events there.

Since the practical reality of politics in DC is that Vince Gray is the de facto mayor-elect, I’d be inclined to roll my eyes at this as a technicality being overblown by sore losers, except that I went to the Ward 5 town hall and sat through half an hour of my Councilman, Harry Thomas Jr., literally leading the crowd in chanting Gray’s “One City” campaign slogan in between re-stating his flowery endorsement of the candidate.

It’s not that the Democratic nominee for Mayor of DC shouldn’t be absolutely free to hold a campaign rally in each ward. It’s that rallies and town hall meetings are not the same thing, and it’s a distinction that deserves to be observed, particularly when making use of public school facilities, utilities, janitorial resources, etc.

The campaign is in the process of moving the remaining town halls that were scheduled to be in schools; some locations are still listed as “TBD.”

Photo Courtesy of Sabor'a

In a bit of withdrawal these days from lack of food trucks? Unless you’re hitting the Curbside Cookoff, then you probably never want to see a food truck again. But for those of you left wanting, there is news of a new truck coming to town. From the husband-and-wife team of Christine Sarapu (she a practicing lawyer) and Jorge Pimentel (he a chef formerly of Mark & Orlandos, Masa 14 and Commonwealth) comes Sabor’a Street, specializing in Latin flavors reinvented for the road.

Expect Latin-inspired street food including Chef Pimentel’s interpretation of staples such as tacos and arepas. He plans to source his ingredients from farmers markets and his own garden.

The truck is passing through the last hurdles before going mobile, but expect them to hit the streets in early November.

‘Icelandair 757-200 TF-FIU’
courtesy of ‘BriYYZ’

The national airline of the most charming country in the world, Iceland, made an announcement today that it will resume routes from our area this spring. There will be four flights a week to Reykjavik from May 17, 2011 through the summer until September 13. Icelandair previously flew from BWI, but discontinued that service in 2007. The airline is offering a discounted introductory rate for IAD passengers with round-trips at $429. Excuse me while I spend the rest of the workday planning my dreamy fantasy holiday to Iceland…

‘TV’
courtesy of ‘ricky.montalvo’
Tired of squealing alone in your apartment every time Joan and Roger engage in flirty verbal sparring? Well join your fellow Mad Men fans at Bourbon Steak for a special dinner in honor of the finale on October 17th.

At 8pm there will be a cocktail reception with canapes and classic 50’s cocktails ($8). Following the reception, there will be a three-course dinner featuring 60’s classics such as beef stroganoff and green bean casserole. After dinner, you’ll be able to view the finale while munching on their famous truffle popcorn. Tickets to the dinner are $60 per person, which includes hors d’oeuvres, dinner, tax and gratuity. Only a few seats remain, so contact Bourbon Steak at 202-944-2026 or email here to secure your spot.

In addition to the delicious food, there will be Mad Men prizes for the best-dressed in 50’s and 60’s garb. I’m probably more of a Peggy, but I like to think of myself as a Joan, but definitely not a Betty.

‘It’s been awhile’
courtesy of ‘afagen’

Yesterday, we had a little tongue in cheek fun with quips that you would never hear anyone utter in DC. It wasn’t that long of a list, but for some reason, the Wizards became a punching bag. Among all of the comments on Twitter and in the post, commenter WFY I think hit the heart of one interesting sentiment in this sarcastic reply:

“Wizards is the best team name in the whole NBA, I hear it and think, Washington!”

Continue reading →

‘Bier und dirndls’
courtesy of ‘cizauskas’
The weather is going to be unseasonably wonderful this weekend, so get yourself out of your DVR haze (though, watch Jersey Shore first) and head outside. Specifically, head to the Neighborhood Restaurant Group’s annual OktoBEERfest block party outside of Rustico in Alexandria. On Saturday from 12pm-6pm, sample plenty of delicious dishes from NRG restaurants like Evening Star Cafe, Tallula, Vermillion, Birch & Barley, ChurchKey, Columbia Firehouse, EatBar and Buzz Bakery. On the menu you can expect bratwurst, sauerkraut, and hand-made pretzels, but make sure to leave room in your belly for the almost thirty different brews on draught.

Besides the food and drink, there will be live music and family-friendly activities in the Buzz parking lot such as a moon bounce (I hope I’m under the height restriction!), face painting, and pumpkin and cookie decorating. If you are less family-oriented and more brewski-oriented, there will be bike cabs running from the Braddock Road Metro Station right to the festival.

Washingtonians want you to know: it gets better. A few weeks ago, journalist Dan Savage launched the “It Gets Better” campaign, created in the wake of the recent spate of LGBT teen suicides. The campaign features videos made by celebrities and ordinary individuals, who share their painful pasts and encourage LGBT youth not to lose hope during middle and high school. Washingtonians have taken up the call to arms, and are reaching out to bullied teens with messages of their own.

Continue reading →

‘Umbrella vs. fire truck’
courtesy of ‘theqspeaks’

The smart folks over at the Capital Weather Gang have been reminding us through the week that the recent rains have been much needed. On the year, it’s been abnormally dry (hard to believe, given the thunder shows and thunder snows of the last nine or so months). Thanks to to the ridiculous amounts of rain over the last 10 days – well clear of five inches of precipitation – things have gotten a little bit closer to where they should be in terms of the annual rainfall.

Check the image after the jump to see just how much better things look in a rainy week’s time (embedded in the original CWG post and from the U.S. Drought Monitor): Continue reading →

‘Rosslyn sunset’
courtesy of ‘BrianMKA’

If you travel through Rosslyn, via the station, one of the many busses that come through or may be even use it as a pick-up point outside the city, be prepared for a few traffic changes that will begin this weekend:

Starting Saturday, North Moore Street will become a one-way street heading south toward Wilson Boulevard. As a result, taxi stands and bus stops will be relocated to other parts of North Moore Street. Also, passenger pickup and drop-off will be prohibited on North Moore Street — it will only be allowed on the Fort Myer Drive side of the station.

The modified traffic pattern is to account for construction on the new Metro entrance and is likely to take a few years.