‘The Argonaut Bar’
courtesy of ‘InspirationDC’

You have, by now, heard the tale of woe from the Argonaut. Finally, some good news. Tonight, they’ll reopen with a tavern license, which means that they’re open for business for drinks only. That means tasty beverages of many types, and a sweet patio for sitting. After all their troubles, head on over tonight? It’ll be good for your karma.

‘Statuary Hall’
courtesy of ‘MichaelTRuhl’

So we might not have voting rights, but we might be getting statues. That’s almost the same as government representation, right? The House Administration Committee approved a bill this afternoon that would grant DC the right to install two statues in the Capitol’s famed National Statuary Hall Collection, a privilege every state has enjoyed since 1864. The bill’s final passage would be a symbolic victory during a dismal year for the District’s fight for equality, and one that Del. Eleanor Norton Holmes has fought for years to achieve. No word yet on when the bill will reach the full House floor, or whether it would survive a Senate vote.

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‘Dupont Celebrates Spain’s World Cup’
courtesy of ‘borderstan’

Did you hear? Jose Andres was really psyched about Spain winning the World Cup. Whether it’s jet lag or that he’s lost his mind completely, he’s going to show you how excited he is with cold, hard cash. As part of the “All the Way for Spain” promotion, Andres will reimburse you (in the form of a Jaleo gift card) for the full value of your food and drinks purchased while watching a World Cup game at Jaleo.

Good deal, no? You’ll need to be organized to reap the benefits though. You must have your itemized receipt with total excluding tax and tip from any of the three Jaleo locations, and the date and time stamped on the receipt must be from a game day prior to 5pm. Bring your receipt to any Jaleo location before August 31st to claim your prize. More information and a World Cup schedule (in case you were in a sangria fog at the time) can be found here.

”
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

So much for the dog days of summer. As of August 1, Montgomery County will require a permit for the use of its five dog parks. Permits will cost an annual $40 for the first dog and $5 for each subsequent dog. Any dog found romping without a permit will incur a fine for its owner by the park police.

The permit fees are designed to generate funds for the county’s beleaguered Department of Parks, which is facing a proposed 17.5% cut in their requested budget for FY 2011. The new permits are expected to generate roughly $40,000 for the department each year.

Need a permit for your pooch? You can download a form at the Montgomery Parks dog parks page.

‘Lunch from El Floridano’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’
Since yesterday’s was so hugely popular, we’re making this a daily feed feature here at We Love DC, click through for today’s map of all the food trucks we know about and their haunts for today! As always, check their twitter feeds to make sure they haven’t moved before venturing out, and let us know about any we’re not watching!
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‘PRE’
courtesy of ‘MissChatter’

Congratulations are in order for the Nationals lone All-Star Matt Capps and the rest of the National League All-Star team who ended a 13 year drought last night, securing home field advantage for the National League in the World Series for the first time since 1996.

Capps was sent into the game to face the Red Sox clutch left-handed slugger and 2010 Home Run Derby Champion David “Big Papi” Ortiz in the bottom of the sixth while the National League was down 1-0. He threw five pitches, catching Ortiz with a two-seam fastball inside for a called third strike.

Capps was named the game-winning pitcher but not before the National League came out swinging in the seventh.

Braves catcher Brian McCann, who was named the All-Star Game’s MVP, crushed a bases-clearing three-run double to the right field corner off White Sox lefty Matt Thornton after a pair of singles from the Reds third baseman Scott Rolen and the Cardinals left fielder Matt Holliday to secure a 3-1 victory over a dominant American League line up of the game’s strongest hitters.

Well done, Matt. Your father would be proud.

‘Screen on the Green’
courtesy of ‘erin m’

Much as Fort Reno signifies something essential about summer for me, Screen on the Green is another one of those annual traditions that makes me happy to be living in DC. We’ve come close to losing twice it in recent years, but through the tireless effort of Jesse Rauch and his Save Screen On The Green campaigns, the free outdoor movie screenings are once again back to serve as your annual excuse to picnic on the Mall. Monday’s screening of “Goldfinger” ended early because of rain, but you’ve still got three more weeks to pack up your blankets, make a sandwich, and pour some illicit wine into a water bottle. (Personally, I’m most excited about “Bonnie & Clyde.) Below, photos from Monday’s festivities, featuring adorable puppies. Continue reading →

’01-29-08′
courtesy of ‘Fort Worth Squatch’

DCPS today released their annual test results with some disappointing findings for elementary education.  DCPS elementary students tested 4% worse in both reading and mathematics as compared to last year, while DCPS middle school students tested 4% better in both reading and mathematics.  One step forward, one step back.  Surely not the news that embattled Chancellor Michelle Rhee wanted to hear, nor something that Fenty wanted either.  DCPS is quick to point out that the three year trends since Chancellor Rhee came on are still impressive, and they’re right: Since 2007, students scoring proficient in math and reading, in middle school, are up 14%, and in elementary school, are up 7% for reading and 14% for math.  That’s a gain you can really see.

There’s going to be some variation from year to year in how the tests turn out.  Are 4% drops good?  No, they’re not.  But it’s hard to ignore the longterm trend that’s going on right now.

‘Spanish Wines’
courtesy of ‘biskuit’

In case you’re upset now that the World Cup celebrations are coming to an end and the running of the bulls is over–don’t worry. The Spain-a-palooza continues with the grand opening of a new Spanish restaurant in Logan Circle tonight. From the folks behind Proof comes Estadio, which will focus on modern interpretations of Northern Spanish cuisine. The menu will predominately be filled with small plates and tapas, with some small entrees thrown in for those of us looking for something with a little more to it.

A great meal is not built on food alone, and luckily Estadio is serious about their booze. Not only is the vast majority of their wine list sourced from Spain, Estadio’s bar menu features the wildly intriguing “slushito“. Conceptualized by bar manager and uber-mixologist Adam Bernbach, they are in fact, frozen alcoholic slushees. 7-11 won’t know what hit ’em.

The restaurant also has a cool, old school vibe. I half expect to see Frank Sinatra lounging at the bar. And with the 19th-century Spanish tiles, Spanish marble and reclaimed timber I think he would feel right at home. On the walls they’ve got murals of flamenco dancers and bullfighters to make sure all who dine know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is a Spanish restaurant.

Estadio is currently only open for dinner, but hopes to be open for weekend brunch by the fall.

‘Fantastic’
courtesy of ‘dcbprime’

Since launching last year, location-based social network foursquare has encouraged Facebook and Twitter users to use locations as context for their status updates. Over time, as it increased to more than two million global users, the data around where users check-in can actually give a cool sense of the landscape of where . There are also some cool search tools that plug into the network, and Nick Barron over at Examiner pulled in the data to identify the most popular venues around the District. The top 15 places he found in and around the D.C. area (excluding transportation stations):

1. Nationals Park – 5,024 check-ins
2. JR’s Bar & Grill – 3,059 check-ins
3. The White House – 2,940 check-ins
4. Verizon Center – 2,614 check-ins
5. Whole Foods (P St NW) – 2,505 check-ins
6. Washington Monument – 2,475 check-ins
7. Nellie’s Sports Bar – 2,420 check-ins
8. U.S. Capitol – 2,320 check-ins
9. Lincoln Memorial – 2,125 check-ins
10. 9:30 Club – 2,053 check-ins
11. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History – 1,903 check-ins
12. The National Mall – 1,821 check-ins
13. Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum – 1,744 check-ins
14. Tysons Corner Center – 1,706 check-ins
15. Smithsonian National Museum of American History – 1,701 check-ins

I am a bit of a data geek, so I love looking at stuff like this to see what can be gathered. I see some interesting trends in here, specifically involving tourist locations, sports venues, and then a bulk of check-ins around the U. St. area (a more plugged in demographic, maybe?).  Nothing overly surprising – and if I was a guessing person, every Strasburg start will only help Nationals Park increase its lead.

‘Nats, Yanks fight for my love’
courtesy of ‘wfyurasko’

There’s no doubt that the Yankees late owner George Steinbrenner, 80, who died early Tuesday morning after suffering from a heart attack last night in his Tampa, Fl. home will go down in baseball history as a ruthless, hard-nosed owner dedicated to one sole cause — winning.

He will be remembered in New York for numerous reasons whether it’s his treatment of Yankees Hall of Famer Yogi Berra in 1985 after revoking his role as team manager for going 6-10 to open the season or the 11 pennants and 7 World Championships he brought to a franchise who was struggling to stay afloat when he purchased the Yanks from CBS in 1973.

“Winning is the most important thing in my life, after breathing,” Steinbrenner was fond of saying. “Breathing first, winning next.”

But what did this man so concerned with winning have to do with baseball in D.C.? Continue reading →

‘Blah Entrance’
courtesy of ‘M.V. Jantzen’
The “Secret” Safeway, also known as Townhouse Safeway, will be closing for good on August 7. The store, located at 1800 20th St. NW was tucked away and unknown to many. The “Town House” branding was a trial concept by Safeway to target apartment dwellers in urban areas. It’s unknown at this point what will replace the grocer.

Yelp reviews on the 20th Street location were mixed, reviewers noting that prices were often higher that at other Safeway stores. The “Soviet” Safeway at 17th and Corcoran, NW remains open.

‘work zone’
courtesy of ‘volcanojw’

It’s amazing to me that as the owner now of a house instead of a condo, how many trips to Home Depot I’m making.  I swear in the last two months, I’ve been there at least once a week.  It’s not that our house has problems, it’s just that the little things stack up.  I tell you, though, there’s no better feeling than coming out of a hardware store with a project to accomplish.  You just feel, holding the pipe wrench, teflon tape and float valve kit, like you could construct an entire bathroom with nothing but sweat, tools and expertise.  It’s a totally beguiling process, wherein you decide that if Joe the Plumber can make a living doing this, you could totally do it yourself, but keep in mind that a plumbing service is essential in any home. You can visit https://kellieplumbing.com/plumbing/ for more information.

This Saturday, DCRA’s here to help with a four-hour workshop for homeowners on working on your home.  Looking to make things a bit more energy efficient?  This one’s for you.  “The event will include clinics offering practical tips and demonstrations to homeowners on how to make their dwellings more weather-proof and how to complete some projects without having to call a professional.” Adding rain barrels, solar panels, and doing weatherstripping and sealing will be covered, and the event is free of charge. It’ll be at the Home Depot on Rhode Island Avenue this Saturday from 9am to 1pm. DPW will have compost for your garden, and DDOE will have winterization kits for District residents. See you there!

‘Setting up Shop’
courtesy of ‘M.V. Jantzen’

We’re trying something new today, and we’ll be turning this into a page here on We Love DC in short order, but click through for today’s Food Truck Tracker Map!
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