”
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

WMATA is testing a new SmarTrip bus and rail pass system that will more automagically integrate bus and rail passes and the SmarTrip system.  They’re looking for volunteers, they announced this afternoon, and are offering a week of free transit if you volunteer to help test the system.  If you regularly commute by bus, and use one of the following passes, then you may be eligible: Metrobus Weekly Flash, Senior Weekly Flash, Disabled Weekly Flash or the Metrorail Short Trip or Fast Pass. In addition, they would request that you take at least 8-10 trips per week, have a registered SmarTrip card, and not use Smart Benefits as part of your commute.

The test will occur in August, and will last for four weeks. You would pay for three of those weeks, and Metro would pay for the fourth. If you want to participate, you can sign up at their website.

‘The Tombs’
courtesy of ‘NCinDC’

With temperatures, ahem, soaring lately, I certainly don’t feel like sitting down to a major heavy meal. Instead, I’d prefer if someone fed me ice cream while sitting in a meat locker, but I guess we can’t have everything we want. Luckily, some D.C. chefs are also feeling the heat and adjusting their menus accordingly. Case in point: 1789.

The first temperature-friendly change at 1789 is the loosening up of the famous “jacket required” rule. Jackets are now just suggested for men, though there is still practically an entire Brooks Brothers housed in the restaurant if you feel the need to gussy up.

The major change has been the menu though. Organized by ingredients and food sources (such as “From the Fields” and “Gifts of the Sea”) instead of the standard appetizer/entree/dessert progression, it takes a little getting used to but lends itself to ordering a few lighter dishes instead of a big heavy meal.

Last but not least, the prices are to die for. With small dishes in the $7-$12 range, and large dishes in the $17-$26 range, you will be able to eat and have some cash left over for your air-conditioning bill.

‘Egg’
courtesy of ‘maxedaperture’

The origin of this story is the streets of Manhattan, but it definitely translates down the eastern seaboard to our fair District, and it involves a familiar turn of phrase for describing the heat: so hot you can fry on an egg on the sidewalk. Yes, it’s quite warm out there, and for yet another day, triple digit temperatures are on the horizon. Before trying to be clever in describing the heat though, make sure to check out the failures of a New York Times columnist who tried to prove the old adage about making breakfast on the pavement.

Andy Newman spent some of the afternoon in the heat of New York City with a frying pan and a choice spot of concrete to test out if he could get anything cooking. Success: melting butter, grilling some tuna. But, even in a few cheating attempts, that egg stayed runny and was not succesfully fried.

As NYTpicker points out, there may be more than one problem with the test, and it may involve the method of cooking our friend is using – a pan:

The cliche clearly states that the egg must be fried on the sidewalk. Not on a pan. That’s because the heat you need to fry an egg comes from under the egg, not from above it. At least, that’s how it works in our kitchen!

What ridiculous weather cliches would you like us here at We Love DC to try out? I mean, we’re just following the lead of the Times after all. The best the Washington Post did recently was stick an intern outside to see how he’d handle it. I’m sure we can crowdsource something better.

‘2010:103’
courtesy of ‘::FiZ::’

Yesterday, I saw a few discussions about the virtue and vice of air conditioning during a heat wave, and a popular myth emerged quickly: It is more energy conscious to shut off your air conditioner when you leave the house than it is to just adjust the thermostat up to 78-80°F. If you need air conditioning repair or tune up to get your home warm, check this Special Deals for AC Repair Services .

Something didn’t sound right to me, because the other day when I was talking to experts from The Duct Kings, they’d told me that there were enough measures to take during a heat wave that would prevent the AC from getting affected. I wrote to Pepco’s Andre Francis, their answer man in the public eye, to see if they would shed some light on the myth. Here’s what he said: Continue reading →

DCRA, the city’s regulatory information agency, today launched a one-stop shop for permit verification, property ownership information and a bunch of other cool tools to find out about what the city thinks about where you live.  Want to make sure your landlord has a legit certificate of occupancy for your basement rental?  You can check that.  Want to make sure the house you’re buying has permits for the construction?  You can check that.

Give it a spin on your place, see what comes up! You can even check out the 2004 photo, which might be revealing for those of you with newer places. PIVS is part of the new DCRA website that launched in the new DC.gov templates today.

‘goodbye to the Hill’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

If you’re planning to be driving through Arlington today around noon, you will want to check the road closures as there will be rolling blockades as the procession goes from around 3500 North Glebe Road to Arlington cemetery via Route 50.

The Senator, who died last week, is to be laid to rest early this afternoon with full honors.