By Tom Bridge
Setting up for an interview
Originally uploaded by tbridge
Yesterday, I had the distinct pleasure to be on Marc Fisher’s Raw Fisher Radio Podcast, talking about Washington in the summertime. I was along side Julianne Brienza from Capital Fringe Festival, and we talked a lot the city, and what’s going on.
By brownpau
Photo of Hart Atrium courtesy hellek23d
Some drama over at the Hart Senate Office Building when a suicidal middle-aged Chinese man threatened to jump from the seventh floor of the building atrium. Continue reading
By Wayan
Wayan Vota on 60 Minutes
Straight from the WeLoveDC Shameless Promotion Department, I’m leading a workshop on Thursday that should excite marketing managers in the DC nonprofit community:
Get Featured in Mainstream Media (RSVP required)
Learn how to spike your organization’s message with high-impact, low-cost marketing tactics and technologies with Wayan Vota. He’ll share lessons learned that have him on 60 Minutes, NPR, and the Economist only using blogs, emails, and old-fashioned shoe leather.
Your take-away: a ready-made mainstream media publicity plan for your cause.
The discussion is part of OneWorld’s workshop series, free for OneWorld membership, which is just about every major nonprofit in DC, and $50 for everyone else.
Get Featured in Mainstream Media
OneWorld Workshop, RSVP required
@ Benton Foundation
1625 K St. NW, 11th floor
Washington DC (map)
By Tom Bridge
txt msg
Originally uploaded by Andrew Huff
Okay, okay, typing that headline made MY eyes bleed. But the Metropolitan Police Department is now accepting tips about crimes via text message. In the vein of “If you see something, say something,” you can now text the police at 50411.
The best in all of this?
I woulda thought it was the other way around, putting the 411 (Information) to the 5-0 (Police)…
By Tom Bridge
Somewhere, deep within the bowels of the Metro tunnels lives the supercomputer that runs the trains. It keeps them running without (often) hitting other trains, it keeps the schedule on pace, and it powers those fancy clocks on each platform.
Unfortunately, it took a shit in the middle of Rush Hour.
Meaning that all the signals for the entirety of the Metro system are currently offline. Meaning it’s tough to move trains.
Did I mention that it gets kinda hot down in those stations? And the platforms get kinda full? Take a cab, if you haven’t left work yet.
By brownpau
Adding on to today’s series of epic Metro multifails (1,2) WMATA kindly informs us that a Dominion Virginia Power problem will be causing Orange Line delays through the evening rush. Power is out at Dunn Loring station, meaning no elevators or escalators, and Orange Line trains will alternate termination points between West Falls Church and Vienna.
Plan accordingly. Me, I’m walking the literal extra mile to the Red Line.
By Max
CNN is reporting that a spa in Alexandria is offering a “fish pedicure”. It’s easy really. Just stick your feet in a tub of water and watch a whole bunch of tiny fish swarm all over your feet, eating off the dead skin. Sound like fun?
One customer describes it as “the best pedicure I ever had”, adding “I’d been an athlete all my life, so I’ve always had calluses on my feet. This was the first time somebody got rid of my calluses completely.”
Another customer “admitted she was nervous as she prepared for her first fish pedicure. But her apprehension dissolved into laughter after she put her feet in the tank and the fish swarmed to her toes.”
How about you DC? Does this sound fishy to you, or have you made the trek out to Arlington to have your dead skin eaten off? Please let us know how your experience was. This could very well be the next big thing.
By brownpau
At Union Station, the south escalator down into the Metro station is broken. I walk slowly down the steps behind a man with a cane having some trouble. A MARC train appears to have arrived and the Metro station platform is full, but Red Line trains to Shady Grove are running seven minutes apart — at rush hour. A voice on the PA system fuzzily announces a delay, and that trains are moving. I am unable to squeeze into the first train that arrives, but manage to get into the one after it. At Metro Center, a 6-car Blue Line train is waiting, but one car is dark and closed. Then at Foggy Bottom, one of the two escalators going up from platform to mezzanine is broken, forming a huge bottleneck. Again, another up-escalator is broken from mezzanine to street level, causing yet more traffic. Finally I emerge into the hot, hot sun. Not a good Metro day.
Those of you who are fans of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog (and if you aren’t, I don’t know what’s wrong with you) will be interested to know that Joss “I done lost my mind during the writers’ strike” Whedon will be doing a chat with our very own Washington Post today at noon to discuss the show. Those of you who haven’t seen it have just enough time to download the online-only show from iTunes and catch up on it as the chat starts. It has everything you could want: Neil Patrick Harris as Dr. Horrible, Nathan Fillion as Captain Hammer, and catchy tunes.
By Tom Bridge
When the Child & Family Services Agency in DC dismissed its director on Friday, and appointed Roque Gerald as interm director, they knew about his record. In 1989, Gerald was sued by a former patient that he’d had sex with while she was under Gerald’s care. The case was settled out of court for an undisclosed sum of money. Now, of course, city officials looks like they have egg on their face, despite the fact that AG-nominee Peter Nickles says that Gerald came to them with this information during the selection process, according to WAMU.
Here’s the question: Since this happened almost two decades ago, and since no criminal charges were brought against Gerald, does this make any difference about his administrative role at CFSA?
By Tom Bridge
Virginia saw a major uptick in voter registration in the 18-25 age bracket for this fall’s election, with a 10% increase over last year. Is this an Obama-related uptick? It seems that his message, and his marketing, and his appearance, may be having an effect on the younger crowd.
Voter registration is up 5% across the board in Virginia, but up 10% in the 18-25 bracket, year over year.
By Max
Sacha Jones by Max Cook
While the Washington Kastles lost their match yesterday (23-19) against the Philadelphia Freedoms, they played their hearts out until the bitter end. Thanks to an intense women’s singles effort by Sacha Jones, the game went into overtime where she was quickly defeated by Audra Cohen, 1-0.
By Wayan
Hot tip for those hoping to cross the Potomac River on Metrorail’s Yellow Line.
Due to an emergency at L’Enfant Station, Yellow Line trains are not crossing the river after Crystal City.
Better to catch a Blue Line train and pray.
Friend-of-We Love DC Andy Myers is profiled in the Post Magazine this week as part of their “Washington Originals” series. Andy was chosen because he’s the sommelier at CityZen, and also a total metalhead who spends his free time playing in a metal band. The accompanying video, presenting each of Andy’s passions as alter egos of each other, was pretty entertaining, but I have to say that having met Andy… it’s not as incongruous as you think. Read the story, watch the video… and throw the goat the next time you have an especially tasty glass of wine.
By Brittany
Reader Shannon wrote in another suggestion for your weekend. In addition to the Whartscape festival featured earlier, Baltimore does have another, bigger festival competing for your attention: Artscape 2008.
Artscape claims to be the country’s largest free public arts festival. The event includes visual arts as well as just about every kind of performance you can think of – fashion shows, music, theatre, film… There is even a category of “Exotic-Hypnotic” which has several events each day. Charm City Craft Mafia and other indie crafters will be selling their work at DIY @ Artscape.
These activities and much more will take place in numerous venues around the city, Friday and Saturday noon to 10, and Sunday noon to 8.
By brownpau
On the ground floor of GWU HOVA there is this checkerboard-tiled establishment which sits sadly empty and unused. It looks like it might have once been a 1950s diner; could some enterprising restaurant management grad make it one again?
By Carl Weaver
I had never seen beer this expensive before going to a Nationals game. Sure I had a good time, but that $7.50 beer stuck in my craw a little. I just got invited to go to another game and will likely go but will likely not buy a beer or even a bottle of water, since the water costs what a beer should cost.
What do you do to enjoy a cool drink at the ball game? Do you bend over and pay the $7.50? Drain a 12-pack on Metro on the way over? Smuggle a flask into the ballpark? I’d love to hear your solutions to this.
By Monica
Feeling a little jazzy? Not sure where to head after work? In the mood for a little culture with your wine? Then head over to the Smithsonian American Art Museum on 8th and F Streets, NW.
The museum cafe offers a limited selection of bottled beer and wine in addition to sodas, water and coffee drinks. There are plenty of tables and seats throughout the glass enclosed courtyard with room to spare for dancing. The swing band, Joker’s Wild, will perform popular tunes by old blue eyes, his pal Dean Martin, jazz queen Ella Fitzgerald, and Bing Crosby.
While the band plays from 5-8:00pm, the museum exhibits are open to the public until 7pm. So take time to roam through the Kate Hepburn and HipHop Portraiture exhibits.
By brownpau
From WaPo: Open Top Sightseeing, purveyors of double-decker bus tours, has suspended its Nationals shuttle service after two people were killed standing on the upper deck as the bus went through an underpass.
Condolences go out to the families of those killed.
It’s unclear if there was sufficient clearance for the bus, or if the two guys who died were standing on the floor or on their seats, and the whole thing is being investigated; but I think we can all agree: don’t stand while riding the upper deck, and if you are standing, for heaven’s sake please sit down if you see a tunnel or bridge approaching.
By Tom Bridge
Coffee
Originally uploaded by tbridge
As Don mentioned earlier today, the Post has put up their article talking with Nick Cho and David Flynn from Murky who were involved in the incident. Largely, the Post is letting the story from Jeff Simmermon’s blog tell the series of events, but there’s also a conversation between the Post’s Joe Heim and Cho & Flynn.
The funny part, I guess, is that Flynn’s the one with the story, but he’s never gotten to tell it. Not even to the Post.
By 
