Category Archives: The Features

These are our features. They come back either weekly, bi-weekly or monthly.

Sports Fix, The Features
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These Are The Times That Try Fans’ Souls

Photo courtesy of
‘good work, kid’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

There’s not a lot to say today, after Nats’ GM Mike Rizzo said the words, “UCL Tear.”

It’s the sort of injury that defines a pitching prospect, as the UCL is a critical part the infrastructure of the pitcher’s elbow, and allows Strasburg to throw with such brutal velocity and artful motion. To see Strasburg go down with a UCL tear just part of the way into his first season, and a season that the Nationals have taken such care with, it’s definitely disheartening for a fan to see.

I’ve seen a lot of garment rending and self-flaggelation on Twitter this morning over the injury. I’ve seen a lot of mentions of curses and whatnot. It’s natural to display such frustration in the face of setbacks. We need to, as a fanbase, work through our frustrations in a positive way, and remember that Strasburg was just one starting pitcher. There are 24 other guys on the primary roster, and 15 more on the 40-man roster that become eligible for use on September 1st.

In December 23, 1776, when the Revolution was in its early days, Thomas Paine started the “In Crisis” pamphlets. They began with a phrase we know so well, “These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.”

Let the fair weather fan go by, Nationals fans. Let them go. This is our franchise to watch, with or without Strasburg, with or without any one player.

Mourn the loss of Stephen until 2012, but do not let it keep you from the ballpark. Do not let it keep you from your Red. Do not let it drive from you your love of this game in this city. These are the times that try fans’ souls, that tempers them in the fires of losses, injuries, and baubles; that forges in them the loyalty that comes from sticking by the team in the darkest hour.

Gather close your friends in red this week. Go see an extra game against the Cards, especially if they’re all like last night: close fought battles with a division-leader against their ace that go into extras. There are still many reasons to love, and struggle with, Nationals baseball. But they’re what we’ve got, and you don’t walk away from a franchise because of the injury of one player.

These are the times when character is forged, when allegiance is built. If you’ll forgive the mangling of Paine’s closing words, “This is our situation, and who will may know it. By perseverance and fortitude we have the prospect of a glorious issue; by cowardice and submission, the sad choice of a variety of evils…” What choice have we, but to remain true to our team? Would we become Phillies fans? Mets fans? Braves fans? Surely, we all have more class than to turn tail and run to safety amid the danger.

Do not tarry long in distress, Nats fan. Your team still needs your voice, your heart, and your faith.

All Politics is Local, The District, The Features
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Campaign Notebook: August 27, 2010

Photo courtesy of
‘DC Flag’
courtesy of ‘kevnkovl’

OK folks, we’re now less than three weeks out from primary day. Eighteen days. What in the world will us journobloggers do once this is all over? These things are getting a bit longer as we get closer to the election, so let’s get started.

The Big Race

We’re getting down to the wire, and things are getting ugly. The Gray campaign unveiled it’s first television spot, which hits hard on the “cronyism” topic. Gray has also sent out a barrage of mailers with the same theme. Going negative with the first television spot is a bold move, going against most conventional wisdom. However, like others, we have to wonder how much conventional wisdom applies to this race. In fact, it seems at this point the cronyism theme likely tests in favor of Gray among undecideds.

Fenty loses bid to allow independents to change parties. The mayor made a last minute appeal to the Board of Elections and Ethics to allow non-party affiliated voters to change affiliation in order to vote on September 14. As of July 31, there were nearly 80,000 registered voters with no party affiliation, and they will not be able to vote in the primary. The deadline to change parties has passed, so any remaining no-affiliation voters are out of luck. Freeman Klopott at the Examiner thinks this smells of desperation in the Fenty camp. I’d agree. Fenty likely thinks these unaffiliated voters would break for him, which may be the case since the largest numbers of no-party voters are in Wards 1-3. I think Gray campaign manager Adam Rubinson went a bit too far with the Hugo Chavez comparison, but this does seem to fall into a “kitchen sink” approach to getting more votes. It is a valid point to discuss–that nearly 16% of the electorate cannot vote in the de-facto election—but this should happen between elections, not during.

What’s next–dogs and cats living together? Mass Hysteria? Fenty sits down with the City Paper. Vince Gray loves Sex and the City.

Continue reading →

The Features, Where We Live
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Where We Live: Brightwood

Photo courtesy of
‘1329 Missouri Ave., NW’
courtesy of ‘rockcreek’

There are some neighborhoods in the District that residents just love.  Southwest Waterfront has a very strong sense of community, Bloomingdale residents love nothing more than sitting on their stoops and talking to neighbors, and now we’ve got another addition to the super-passionate neighbors list: Brightwood.  I sent out a call for Brightwood residents to tell me about their neighborhood, and when I got an e-mail with the subject line “WHY I LOVE BRIGHTWOOD!” I knew this neighborhood was special.

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Adventures, Entertainment, Essential DC, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, People, The District, The Features, The Great Outdoors
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Soccer Playing Opportunities: WAWSL & WISL

Photo courtesy of


‘Ft Slocum Soccer Ball’
courtesy of ‘Wayan Vota’

As the summer months draw to a close, so begins the Fall soccer season. And for those of us who have played practically all our lives, soccer is in the air. We’re hypersensitive to the lowering of sun’s trajectory, the crisper air, and the smell of freshly cut grass. It all evokes memories of the morning practices and games, when the dawn’s mist slowly lifted from the field.

Fortunately the DC area offers plenty of soccer playing opportunities for any and all levels, and for those who wish to play on coed, men’s or women’s teams. Should your preference be a single sex team, there are two leagues in particular that I believe offer the best soccer playing experiences in the DC area, and they’re recruiting players of all levels for the fall season.

Next November 2022 do not miss out all the details of the Qatar World Cup at ESPN that will have all the details of the matches.

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We Love Weekends
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We Love Weekends, August 28-29

Photo courtesy of
‘Phish’
courtesy of ‘erin m’

Michael: This weekend begins my great cross-country rock concert odyssey. On Friday, I’ll be catching the incomparable Iggy & The Stooges in Atlantic City. On Saturday, it’s a quick flight to Minneapolis for the Amphetamine Reptile Records 25th Anniversary Bash. With this trip booked months ago and the Glenn Beck nonsense coming up, you really couldn’t pay me to stay in DC this weekend. But if for some catastrophic reason my travel/concert plans fail and I survive the resultant suicide attempts, I would most likely be seen at DC9’s end-of-summer Fez & Mustache Party because I am continually baffled by this Balkan/Klezmer trend and I like to observe it in full-force whenever the opportunity presents itself.

Rebecca: Friday, I have the day off from work, so I’m heading to the Textile Museum to finally catch the exhibit Art by the Yard: Women Design Mid-century Britain. Afterwards, I’ll hit up Maddy’s for a beer and some lunch. Saturday, I’ll peruse my neighborhood for yard sales where I hope to pick up some new accents for both my wardrobe and apartment. Saturday evening, some quite mixed drinks at Bourbon sounds like a quality idea. Sunday, I’ll be taking it easy during the day because I have a late afternoon footie match, so I’ll likely hit up Chef Geoff’s for brunch and then take a nap on the lawn of the National Cathedral.

Kirkles:  This is my birth-weekend, so I’m starting things off at Jazz in the Garden, followed immediately by the Michigan Rare Craft Brewing Blowout at the Big Hunt.  Saturday, I’ll be celebrating with friends in Loudoun County at my fifth annual birthday kegger, taking a break to draft one of my fantasy football teams late that evening. Sunday, after church, I’ll probably pop over the the Georgetown Flea Market to continue a month long, half-hearted search for a new dining room table. Continue reading →

We Love Arts
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We Love Theater… don’t we?

Photo courtesy of
‘Main auditorium of Regent Theatre, Melbourne, 1929’
courtesy of ‘Powerhouse Museum Collection’

Some months ago – after what felt like the millionth press screening that I’d left disappointed – Jenn and I were chatting about what we’d seen that day and in recent memory. At one point I said something like “I feel like I spend a lot of time wondering lately why did this need to be up on stage? Or maybe I’m wondering why I should come see it rather than something on television or at the movies. Is the fact that it’s live enough reason by itself?”

Jenn, ever mindful of the bottomless article monster that is WeLoveDC.com, answered without answering by saying “maybe that’s something you should write about.”

So three months later we’ve made it through most of the summer, all of Fringe, and are standing on the cusp of a new theater season in the District. Seems like a good time to think generally about the year ahead and reflect on my general reaction from last season.

If you’re a theater enthusiast I’d love to hear your thoughts. If you’re not then I’d particularly like to hear them. If you’ve never thought of a single reason why you should go see a live show then I’d really love to hear why. Theater is not for everyone but maybe the reason it doesn’t call to you is an issue for all of us.

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The Features
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Kermit gets some new friends at the Smithsonian

Photo courtesy of
‘Jane Henson, Brent D. Glass, NMAH director, and Dwight Blocker Bowers, NMAH curator’
courtesy of ‘erin m’

Kermit the Frog and Oscar the Grouch have long been popular attractions at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. On Wednesday morning, courtesy of a donation by Jane Henson and the rest of the Jim Henson family, they gained a few new fuzzy friends: the original puppets used in “Sam and Friends,” one of Jim Henson’s earliest TV projects.

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All Politics is Local, Downtown, Essential DC, Life in the Capital, News, People, The District, The Features, WTF?!
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And For Mayor, We Endorse…

Photo courtesy of
‘Mayoralty elections (LOC)’
courtesy of ‘The Library of Congress’

As the countdown to voting day continues, many have asked us here at WeLoveDC just who we’re going to endorse for Mayor of the District. We’ve had a long and exhausting debate on our author email list, and quite frankly, we couldn’t come up with a unanimous choice, much less a majority decision. So instead, we decided to offer up our own endorsements for mayor, in our own words.

You may be surprised at who we picked. Continue reading →

Entertainment, Fun & Games, Music, We Love Music
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The Winning Ticket: Kele

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’re giving away a pair of tickets to see Kele on Thursday, September 2nd at the 9:30 Club. (Note: Doors are 6:30pm)

Formerly known as Kele Okereke, the Bloc Party front man is touring to support his first solo album, “The Boxer”. On “The Boxer” Kele offers up a little more emotion and a lot more electronics than his mainline gig usually does. Listening to his album a few times, I’m having a difficult time imagining what this concert experience is going to be like. Judging from Kele’s choice in tour-mate, Does It Offend You Yeah?, it is probably safe to assume there will be a healthy does of danceable beats. This show is worth attending just to hear “We Are Rockstars“. No matter how over-played that song was a few summers ago, it still destroys.

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. Tickets for this show are also available through Ticketfly 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.

For the rules of this giveaway…
Continue reading →

Downtown, Essential DC, Life in the Capital, News, People, Special Events, The District, The Features, The Mall
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DC: We Are More Than What Others Say We Are

Fire and Ice
‘Fire and Ice’
courtesy of ‘bhrome’

To the Tea Party tourists visiting this weekend:

We’d like to welcome you to the nation’s capital.

Please note that despite some serious misunderstanding and outrageous assumptions made beyond the Beltway, DC really is a safe city to visit. We do recommend, however, that you just avoid Baltimore completely. Think of it as our certifiably insane sibling to the north, with delusions of class. (And yes, I am kidding. We DCites do have a sense of humor, especially at Baltimore’s expense. And Philadelphia’s.)

Despite some ramblings of various cantankerous individuals, the District does have a lot to offer you on your visit. We bust a lot of myths about our fair city here on this site; please take a moment to see if we’ve answered any of the ones you’ve heard. We also showcase a lot of amazing arts, theater, restaurants, individuals, and other great things about the DC area here; I invite you to check out what else lies beyond the Mall and maybe sample some of our wares. Continue reading →

Food and Drink, The Features, We Love Food
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We Love Food: Palena Cafe

Photo courtesy of
‘palena’
courtesy of ‘AlissaS24’
There are plenty of restaurants here that serve smart American food, and there are plenty of places that serve burgers. But there are few that combine the two in a way that satisfies me when I’m feeling fancy and when I’m feeling like…well…a burger.

Selling Palena Cafe as a burger restaurant isn’t really fair. It resembles Five Guys just as much as the Hay-Adams resembles a youth hostel. Palena Cafe is actually the front part of Palena–a high end price fixe restaurant in Cleveland Park. Unfortunately located next to a pretty spectacular gas station, Palena has done a great job of still feeling cozy and warm and like the little bistro you discovered by mistake while studying abroad.

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Featured Photo, Life in the Capital, We Love Arts
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Mod Madness at the Textile Museum


All photos by Max Cook

When the hustle and bustle of the modern world has a stranglehold on our sanity, we are quick to look for an escape maneuver.  Between the demands placed on us from all angles, the constant task of making ends meet, and the humdrum of our daily routines, we long for something different to speed up or slow down the tick-tock of the invisible metronome.  This is why we jump out of airplanes on purpose, take trips to faraway places, lose ourselves in books and movies, and find other creative ways to exercise the right side of our brains.

Along with this instinctive desire for escape, we often long for the days of the past, for a time when life seemed simple and had fewer complications.  Perhaps we covet the lifestyle of our parents’ generation or the days of our youth, the days before global warming, STD’s, and high fructose corn syrup.  We are nostalgic by nature which is why vintage clothing has always been (and always will be) so popular, why we buy classic cars, watch black and white movies, and collect antiques.  This is why we smile when we see a girl ride by on a 3-speed Raleigh bicycle, carrying flowers or groceries in the wicker basket, why we indulge in cheeseburgers and malts at silver roadside diners, and why we love the intangible feel of old grainy photographs.  This is why Mad Men is one of the hottest shows on TV today, and why Frank Sinatra songs will always make us want to slow dance with our partner.  While we can’t wait to see what the future holds, we will always keep one foot in the past.

I often think it would be great if for just one week, or even one day, we could all stop typing, stop texting, stop Twittering, and stop e-mailing.  Instead, write a letter, have a formal dinner party, go on a picnic, read the newspaper, and discuss things over coffee.  It appears that I’m not alone in my thinking, as last week hundreds of dreamers, escapists, and exhibitionists descended upon the Textile Museum for the second PM at the TM, an event called MOD MADNESS.  Presented in partnership with The Pink Line Project, well-dressed attendees were treated to interactive gallery tours by WE ARE SCIENCE, DYI silk screening by the Washington Printmakers Gallery and Kristina Bilonick, and live jazz by the Pete Muldoon Quartet.  I was there with my camera and for three short hours, the metronome stopped.

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Music, We Love Music
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We Love Music: The Mighty Mighty Bosstones at the 9:30 Club

Photo courtesy of
‘Bosstones’
by ‘erin m’

There’s a unique tension that exists between the Mighty Mighty Bosstones and the fans in the crowd: for the guys on stage, a good show requires precision, in dress and musical performance, even movements; a good night for the mass of people rests upon the successful implementation of the exact opposite — moshing into a hot sweaty mess, riding the crowd, letting go of inhibitions and being OK with looking like a fool. The music has to be tight; the fans cannot. By that measure, and a few more, the Bosstones appearance at the 9:30 club on Saturday was a good night.

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Crime & Punishment, Essential DC, Life in the Capital, Technology, The District, The Features
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Protecting Your Bike

Photo courtesy of
‘Next time, lock up the entire bike’
courtesy of ‘billaday’

I love bike riding. And I love bike riding around DC. It’s truly a fantastic mode of transportation, whether you’re headed to work or play. Since moving to DC in 2006, with my Cannondale in tow, I’ve noticed a significant increase in the amount of bike traffic. I’d most likely attribute this rise to 1) increased Metro fares, 2) the addition of numerous bike lanes and bike racks, in part spearheaded by the WABA, and 3) the increase in popularity of road biking. Sadly, the increase of bike riding has also meant a parallel increase in DC bike theft, and if you’ve ever had your bike stolen, like me, you know how much of a personal affront it is and how irreplaceable your perfectly fitted and outfitted bike was. So, in an effort to prevent further bike theft and the ensuing anguish, I asked Mike Christian of Revolution Cycles for some tips and advice on how to better secure our bikes.

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The Features, Weekend Flashback
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Weekend Flashback: 8/20 – 8/22/10

Photo courtesy of
‘airborne feeder’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

With the kids heading back in to school today in P-G and DC – and more starting over the next 2-3 weeks – you suddenly realize that summer is just about over. Which means the tourists are tapering off, the heat is going down, and more Redskin angst is around the corner. (At least the Caps start camp in less than a month, so there’s that.)

Still, you might be stuck in the office for your work week. And we bring the goods in photos for you to enjoy and settle in on a Monday. Just know that…it’s just getting better from here.

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Food and Drink, Night Life, The Features, We Love Drinks
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Drinks Preview: Fruit Bat

Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘erin m’

Wednesday night I was graciously invited by Erik Holzherr (owner of one of We Love DC’s favorite bars, Wisdom) to a preview of his new bar, Fruit Bat. Located on H Street NE between 12th and 13th, in the spot formerly occupied by the H Street Martini Lounge, my first impression is that it will quickly become a favorite of Atlas District locals, and certainly is worth the trip for those of us in other parts of the city. Tonight is the official opening; here’s a taste of what you can expect.

Erik is part Colombian, and he wanted to give Fruit Bat a relaxed Latin American feel. The most striking feature of the long narrow room lined with simple tables and a bar is the “living wall” that will develop organically as time goes by. Hung on the exposed brick wall are staghorn ferns mounted on wooden boards with grow lights. They’re just babies now but I can imagine how amazingly lush they will make the space as they grow. Fresh herbs are also grown behind the bar and fruit is everywhere. The scent of fried plaintains drove me mad. It all adds to the tropical feel – I think Hemingway and his daiquiri would’ve been right at home.

Speaking of drinks, as you would expect from the owner of Wisdom the craft cocktail menu at Fruit Bat is thoughtfully delicious. Continue reading →

All Politics is Local, The Features
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Campaign Notebook: August 20, 2010

Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘erin m’
We’re nearing the home stretch here, with only 25 days to go until the primary. Expect to see campaigns across the city heat up in the final weeks, as candidates make their final pleas for votes, and take their final swipes at their opponents. The mayoral race is at once coming into focus and becoming ever more unpredictable. There’s only three more of these round-ups left to come, so let’s get to it. Continue reading →

The Features
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DC Central Kitchen’s founder on the value of nonprofits

You may have heard last week (or maybe you didn’t)  that a certain well-known talk radio personality referred to employees of non-profits as “lazy idiots” and “rapists in terms of finance and economy.” I have no particular interest in commenting on this radio personality in general, but Robert Egger, founder of DC Central Kitchen, took it upon himself to examine the question of whether nonprofit employees are indeed lazy, idiotic rapists.

I commend this video to you with no comment except the following:

DC Central Kitchen is a fine organization that does a lot of great work in our city. Should you feel moved to support its lazy, idiotic mission of feeding the hungry, providing job training and placement, and raping the economy, it’s convenient to donate online.

The Bridge family has donated, and We Love DC is proud to dedicate our Friday morning feature slot to showcasing the work of DC Central Kitchen.

Dupont Circle, Essential DC, Food and Drink, Night Life, Special Events, The Features, We Love Drinks
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We Love Drinks: Beer Week

Photo courtesy of
‘Partay!’
courtesy of ‘Kevin H.’

DC Beer week is upon us and beer lovers are presented with a plethora of excellent events to attend.  While nearly every single one is appealing, you’re only one person and can only attend so many.  Hence, I’ve created a handy guide to help you choose what to do and where to go. My guide  is by no means exhaustive and I’d encourage you to check out the full list of events before you decide where to go.  There are some really great options, and all that really matters is that you go to at least one of them. But, should you choose to heed my advice, I’ve got three rules to make this Beer Week perfect: attend a beer dinner, find the values, sample the rare goods. I’ve selected a few events to coincide with each rule to help you decide what to attend.

Continue reading →

We Love Weekends
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We Love Weekends, August 21-22

Photo courtesy of
‘Danza de los Voladores 4’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

Rebecca J: Friday I’m headed over to the SpyMuseum with fellow WeLoveDCers to participate in TBD’s SpyInTheCity challenge where the kings and queens of the DC blog world/scene will be crowned. After I run around Chinatown like a chicken with my head cut off, I’ll be stopping in at the Iron Horse and Gordon Biersch to continue, what will hopefully, be our victory celebration. Saturday I’ll be having my first Bistro Du Coin experience and I can’t wait. From what I’ve heard there’s terrific beer/wine, food and ambiance..aaahhhh….gotta love the weekends. Sunday I’ll hit up the Dupont Farmer’s Market for some super in season peaches, corn and sunflowers. It’s one of the last empty city weekends, so the rest of the day will be spent enjoying the relative peace and quiet.

Michael: This weekend is jam packed with good music at 9:30 Club. On Friday, the 9:30 Club is the place to be for innovative electronic music with Crystal Castles and company. On Saturday, it’s a punk-ska skank-fest with The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. And on Sunday, The English Beat and Bad Manners invade with a night full of 2-Tone ska madness! Continue reading →