Category Archives: The Features

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

Food and Drink, The Features, We Love Drinks
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We Love Drinks: Columbia Room

The Columbia Room. Photo credit: Max Cook.

Imagine a little room removed from the crazy world outside – an oasis of peace entered through a busy bar. Jars of spices line the walls, while chunks of the most pristine ice you’ve ever seen are gently melting in a wooden hangiri bowl, waiting to be carved up. Bottles stand neatly at the ready, watched over by a dapper gentleman sporting a perfect bowtie. This is the Columbia Room, and for a few blissful hours prepare to be transported to drinks nirvana, as Derek Brown brings you a “cocktail club” nestled inside The Passenger. It’s like a spa for spirit lovers, evoking a true intimacy almost lost to us in these hectic times.

I’ve been eager to try out the Columbia Room since I first heard whispers of its concept, unintentionally eavesdropping on co-owners and brothers Tom and Derek Brown before The Passenger ever opened, and it’s no secret that later The Passenger quickly became one of my favorite bars. So it was with much anticipation that I finally entered this gentle yet meticulous environment on two occasions last week – once for a class and once for service – and I can’t think why I wouldn’t be back again and again.

As with The Passenger, there’s no attitude here. All you need to get in is to find a open slot on the online reservation system and hold it with a card. You’ll be called ahead of time to confirm and review any preferences. There’s a four person maximum to each reservation, and the prixe fixe menu of $49 (tax and tip inclusive) includes a welcoming glass of champagne, the nightly cocktail paired with a small plate, and a customized cocktail. There are also weekly classes by Derek Brown and Kat Bangs for $65 covering all aspects of crafting cocktails. I had a wonderful time at Kat’s recent champagne cocktail class, learning how to make my own blackberry liqueur and sugar cubes. Both service and class are well worth it.

So, let’s decompress into cocktail transcendence…

Continue reading →

We Love Weekends
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We Love Weekends, June 5-6

Photo courtesy of
‘SW DC Lightning’
courtesy of ‘MudflapDC’

Kirkles: I’m going to live out my shame by attending Friday evening’s Nats game against the Reds and sitting in $30 seats that I bought a few weeks ago. Later that evening I’ll be taking a beer loving Friend from out of town to visit Churchkey, which I think will blow his mind.  On Saturday, I’m going to host a grill brunch with some homies where, you guessed it, I’ll grill breakfast foods.  Should be interesting.  Sunday will feature church, followed by more drinking with said out of town friend. I’m not sure where yet.

Shannon: This weekend I’ll be running the Race for the Cure out on the Mall on Saturday morning (just a heads up that Metro opens at 5 AM for the event, and traffic downtown is likely to be crazy).  After the run, I’ll head to Dupont for brunch and unlimited mimosas at Madhatter, then stroll around the neighborhood for the Dupont-Kalorama Museum Walk.  Sunday I’m heading down to Hains Point for a bike ride and some swimming, because the DC Triathlon is just 2 short weeks away! Continue reading →

Featured Photo
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Featured Photo


fare increase? by maria jpeg izaurralde

With Metro’s new fare increase, you gotta do what you gotta do to make ends meet.  Whether it’s getting a third job as oil rig repairman, as a mental coach for Stephen Strasburg, or as a medicinal marijuana distributor, it’s time for the tough to get going.  I mean do they think we’re made out of money?  Do they think not killing us is justification for charging more money for each trip?  Maybe they’ll start offering discounted fares for those of us willing to ride on top of the train or use handcars.  At this point I’m ready to start handing out the Express to wealthy passengers in the morning and then hopping on the train when my shift is over, just to break even*.  In the absence of money growing on trees, this girl has got the right idea.  I mean she has really got the right idea.

* This post has been brought to you by the word ‘sarcasm’.

Comedy in DC
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Comedy in DC: Unseasonably Humid Edition

Photo courtesy of
‘Summer in the City’
courtesy of ‘photo_secessionist’

The college students have gone home, taking their ready attention to smaller local comedy shows with them. And in their place? Interns, whose ready attention to things local seems to be limited to wearing their badges on the Metro so you can see how important they are and Cap Hill bars with lax ID-checking policies. So, this month’s local comedy happenings are perhaps a little thinner then usual. But they are interesting, oh yes.

This Friday, June 4th is 3 Chord Comedy at the Velvet Lounge, as usual. The lineup features Brent Sullivan (Comedy Central’s Live at Gotham) headlining, along with locals/former locals Brian Parise, Mike Blejer, and Eli Sairs. Brent Sullivan, in addition to his stand-up comedy, also performs a one-man show called Fag Life: A Conversation with Fred Phelps, which juxtaposes recordings of the famous hatemonger in with Sullivan’s commentary. He’s put the first seven minutes of the show online (visually SFW, but headphones may be appropriate): Continue reading →

Entertainment, Essential DC, History, Life in the Capital, Music, News, People, Special Events, The District, We Love Music
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We Love Music: The 9:30 Club 30th Anniversary Concert

Bob Mould performing at the 9:30 Club 30th Anniversary concert
“Bob Mould” photo taken by author.

“The reason this is the best club in America is the people that work here. Trust me, most nightclubs are terrible places. You don’t want to go there.” – Neill Fallon of Clutch.

“I can not imagine a DC without the 9:30 Club. It is unimaginable. It’s just unimaginable” – Mark Noone of The Slickee Boys.

“I love the fact that I’m from DC!” – Henry Rollins

“Let’s kick on the way back machine and get this thing over with.” – Bob Mould.

One of the truly singular music events I have ever attended took place on Monday night at the 9:30 Club. It was a special free concert held in celebration of this legendary club’s 30th anniversary. The night was also a celebration of the people who work (and have worked) there, the icons who got their start there, and the wonderful music that has been played there over the last 30 years. The night was full of anecdotes and music from 13 bands and artists that have strong ties to both the old and new 9:30 Club locations. For some the evening was a living, breathing, crash course in DC music history; for others it was a fun and at times even emotional trip down memory lane.

The 9:30 Club (original location) is the nightclub I cut my teeth on when I moved here in 1993. Within a few days of arriving I was catching my first show there (British twee-band Heavenly); and in the months and years after many, many more shows followed. I once took a date there to see The Boredoms and she left with a black-eye. My little brother did his first stage dive when I took him there to see Helmet. I was completely enthralled with industrial music after hearing Einstruzende Neubauten on the PA before the melodramatic, dynamite-strapped Sheep on Drugs brought the house down with their industrial-dance mayhem. And I was seduced along with everyone else in the crowd by Toni Halliday and the sounds of Curve. The old club opened my mind to most of the music that I still passionately love today.

The V st. location is without a doubt the best club-venue in the country. I’ve been to concert halls all over the U.S.A. and it always comes back to the 9:30 Club’s awesome sound-system (which I have written/gushed about at length over the years). Seeing a concert at the 9:30 Club is a sublime experience for a die-hard music fan. Perhaps none more-so than the amazing show that club-owner Seth Hurwitz treated dedicated DC music fans to on Monday night.

Continue reading →

The District, The Features, We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: Yves Klein – With The Void, Full Powers

Yves Klein during the filming of “”The Heartbeat of France” at Charles Wilp’s Studio, Dusseldorf, February 20, 1961. Copyright 2010 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris.  Image courtesy Yves Klein Archives.  Photo by and copyright Charles Wilp.

“I am the painter of space. I am not an abstract painter but, on the contrary, a figurative artist, and a realist. Let us be honest, to paint space, I must be in position. I must be in space.” – Yves Klein

Yves Klein (French, b. Nice, 1928 – 1962) was much more than just an artist, he was an innovator, a visionary, and most importantly in my opinion, a dreamer. Although Klein’s notorious career only lasted a total of 8 years [he suffered a heart attack at age 34], that was all the time it would take for him to turn the art world upside down. As one of the 20th century’s most influential artists, Klein reintroduced what art and nature could be, pushing creativity beyond the traditional notions of what was accepted.

Yves Klein: With the Void, Full Powers is the first major retrospective of the artist’s work in the US in nearly thirty years. Presenting approximately 200 pieces, the Hirshhorn Museum explores a full range of Klein’s work, examining a career that radically altered the world of art.

Continue reading →

Entertainment, Essential DC, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, Music, Night Life, People, The Features, We Love Music
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We Love Music: June Music Preview

Photo courtesy of
‘Earth Day Concert Dancers’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

Memorial Day is over, we’re on to June, and that means outdoor concerts and music festivals galore! The District’s got them all this month: Jazz, Folk, Blues, Rock, Pop, Acoustic — even crafts, dance, and all the culture you can stomach in one day (or over the course of many).

Here’s a look at June’s top “tickets” to get your butt outside and reap the benefits of living in a city where the world’s cultures collide with a wide-variety of  well-established American traditions. Continue reading →

Weekend Flashback
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Weekend Flashback: 5/28 – 5/31/10

Photo courtesy of
‘Rolling Thunder Salute, Memorial Day 2010 Washington DC’
courtesy of ‘Photos by Chip Py’

Soldier, rest! Thy warfare o’er,
Sleep the sleep that knows not breaking,
Dream of battled fields no more.
Days of danger, nights of waking.

-Sir Walter Scott

Many thanks to all of our active servicemen and women, reservists, and veterans who put their lives on the line for this country every day. While we enjoy the Memorial Day holiday (which around here is the official start to “tourist season”), we do so in the knowledge that we live in a free country protected by those who volunteer their lives to pay that price. So with a heartfelt thanks, we salute you for your dedication and service.

Linger just a while longer before heading into the shortened work day with some great photographic captures from the weekend. Continue reading →

The Features
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Memorial Day 2010

Photo courtesy of
‘”Flags In” at Arlington National Cemetery’
courtesy of ‘kimberlyfaye’

As people whose idea of fun is to express opinions on a website, we are keenly aware of the value of liberty in all its forms, including freedom of speech, our collective favorite. We pause to remember the sacrifice of those who have given their lives in service of the nation that guarantees that liberty.

The staff of We Love DC wishes you a safe and relaxing Memorial Day.

Monumental
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Monumental: Bladensburg Peace Cross

3515914845_199519d75a.jpeg
Peace Cross Bladensburg MD by Ron 911

Sitting at the intersection of Bladensburg Road, Baltimore Avenue and the National Defense Highway just over the border into Prince George’s County is the Bladensburg Peace Cross, a forty-foot stone cross, notes those from Prince George’s county who fought and died in World War I. Inscribed with their names, and the quote from Woodrow Wilson, “The right is more precious than peace. We shall fight for the things we have always carried nearest our hearts. To such a task we dedicate our lives,” the monument is a towering landmark just outside the District.

This weekend is Memorial Day, when we commemorate those who served our country and gave their lives in service of a nation, giving their “last fullest measure of devotion,” in service of family and friends. This is a weekend where we remember all who have died in service of nation, in addition to barbequing, watching baseball, and carrying on.

The Bladensburg Peace Cross was erected by the citizens of Prince George’s County in 1922, and was dedicated on July 13th, 1923. Ceremonies were held at the cross, and with the assistance fo the American Legion of Bladensburg, Snyder-Farmer post, which included survivors of The Great War, Fourth Maryland regiment. Representative Stephen W. Gambrill of Maryland spoke, lauding the efforts and honoring the sacrifice of those who died, saying: “You men of Prince Georges county fought for the sacred right of all to live in peace and
security.”

Enjoy the weekend, toast the departed and their memory. We’ll be back on Memorial Day with light coverage.

All Politics is Local, The Features
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ABCs of ANCs: Your Advisory Neighborhood Commission

Photo courtesy of
‘My First ANC Meeting!’
courtesy of ‘Wayan Vota’

If you live in the District or read about District politics, you’ve probably heard the term ANC. You may have read a news story about how a local ANC is holding up a liquor license application, or how a certain commissioner is known to be a curmudgeon who hates all forms of change. Beyond these stereotypes, the ANC system doesn’t always get much attention. However, the mission of the District’s Advisory Neighborhood Commissions is to provide a direct conduit between the government and citizens, so it’s something worth learning more about. This ABCs of ANCs will be an ongoing feature here, and this first part serves as a bit of a primer on the system.

So what is an ANC? An Advisory Neighborhood Commission is a government body representing a subdivision of a ward. Each commission is made up of ANC Commissioners, who in turn represent a Single Member District (SMD). A SMD is a sub-division of the ANC, generally consisting of around 2,000 residents.

Whew. It wouldn’t be government if there weren’t a dozen or so acronyms involved, right?

You are lumped in with about 2,000 other people and you elect someone from your area to serve on the local ANC. Most ANCs have five or six commissioners.

So what do they do?

According to the official ANC web site, “The Advisory Neighborhood Commissions consider a wide range of policies and programs affecting their neighborhoods, including traffic, parking, recreation, street improvements, liquor licenses, zoning, economic development, police protection, sanitation and trash collection, and the District’s annual budget.” Considering that encompasses just about everything in the world, let’s put it this way: ANC’s serve as the voice of a community, and have a bit of pull when it comes to negotiating in certain areas, most notably with development issues and liquor licenses. The Board of Zoning Adjustment and the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration give strong consideration to the opinions of ANCs. Continue reading →

Entertainment, Music, The Features, We Love Music
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We Love Music: Big Sam’s Funky Nation

Photo courtesy of
‘BeachTrombone-7’
courtesy of ‘gas_station_sushi’

It’s rare in Jazz music to see a trombone player in the role of band leader. Some of the greatest and most remembered names in Jazz among the vast majority of Americans include: Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Benny Goodman, Billie Holiday, Sonny Rollins, Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis, and Thelonious Monk. None of those players ever once led a band with trombone in hand.

While there are notable Jazz greats who played the slide trombone while commanding a room and conducting a band, it still remains common place to have a trumpet be the focal point. Big Sam leads on trombone.

Big Sam was always a big boy. In the 6th grade, he was 6 foot tall and 200 pounds while playing little league basketball. When the time came that he grew out of playing the sport – literally – Sam approached his school’s band leader and asked him what instrument they needed someone to play.

Sam’s band leader replied, “The trombone.”

“What’s that?” Sam said. That’s all it took to hook him.

Continue reading →

Life in the Capital, People, The Features, We Love Arts
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Theater of Controversy

Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘erin m’

“Be sure that you go to the author to get at his meaning, not to find yours.” -Salman Rushdie

Recently I did something that I’ve rarely done in my life as a theater lover – I walked out of a production at intermission. Was I offended by a controversial subject? Well no, I did make it through Jerry Springer: The Opera after all. I was merely bored out of my mind by densely esoteric content. I didn’t become enraged and demand the play close, I merely chalked it up to a difference in artistic preferences. But I still left, and afterwards it upset me that I’d allowed myself to close my mind, and I started thinking about local theater controversy. As a former theater professional it was ingrained in me that we have a responsibility to open minds through art. But what happens when the audience won’t listen? Are DC audiences more likely to be vocal or take offense? How do theater companies handle that reaction, especially as its based on content and not value?

I set out to talk to three artistic directors of companies at various levels of development and experience with negative audience reaction to content- Allison Arkell Stockman at Constellation Theatre Company, Kate Bryer at Imagination Stage, and Ari Roth at Theater J – to get their thoughts. Not surprisingly, a common theme emerged, one which as a theater lover worries me greatly. When we move away from an audience’s desire to learn and instead towards its desire for safe entertainment, we’re in trouble as a society.

Continue reading →

We Love Weekends
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We Love Weekends, Holiday Edition: May 29-31

Photo courtesy of
‘Every Day is Memorial Day’
courtesy of ‘rdavidphoto’

Rachel: I’m going back in time on Friday to the era in which I should have been living my early 20’s aka The Big Band Era. It’s easy. No flux capacitor needed, only fine clothing and dancing shoes. I’m headed to the Carlyle Club in Alexandria to see Doc Scantlin and the Imperial Palms Orchestra. Saturday, I’m taking a much needed shopping day in the Friendship Heights/Chevy Chase area with a final stop at the Borders (or Mazza Gallerie for a movie, I make these decisions on a whim at the last minute, it’s more exciting that way) on Wisconsin Avenue for an iced vanilla latte and a good read. What will I be reading? Either Treasure Island or Through The Looking Glass, I haven’t decided yet.) Sunday, I’ll be doing a giant internet search for Nats Fans in the area. Why? For a new feature series I’m working on for the summer! Consider yourself a die-hard resident of NatsTown? Know someone who considers themselves to be one of the most devoted Nats fans in the District? Drop me a line at rachel@welovedc.com — I’d love to hear your story! Then, finally, a day off on Monday! What will I be doing? Working on my musical chops to try and ready myself for my upcoming summer gigging. Any suggestions for covers are encouraged, add ’em to the comments if you like!

Paulo: For the long weekend I’m going to New York to browse art galleries in Chelsea but part of me will be wishing instead to see the Sackler’s visiting exhibition of Cambodian bronzes from Angkor. Also the LOST finale made me want to go to a Target, maybe the one in Columbia Heights.   Continue reading →

News, People, Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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Well, maybe not…

Photo courtesy of
‘2ND’
courtesy of ‘MissChatter’

Last week I reported that it was looking like Steve Strasburg’s MLB debut would be June 4.  Well, it seems that I was wrong.  The Nationals website reports that Strasburg will be starting between June 8 and June 10 in the Nats’ series against the Pirates. They haven’t said which game, exactly, but they plan on making that announcement a week before the actual day itself.  If it makes you feel better, I bought pricey tickets to the June 4 game.  Oh well. I guess I’ll just have nice seats when they take on the Reds.

The Features, The Great Outdoors, We Love Drinks
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We Love Drinks: Memorial Day BBQ

Photo courtesy of
‘Beer and burger’
courtesy of ‘Magnus D’

I hope that you’ll grill this weekend. To me, that’s what Memorial Day is all about. I don’t dream of stepping on any family tradition or intruding in any masculine domain by suggesting what you should grill and how you should grill it. That’s counter productive, in my mind. Besides, I’m no grill master, myself. I’ll leave that to better and braver souls. I want to talk to you about what you should drink this weekend. It’s easy just to run out to the grocery and pick up a 12 pack of Bud Light and some cheap white wine for your Memorial Day bar-b-que. In fact, that’s probably what most of America will do on Monday, but most of America won’t enjoy their tasty beverage nearly as much as you will, oh informed reader that follows my advice. Continue reading →

Entertainment, Essential DC, Music, We Love Music
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We Love The 9:30 Club

Photo courtesy of
courtesy of ‘phillsea’

It is no secret that I love seeing bands perform at the 9:30 Club. Their epic sound system can take a decent band from good to great and can elevate the cream-of-the-crop from great to legendary. I have seen hundreds of shows at the 9:30 Club (both old and new) and look forward to many more. I anxiously await bands I love playing the 9:30 Club for the first time. It is a great experience listening to them get their hands on that wonderful sound system and filling that massive high-ceiling room with sound. Case in point: Japanese, post-rockers Mono on June 2. I have seen them play on almost every tour in numerous venues and I guarantee that none of those shows will sound as good as their first time at 9:30 Club next week.

This year the 9:30 Club turns 30 years old. Between its original location (and namesake) at 930 F st. NW and its current super-venue at 815 V st. NW the club has been supplying Washington DC with underground music, emergent bands on the rise, and intimate performances by super-stars for three decades. To celebrate this anniversary the 9:30 Club will host two very special concerts this holiday weekend. The first is a unique performance by Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the Machine on Sunday night. This dean of humorous lounged-up rock and rap cover songs will treat the audience to an evening full of his renditions of songs by bands integral to 9:30 Club’s long and impressive musical history. This concert is $40 and begins at 6:30pm on Sunday.

On Monday, the 9:30 Club will play host to a truly spectacular, free-event hosted by DC-favorite son Henry Rollins. The event will feature hand-picked acts that have played an important part in the club’s story and will best represent the club’s unique place in DC and alternative music history. “We wanted to do something really different, we want to be surrounded by people who have made this place special, and we found out from the Virgin Mobile FreeFest how much fun it is to give tickets away, so we combined it altogether for our 30TH Anniversary concert,” said I.M.P. Chairman and co-owner of the 9:30 Club Seth Hurwitz. I can think of no better way to celebrate the 30th anniversary of this grand concert hall that truly represents the musical soul of our fine city.

Details on the 30th Anniversary Concert (including a partial line-up) after the jump.
Continue reading →

Interviews, People, Scribblings, Special Events, The Features
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Scribblings: Charlie Higson

Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

This Saturday, Charlie Higson will be signing copies of his latest work in the Young James Bond series, By Royal Command. Higson collaborated with Ian Fleming (creator of the British superspy James Bond) to plant the seeds of how James went from being a regular schoolboy to the world-renown Agent 007 of Britain’s secret service.

Higson is a prolific British actor, comedian, and author. His television credits range from writing and performing in BBC comedies such as The Fast Show, Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased), and Swiss Toni. Before tackling the young Bond series, Higson wrote four other novels in the early to mid 1990s: King of the Ants, Happy Now, Full Whack, and Getting Rid of Mister Kitchen.

The Young Bond novels are aimed at younger readers, concentrating on James’ school days at Eton. There are currently five in the series; Silver Fin was released in the U.S. in April 2005, followed by Blood Fever, Double or Die, and Hurricane Gold. His latest, By Your Command, was released in hardcover in the U.K. in late 2008 and only recently arrived in the U.S. through Hyperion Press. He has since written The Enemy, a young adult horror novel, currently released in the U.K.

The International Spy Museum is hosting Charlie Higson for an author signing this Saturday from 2 – 4 p.m. The museum shared with WeLoveDC a recent interview they had with Higson about his latest Bond novel. Continue reading →

Talkin' Transit
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Talkin’ Transit: Flat Fare

Photo courtesy of
‘Hole to the Sky’
courtesy of ‘Samer Farha’

There’s a giant hole in the Metro budget, and there is a plan for plugging it. Of course, it’s going to require fare raises and service cuts, and it’s not likely to be fun. Metro’s choice of a complicated set of charges based on distance and time of day (and peak-of-the-peak!) leaves my head aching for something less complex.

New York’s Subway has often been held up as the simplest way to do fare collection: each and every trip is the same price ($2.25). Sounds good to me, but would it work here, and what would it cost?

Let’s do some math, based on Metro’s proposed 2011 budget numbers (PDF – Table 3.8).
Continue reading →

Entertainment, Music, The Features, We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: Sophisticated Ladies

Wynnona Smith, Janine DiVita, Maurice Hines, Marva Hicks and Karla Mosley in the Arena Stage production of Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies (Photo by Scott Suchman)

As of last Thursday night, Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies has become the best selling show in Arena Stage’s history (that’s a record-breaker over six decades of distinguished theater). It’s been extended through June 6 at the Lincoln Theatre, and rightly so. Go see it.

(I could just leave it at that, but of course I won’t!)

On my way walking the few blocks from my house to the Lincoln Theatre, I made a point of passing the house where Duke Ellington lived on 13th Street. There’s now a placard on the fence outside proudly proclaiming that fact. It gave me a bit of a thrill, walking up that street, past the Whitelaw, and then over to the storied Lincoln Theatre, thinking of the young Duke maybe doing the same. I’ve always had a crush on Ellington since I was a little girl listening to my dad’s jazz records, so I had a special feeling going to this performance – and it did not disappoint.

Glitz, glamour, class and sass. An excess of talented singers and dancers. The Duke’s scintillating music performed by a slamming onstage orchestra. And a legend of tap graciously highlighting two extraordinary newcomers. That’s what you’ll get with Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies. Continue reading →