We Love Arts

We Love Arts: One Hour Photo

Time is constant, it is unavoidable, it can be unattainable, and it is a commodity.  When someone we cherish is gone, we wish we had more time with them.  When a deadline is approaching we say, “If only I had a little more time.”  People say that life is short, but what they really mean is that there isn’t enough time.  We spend our days in the hustle and bustle, sending e-mails, eating lunch at our desks, multitasking, scheduling meetings, and doing everything we can to make the most of our time.  Everything we do and everything we have done, everything, is in one way or another dependent upon time.

It was an amazing day when the first cave drawing was created, freezing a moment in time.  What sparked in that person’s mind, motivating them to make a record of history?  Was he aware that he had virtually defined the word “history” as we now know it?  Was it hard for others to grasp the idea that time not only marched steadily forward, but was also made up of distinct points in the past that we could capture?  Until that moment we only had memories of events that we could recollect by saying, “Remember the time when…?”  Over the ages we began to invent better ways of capturing history, whether it was carved in stone, drawn on paper, or a painted on canvas, but these methods could only show a rough portrayal of the actual event.  That is, until the invention of photography.

“Photography appears on the scene as though someone had found a way to freeze the water of passing time; appearances that were once fluid as water running through one’s fingers became solid objects.” – Rebecca Solnit

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The Daily Feed, Tourism

European Embassies’ Open House Tomorrow

Photo courtesy of
‘PICT2454’
courtesy of ‘kpelli73’

One of the cooler things about living in the Capital City are all of the amazing embassies. One of the neater moments of my professional career was getting invited to an event at the Irish Embassy. This weekend, all of the European Embassies are hosting an Open House that runs all day Saturday. There’s a PDF Map on the EU’s site to guide you through the various embassies, and it includes an event listing for the rest of the week’s festivities. Go check out some of the beautiful buildings and residences!

The Features

DC’s Unique Spots: Franciscan Monastery

Photo courtesy of
‘Franciscan Monastery Fountain’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

When Tiff and I moved into Brookland, we’d heard about the Franciscan Monastery, but seeing the beautiful grounds of this place was something else. Nestled into the hill north of Monroe Street and East of Catholic University, the gardens and the incredible architecture make this place into something out of a story book, or out of an Italian countryside.

The large building in the center of the grounds is The Memorial Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and was built in 1899 by the Franciscan Order and designed by Aristide Leonori. The grounds include an incredible garden, cared for by their Garden Guild. Guided tours of the high-ceilinged church and the gardens are available on the hour Monday through Saturday starting at 10am and going til 3pm, or self-guided tours of the gardens and grounds are available from 10 to 5 any day. Mass is said in the Chapel every day, and masses are open to the public on Sunday mornings.

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Entertainment, Food and Drink, Special Events, The Features, We Love Drinks

Drinks Smackdown! Beer vs. Wine 2

Photo courtesy of
‘Glorious Cheese’
courtesy of ‘Jenn Larsen’

When last we met for an epic drinks smackdown back in March, fellow WLDC author Kirk and I had our preconceived notions of which paired better with food – wine or beer – challenged and in some cases totally overthrown. I left with a heightened appreciation for beer and a fascination with the subject of food pairings. So when I was invited to attend National Geographic Live’s A Come to Cheeses Moment: Wine vs. Beer event, where beer and wine would duke it out over best pairing with cheese, it took little to convince me.

Wouldn’t you know that earlier in the day I was advised to kick the dairy habit for two weeks thanks to suspected lactose intolerance (my reaction? censored!). So my second drinks smackdown fittingly became farewell to my beloved cheese. Forgive me then if this reads more as an ode to cheese than to drinks! Sigh. I inhaled deeply as I entered the Grosvenor Auditorium at the National Geographic headquarters, redolent with the stinky glorious aroma, ready to say good-bye.

It was a packed house, and we were incredibly lucky in our three distinguished (and humorous) presenters – Steven Jenkins, Joshua Wesson and Nick Funnell. Both Jenkins and Wesson are regular on NPR’s The Splendid Table – Jenkins is the first American to win the prestigious title Chevalier du Taste Fromage and Wesson is the author of Red Wine With Fish and a top sommelier, having opened Best Cellars in 1996. Funnell is the brewmaster for the Great American Restaurants chain and a winner at the Great American Beer Festival. They had an amazing depth of knowledge that I can’t hope to replicate, but I’ll try to give you a taste.

All of the cheese served was from raw milk, and Jenkins did point out that he had chosen obscure cheeses which might be difficult for us to get ourselves (you’ve just been challenged!). The price point of the wine was very reasonable, Wesson indicated, around $15 a bottle. Funnell had picked all local beers at roughly $7 a pint.

So let’s dive in! Continue reading

The Features, Where We Live

Where We Live: Silver Spring

Photo courtesy of
‘Downtown Silver Spring’
courtesy of ‘METROgrl’

Most Where We Live features focus on neighborhoods of a couple thousand people, but this week we’re tackling the third most populous place in Maryland: Silver Spring, a community of over 76,000 people. So while half of Montgomery County seems to have Silver Spring mailing addresses (making the city larger than any other city in the state except for Baltimore), we’ll just focus on the urban area of Silver Spring around the Metro station. But that being said there are lots of cool other areas in Silver Spring, from the park-like residential neighborhood of Woodside Park to the urban-suburban blend in Wheaton.  As Dan, author of just up the pike and life-long Silver Spring resident, says, “In Silver Spring, you can go from a busy urban center to pick-your-own farms in just a few miles, all with the same address.”

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We Love Weekends

We Love Weekends, May 8-9

Photo courtesy of
’61/365 – the source’
courtesy of ‘dracisk’

Jenn: Drinks + Theater = Fun! That’s my motto anyway. Saturday afternoon I’m hosting a small readers event at Bistrot Lepic (have no fear if you didn’t get one of the few spots available, as I’ll have a Drinks Special up on Thursday so you can all learn what we learned). You should take Mom to BRABO that afternoon for a complimentary rosé wine tasting with sommelier Leah Dedmon (2-4pm at the Butcher’s Block). That evening I’m attending the opening ofConstellation Theater’s Ramayana – from French wine to Indian mythology, should be a fascinating day. Sunday evening I’ll be at Theater J finding out what goes on at the Mikveh. Both reviews up next week. Cheers and bravo!

Dave: Weather, do me a favor and stay nice, ok? It’s sports weekend for this guy. Friday, the now ranked BC Alumni softball team (although I will leave out my diatribe on minimal participation in the Capital Alumni Network’s Coaches Poll leading to a lower-than-expected rank) looks to continue the season down on the mall; Saturday, I’m going on a good walk spoiled (i.e., Golf, in the words of Mark Twain) out at the Andrews Air Force Base West Course; and Sunday is a hopefully-cooler-than-last-weekend intramural soccer game. Then Sunday night will come and I’ll have to try to figure out (a) where my weekend went and (b) why I’m sore, but at least it’ll probably be over a brew atRagtime while watching the Red Sox take on the hated Yankees. Continue reading

News, Talkin' Transit, The Daily Feed

McDonnell Orders Magical Cameras

Photo courtesy of
‘Surveillance’
courtesy of ‘ep_jhu’

Get off 66 at the DTR, and you have two choices: go directly to the Airport and pay nothing, or take the road with exits, and pay as you go. Apparently, though, there are enough people who are driving out to the airport and thence hitting the private roads. Gov. McDonnell has signed a bill to act to prevent this, which is great, the main airport road is for airport business, and I get this. The problem, though, is that they want to automate this process.

Yes, they want to put a camera out there to do photosurveillance and detection of who is and who is not on Airport business. I’m not exactly sure how that would work, and none of the initial reports seem to indicate how this machine would hand out its $600 tickets to the masses. How the heck would this work?

Sports Fix, The Daily Feed

D.C. United Says: Have Cinco de Mayo With Us!

Photo courtesy of
‘DC United vs Chicago Fire 15’
courtesy of ‘maxedaperture’

D.C. United takes on Kansas City tonight at RFK, but before the game, they’re having a huge pre-game party in Lot 8 at RFK with Live Mariachi music and piñatas and cheap margaritas and empanadas all night! Sure, it’s not Lauriol Plaza or Rio Grande, but there’s going to be a whole lot more elbow room, and the drinks will be just as tasty out at RFK, and this way, you can do something that’s actually part of Latin American culture: watch a fútbol match afterward! Kickoff’s at 7:30 as United goes for their first win.

Downtown, Interviews, People, Special Events, The Features, We Love Arts

He Loves DC: Dan Treado

Dan Treado

For the next four weeks, the Addison/Ripley Fine Art gallery is showing the work of local artist Dan Treado. Though Requesting Quiet is his first public showing in a few years, his art retains his signature imagery with layers of color and airy associations on top of a depth that pulls the viewer into the piece. “In some of the paintings, appropriated samples from selected illustrations and texts provide tense contrast. In others, a crazy quilt of disparate organic images is woven together by this talented painter,” states the gallery’s exhibition description.  “At once cryptic and mesmerizing, the paintings demonstrate a rich complexity and accomplished maturity.  They may ‘request quiet’ but they shout and crackle with energy.”

When I got the invitation to Dan’s show, I was intrigued by the description of his work, not to mention the interesting titles on some of his pieces such as “Shoulda Traveled More,” “In the Key of Shut Your Mouth,” and “Ow, My Leg.” I’ve known Dan more for his incredible exhibition work at the Spy Museum; the opportunity to see a different side of his creative mind was too good to pass up. So this past weekend, I attended the show’s opening night and was quietly amazed at the sheer emotional tapestry on display.

Dan was gracious enough to sit down with WeLoveDC for an interview on his work and his love for the city.  Continue reading

Entertainment, Music, Night Life, The Features, We Love Music

We Love Music: The Constellations

The Constellations

A fan in Santa Fe once called The Constellations a real-life version of The Royal Tannenbaums. That sentiment is true.

This band of Atlanta brothers and sisters agree. The Constellations embody the highly intelligent nature of the disillusioned Tannenbaum family. All they’re trying to do is carve a path and find themselves in the process.

The Constellations have a two and a half year rotating line-up change to blame for their eclectic approach to music making. For frontman Elijah Jones and the rest of the gang, the studio is the playground and the instruments are the toys. Continue reading

Comedy in DC

Comedy in DC: Abbreviated Spring Edition

Photo courtesy of
‘Stand-up’
courtesy of ‘Aaron Webb’

Why is comedy a perfect fit for this early blast of heat and humidity we’re getting? Because it’s frequently performed in basements. It’s an art form perfectly suited to dark, windowless rooms where you laugh at things you would never admit to finding funny in front of your grandma.

But first, a Public Service Announcement: Perhaps you’ve heard about how Facebook is currently having its dirty way with your personal info. Mike Eltringham tells you everything you need to know about Facebook’s privacy policies.

Tomorrow night (May 6th), Ed Blaze presents his monthly Metro Comedy Special at Station 9 on U Street. The show features Nema Williams, Travis Spencer, Jessica Brodkin, Tommy Taylor, Anna Pope, Clayton Wilcox , Kyle Martin, Michael Nercesian, and Marcus Brown. That’s a lot of comedy for $15 ($20 at the door) and the show starts at 8:30. Continue reading

News, Sports Fix, The Daily Feed

Nats Top Braves 6-3

2010-05-04-desmond-rbi.jpg
Photo special to We Love DC by Ian Koski, Nationals Daily News

The Nationals weren’t content with their 3-3 jaunt through Florida and Chicago, said Jim Riggleman after tonight’s contest. It showed in their performance tonight against the struggling Braves. But, as with many things the Nationals do, it was subject to some initial difficulties. Livan Hernandez, on the mound defending his NL-leading ERA, had a rough first inning, throwing 41 pitches and giving up an unearned run. He did, however, pull it together and throw 5 1/3 innings of 2-run ball, and hung on through 123 pitches to pick up his fourth win.

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Entertainment, Music, We Love Music

We Love Music: Echo & The Bunnymen @ The Black Cat 4/30/10

Echo & The Bunnymen, Ian McCulloch, Will Sergeant
courtesy of Echo & The Bunnymen.

Echo & the Bunnymen played to a sold out Black Cat on Friday night. It was a rescheduled date from their canceled Fall 2009 tour.

Ian McCulloch wore sunglasses and a long coat over his sweatshirt. He smoked many cigarettes and told many, many indecipherable anecdotes. His singing voice sounded spot on and mentally he held it together through most of the set (contrary to what I have heard of earlier Bunnymen tours this century). It was during the encore that Ian began to ramble on with medleys and tributes that stretched some of Echo’s best songs to their breaking points. I won’t say that this aging post-punk genius isn’t due his eccentricities though. All told, minus the encore nonsense, he gave us an excellent show chock full of fan favorites. Original member Will Sergeant was there too, killing it on guitar. The backing band was very tight. If you closed your eyes you would think you were listening to the 80’s line-up. Except for the keyboards which seemed to disconnect slightly in the set’s later half.

I last saw Echo & The Bunnymen play in 2003 in Spain in front of a massive crowd (50k?) at the Festival Internacional de Benicassim. That show was totally rock star. It looked and sounded epic. Friday night’s show was intimate and informal. Ian and the band hardly seemed to be putting on a show at all. The feel was very relaxed as if the band were playing for old friends rather than paying customers. Judging from the very warm reception the band received, in a way I guess they were.
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The Features, We Love Arts

We Love Arts: Hamlet

Laertes (Justin Adams) and Hamlet (Graham Michael Hamilton) in "Hamlet" at Folger Theatre. Photo credit: Carol Pratt.

For many of us, Hamlet was our first introduction to Shakespeare. We come to any performance marked by the ghosts of favorite actors and concepts, never able to fully be open to the play. Enter the clean, refined vision of director Joseph Haj to help you see the play fresh. From the very first moments, fast-paced and full of danger, to the wrenching final image, we know something is different in this state of Denmark. It’s a decidedly contemporary jewel-box of a production, and one I highly recommend.

Playing now through June 6 at the Folger Theatre, this Hamlet is highlighted by the stunning set design of James Kronzer and a heartbreaking lead performance by Graham Michael Hamilton. Your first sight of the all-white set’s striking modernity contrasted with the Elizabethean background of the Folger is a beacon of the director’s mission – let the simplicity of the text shine through. Everything is laid bare here, in grim tones of neutrals and grey, just as Hamlet bares his inner thoughts to us in the famous monologues detailing his struggle to avenge his father’s death.

And it’s fast. I don’t think I’ve had the pleasure of seeing a more effectively streamlined Hamlet (definitely not the four-hour Branagh version I sat through at the RSC years ago!). Purists may be upset at some of the cuts, but it serves the purpose well here to do some judicious snipping. But it’s not just the cuts that drive the action – Haj allows the ensemble few moments of rest, setting a pace that doesn’t labor but flies. Too often productions of Hamlet take the view that the prince is waffling, procrastinating – here, he’s moving briskly along on his search for truth, battering at the roadblocks in his way. Continue reading

Food and Drink, The Daily Feed, We Love Drinks

Give me that Prohibition Beer

Photo courtesy of
‘Interior of saloon, Everett’
courtesy of ‘UW Digital Collections’

This is a shameful moment for me.  Coors, the brewer that brought us the swill that’s “as cold as the Rockies” has developed a beer that I’m a touch excited about.  Maybe excited is too strong a word.  I’m intrigued. Batch 19, a new lager from Coors, is being tested in DC at a few select locations.  The beer is modeled off of a pre-prohibition era recipe and promises “a bold hoppy flavor that is surprisingly well balanced.” DC is one of five cities in the country that Batch 19 is being shipped to, so, at the very least drinking it will be a unique experience.  As to the actual quality of the brew, I guess we’ll have to wait and see. You can get Batch 19 starting this month at Iron Horse, the Saloon, 18th Amendment and We the Pizza.

Featured Photo

Featured Photo


4.29.10 by moxie.marmalade

It’s summer now, right?  What, this is spring?  You could have fooled me.  It’s as if we jumped straight from winter into the sweltering days of summer with only a few enjoyable days in between.  The good news is that Mother Nature wasn’t fooled as many flowers are in bloom across our region.  While this beautiful calla lily may have been found in a bucket at the Penn Quarter Farmers Market, I saw many flowers as I toured the area this weekend.  Mount Vernon’s gardens were filled screaming kids and loads of colorful blooms.  The roses in the Bishop’s Garden at the National Cathedral weren’t as abundant as I’ve seen them, but there were some beauties there for sure.  And at Fort Reno Park (the highest natural elevation in DC) and the National Arboretum, buttercups covered the ground like a sea of gold.

While not necessary, the best way to photograph flowers is with a macro lens.  The photograph above was taken with a Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro lens, showing us the details of the calla lily and throwing the background out of focus for some beautiful bokeh.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go turn up my air conditioner and pour myself a sweaty glass of iced tea.  Let me know when the temperature is down to 75 degrees and the humidity is gone.

Adams Morgan, Food and Drink, News, The Daily Feed, We Love Drinks

Fat Tire Comes to DC

Photo courtesy of
‘”Fat Tire” – San Francisco’
courtesy of ‘adamjackson1984’

I’ve heard rumors that New Belgium was going to start shipping their famous Fat Tire beer out East, and it seems those rumors are true. The GOG reports that the Black Squirrel in Adams Morgan snagged some bottles of the famous ale, along with a few other varieties from New Belgium. Up till now, North Carolina was about the closest place you could get Fat Tire and I’ve heard of many a beer aficionado making a point to grab a few cases when they were down that way.  Me, I’ve never had it, so I’m heading to the Black Squirrel tonight to try some, as I hear quantities are limited.

The Features

Mother’s Day 2010: Meals for your Mom!

Photo courtesy of
‘mimosas!’
courtesy of ‘@heylovedc’

This Sunday is all about Mommies, and if you still don’t have any plans, have no fear.  There are of tons of ways to honor her here in the District and surrounding area, with none other than food of course!  I’ve taken the liberty of highlighting some great spots that are sure to please all of the mothers in your life, so be sure to get your reservations in before they’re gone!

First up is Brunch and Bubbly at Proof.  This year they celebrate for the first time, and guests will receive a complimentary glass of champagne.  Located just a block from the Verizon Center and metro accessible, Proof is not only conveniently located, but a smart choice for Mother’s Day brunch.  Executive Chef Haidar Karoum has prepared an a la carte brunch with such dishes as the Sautéed Wild King Salmon with spring peas, maitake mushrooms and grilled ramps and Crispy Soft Shell Crab with fingerling Potatoes, asparagus, anchovy and remoulade.  If this sounds like your cup of tea, you can contact the restaurant at 202-73-PROOF (202-737-7663) or visit the website at www.proofdc.com.  Brunch will be served between 11am and 3pm. Continue reading

Essential DC, Music, The Features, We Love Music

We Love Music: May Music Preview

Photo courtesy of

courtesy of ‘erin m’

April showers bring May flowers, but what does the May DC music scene bring to all of you? Good question. Here’s the answer: Freedom. Complete freedom … as far as prices are concerned. There’s a whole bunch of free concert series and performances to keep your ears occupied and dancing shoes satisfied. Here are a few of my picks as we begin this transition month into the dog days of summer. The way I see it, May is a good practice-run for the overwhelming amount of free events throughout the city come June, July and August. So train well, my young musical padawans, train well. Continue reading

Weekend Flashback

Weekend Flashback: 4/30 – 5/2/10

Photo courtesy of
‘Cinco de Mayo’
courtesy of ‘vpickering’

The high temps, thickening humidity and threat of rain didn’t stifle our area photographers as they roamed the streets, looking for “just the right shot” to share with all of you. And we’re happy to redirect your daydreaming back to the weekend while your body catches up to the fact that yes, it is indeed Monday.

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