By Tom Bridge
If you’re headed to the World Cup Qualifier at RFK tonight, there’s a campaign to support USMNT Forward Charlie Davies who was severely injured in a car crash on the GW Parkway the other evening. Charlie’s likely done for quite a bit, and his career is likely on the ropes after a surgery like last night. So, please, if you’re going, let Charlie know you care. Print out this PDF and hold it up during the 9th minute of tonight’s game. Charlie’s #9, and we’re all pulling for him.
By Ben H. Rome
‘Inside the Metro Car’
courtesy of ‘Bogotron’
I was going to take today’s article and gripe about the “Follow the Rules” mandate now being enacted by most of the Metrobus drivers this week. But really, what’s the point? (And what exactly is their point, too, other than to make commuters surly and late?) So if you’d like to gripe or share your bus ride horror story, share in comments. I can’t really gripe, because I don’t ride the bus, but I offer you the chance to blow off steam.
Instead, I offer pictures.
Metro is the subject of many of our local photographers, including myself. So today let’s just take a grand look at some excellent shots taken by local and visiting photographers.
Sometimes, pictures are worth a thousand words. Continue reading
By Rebecca
‘potato printing acorn and pumpkin’
courtesy of ‘jimmiehomeschoolmom’
The weather is cooling, cravings for hearty stews are upon us and hibernating within our homes is becoming the norm. As we’ll be spending more and more time inside, hiding from the cold and darkness that winter will bring, it’s time we turn our attention to some of the amazingly creative and fun crafts the fall season brings.
Personally, I’m really big on craft projects that will actually be useful, especially since I just moved and my apartment is in serious need of some decoration. Plus, there’s no better feeling than to finish a project and immediately see your hard work put to good use. I’m BIG on not spending a lot of money. One, because I don’t have the budget and, two, because I tend to have a lot of useless stuff around the house that can be recycled for crafting purposes. I also think that crafts projects should last at max only 4 hours and should be completed by that time. No one wants to have shreds of felt paper, uncapped glue sticks and newspaper around their apartment for weeks at a time. My motto: keep crafts simple, fun and doable. Continue reading
By shannon
‘Georgetown Tunnel’
courtesy of ‘MikaAltskan’
Hi and welcome to another edition of Mythbusting! This week we’ll be tackling the myth of the Georgetown Metro. The legend explains why Georgetown, a vibrant part of the city with many attractions, does not have a Metro station. Legend has it that Metro planners had originally planned a station for Georgetown, but Georgetown’s well-connected residents fought to keep the criminals and poor people that would ride Metro away from their exclusive neighborhood. They successfully defeated the Metro plans, and thus, there’s no Metro station in Georgetown today. Why else would there not be a Metro station at such a major destination in DC?
By Katie
‘Brunch at Belga Cafe’
courtesy of ‘InspirationDC’
You guys, I’m torn here. On one hand, I genuinely like Belga Cafe. On the other hand, I’m unimpressed by Belga. Here’s the thing – whenever you say “I’m going to Belga” to someone they all oooh and ahhh. It’s got a fantastic reputation, and some of the food lives up to that reputation. But some of the food is worse than what I’d find on the line at the local Holiday Inn breakfast buffet. It’s a conundrum. But let me explain…
Belga Cafe is situated on 8th Street in the heart of Barracks Row. It’s a great location with foot traffic from Eastern Market and the surrounding neighborhoods and shops. Belga has a small but cozy patio, the outdoor seating complete with table cloths, and a slightly cramped long interior dining room. The kitchen is quasi-open, and the bar is usually full of diners. The place has a neighborhood feel, though I would say it’s known throughout the city as a brunch destination. And unfortunately, brunch is where I get tripped up with Belga. Continue reading
By Tom Bridge
‘Panned Metrobus’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’
I know this makes me nerdy, but I love that scene in Wrath of Khan where Saavik and Spock start talking about doing things By The Book, and the post this morning from Unsuck DC Metro is reminiscent of that this morning. One of their readers announced a few changes on his 52 bus last night, suggesting that folks may need to allow for additional time due to drivers following regulations to the letter in order to better reduce casualties in the bus system. It’s not clear if this is an organized union-endorsed behavior, or if this could be considered like a work stoppage.
So, did your bus seems slower than usual this morning? Or, was it business as usual?
And yeah, you can totally call me a nerd for referencing Star Trek in a post about Metrobuses. Because I deserve it.
By Don
David Manis as Subtle, Jeff Biehl as Abel Drugger and Michael Milligan as Face
in the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s production of Ben Jonson’s The Alchemist, directed by Michael Kahn.
Photo by Scott Suchman.
I can’t speak for any other reviewer, but for me the most enjoyable reviews to write are the ones where I really enjoyed a production but still have some minor quibbles. A little Monday-morning quarterbacking is fun for everyone if you don’t take it too seriously and aren’t a jerk about it. Perfect productions are less fun because there’s less to say about them. Quality theater involves a very subtle energy that’s difficult – if not impossible – to convey to a reader. Bad theater is less fun still because you have to be a special flavor of jerk to enjoy smack-talking someone’s baby, and a lot of people put a lot of energy into putting something on stage.
The least enjoyable kind of theater to write about is the kind that’s always puzzling to see, considering how many people come to it with so much passion: the simply okay, unengaging and largely forgettable production.
Care to guess where The Alchemist fits into this?
By Tom Bridge
‘Chocolate cityâ�¦’
courtesy of ‘dharmabumx’
Redskins
Record: 2-3
Last Two Weeks: 1-1
Place: Last in the East
Yikes. A loss to the Panthers? Really? That’s disappointing. It also probably spells the end of the rope for Jim Zorn. It’s not all his fault, though, as there’s some question about a few of the calls (specifically on a fair catch), and Jason Campbell threw for just 145 yards, and a pair of fumbles by the offense made for a rough row to hoe.
So, where to from here? Fans and Owners are likely calling for Zorn’s head. Campbell’s got to wonder if his job is safe, as well, and Clinton Portis has to be wondering if he might be a better announcer than running back. Perhaps coaching is in his future. Either way, it’s more dark days for the Skins and the fans. Next up? Kansas City. They’re 0-5, and have looked pretty lackluster, so my guess is we’ll be losing that one, 17-9.
D.C. United
Record: 8-8-12
Last Two Weeks: 1-1-0
Place: Fourth in the East
The end is nigh! The end is nigh! Just two more MLS matches and a CONCACAF match, and that’s the end of United’s regular schedule for 2009. It’s must-win for DC in both leagues, after a loss to Chivas USA at home, and things look fairly grim in the MLS. United would need to pick up, at a bare minimum, a win and a tie — and more likely two wins — to make the last wild card slot. With 36 points, they’re two points back of the red line in the standings between who advances and who spends late October in front of the television. Their last home MLS match of the year is this Saturday against the Columbus Crew, so get the red on, and head on down to RFK to see our boys fight for their playoff spot.
By Ben H. Rome
‘”Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves.” ~ Abraham Lincoln’
courtesy of ‘kimberlyfaye’
This is for the poor, unappreciated wageslave who is stuck coming into work today and unable to enjoy the “holiday” that many others get to enjoy. So while some of us are snug in our beds, lounging about and enjoying a crisp, October morning sipping coffee and goofing off, we leave you office-dwellers with some images to enjoy from the weekend past.
By Don
‘For rent’
courtesy of ‘quinn.anya’
If you’ve gotten off the metro in any of the suburbs you’ve probably seen big apartment advertisements offering large giveaways. If that wasn’t enough confirmation for you that the rental market is a soft, perhaps a report on apartments in our region from Marcus & Millichap will help.[pdf, free reg required] There’s some interesting info in that report and if you’re coming up on a lease renewal maybe we can help you use it to get yourself a better deal.
Part of why you see those snazzy banners with equally big offers is that the hardest-hit market is the “class A” asking rents, the higher priced places like Crystal City and along the Connecticut Ave corridor. Not all of the top-price spots have been hit though – some places like Dupont are bucking the trend for now because of their desirability. However overall vacancies are up and it’s unlikely that any region is going to be totally free of a hit; the M&M report says there’s just as many properties coming onto the market this year as last, meaning more spots to fill.
More interesting is that many of the lower-priced rentals actually have ticked up marginally, perhaps because of people who are more down on their luck and looking for cheaper options. However they also are seeing vacancies rise, so this might be a brief lag about to be followed by more drops.
Let’s dig a little deeper and talk about how it might help you.
By shannon
’11th Street NW Rowhouses’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’
Another Friday, another neighborhood. This week’s Where We Live focuses on a neighborhood that has reinvented itself over the past ten years, Columbia Heights. Columbia Heights has a lot to offer, from beautiful residential areas to the massive new DC USA development, and it’s got a pretty neat history too. Read on to learn all about Columbia Heights.
History: Columbia Heights was originally a horse track and farmland directly outside the boundary of the City of Washington, and it was also the original home of Columbian College (which eventually became George Washington University). In 1881, Senator John Sherman purchased a whole bunch of land in the area and named the development Columbia Heights, in honor of Columbian College. In 1904, the college moved down to Foggy Bottom. The federal government purchased some land and built Meridian Hill Park, and the area became an upscale neighborhood that attracted federal workers and military officers. In the early 1900s Columbia Heights was one of the most desirable neighborhoods in the city, and attracted a number of notable residents. By 1914, four streetcar lines connected Columbia Heights to downtown DC.
The neighborhood began to transform from a suburban neighborhood to an urban center in the early part of the twentieth century, with the construction of larger apartment buildings and the Tivoli Theater in 1924. Columbia Heights was adjacent to the thriving black communities of Shaw and U Street, and became home to more African Americans during the first half of the twentieth century. Then, of course, the 1968 riots happened. Residents moved out, stores remained vacant for decades, and Columbia Heights lost its luster.
By Jenn Larsen
"Gin Flight, New Heights" by Jenn Larsen, on Flickr
The first spirit I ever tasted was gin. It was that obligatory illicit shot from your parents’ liquor cabinet, the “hmm, what’s this all about?” experimentation. And – UGH – that first sip was enough to put me off “Mother’s Ruin” for life. For years afterwards the smell would provoke an instant reaction of, well, ick.
It’s unfortunate, really, as gin’s complexity is overlooked by many like me whose introduction was less than ideal. But this lady with a past (I love the old Hogarth engravings of depraved Gin Lane in the 1700’s) is beloved by mixologists and enjoying a revival.
Case in point – New Heights restaurant has turned their downstairs bar into a gin joint, complete with a “Gin Manifesto” menu and gin flights.
Wait, flights of gin? I just about fainted dead away when Rebecca first alerted us to this. In order to make it through a tasting without a PTSD attack, I needed back-up. It wasn’t hard to convince a gin-swilling friend – let’s call him Hogarth – to come along and help me get over the psychological trauma of my childhood sip, and enjoy a historic cocktail along the way.
‘Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes’
courtesy of ‘Kevin H.’
Despite the still-warm temperatures, the leaves are changing and it seems that fall is actually here. Which means that our weekend plans involve a lot less hanging out poolside with tasty beverages and a lot more cozying up in warm places with tasty beverages. What can we say? We’re creatures of the seasons.
Kirk: This weekend features one of the highlights of the year for me: the Purcellville Tag Sale. This town wide yard sale features an awesome selection of antiques, books, oddities and assorted junk. I’m getting there early (like 7:30am) to make sure I can get my hands on the best of the selection. Other than that, I’ll probably go to a HR-57 on Friday for some sweet, sweet jazz and possibly to Magnolias at the Mill on Saturday for some sweet, sweet beer (seeing as I’ll be in Purcellville, anyways). All that aside, my main goal this weekend is not to be pulled over by the huge, and overly zealous Loudoun County PD.
Jasmine: I’m super excited about the Solar Decathlon houses being open to the public this weekend. If you haven’t been, it’s a little village of solar-powered houses designed and built by college students on the National Mall. They can be really creative and showcase some awesome technology, but it’s only through Monday so you have to get down there this weekend. Other than that, I’m thinking of taking advantage of the long weekend with one of the guilt-free getaways in Virginia. Loudon County? Shenandoah Valley? Maybe I’ll just close my eyes and point, they all sound just lovely. Continue reading
By Jenn Larsen
Man Ray. Noire et blanche, 1926. Gelatin silver print. The Baltimore Museum of Art, Purchase with exchange funds from the Edward Joseph Gallagher III Memorial Collection; and partial gift of George H. Dalsheimer, BMA 1988.422. Photo: Mitro Hood. © 2009 Man Ray Trust / Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY / ADAGP, Paris
I love Man Ray. There’s something still so – cool – about his photographs, even today in our digital informal age. Hauntingly evocative of my favorite era, I usually rather narrowly think of him in context of 20’s fashion. There’s no better representation of the iconic beauty of that time than his Noire et Blanche, seen above, appearing in 1926 Vogue.
However, there’s another angle to Man Ray’s work that a new exhibit at the Phillips Collection makes plain. Opening this Saturday, May Ray, African Art and the Modernist Lens highlights the link between his work and the movement to promote African artifacts, elevating them to the status of modern art. The exhibit showcases more than 50 photographs by Man Ray, with about 50 more of his contemporaries like Cecil Beaton and Alfred Stieglitz. Several are matched with the original African objects they feature, for the first time, allowing the viewer to make the connection on how photographers can influence perception.
It also features my favorite Man Ray photograph. Continue reading
By Cathy
‘Chef Palma’s Westend Shortribs and Brussels Sprouts’
courtesy of ‘CathyLovesDC’
As you read earlier today, Katie and I had the extreme fortune of gallivanting around a farmer’s market this weekend with a 3 Michelin star chef, Joe Palma, the Chef de Cuisine of the Eric Ripert Restaurant, Westend Bistro.
Chef Palma took us to the Old Town Farmer’s Market, determining his menu on the spot based on the market fare. I followed close in his footsteps, requesting identical produce at each stop: “I’ll have the same.” We picked up fresh sage, Asian pears, green tomatoes, Brussels sprouts and garlic before returning to the kitchen at the Ritz.
I asked Chef Palma to be very mindful of keeping the ingredients simple and the equipment minimal, and he gave us a first course and a main course that are to die for and very, very simple.
To start, Chef Palma threw together a green tomato, Asian pear, and spiced pecan salad with the most incredibly balanced, light and fresh blue cheese dressing. Continue reading
By Katie
WeLoveDC authors Cathy (cooking queen) and Katie (restaurant aficionado) have paired up to bring you a double-hitting feature about great seasonal dishes that chefs at local area restaurants are whipping up this fall. Katie gets insider info about the chef and the restaurant, and Cathy recreates the chef’s recipe at home. Cheers to that.
After our previous adventure with Glenn Babcock of Nage Bistro, Cathy and I were invited to cook a seasonal fall dish with Westend Bistro by Eric Ripert‘s Chef de Cuisine, Joe Palma.
It was early Saturday morning on a perfect fall day, the type that is sunny and warm but with crisp, fresh air. Cathy and I were trailing chef Joe Palma through the Old Town farmers market in Alexandria as he pondered what seasonal dish to show us how to make.
“I sort of just wander around and see what looks good,” he said. “Kind of like Top Chef?” I tossed out. “Yeah,” he replied. “I can create bistro food on the fly, but I don’t think I’d enjoy being thrown a random ingredient.” And yet, that’s sort of what happened that Saturday morning at the market. Palma paused at the pears, then brussel sprouts caught his eye. “You guys like brussel sprouts?” he asked. “Yeah”, Cathy and I chimed. “How about green tomatoes?” “Of COURSE! I’m a southern girl!” I laughed. If Palma thinks it would be good, I’m totally happy to eat it. He’s one of the few chefs in the city that I have complete blind faith in.
Westend Bistro is currently my favorite restaurant in DC, and that’s quite a proclamation. I rarely choose favorites (don’t ever ask me my favorite book!) but I think there’s something uniquely lovely about Westend. I spend a lot of my time in restaurants these days, and Westend rises to the top of my list every time. Maybe it’s the relaxed, yet sophisticated atmosphere. Maybe it’s the buzz of the place, and the fact the wait staff are trained in the ways of the Ritz-Carlton. But mostly, I believe it’s that Palma puts the focus solely on the ingredients and purchases only the best possible.
“When I first came on, I cut costs down to about 28%, and it should be at about 32%,” Palma said. “I used that margin of cost savings to find the best possible ingredients, meats, produce.” It shows. Westend’s food is simple food. Sous Chef Adam Barnett told me one night that he likes working for Palma because he doesn’t get fussy with his food. Barnett said Palma doesn’t pile ingredients on a plate, that chef thinks about his ingredients before assembling them. So how would that translate for Cathy and I learning how to cook one of Palma’s dishes? Continue reading
So, this Bentzen Ball thing. Everyone’s talking about it, but they keep talking about Tig Notaro and Patton Oswalt’s involvement in a show that’s about “alt-comedy” without even mentioning the numerous local comics interspersed throughout the various shows. Patton Oswalt was in a Pixar movie, for God’s sake. He’s hilarious, but he’s there so that the up-and-comers can benefit from the glorious halo of his fame, okay?
I’ve talked about some of these locals before: Seaton Smith, Hampton Yount, and Erin Jackson are all appearing at one or more of the shows, along with Aparna Nancherla, official comic of the We Love DC Commentariat. But there are many others preparing to wow DC with their joke-telling prowess, people I haven’t talked about as much here not because they aren’t funny (because they are), but because they don’t send me news about their shows as often. *cough* So plug in your headphones for a preview of some of the Bentzen Ball comics. Continue reading
By Katie
Here’s another installment in the series where WeLoveDC authors Donna (greenie) and Katie (foodie) pair up to bring you a double-hitting feature about local area restaurants that take on the challenge of being green. Donna will explain the logic behind the environmentally friendly trends and Katie will tell you if the food tastes any good. It’s a rough life, but someone has to do it, right?
Katie: So you don’t always think of a steakhouse as environmentally-conscientious, right? Well, Michael Mina’s Bourbon Steak goes above and beyond the green call of duty, and plants their own vegetables, and works all of them into the dishes at the restaurant. Donna and I were invited over to the Four Seasons Hotel in Georgetown to take a tour of the garden and sample some dishes that used the herbs and veggies grown there on the property.
Donna: Last spring, Bourbon Steak created a small garden on its property, in a peaceable little spot just across from the C&O Canal. I was happy we were invited to tour this terraced plot and sample the dishes it flavors. It supplies the restaurant with 62 varieties of herbs, vegetables and flowers — 400 plants in all, some of which came from Amish farms. Look around, and up front you’ll see some plants you recognize, such as thyme, chives, marigold and different kinds of basil. Farther back are the harder-to-find plants that produce curries and other unusual spices.
Katie: So with all these herbs and vegetables grown on the property, could you taste the difference in the food? We headed inside for dinner to find out. Continue reading
By Max
Ring Toss by Carly & Art
Ever since seeing the Edward Burtynsky exhibit and attending Saturday’s lecture by Dr. William Rees at the Corcoran, I can’t stop thinking about Man vs Nature. As Dr. Rees explained (in a very eloquent and scientific manner), there are fundamental differences between our behaviors that make it virtually impossible for man to coexist with nature in a closed system. At our current rate of population growth and resource consumption, the planet simply cannot sustain us forever. To summarize his speech, unless drastic policy changes are put into place by our governments and we start to think globally instead of selfishly, well, we’re doomed.
This week’s featured photo is a demonstration of nature’s struggle against man. Or is it? Despite having several rings of concrete around its base, the tree is growing and doing everything it should be doing. The concrete, as far as the tree is concerned, is only a slight annoyance. I tend to agree with George Carlin’s philosophy about the state of the planet which is, “The planet is fine.” Continue reading
By Katie
The authors at this site love DC (oh really? yes. really.) and are often point-people for people’s questions about the city, where to go and what to do. But aside from our 20 authors, there are other roving DC experts in the city, hidden at every turn. Hotel concierges. They know and love DC (maybe more than our authorship), and I’m sure answer more questions about this city than all of us combined. One of the most-loved and well-respected concierges in the city is the Hotel Monaco’s Luis Colmenares. Luis has huge accolades, he’s a Member of the prestigious Les Clefs d’Or USA, and the Vice President, Washington Area Concierge Association. Luis is even a Notary Public, the man is ready to help assist your every whim.
So what does a guy like Luis love about DC? Well I was able to get the skinny from one of DC’s best advocates.
Katie: How long have you lived in DC, and how did you arrive here?
Luis: I grew up in Caracas, Venezuela, and moved to Washington DC purely on a whim nearly 22 years ago. I originally came just for a one-week vacation, but when I got here, I loved it so much that I never went back home! I worked as a travel consultant for 10 years, and have been a concierge for the past 12.
As a hotel concierge, what’s the most frequently asked question you answer about DC?
More than anything, I am asked for hours and directions to tourist hot spots, like the Mall or the monuments. Recently, I’ve had a surge of questions about Georgetown – what to do there, and the best places to eat and shop.
What’s the one place in DC that visitors should not miss?
Just one? I think the White House is the most important place someone can visit, because it represents the center of American democracy. Just remember that I can’t get tickets for you, no matter how nicely you ask! It all needs to be arranged before you get here.
Continue reading
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