Category Archives: The Features

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

All Politics is Local, The Features
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Does the Referendum Rejection Even Mean Anything?

Photo courtesy of
‘Activists Grandmothers’
courtesy of ‘Poldavo (Alex)’

Did the Board of Elections and Ethics kill the gay marriage debate in DC by ruling against “The Referendum Concerning the Jury and Marriage Amendment Act?”  Hardly. It codified DC’s position on defining marriage and headed off the marriage-opponents’ major strategy, but it didn’t come near to ending the debate.  After unpacking the Board’s reasoning and looking at where the ruling leaves both sides, the battle lines are still in basically the same place. No legal answer was given as to whether or not DC will be the next area to legalize gay marriage.

I realize that in saying this, I appear to be back-pedaling.  In my my previous post on this subject, I said that a referendum was the best shot that marriage opponents had at having their way.  In saying that, I was not referring to what ended up before the board.  At the time, it appeared the the referendum would be a comprehensive, Prop 8 type piece of legislation.  Instead, the referendum proffered was designed to prevent the city from recognizing legal, same sex marriages performed in other states and countries.

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Featured Photo
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Featured Photo


DC1_9191 by Spodie Odie

When I first became interested in photography I was obsessed with doing macro work.  A friend of mine who is a Nikon guy (the horror!) showed me the results he was getting with his macro lens and I was sold right away.  Not long after I purchased what is still one of my favorite lenses, my 180mm macro lens, and to the flower gardens I went.  I got some strange looks as I walked around my neighborhood with a tripod, a giant lens, and a shutter release cable, however when I made journeys to the National Arboretum or to Kennilworth Aquatic Gardens, I found photographers decked out in camouflage with gear that put mine to shame.

If you find yourself getting hooked on macro photography, be prepared to buy some serious gear.  This great shot by Spodie Odie was taken with a Nikon D300 and what I’m guessing is their 60mm micro lens.  A tripod is a definite must for macro work too because the closer you get to your subject, the more every tiny move is amplified.  Using a shutter release cable and mirror lockup (if your camera supports it) allows you to minimize the amount of camera movement generated by the shutter opening and closing as well as the shake in your hands.  If you really want to go off the deep end you can buy extension tubes and special macro flashes which can achieve some amazing results.  Soon you’ll be seeing detail in nature that you never knew existed before.

Sports Fix, The Features
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Sports Fix: DC Freedom

freedom2

After the match, clumps of jersey-clad youth players, posters and balls in hand, thronged the fence at RFK stadium, waiting anxiously to catch a glimpse of and maybe even talk to the pro athletes. As the players sidled over, looking fresh-faced despite having just completed a 90-minute contest on a balmy DC afternoon, squeals went up throughout the group. This unbridled excitement was caused by women’s professional soccer players, and the sight was heart-warming. Dozens of girls in full kits bounced around, calling out the names of Washington Freedom team members. “I got Abby! I got Abby!” a bespeckled teeny bopper yelled to her friend, referring to star striker Abby Wambach; “I got Cat!” she called back, and the two collapsed into giggles. Continue reading →

Food and Drink, The DC 100, The Features
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DC Omnivore 100: #22 Fresh Berries

Photo courtesy of
‘Pick ripe berries’
courtesy of ‘afagen’

Berry season. This is the time of year that puts the Omnomnom in Omnomnomivore. Er. Omnivore. Not lolcat. Check.

This is a heavenly couple weeks when strawberries are in season, blueberries are coming into season and blackberries and raspberries aren’t far off. The strawberries at the area farmers’ markets are about the size of a child’s fist, and sweet as laughter. You can just eat them whole, you can make jam, you can make strawberry shortcake, you can soak them in rum and lather them up with Gran Marnier whipped cream, or dip them in balsamic vinegar or dark chocolate or even just a little bit of peanut butter.

There’s really nothing you can’t do with fresh berries. And we’re lucky enough to get them for these next few weeks. So, head to the market and get a pint, a quart, or even a whole flat’s worth of summer’s tasty, tasty bounty. Soak them in red wine and serve sangria. Eat them with fresh whipped cream. Make a pie. Make muffins. But they never, ever, ever get this good at any other time. The rest of the year, they have to come from South America, or California, or anywhere where they have to grow them extra hardy, and extra bland. Or, best of all, ice cream. Click through for my favorite ice cream recipe.

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Music, Special Events, The Features, Tourism
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Six Flags and Summertime Sounds

raven

Raven-Symoné

A staple of summer here is Six Flags America. And one of the park’s big summertime draws is its Starburst Summer Concert Series – free with park admission or a 2009 Play Pass.

Julia over at Six Flags gave me a great heads-up on this year’s lineup and I thought I’d share with everyone else. (And yeah, I like the park even if the company’s fiscal issues are less-than-desirable.) And it’s a great lineup this year, with acts appealing to pretty much everyone – and all are family-friendly.

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Life in the Capital, People, The District, The Features
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Why I Love DC: Shannon

Photo courtesy of
‘dupont circle-6’
courtesy of ‘dr_kim_veis [”o ]’

Ever since I joined We Love DC a few months back, I have been looking forward to writing this post.  I’m pretty much a DC fanatic and absolutely love living here, so this list could go on and on.  Lucky for you, I’ve narrowed it down to my five favorite things about this city:

It’s an urban planner’s dream.  Vibrant public spaces, sidewalks filled with pedestrians, revitalization, mixed use development close to transit, beautiful architecture, and downtown attractions that keep people here after the 9-5 workday are what makes this city a prime example of excellent urbanism.   There are only a handful of American cities that are even in the same league.  Sure, it’s got its problems, but the District is doing a lot of things right and is creating  great places to live, work, or play.

Also, DC lets this urban planner live her dream.  I live three blocks from my office, I don’t own a car because I can walk to four Metro stations, I’m within a few blocks of great restaurants and shopping, I’m a quick jog from Rock Creek Park, and I have a breathtaking view of the city from my rooftop patio.  I don’t know another American city where I could have all of that.

DC is full of history, myths, and legends.  Sure, half the legends about the city are not true, and probably 95% of what you hear on a Capitol tour is probably made up, but they make for great stories.  It’s pretty cool to live in a city full of historical significance, and to be able to show out-of-town friends our city (even if we avoid the national monuments and memorials at all other times).  It’s also a great feeling to be a part of DC’s ongoing history– I know I will someday tell my grandkids about what it was like to be in Washington during Barack Obama’s inauguration.

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Monumental, The Features
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Monumental: The Arsenal Memorial

Photo courtesy of
‘Arsenal Monument’
courtesy of ‘kimberlyfaye’

Awesome photographer Kim Baker pointed me to the Arsenal Memorial for this week’s Monumental column. It’s part of Congressional Cemetery over in Southeast, just south of RFK, and a really amazing place to go see. Congressional is the first national cemetery, established 200 years ago. Many former members of the House and Senate are buried there, alongside Washington’s elite, including the King of the March, John Philip Sousa.

June 17, 1864 was a hot day in Washington. In the arsenal at 4th Street, a staff of 100 people was busy assembling shells for use by the Union Army in the Civil War. What happened that morning is one of the original cases for good fireworks laws. A few pans of flare pellets set out in the sun to dry would spontaneously combust and throw sparks through the open window of the arsenal. What happened next is right out of a Michael Bay movie. More than 20 people died when the whole gunpowder store went up in a massive explosion. 18 were burned to death in the explosion and three more died in the ensuing panic.

The memorial was the result of Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, who ordered that the department would bear all the costs of the funeral for those who died in the explosion and fire. The monument that stands there bears the name of the 21 who died, as well as a marble figurine of a woman with folded hands. It was the result of a citywide collection in the following year, which raised $3,000 to allow Lot Flannery to create the monument that stands at Congressional now.

Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, Special Events, The Features
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Go Daddy: Fathers’ Day Activity Round-Up

Photo courtesy of
‘Father and son’
courtesy of ‘InspirationDC’

I’m a lucky girl to have a Dad like mine. He’s generally hilarious, he is very easy to talk to, and likes to do fun things. Can a girl ask for anything more? And lucky for me, he’ll be in town on Father’s Day, this year! So I started researching all kinds of good things to do in the city with my Dad and figured I’d share, just in case you all were looking for fun things to do with your Dad for Father’s Day (or whenever he in town next).

We’ve got sporting events, places for the history buff, outdoor activities, manly museums and more. So in no particular order, here are some fun suggestions of things around DC to do with the man who loved you first.

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The Features, Thrifty District
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Thrifty District: Getting An Oil Change

Photo courtesy of
‘T.J.’s’
courtesy of ‘lorigoldberg’

One of the many merits of DC is that public transportation is expansive enough and the city walkable enough that having a car is generally an unnecessary luxury. In fact, if you don’t have a car, you should be thanking your lucky stars for a number of reasons, most of which have to do with the District DMV and the exorbitant cost of getting your plates switched over. Another delightful task comes up every 3000 miles, and if you live on Capitol Hill, getting your oil changed may cause you to want to tear your hair out. You can save money by changing the oil of  the car yourself. There is a guide on GrandPrixTimes you can follow. They also have the latest Grand Prix news and other car maintenance tips for the average car owners. Continue reading →

Alexandria, News, Talkin' Transit, The Daily Feed, WMATA
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Slow Downs on the Metro this Weekend

Photo courtesy of
‘Moving Red Line’
courtesy of ‘Amberture’

WMATA is warning customers to expect delays on the red and blue lines this weekend due to track maintenance.  Trains will be single tracking between between Van Ness-UDC and DuPont Circle stations, and between Van Dorn St and Braddock Rd stations. Delays on the red line will take place all weekend, while service on the blue line will return to normal during the evenings.

Getaways, The Features
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Getaways: Nags Head, OBX

Nags Head Beach, OBX

My senior year of college, I read Herman Melville’s Moby Dick during spring break, which I spent quietly with my grandparents in Florida. This may have been a regrettable decision, because now the book and its contents are so knotted up with my experience sitting in the sand peering out onto the infinite sprawl of the ocean. Ishmael gets antsy and fed up with the people around him; he has to go to the sea. “With a philosophical flourish Cato throws himself upon his sword; I quietly take to the ship.” I didn’t take to the ship, but I did take to the shore — the Northern Beaches of North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Standing in the surf with my back to the mainland, the wind whipping away any human sound, I was able to regain a small measure of the calm that city life whittles away. 

The Outer Banks seem to become the favorite place of basically everyone who visits there. The 200-mile long strip of islands cover about half of the North Carolina coastline, and can be easily reached from most of the mid-Atlantic by Interstates 64 and 95. The series of islands, from north to south, include Bodie, Roanoke, Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands. Bodie Island, the northern-most peninsula of the OBX reaches as far up as Virginia Beach and boasts several communities, among them Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills and Nags Head. If you’re going to the OBX, you’re most likely going to relax on or near the beach — something you can achieve in pretty much any community on the islands. For us, Nags Head was the place, just a couple miles down from the Kitty Hawk memorial to the Wright Brothers and their first flight. 
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News, The Features, The Mall, WTF?!
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Breaking: Shooting at the Holocaust Museum

Photo courtesy of
‘CIMG1828’
courtesy of ‘e_tothe_ipi’

A spate of gunfire erupted at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum this afternoon, with two men injured and transported to area hospitals. The shooter is reported to be James W. Von Brunn, a white supremacist. Both Von Brunn and a member of the USHMM Security Force were taken to George Washington University Hospital in critical condition.

14th Street has been shuttered in the area (between Constitution and D St SW), leading to major traffic snarls around the artery (link to Traffic Camera at 14th & E) as police response and investigations continue. A third man has been taken to the hospital, according to WTOP, after being injured from flying glass.

Update 23 [5:10p] We’re going to wrap our live coverage at this time. We’ll pick up additional updates in a new entry later this evening.

Update 22 [4:42p] The US Holocaust Memorial Museum is confirming the death of Officer Johns, a six-year veteran of the Security Force at the USHMM. The museum will be closed tomorrow in honor of Officer Johns. In addition, flags will be flown at half-staff at the Museum.

Update 21 [4:40p] The Washington Post has republished the 1983 article about Von Brunn’s sentencing, with some details about the attempted kidnapping of the Federal Reserve Board.

Update 20 [4:32p] WUSA9 identifies the security guard as Stephan Tyrone Johns. He was fatally wounded at the Holocaust Memorial Museum this afternoon just a bit before 1pm.

Update 19 [4:22p] Many thanks to Karen, who pointed us at Von Brunn’s Wikipedia User Page biography, which largely mirrors the site from earlier today.

Update 18 [4:18p] Former Secretary Cohen and his wife Janet Langhart are on CNN now. They’re talking with him about his viewing. He was right out front of the Museum when it happened. He was 30-40 feet away when the incident occurred.

Update 17 [4:05p] WUSA 9 is reporting that the Security Guard at the Holocaust Museum has died, due to his injuries sustained at the scene. CNN has confirmed this as well.

Update 16 [3:25p] Clinton Administration Defense Secretary William Cohen was in the entry to the museum when the incident occured. His wife Janet Langhart was to have performed her one-act play, an imagined conversation between Anne Frank and Emmett Till, this evening at the Museum. Continue reading →

Entertainment, We Love Arts
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A Historic Rage

Photo courtesy of
”’
courtesy of ‘musicalhedonist’

No matter what Craig Finn may tell you about a unified scene, The Hold Steady comes at you in fragments.

Blame it on the sometimes sloppy, jangly old-school rock and roll riffs — unashamedly lifted straight from your dad’s collection of vinyl — the drunken sing-speak proclamations of Finn, or just the confusion over just what you’re watching; America’s biggest bar band throws the craziest fist-pumping house party in town.

Granted, it’d be a strange place thing to witness from the rafters, a seat, or just a spot on the balcony — boredom and misplaced analysis falls easy— but when you’re packed into the rolling, bouncing first rows of the 9:30 Club on a sloshing Sunday night, there’s no scene that I’d rather fall into.

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Talkin' Transit, The Features, WMATA, WTF?!
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Talkin’ Transit: Doors to Nowhere

Photo courtesy of
‘CSC_1718’ courtesy of ‘Ghost_Bear’

Remember a year ago when Metro said they were going to ‘crack down’ on the rash of “doors opening” off platform? That new safety and training programs would be implemented to keep such accidents from happening?

Guess what!

It hasn’t worked.

WaPo caught the story on Monday: over the last two months, there have been 17 incidents of train doors opening at stations with cars still in the tunnel. Of those 17, 14 of them were eight-car trains that weren’t properly berthed. During rush hour. Most on the Red Line. The other three were six-car trains…two of which not properly berthed.

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History, Mythbusting DC, The District, The Features
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DC Mythbusting: “Lobbyist” Coined at Willard Hotel

Photo courtesy of
‘WASHINGTON 2-35’
courtesy of ‘chantoozie’

Welcome to another edition of DC Mythbusting!  This week we’ll be busting the myth of the term ‘lobbyist’.  The legend that I’ve heard countless times in the District is that the term ‘lobbyist’ originated at the Willard Hotel when Ulysses S. Grant was in office (1869-1877).  Apparently President Grant would frequent the Willard Hotel to enjoy brandy and a cigar, and while he was there, he’d be hounded by petitioners asking for legislative favors or jobs.  It is said that President Grant coined the term by referring to the petitioners as “those damn lobbyists.”   The legend has been forwarded by the Washington Post, The Hill, the American Society of News Editors, and, of course, the PR director of the Willard Hotel.

It’s a fun story to tell tourists, and it makes the Willard Hotel even more of a landmark, but the legend is just not true.  Sure, President Grant visited the Willard Hotel and enjoyed his brandy and a cigar, but he did not coin the term ‘lobbyist’.

The verb ‘to lobby’ first appeared in print in the United States in the 1830’s, at least thirty years before Ulysses S. Grant came to Washington.  The term is believed to have originated in British Parliament, and referred to the lobbies outside the chambers where wheeling and dealing took place.  “Lobbyist” was in common usage in Britain in the 1840’s.  Jesse Sheidlower, editor-at-large for the Oxford English Dictionary, believes the term was used as early as 1640 in England to describe the lobbies that were open to constituents to interact with their representatives.

So there you have it: President Grant may have used the term to refer to all those hangers-on at the Willard, but the term was around long before he arrived in DC.

Food and Drink, Fun & Games, Special Events, The Features, The Great Outdoors, We Love Food
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We Love Food: Food & Wine Festival at National Harbor

Food and Wine Festival

Summertime is festival time, and I’m not complaining. After attending Savor a week ago, I had no idea what to expect going into The Food and Wine Festival at National Harbor. Would it be fancy? Would it be lame? Would they have enough food and wine to keep me happy? Actually, does anyone ever have enough food and wine to keep me happy? Is there enough food and wine in the world to keep me happy for life? Ah! So many existential questions, but I digress. Basically, Jasmine and I headed over to National Harbor with zero expectations, and wound up extremely happy, totally entertained, bellies satisfied, heads full of wine.

We took the water taxi over from Alexandria, quite nice. Pretty views of Alexandria and National Harbor, and I generally just love boats. Period. If you’re a regular reader, you already know that if there is an event or location near, on, or around water, I’ll like it. It’s a guarantee. So National Harbor already had that going for it, as the festival exhibitors lined the boat docks, so we were on water the entire time. Combine that with wine, and food, and I think you’ve got a total winner. Continue reading →

Penn Quarter, The Features, We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: Fever/Dream

KenYatta Rogers and Kate Eastwood Norris in "FEVER/DREAM" at Woolly Mammoth. Photo by Stan Barouh.

KenYatta Rogers and Kate Eastwood Norris in "Fever/Dream" at Woolly Mammoth. Photo by Stan Barouh.

Battle of the sexes, generational conflict, and class warfare all tied up in a screwball comedy that re-imagines Calderon’s classic “Life is a Dream” – this is Woolly Mammoth‘s world premiere of Sheila Callaghan’s “Fever/Dream.” It’s a frolic, but with bite.

There’s something for everyone to relate to here. The generations are neatly drawn – Boomers worrying about relinquishing control, Gen Xers bitterly bemoaning the loss of their ideals to get ahead, Millennials seemingly disinterested but eager to be inspired. Witty references to the modern mania for celebrity culture abound.

Poor neglected Segis (an engaging Daniel Eichner) is chained up in the basement of a mega-corporation, doomed forever to serve in Customer Service. His crime? Being born on Black Monday, symbolizing the worst double losses of his corporate shark father Bill Basil – his money and his wife. But what if this hapless kid became head of the company? Would he be able to rise above revenge and pain to do what’s right for his employees? It’s really a King-for-a-Day morality play, peppered with hilarious moments – the accountant staff literally whipped into shape, the struggling temp (a heartbreaking Jessica Frances Dukes) grinding out meaningless tasks to perfection, the associates blogging on the job.

While Segis flounders in his new role, two rivals for the throne of CEO wage war against him and each other. “Coward,” hisses Kate Eastwood Norris as the chilly Stella Strong. “Cougar,” snaps KenYatta Rogers as the dapper Aston Martin. It’s a Hepburn/Tracy pairing for the 21st Century, and these two give what could have easily been cold caricatures a brilliant sheen. Love them. Continue reading →

We Love Arts
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International Booty-Shaking

Photo courtesy of
‘Embassy of India Dance Performers’ (Dhoonya Dance)
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

So, on a lark, I signed up for a Bollywood dance class. I figured I’d get to listen to some music I’m not familiar with, work out on a predictable schedule, and have a little fun. I even signed up for my dance studio’s recital, figuring that if I was going to put all that effort into learning, I might as well perform. But I didn’t really invite anyone to attend- first of all, I’m 30 years old and felt a little weird talking about my dance recital. Secondly, the last dance recital I went to was an interminable bore- class after class of tiny kids who couldn’t remember the steps, progressing up into teenagers, and finally getting to the experienced classes at the end of the night. Hearing that our show was going to last two and a half hours, I decided I didn’t want to subject them to it.

Now I feel bad, because I completely underestimated the appeal of a recital put on by a studio specializing in world dance styles. My friends probably would have enjoyed it quite a bit. Flamenco! Belly dance! Salsa! Bollywood! Hip-hop! (hey, American styles have to be represented too). Scarves! Veils! Ankle bells! Cheering and whooping like would never happen at the ballet. (Oh, and by the way, my class’ performance went very well and rocked the house just as much as everyone else’s.)

So if Jenn’s enthusiasm for her belly dance class or my Twitter-gushing about Bollywood class has sparked any interest at all, I’ve got a roundup of how to find a class that works for you. Continue reading →

Sports Fix
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Sports Fix: Nationals Disgrace Edition

Photo courtesy of
‘V is for Z’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

Nationals
Record: 15-40
Last Two Weeks: 2-10
Place: Last in MLB.

Where do you start with a team that’s 12 games out of fourth place? Let’s start with what’s (finally) working. Since firing pitching coach Randy St. Claire, the Nats bullpen is no longer the fountain of pure suck that it was for the first 50 games of the season. The bullpen’s a lot more aggressive under the emotional and spiritual leadership of the Nats’ own Angry Old Man Ron Villone. Over his traditional breakfast of nails and the internal organs of his enemies, Villone grunted, and then stared at his 0.00 ERA. The message was clear.

Villone, 39, is one of the bright spots that the Nats have right now. His command, a product of his intense stare, and ripping fastball, will be fantastic for the Nats if they can somehow find some way to reverse the aging process with some voodoo curse. Meanwhile, the draft is tomorrow starting at 6pm, with the Nats picking 1st, 10th and 50th. The draft boards at Nats Park are a closely-guarded secret, but they’d have to be huffing more paint fumes than your average city official not to take Steven Strasburg with the first pick. With any luck, someone has also incapacitated the Lerner family heads and taken their checkbooks, because that’s a guy who’s going to cost you $50 million. Yeah, for someone who’s never pitched outside of college. He’s just that awesome. (We hope.)

So, there’s a future on the horizon for the worst team in baseball, much like there was a future for the 2007 66-96 Tampa Bay Devil Rays who went to the playoffs in 2008. So, don’t be reaching for the hari kiri sword, Nats fans, just reach for the bottle. This is a season to be endured, with the knowledge that there’s a future on the horizon.

Read on for coverage of D.C. United & the Mystics

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