Category Archives: The Features

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

DC Victory Gardens, The Features
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DC Victory Gardens: An Introduction

Garden.jpeg

When food rations cut into the kitchens and pantries of the 1940s, the Department of Agriculture responded with a series of WPA posters on creating Victory Gardens to help add to the plates of Americans everywhere. The response was immense. Victory Gardens sprung up all over the United States, and a generation of vegetable farmers were created within cities and towns where they otherwise might not have. The idea of producing your own crops as a matter of patriotism and national pride swelled then, and dwindled through the 60s and 70s.

With the economy on the most drastic downturn since the Great Depression, it’s becoming an attractive option to grow food again. Frugal is the new black, they say, and what could be more frugal than growing your own food? We’ve got a few talented amateur gardeners here at We Love DC, and we’ll be doing a set of year-round features on growing your own produce, maintaining a garden even in the smallest of spaces. So, let’s introduce our participants.

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Talkin' Transit, The Features
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Talkin’ Transit: Funding Galore!

Photo courtesy of
‘comfy’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

Stimulus and the Silver Line

The passage of the Stimulus Package has been a source of significant criticism from the Right, and some unnatural crowing from the Left, but it represents $90 Billion dollars of federal investment in transit systems all over the United States. The DC Metro area stands to pick up a bunch of those dollars to help out with various transit projects. Currently slated are $29 million to help with the Dulles Rail corridor project, which would be welcome assistance to get the project underway.

Supervisors in Fairfax approved the design of two of the new Silver line stations: Route 123 in Tysons, and Route 7 in Tysons. While there are four stations in the confines that need approval, the vote on the other two will take place on March 9th.

Nextbus

Greater Greater Washington and DCist picked up on the fact that there was some preliminary access to NextBus information for the District bus routes, but, no good deed going unpunished, the site was pulled under orders from Metro.

Metro suggests that the site will be back this summer, and available for public use at that time. It’s sad that Metro felt the need to clamp down, despite the fact that according to all reports, the system was working “like a charm,” and providing full functionality. Of course, David Alpert nails it: “At Metro, it’s better not to provide any information than to risk giving any wrong information.”

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Music, The Features
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Concert: Tapes ‘n Tapes

Tapes 'n Tapes at Rock and Roll Hotel
Tapes n Tapes at Rock and Roll Hotel by dcjasmine

“Is anyone else sweating through their pants?”

Although it might be hard to remember with our current snowpocalypse, Friday’s Tapes ‘n Tapes show at the Rock and Roll Hotel was on an unseasonably warm night, and frontman Josh Grier was feeling the heat. As more and more people packed into the sold-out venue, he wasn’t the only one sweating through his pants (as verified by a show of hands). Continue reading →

Food and Drink, We Love Food
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We Love Food: Dino (II)

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Dino Sinage by Shawn.L on flickr

Last August, Tom and Tiff checked out Dino for Restaurant Week. I was jealous. It sounded delicious, and the menu changes seasonally, so a group of girlfriends and I chose Dino as our big Restaurant Week pick this go-round. We certainly weren’t disappointed. Dino, unlike most other places, was offering their entire menu for RW diners, along with crostini and a complimentary glass of grappa, limincello or muscato. It was a truly thrifty deal, and cheesy tasty to boot! Plus I love it when places embrace Restaurant Week for what it is, and make it worth the diners time by allowing us to try anything we want off the main menu. It enables a place to show off, and I always think it’s admirable when a restaurant  decides it can handle whatever the crowds throw at it.

We sat down at Dino and were immediately impressed- the menu is huge, and the choices can be overwhelming. There’s antipasti, oggi, pasta, formaggi, secondi, and plentiful options for dessert. The menu is rustic Italian featuring the flavors of Venice and Southern Tuscany – we were in for a treat. Continue reading →

24 in DC
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24 in DC: Episode 9&10 (6:00 to 8:00)

Photo courtesy of tiffany bridge
THIS is where the FBI field office is, Jack. Get it right.
courtesy of tiffany bridge

We’re trying something new this week – we’re going to use CoverItLive and have multiple ones of us going at once. Be merciful – we’re used to being able to press SAVE when we feel good about things, now we’re performing live without a net! We’ll be starting at 8 on the dot this time, so watch with us!

Talkin' Transit, The Daily Feed
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Google Maps Traffic Now Covers City Streets!

gtraffic.png

I went to go look at Google Maps to plot a route this afternoon, when I saw something that I’d not noticed before: Google Maps’ Traffic data now covers more than just the usual interstate and highway routes, it also covers some of the center-of-town major thoroughfares that you might be traveling on as you head through town. Dupont Circle, 16th St, Connecticut Ave, Independence and Constitution Ave are among those covered, but it also looks like Suitland Parkway, Route 1, Pennsylvania Ave, Route 7, and others are included in the makeover. How sweet is that?!

The Features, Weekend Flashback
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Weekend Flashback: 2/27 – 3/2/09

Photo courtesy of mindgutter
North by East West, courtesy of mindgutter

No, you read that right – the title of this week’s flashback does include today. Because you know, it’s a surprise three-day weekend for some (Not me. Boo!) and there are already some great Snowpocalypse ’09 photos showing up in our Flickr pool. (Which, if you’ve not submitted any, what are you waiting for?)

The cold caught some of us by surprise, but by and large, didn’t kill anyone’s plans. Lots going on in the city, and you guys were out in force! So here’s an extra-large edition of the Flashback, chronicling the varied tastes of all our awesome area residents and regional visitors.

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Sports Fix, The Features
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Sports Fix: Snow Day Edition

Photo courtesy of
‘Caps Game Face-off’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

Capitals
Record: 40-19-5
Last Two Weeks: 4-3
Place: 3rd in the Eastern Conference, 1st in the Southeast.

Just 18 regular season games remain for the still-strong Caps, it’s looking pretty good for a playoff berth. The Trade Deadline looms large this week, coming Wednesday afternoon at 3pm. Will the Caps wheel and deal, looking for a deadline deal? It’s not clear. They’re doing so well, that the only thing they might look for is someone in the net, but nothing will happen until Tuesday or so. The Caps are close to the salary cap, and are at their player contract limit, so this one may be much ado about nothing.

The Caps are on a three-game homestand this week, facing Carolina, Toronto and Pittsburgh. Look for some big games here from Ovechkin, as he pushes to maintain the league lead in goals. He’s also got some work to do to catch up with Malkin in Pittsburgh for the points lead. Look for some solid hockey.

Wizards
Record: 14-45
Last Two Weeks: 3-3
Place: Last in the Eastern Conference

Friday was a good night for the Wizards. Rebecca was there for the big victory over the Bulls at Verizon on Friday, so if you haven’t yet, read her account from the game. Of course, that’s about all that you can say for the sub .250 Wizards. They’ve got about 20 games left, so it’s not totally done and counted, but it sure looks like a rough ride.

Agent 0, though, is back in practice, starting late last week, so it’s not too early to start thinking about next year. I hope that Gilbert sees that coming back now, too early, would be a pyrrhic victory for a team that doesn’t need more long-term baggage. Stay on the bench and wait until next year, Agent 0, we’ll need you then.

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The Features
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DC Obama-Watch: Verizon Center

courtesy of Keith Allison

courtesy of Keith Allison

At around 10am, the rumors started swirling. President Obama was probably, most likely, could be, was maybe considering, attending the Wizards/Bulls game at the Verizon Center Friday night.  And indeed after all the hubbub, long screening lines and increased security presence, the Commander In Chief showed up just before tip off.
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The Features, We Love Food
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Souper Girl: Defeating the Pizza Guy One Bowl at a Time

Photo courtesy of
‘Day 1 of 365: Comfort and Spice’
courtesy of ‘marciadc’

A while back, we were delighted to discover Soupergirl, who makes soup from local ingredients for your comfort food enjoyment. Today we have a guest review from Friend of We Love DC and Funmonger Lisa King:

With the mercury firmly fixed in the teens, I was especially happy to seeSara Polon, aka SouperGirl, in my office today, dropping off the Sweet Potato Ginger soup and pita chips I’d ordered.

When I got home I duly poured about a third of the bright orange, incredibly thick and creamy soup into a saucepan, stirring it as it bubbled away. As it was heating I tried not to eat all the pita chips and read the ingredients again as I wondered if there’s really no cream in there. (She promises there’s not.) Continue reading →

Entertainment, Music, The Features
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March Concert Preview

Photo courtesy of
‘Estelle :: Paramount Theater :: 01.08.09’
courtesy of ‘Julio Enriquez’

Man, March really snuck up on me! There I was, just getting settled into a dreary February, and then all of the sudden here comes the promise of warmer, springtime weather and sweet, sweet music to accompany it.

Head out to Wolf Trap for The Bird and the Bee (w/ Obi Best) on Wednesday, March 4 ($20) for digital-sounding jams with airy vocals on top. They were recently on Ellen performing “Love Letter to Japan,” which is one of my faves. Continue reading →

Arlington, Fun & Games, People, Special Events, The Features
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Crystal Couture In Review

Workday Wednesday Fashion Show

The Gossip on 23rd Runway Show at Crystal City Couture

On Wednesday, I headed over to Crystal City for dinner with friends and then a stop at the Crystal Couture Work Wear Wednesday event. Housed inside loft-like industrial space, the large room was set up with vendors selling work wear outfits, a runway, a cash bar, and complimentary mini-cupcakes from Red Velvet Cupcakery. Techno music echoed through the space, and the Sex and The City Movie played in the background. It was girlie to the hilt. After reading Don’s review of Tattoo Tuesday, I was expecting tons of photographers, but mostly there were twenty-somethings stopping by after work to shop the wares.

Although Crystal Couture isn’t quite over yet (there are still events happening through the weekend) I was able to chat with Angela Fox, the President/CEO of the Crystal City Business Improvement District, all about what she loved, what went wrong, and what the event meant for Crystal City. Continue reading →

Alexandria, The Features, Tourism
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Tourism: Torpedo Factory

Photo courtesy of
‘Torpedo Factory Artist’s Faces’
courtesy of ‘nicmcc’

Generally, I am delighted by repurposed old buildings, especially when their new use is wildly unrelated to what the builders had in mind (see: The Surratt House, now a Wok and Roll; The Pension Building, now the National Building Museum, etc). My all-time favorite of these is probably The Torpedo Factory Art Center in Old Town Alexandria.

The Torpedo Factory is full of surprises. They first get you with the name: who would expect a building full of artists’ studios and an Archaeology Museum from a factory? Yet this former factory is packed to the brim with creativity and fun things to explore. Continue reading →

Food and Drink, We Love Drinks
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We Love Drinks: Tea at The Mayflower Hotel

Afternoon Tea

"Afternoon Tea" by Jenn Larsen, on Flickr

I’ve done my fair share of tea in this town. Afternoon tea has been a serious obsession of mine since I had the luck of spending several summers in England during college, basically living on tea as a poor student. It’s also a favorite way of my girlfriends to get together. Over the years in Washington I’ve had afternoon tea everywhere – Henley Park Hotel, Four Seasons Hotel (sadly no longer serving), The Jefferson Hotel, etc. Noticing a trend? Afternoon tea here is mainly a hotel thing, with Teaism being the notable exception (or Ching Ching Cha if you want an Asian tea experience). 

With my absolute favorite afternoon tea spot being closed for renovations (that would be the venerable Jefferson, where the scones came out warm and fragrant at the perfect time), I thought I would try The Mayflower Hotel. They serve afternoon tea daily from 3pm-5pm in Cafe Promenade, a soaring orchid and mirror filled room. 

There are many ways to enjoy teatime, and if your tastes run to the gleaming china and sparkling silver variety, The Mayflower delivers on the upscale. If you require attentive and charming service, you’ll definitely find it here. The tea selection itself is quite nice, all served loose in individual pots with lovely silver strainers on the side. The usual suspects are featured such as Earl Grey, darjeeling, and some great greens like sencha or oolong. They even have an enchanting wild blackberry tea that’s a black caffeinated blend, as opposed to the usual herbal tisane. The aroma drove me into a dreamy state, longing for spring…

So where does The Mayflower fall short? Well, frankly, the goodies.  Continue reading →

News, Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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Bye Bye Bowden?

Photo courtesy of
‘Washington Nationals Executive Offices’
courtesy of ‘afagen’

The long nightmare of Jim Bowden may finally be over for Nats fans. Baseball Prospectus is reporting that the Nats are close to firing Bowden, and replacing him with Tony LaCava from Toronto Blue Jays’ front office. Bowden’s currently under FBI investigation for involvement in a bonus-skimming scandal that has been going on since the mid 1990s. Bowden’s right hand for scouting in Latin America, Jose Rijo, is about to be fired for his part in the Esmailyn Gonzalez scandal.

Most interesting in all of this, is that Bud Selig has reportedly issued the Nats an exemption from the “Rooney rule” which would require them to interview at least one minority candidate in the process. While I’m generally for diversity, this seems to be a special exemption due to the fact that our GM could be about to be fired for cause. This close to the start of the season, it would be rather unfortunate to have to spend a lot of time interviewing candidates.

Arlington, We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: Public/Private

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The Arlington Arts Center (AAC) is a private, nonprofit contemporary visual arts center dedicated to presenting and supporting new work by regional artists in the mid-Atlantic States. AAC is located in the Virginia Square area of the Clarendon and Wilson Blvd strip between Clarendon and Ballston. Right now, AAC is home to a few different exhibitions, but the one that got me out of the house last Saturday is the Public/Private exhibit I had been hearing so much buzz about.

The AAC web site describes it best: “PUBLIC/PRIVATE puts together two very different types of content in contemporary art: art about the artist’s immediate surroundings, domestic sphere, and personal relationships; and art that exists out in the world, inviting or requiring the public’s physical participation. Featuring Lisa Blas, Chris Barr & Veronique Cote, Mandy Burrow, Ben Kinsley & Robin Hewlett, Anissa Mack, Christian Moeller, Stephanie Robbins, Richard Saxton, Satomi Shirai, and Matthew Sutton”

The exhibit I most wanted to see was an exhibit titled “Street With A View” about a staged Google maps street view street performance. The artists got together and created interesting things during the time when the street view car would be driving down the street in Pittsburgh. I was fascinated to see all the different things they staged for the car. Continue reading →

Food and Drink, The Features, Thrifty District
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Thrifty District: Dessert On A Dime

photo courtesy of flickr user 3liz4

photo courtesy of flickr user 3liz4

This edition of Thrifty District targets being cost efficient and strategic with food items you already have in your kitchen.

For instance, what about that half loaf of bread that’s a little too dry for a sandwich. You thinking about tossing it out? Perhaps you’ll wait for it to age into crouton territory? Or maybe you can feed it to some birds? Here’s a better idea.  Transform it into an amazing wintry dessert on the cheap and in just a few minutes. Continue reading →

Comedy in DC
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Comedy in DC: Your Late-Winter Blend

Photo courtesy of
‘Stand up 371’
courtesy of ‘YoLoPey’

I know. I’ve used this photo before. But this is Jay Hastings, and he’s being roasted in the DC Improv Comedy Lounge this Friday at 8. I’m not sure what the occasion is, but you should show up and find out. (Also, I need more comedy-related photos. Help a sister out.)

Also this weekend, don’t forget that Maria Bamford will be at the Arlington Drafthouse, and the show will feature Aparna Nancherla and Eli Sairs. Look at all the comedy you could be seeing this weekend! Makes up for that extra day of February we’re not getting…

On March 14th, there’s a nameless local comedy showcase at the Improv Lounge featuring Andy Kline, Jeff Maurer, Seaton Smith, and Jimmy Meritt (whose name seems to be impossible to spell consistently, but I looked it up). I’ve gone on and on about my enthusiasm for Maurer, Smith and Meritt at length here- I’m sure I WOULD go on and on about Andy Kline and Bey Wesley, the host, as well, but I don’t think I’ve been to any of their shows yet. Anyway, only having 4 comics featured means that each one will have a chance to do a longer set, which usually means better jokes with more time to do more involved material, so it’s a better opportunity to see some rising stars. Also, since Jimmy Meritt has been touring quite a bit, there are fewer and fewer chances to see him around DC in particular. So don’t miss this one.  Mark it on your calendars, buy your tickets, and go.  All you’re missing on the Improv main stage that night is Sommore, anyway.

Food and Drink, We Love Food
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We Love Food: Posto

"artwork" by ustreetgirl, on Flickr

"artwork" by ustreetgirl, on Flickr

“A modern Italian place to meet” is Posto‘s motto, and indeed its Logan Circle neighborhood has been eagerly waiting to meet it. The newest venture from executive chef Massimo Fabbri, of downtown’s lauded Tosca, it replaces Viridian next to Studio Theatre and has already escalated in popularity, evident by the full dining room on a freezing Monday night.

It’s a relief to find that Posto has warmed-up the walls of a previously minimal and rather chilly atmosphere from Viridian’s days. The decor might strike some as more Napa than Roma, with columns wrapped in glowing natural wood, but the large light installation murals of grapevines and various Italian scenes like Venice’s Campanile set the scene. Somehow these oversized murals, dancing the line between ironic and tacky, end up being rather joyous. And though many have commented on the decibel level, I found that though it was packed, our table of four could still carry on bantering without much problem.

For my first course I tried the Pesce Spada – swordfish carpaccio with tomatoes, capers and olives. I was surprised to have it come out with a heap of frisee on top (not so much a fan of twiggyness in food), but it matched well with the fish, which was delicate and flavorful. A friend pronounced the Granchio – lump crabmeat with peppers – “very yummy” – but another’s Insalata del Posto – arugula salad with fennel – was deemed “overdressed” (then again, he is a very picky German).

I’d heard pasta was the standout here, made in house by chef de cuisine Matteo Venini, and I was not disappointed. Continue reading →

Featured Photo
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Featured Photo

Skate Face by Mika Altskan

Back in junior high I was a skater for all about, oh, three months.  I begged my dad to buy me a Tommy Guerrero board and proceeded to destroy my mom’s good scissors by cutting grip tape (basically sandpaper) for the deck.  I had all of the gear, all of the clothes, and none of the moves.  I think as soon as I realized I wouldn’t be pulling off an ollie any time soon, I stuck my board in a closet somewhere and went back to riding my bike.  It was definitely money well spent by my dad.

I thought everyone went through the same three month phase, however I’ve recently learned that there are many adults still skating!  I was part of a photography show not long ago at a place called Fight Club here in DC where all of the local skaters go to ride, and it was there that I met my friend who is not only really old, but also one of the best skaters around.  In fact he organized a downhill race on President’s Day last week where guys hauled ass down a section of Beach Drive, much like you see in the photo above.  In some of the more hardcore longboard races around the world the skaters can reach speeds of up to 60-70 miles per hour.  This is not a sport for wussies.

I have no regrets about hanging up my skate when I was a kid, but I really admire people who stuck with it and make it look easy.  Be sure to check out Mika Altskan’s Flickr stream for more great downhill skating shots.  As a 16 year old FotoWeek DC finalist, he’s got a lot of talent.  It’s obvious that he’s not afraid to get right in the action with his Nikon, a skill that separates great photographers from the average ones.