Category Archives: The Features

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

Entertainment, Music, The Features
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Concert: Middle Distance Runner


Middle Distance Runner by dcjasmine

I have a confession to make: I have a crush on Middle Distance Runner. I went to see them a few months back at Iota, and since that time I found myself wondering when I could see them again. Their catchy songs, sweet style, and talented band members make for a winning combination, if I do say so myself. Dear Middle Distance Runner, do you like me back? Please check yes or no.

MDR is a local band that has been around since 1995. They may have started out as an excuse to play Led Zeppelin covers, but since deciding to take themselves seriously, they seem to have really hit the right note. They’ve even had some commercial success with songs in HBO and Harley-Davidson commercials.  Continue reading →

Special Events, The Features, The Mall
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Inaugupocalypse: Staying Warm on the Mall

Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘erin m’

Bringing you the first-hand report of how to keep warm while at Inaugural festivities is friend-of-WLDC Lisa King, local adventurer and accomplished funmonger.

Now that I’m home and warm again after the We Are One concert on the National Mall yesterday, I have a few tips to share with anyone braving other events this week – particularly if you’re planning on watching the Parade or joining the crowd on the Mall to watch the swearing in. 

While it was definitely warmer yesterday than the day before, it was by no means balmy. Here’s what I wore (layers are inside to out):
Continue reading →

Entertainment, Fun & Games, Night Life, The Features
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No Ball? No Problem

Photo courtesy of
‘__ _______ __ __’ courtesy of ‘Sexy Fitsum’

Former WeLoveDC blogger (and currently preparing to make her way here from CA for next week’s festivities) Brittany hooked us up with a BYT event coming up that promises to be one heck of a party…but not a ball.

Brightest Young Things is having their “Inauguration Classic 2k9 Spectacular” on Tuesday evening at the Bohemian Caverns / LIV night club, located at 2001 11th and U St. NW. Party starts at 9:30 a.m. and runs until 4 a.m. That’s right – it starts early and goes all day long, celebrating in true BYT fashion.

They’re promising “Inaugural viewing, food, fun, games, happiness, general merriment and much rejoicing.” At 5 p.m. Tig Notaro from The Sarah Silverman Project kicks off a rocket-ride of live performances, featuring the likes of WALE, the Mathematicians, Fatback DJs, Art of Junk, the Buildings and more. (See their online flier for the full list of performers and specials.)

You have to secure tickets, but the souvenir glitter band gives you in and out access all day / night long, plus bag and coat check. Continue reading →

Interviews, The Features
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He Loves DC: Frank Warren

Frank Warren, creator of PostSecret

Courtesy of www.postsecret.com

PostSecret is a lot of things–a blog, a number of books, and a social experiment. Basically how it works is people from all over the world draw, paint, or cut and paste their secrets on the back of a 4 x 6 postcard and send them to one man: Frank Warren. I was lucky enough to chat with Frank recently about PostSecret, his favorite moment at an event, DC, and more.

Amazingly, his upcoming event isn’t sold out yet, so you can actually see Frank at GWU Friday, January 23! Frank promised that there would be some surprises, plus there’s a book signing afterward. Sweet.  Continue reading →

The Features
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Get Your Party On, AWAY from the Mall

Photo courtesy of
‘drink and make up photo op’
courtesy of ‘hsingy’

Yeah, yeah, we know: Wear warm clothes if you’re going to the Inauguration! But you might get there and be turned away from the parade route! Virginia will be blockaded! Inaugural balls are overrated! And on and on and on.  While we here at We Love DC are pretty tired of typing the word “Inauguration,” we can’t help but be curious about what alternate ways of getting our celebration on might be available to us, if we develop a little cabin fever while avoiding the crowds.  Fortunately, the suggest-a-story form has been working overtime as people have been cluing us in to what’s going on.

Probably the most amusing suggestion I’ve heard thus far is the Biden Brunch at Nage on the 18th and 21st, featuring a Joe Biden impersonator. Please, someone go to this and put photos in our Flickr pool. This must be shared with the world.

But there are lots of other things going on as well: Manifest Hope, an art exhibition happening this weekend to commemorate the grass-roots movement that contributed to the outcome of the election. Art of Change, held at Warehouse.  And, if you want to view the Inauguration but you want some shameless marketing to combat all the talk of “change” and “hope,” Best Buy is hosting an Inaugural viewing at Constitution Hall, where they will also have cell phone chargers and Best Buy employees available for assistance with your electronics. I swear I am not making this up.

Downtown, Food and Drink, We Love Drinks
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We Love Drinks: Round Robin

Round Robin Bar

"Round Robin Bar" by Jenn Larsen, on Flickr

Let’s say you need to get drinks with colleagues after work, or have incoming relatives or friends who aren’t particularly interested in the “real” Washington but rather want the “politico” version (and this last problem may be really relevant in a few days). I don’t think you can go wrong in those instances with the Willard Hotel’s Round Robin bar.

Even if you don’t actually see a Washington “insider,” the traditional dark wood and green walls fairly ooze influence. Beaten down leather banquettes, little pub tables, and that famous round bar in the center – all in a small nook off the side of the Willard’s opulent lobby. You even get a bowl of nuts to snack on, gratis.  

I know! – it’s like that soft cashmere sweater you reach for to make you feel cosy and cared for – it may have some unsightly moth holes, and you wouldn’t wear it out on a hot date, but you still snuggle up with it sometimes.
Continue reading →

Entertainment, The Features
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Red vs. Black: Ice Rivals

Photo courtesy of Teka England
Penguin!, courtesy of Teka England

Okay, in case you’re unaware, there’s a war scheduled for tonight at 7:30 pm. It’s set to rumble off up in Pittsburgh’s venerable Mellon Arena (hereafter called by its proper name, the Igloo) and features an interstate rivalry that dates back to at least the early nineties, depending on who you talk to.

Yes, I’m talking about tonight’s NHL hockey match-up, the Washington Capitals vs the Pittsburgh Penguins.

I bring it up because honestly, it’s a must-watch event in our household. More than American Idol and Top Chef – though the game should be over before Top Chef comes on – and usually warrants the phone being off the hook and ignoring any knocking at the door. (Though I dislike being forced to watch Comcast’s coverage due to Center Ice blackout restrictions – I cannot stand Craig Laughlin’s commentary. At all.) Continue reading →

Comedy in DC
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Comedy in DC: Back with a Vengeance

Sideshow playbill designed by Asa Boy, Homegrown Comedy poster courtesy Jay Hastings

Sideshow playbill designed by Asa Boy, Homegrown Comedy poster courtesy Jay Hastings

My friends, our long local nightmare of not enough local comedy is over. It’s January, the holidays are over, and local comedy has reclaimed its rightful place in the back rooms, the lounges, and the bars of DC (except for Top Shelf. Solly’s gave their room slot away without even TELLING them. Dubya Tee Eff). As a result, I have not one but two comedy shows to tell you about this week.
Continue reading →

Entertainment, Music, The Features
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Concert: Tiger City/Bear Hands/Statehood

Bear Hands by faithdesired  Bear Hands by faithdesired 

I would not normally list the two opener bands when reviewing a concert, but Saturday’s show at the Rock and Roll Hotel was no normal concert. The woman at the box office was keeping track of how many people were there to see each band, and at the end of the night all three were neck and neck. For good reason.

First up was Brooklyn band Tiger City. To be honest, my friend and I were more than a little skeptical about these guys. They came on stage dressed like some ragtag team of time travelers, with frontman Bill Gillim rocking a very bohemian shirt and a massive (though tidy) beard. But once they started playing, it became an entirely different story. Continue reading →

Featured Photo
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Featured Photo

New Years Resolution by Pete…E

2008 has come and gone, bringing us a brand new year to start afresh.  Many of us make resolutions, like joining a gym, traveling more, and the ever popular “quitting smoking”.  Others refuse to partake in such foolish things because they know they don’t have the will power to follow through.  I myself don’t see any reason to make life changes on a particular day since there are 364 other days that will work just as well.

When I first started shooting, my passion was in macro photography.  I love seeing intricate details in things, whether it be a flower or a cigarette, that you may have never noticed.  The pack of smokes above actually looks beautiful in a way, an army of cigarettes packed tightly into a crisp, mass produced box.  The sepia treatment adds a little bit of sex to the shot, but don’t be tempted – you’re quitting remember?

If you’d like to try your hand at macro photography you’ll likely want to buy a macro lens (if I could marry my 180mm I would), a tripod, and a shutter release cable to keep the movement of your camera to a minimum.  Also, experiment with different apertures to put more or less of your subject in focus.  And as always, make sure to post your results in our Flickr pool.

24 in DC, Entertainment, The Features, WTF?!
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24 in DC: Episode Two (10:00 – 12:00)

JackBauer2.jpg
Jack Bauer II by browserd

When last we left our intrepid hero, he had found the mysterious gang of quasi-Juman terrorists lead by Tony Almeida somewhere along the DC waterfront. The terrorists were in possession of some magical device that lets them into the Air Traffic Control systems, but they handed that off to The Big Bad Guy, who’s leaving threatening messages on the State Department’s Voicemail like an intern who’s had a bit too much Busch Light on a weeknight.

Sorry for the late start everyone, Happy Hour at Science Club ran long.

10:06am

We begin tonight’s episode in the White House, where President Taylor is dealing with the consequences of the compromised firewall. She’s hoping that the FBI will quickly break Almeida, which means it’s off to the FBI Bureau again. Which has a helipad. In DC? Really guys? I don’t think so. Again with the skyscrapers in the distance here. 12 stories and a penthouse is the rule in DC. No one breaks it, not even the Feds.

And suddenly there’s an open air parking garage adjacent to the helipad in DC? Yikes. Not so much, guys. Not so much. We’re going to take this out on Tony Almeida, I can just tell.

Continue reading →

The DC 100
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DC Omnivore 100: #62, Sweetbreads

 

Vidalia's coddled duck egg with crispy sweetbreads, by Kitchen Wench on Flickr

Vidalia's coddled duck egg with crispy sweetbreads, by Kitchen Wench on Flickr

Our continuing quest to try all 100 foods a DC Omnivore must experience checks out sweetbreads.

There are a few items on the Omnivore 100 list that will elicit a very strong reaction. Sweetbreads certainly has to be one of them. I think there’s no middle ground here, as with, say, sea urchin, you either love it or you hate it.

To the uninitiated, sweetbreads are classified as offal, and are the thymus gland of veal, beef, lamb, or pork. Most of the sweetbreads I’ve been served are veal or lamb, and indeed according to the venerable Fannie Farmer, only veal sweetbreads should rightly be considered (and in the 1918 edition, actually recommended for the “convalescent,” so as I’m sitting here wasting away from flu, a plate of sweetbreads is sounding pretty delicious…). 

It’s hard to adequately describe the taste, but I’ll give it a whirl – properly prepared, veal sweetbreads are slightly firm giving way to a creamy, almost gelatinous succulence. Velvety also comes to mind. I’ve found veal has a more delicate flavor than lamb. 

My very first experience with sweetbreads was about two years ago at PS7… Continue reading →

24 in DC, Entertainment, The Features, WTF?!
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24 in DC: Episode One (8:00 to 10:00)

JackBauer.jpg
24:00:00 by TCM Hitchhiker

With the return of everyone’s favorite vigilante/law-enforcer Jack Bauer, and the show’s move from Los Angeles to here in DC, I thought it might be a good time to track 24’s progress through our streets and see how we fare. This’ll be a live-blog tonight, and if it works well, we’ll bring it back next week.

8:00am.

Cellphone in the driver’s compartment? That’s a ticketing. Good thing he got plowed by a nearby truck. Continue reading →

Talkin' Transit, The Features
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Interview: Mariana Gerzanych, EnviroRide.net

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We Love DC did a Twitter Interview with Mariana Gerzanych of EnviroRide.net on Tuesday and Wednesday, talking about the EnviroRide and the rise of the hybrid cab in DC. We figured in homage to her new effort to dispatch cabs via Twitter, instead of just via phone or web, we’d do the whole interview in 140 character bytes.

wldc.png welovedc: Where did the idea for @taxinow come from?

marina.jpg taxinow: It came from a need to simplify things. I’m in transportation & i think about it all the time. To be different i need to provide value.

wldc.pngwelovedc: Have you had any takers on a taxi arranged via Twitter?

marina.jpg taxinow: Corbett3000 just tried it.

Continue reading →

Featured Photo, Fun & Games, The Features
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We Love Winners! 2008 Holiday Contest Results

Photo courtesy of william couch
A Charlie Brown Holiday, courtesy of william couch

Set your eyes upon this great photo by Flickr user william couch, for this is the winner of the WeLoveDC 2008 Holiday Photo Contest! Congratulations, William! It was a close vote between this rendition of a Charlie Brown Christmas and our runner-up, below.

William wins a $50 certificate to Overwood and has chosen the Nationals ticket package in the “Presidential Club,” complete with parking pass.

And our runner-up… Continue reading →

Monumental, The Features, The Hill
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Monumental: James Abram Garfield

James A Garfield and the Capitol

You know how you have a favorite president growing up? Like, you get assigned the guy, knowing he’s not one of the big five, but he turns out to be interesting in his own right? Meet mine, James Abram Garfield. I think it was in Mrs. Franti’s third-grade class that we all had to do mini-reports, and I drew James A. Garfield from the hat.

I was totally bummed, but it worked out pretty well in the end. He wasn’t Thomas Jefferson, or Ulysses S. Grant, or even Richard Nixon. Who was this guy?!

James A. Garfield was a general in the Union Army in the Civil War, hailing from just outside of Cleveland, Ohio. He would, during and after the conclusion of the Civil War, serve as the Congressman from Ohio’s 19th District. On the 36th ballot, in 1880, he became the Republican Nominee for President of the United States. The internecine rivalry between the “Half-Breeds” and the “Stalwarts” lead to a controversial convention. The Half-Breeds, hoping to rid the Government of the patronage system that had developed, were pulling for Senator James Blaine, while the Stalwarts were pushing former President Ulysses S. Grant. Garfield would be the compromise candidate, and his Vice President was Chester A. Arthur, a Stalwart. Continue reading →

Entertainment, Penn Quarter, The Features, We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: How Theater Failed America

How Theater Failed America

“You should not have come.”

That’s how Mike Daisey opens his monologue at Woolly Mammoth, acknowledging that this is going to be a different kind of show. He’s very wrong, mind you: this show has a self-selecting audience that is sure to be glad they came. The show’s title assures that. Anyone who reads “How Theater Failed America” on a program schedule and thinks “that’s something I want to see!” is pretty certain to enjoy it, since anyone who isn’t predisposed to be interested in a critical examination of the business of modern theater isn’t going to be jazzed by a moniker that holds up a metaphorical axe and grindstone.

That’s really too bad, since this is a show that anyone can take something away from. (Well, presuming they’re not afraid of the word “fuck,” which Daisey uses pretty liberally.) Daisey intertwines examination, analysis, personal anecdote and touching revelation to create something worth hearing even if you couldn’t care less about what ends up on local or national stages. Continue reading →

Entertainment, Fun & Games, Penn Quarter, Sports Fix, The Features
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Caps Extra: Halfway There

Photo courtesy of clydeorama
Boudreau and Capitals at Bench, courtesy of clydeorama

I recently had the pleasure of chatting about hockey with John Buccigross, ESPNEWS Anchor and SportsCenter host – and the former primary host of NHL 2Night when ESPN covered NHL games. Bucci’s (as many call him) columns on hockey on the ESPN website are often insightful, humorous and engaging. Just don’t call him ESPN’s “hockey guy.”

Since the Washington Capitals have hit the halfway point, I wanted to give a mid-season review, so why not Bucci?

Sum up the Caps season so far. At or above expectations?

[Bucci] Right about where I thought they would be. Maybe a little better. They are certainly among the NHL elite. Time will tell if they can win low scoring playoff games and if they have enough playoff defense and goaltending when they play a good team every night for two months.

Areas of improvement?

[Bucci] Team defense, blueline, a goaltender to trust to win for two months, and keeping their goals against lower.

Goaltending. Can they be successful with just Johnson and Theodore (and some solid minor-league backups), or is this where McPhee needs to pull a trade-trigger?

[Bucci] This where GM’s earn their money. They get paid to make tough decisions. They have to make a determination if they have the goaltending to win the Cup. I would think they don’t because they are not a great defensive team. But, if they can improve in that area and they keep scoring goals, they might have enough. Continue reading →

Essential DC, The Features
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Thrifty District: New Year’s Resolution Edition

biker on mt. vernon trail

We’re into the depths of New Year’s resolution season and one of the most typical resolutions of the season is losing weight. And since our economy is in the crapper (oh you didn’t know?) I figured I could pair our continuing series, Thrifty District with everyone’s favorite New Year’s resolution and give you some tips on how to lose weight in 2009, while still maintaining a budget. I’ve got some cheaper alternatives to the gym (and great places to get gym time for free!), cheap yet healthy foods to eat recommended by nutritionist Danielle Omar, and some great places to find healthy recipes online (you know, so you don’t have to spend money on cookbooks!). Continue reading →