Category Archives: The Features

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

We Love Arts
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We Love Theatre: Second Line at the Atlas

Second LineMy Lovely Wife and I went to see Second Line, by Seret Scott, at the Atlas Performing Arts Center last week. What a great show. From the show’s website:

Spanning a 20-year period of tumultuous social change, Seret Scott’s Second Line is the story of two black college students whose lives are shaped by the stormy events of the 1960s and ’70s. Bennie and JoJo are in love, but their commitment is tested by the upheaval of the civil rights movement and Vietnam.

The story chronicles a 20-year love that was certainly tested by time, as the description says, but moreso by conflict. Outwardly by the ones listed above, but more deeply by interpersonal dynamics and differing opinions on their roles in society. Was it more important to be active in achieving change in society or was it more important to keep your head down and rise from within? Is there a greater obligation to oneself or to society? How should one go about satisfying that obligation?

Continue reading →

Downtown, Life in the Capital, Talkin' Transit, WMATA
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Talkin’ Transit: Hikes and Bikes

Photo courtesy of M.V. Jantzen
Biking on Steps, courtesy of M.V. Jantzen

Lots of odds and ends for this rundown. We’ve got VRE hikes, DC bike angst, and more Metro news than you can shake a SmarTrip card at.

VRE: Looks like after some review, the VRE will not be raising fares by 15 percent in January, but only a “modest” 7 percent. Which, I’m sure for VRE households like mine is a lot easier to swallow. But it’s also more likely that we’ll see another fare hike again in July of next year. The original plan was a 10 percent bump for July along with the January spike; VRE didn’t say anything about the summer hike but with the lower rate boost in January it only makes it more likely the July hit will remain the same. Unless fuel prices drop dramatically, that is.

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Business and Money, Talkin' Transit, The Daily Feed, WMATA
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Who’s selling Metro ads?

Photo courtesy of frozenchipmunk

foggy-metro, courtesy of frozenchipmunk

Maybe the better question should be, who’s not selling any metro ads?

For the umpteenth time today my westbound train on the orange line took me past the Dunn Loring stop and an ad for Hancock, opening July 2nd. What was a movie ad that was far past its expiration date has now aged so much that it just needs a small sticker to turn it into an early DVD release promotion.

Aside from the trauma caused by an early-morning exposure to an unshaven Will Smith in a grubby hat and bug-eye sunglasses, I am bothered by this question: there’s really not someone else willing to pay a few bucks for this spot? I suppose it’s possible the studio – in a fit of optimism – bought the space for a full 3 months past the movie’s release date, but it seems unlikely to me.

WMATA’s ads are sold primarily by CBS Outdoor, though a special marketing company handles the in-tunnel ads. The take from advertising across the system is what most of us would consider a pretty notable sum – $33,000,000 in 2007. However that comprises only 2% of WMATA’s total revenues, compared to passenger revenue of 36% and subsidies of 39%.

The question is, I think – could it be higher? I’d try to get some more information on WMATA’s advertising arrangements and dig a little to see if they’re really maximizing their return but it seems they’re unlikely to accomidate me.

Downtown, History, Interviews, Special Events, We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: “Breaking News”

Courtesy of the Folger Shakespeare Library

A true and exact relation of the late prodigious earthquake & eruption of Mount Ætna. London, 1669

The Folger Shakespeare Library recently opened their newest exhibit Breaking News: Renaissance Journalism and the Birth of the Newspaper on September 25. The exhibit runs through January 31, 2009 and is free to the public. I recently had a delightful Q&A session with Jason Peacey, one of the exhibit’s curators and a Lecturer in History at University College London, and Amy Arden at the Folger here in DC.

Give us an idea what a visitor to the Folger’s latest exhibit should expect.

Breaking News follows the story of the newspaper from England to America. Visitors will see many things that they recognize, from the kinds of topics covered – politics, natural disasters, extreme religious sects, crime – to the actual format of newspapers from this period with headlines, columns, and serialized issues. One thing that may surprise people is how much of a role wartime reporting played in launching the newspaper; during the 1640s civil war raged in England between the supporters of the king (known as Royalists) and the supporters of Oliver Cromwell and Parliament (the Parliamentarians). Both sides produced their own accounts of the conflict and printed newspapers in an attempt to sway public opinion in their favor. It was a ripe time to be a journalist!

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Sports Fix
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Sports Fix: A Rough Weekend

RedskinsCheerleaders.jpg
Redskins Cheerleaders by culhane

The end of the Redskins game yesterday was abysmal. Check that. The whole game yesterday was abysmal, but the end defies description. The hapless 0-4 Rams came to Washington and ended up the 1-4 Rams. That’s right, the Redskins couldn’t even beat one of the worst teams in the NFL (sorry Chris) and embarrassed themselves at Fedex in front of 90,000. And they ousted me from my suicide pool, as well. So, I’ll be carrying a grudge.

The turnovers and special teams were big gaping holes in the effectiveness of the Redskins offense. 3 fumbles, abysmal punt and kick returns, and a secondary that gave up the big play with under two minutes to go. The big play in question was a 43-yard pass on 3rd and 13, and that setup the field-goal-as-time-ran-out cliché that was dominate in the NFL this week.

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The Daily Feed, Travel
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DCA Cell Phone Waiting Area

washington dc by wayan
Photo by Wayan

If you are picking up a loved one at National Airport, say a hot pregnant wife for example, you will be sent on a circuitous route to the Cell Phone Waiting Area. An annoying drive yes, but not the stupid distant cell phone lot at IAD that is closer to Leesburg than the airport.

The DCA parking lot is packed with occupied yet idle cars on a Sunday night, reminding me of a red light district or gay cruising zone. We all stay in our vehicles till we get the private notice that its time to move on.

And I now have mine. Time to roll…

Adventures, Essential DC, Interviews, People
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Tourists Love DC: Ryan from Seattle

Photo courtesy of Ryan
National Air and Space Museum, courtesy of Ryan

Tell us a little about you.

Right now, I live in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle and spend my days working in aerospace procurement. My nights and weekends are spent attending live shows and being outside trying to enjoy any good weather Seattle has to offer.

Why did you choose to visit DC?

Simple: I’d never been to DC before. I’m 32 years old and while DC has been in the forefront of my mind because of its historical importance and the constant references to it on the news and in pop culture, I didn’t have a real sense of what it was like. In many ways, it’s America’s most important city and I really wanted to experience it.

Was this your first visit to the area?

Yep.

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Getaways, The Great Outdoors
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Tourism: Fall Apple Picking at Carter Mountain Orchard

red delicious macro

Fall, while not my favorite season, (fall does end in winter – you all know that, right?) does have some merits. Halloween, Thanksgiving, my birthday, and apples. Yummy, delicious apples. And where better to get crispy, fresh apples, but right from the source? So on a recent trip to Charlottesville, we headed to Carter Mountain Orchard to see what we could get.

High atop a mountain overlooking Charlottesville, Carter Mountain Orchard is apple heaven. As of today, you can expect to pick Stayman and Granny Smith, which began on October 4th and fresh Fuji, Braeburn, York, and Winesap which begin this weekend. When we went, Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, and Jonagold were in season. Continue reading →

Entertainment, Food and Drink, Special Events, We Love Drinks
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We Love Drinks: O’Shucks

Mead

O’Shucks is a quaint little tavern at the corner of Valley Meade and Meadow Lane, your go-to place for a fall respite, for drinking al fresco under the dappled sun, not too expensive, but certainly tending towards crowded when the weather is nice, attracting a diverse clientele ranging anywhere from families to minstrels, where all sorts of miscreants gather for libations before heading off to jousting and ogling blacksmiths and elephant rides and…

Wait a minute. Not only is that the longest run-on sentence I’ve yet to produce, it’s also not really about a DC neighborhood bar, is it? Yes indeed, it’s We Love Drinks Goes to the Maryland Renaissance Festival! Continue reading →

Comedy in DC, Entertainment
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Comedy in DC: Homegrown Comedy

 

Homegrown Comedy

After all of our CSA adventures this year, I guess you could consider me someone who prefers homegrown stuff.  Green beans I picked myself at the farm. Herbs from Tom’s garden in our backyard. Socks from local sheep.  

So I’m excited to tell you about Homegrown Comedy, a new monthly showcase in the DC Improv Lounge that debuts this week. It will feature 7 local comics, doing 8 minute sets. That’s FIFTY-SIX MINUTES OF LOCAL COMEDY! Plus the host’s set! For only $10! Clearly, this is a fine comedy bargain.  

This week, the show is hosted by Hampton Yount, and features Eli Sairs, Will Hessler, Tyler Richardson, Jake Young, Nora Nolan, Adrian Rodney, and Tyler Sonnichsen.  You may recognize Eli, Hampton, and the show’s producer, Jay Hastings, from our She-Ha Comment Brawl. (All of whom think Aparna is quite funny, thank you very much.) Hampton and Jake have also appeared on XMRadio, during re-broadcasts of the 2007 DC Improv competition finals. 

Having been to several shows Jay has produced or co-produced, I will tell you that this will be one to watch- Jay has high standards, and always seems to put together a good group. You’d better get your tickets now– the Lounge only seats 60 and fills up quickly, especially on a Friday night when there’s overflow from the Improv’s mainstage show. 

Your comedy, like your food, should be fresh and local.

Travel
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We Love to Travel – But Our Luggage Didn’t Make It

Luggage Pile, courtesy of Sundazed/Creative Commons 2.0 It’s no secret that our luggage doesn’t always agree with our travel plans.  I realized this when I considered how many times my luggage has decided to go somewhere else, misses the flight, or just returns home.  It would seem that my luggage has it’s own travel plans on a regular basis. If you travel by air, and everyone does sooner or later, it’s important to realize that there are ways to keep your luggage with you.  It’s pretty simple to do, and it can save you a lot of suffering when you get to your destination. This week, I’ll talk about domestic travel and ways to keep things under control.  Next post I’ll get in to international travel, which makes domestic travel look like a cake walk. Continue reading →

Essential DC, Featured Photo
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Featured Photo

The Pillars @ The National Arboretum by citron_smurf.

When I traveled to Rome a few years ago, I was awestruck by the ancient ruins that are scattered throughout the modern city.  “Oh look, there’s a quaint little restaurant, a place to rent scooters, aaaand some excavated pillars that date back to several hundred years before Christ?”  Neato.

You don’t see that much, if at all, here in the United States.  It’s more like, “Oh look, there’s a California Pizza Kitchen, a Starbucks, aaaand a big hole in the ground where an office building from the 1970’s used to be.”  Lame.

Continue reading →

Food and Drink, The DC 100
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DC Omnivore 100: #77, Hostess Fruit Pies

Fruit Pies

Welcome to yet another review of the 100 foods an omnivore in DC should partake of. Read the full list.

Hostess fruit pies? Now, Hostess cupcakes, yes. Twinkies, certainly. But fruit pies, you say? I’d never heard of such a thing. Of course, this is not surprising, because I grew up in a household full of whole grains, fresh fruits, low-fat, and no sugar. I ate cheerios and grape nuts while the rest of you folks chowed down on coco puffs and fruit loops. In fact, my first birthday cake was not a cake at all, it was a rice cake with peanut butter, no lie. (My parents had cake, traitors.) (Hi, Mom and Dad!) So when I looked at the Omnivores 100 list, made my picks and saw Hostess Fruit Pies, I thought, “well, there’s a way to make up for lost time.”
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Monumental
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Monumental: The Pentagon 9/11 Memorial

Photo courtesy of Me

Pentagon 911 Memorial

You don’t need me to tell you about the history of this memorial. If you’re old enough to read this then you have some memories of the day that necessitated it. I don’t know that this town has ever put up a site paying homage to lives lost so recently; the opening ceremony was just last month, 7 years to the day after American Airlines flight 77 slammed into the side of the Pentagon. The same side where this park sits.

Nothing unusual about that; a short drive out into Virginia on 66 will take you to locations where pivotal battles in our history occurred. What is unusual is that at the Pentagon, business goes on just as it did on September 10th, 2001. Except now the world’s largest office building – where picture taking is banned even in the parking lot – now has a tourist attraction on its grounds.

Going there, you get the clear feeling that they’re not sure how to deal with that fact. Continue reading →

Essential DC, Talkin' Transit, WMATA
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Talkin’ Transit: Transfer Pains

Photo courtesy of Mr. T in DC
Metro SmarTrip Card, courtesy of Mr. T in DC

Metro has announced they are moving forward with their plans to eliminate the free paper-to-bus transfers, as well as the discounted rail-to-bus transfers, beginning on January 4 of next year. Discounts aren’t going away, however – you just have to have a SmarTrip card to get it.

There’s a lot of flak hitting Metro for the decision, however. Riders groups in the area have mentioned a few concerns, namely that of time and money.

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed, We Love Arts
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City Oasis: The Portico Cafe at the National Portrait Gallery

national portrait gallery porch

Aren’t fall afternoons lovely? I spent a relaxing afternoon meandering Penn Quarter/Chinatown recently, and my boyfriend and I wound up in the National Portrait Gallery. After visiting the Ansel Adams and Georgia O’Keefe exhibit we wandered upstairs.

Needing a break, we stumbled upon the Portico Cafe on the second floor. The Portico Cafe is a second-floor oasis overlooking F street and the International Spy Museum. Sunny, warm and surrounded those ever-so-cliche DC columns, it’s the perfect place to take a breather and watch the city go by.

iron at the national portrait gallery porch

Visit the National Portrait Gallery (free) at 8th & F Sts NW, close to the Chinatown Metro Station and Metro Center Metro station. The Gallery is open from 11:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Photos taken by Flickr user needlessspaces.

Entertainment, The Hill, We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: Romeo & Juliet, Redux

Taffety Punk's Romeo & Juliet, photo by Teresa Castracane

Rahaleh Nassri (Romeo) and Kelsey Grouge (Juliet), photo by Teresa Castracane

Taffety Punk Theatre Company sure has guts. The marketing for their all-female “answer” to Shakespeare Theatre Company’s all-male production of Romeo & Juliet had me instantly intrigued: “An hour shorter, a fraction of the cost, and 100% more women. We will totally crush them!” Really, with that kind of chutzpah shown by director Lise Bruneau, how could I not go? And only $10 bucks!

I wasn’t disappointed.

This is a very stripped down production that manages within limited budget and extremely tight space constraints to hit most of the passion points of the play. It’s like watching “The Outsiders” do Shakespeare, using very contemporary speech patterns and body language that help to freshly illuminate the text.

Two outstanding performances in this vein are Rahaleh Nassri as Romeo and Kimberly Gilbert as Mercutio. I swear every time Nassri came on, I thought I heard Death Cab for Cutie’s “I Will Possess Your Heart” – so perfectly did she embody that particular style of hipster boy the girls have a crush on. Oh, he may start out as a bit of a player, but once he’s hooked he’s yours forever. It’s a brilliant bit of naturalistic acting and she’s completely believable as a lovestruck teen. Continue reading →

Downtown, Essential DC, Penn Quarter, Sports Fix
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Sports Extra: Capital Preview

Photo courtesy of clydeorama
Four Caps, No Waiting For Love, courtesy of clydeorama

Thank goodness, it’s almost Hockeytime.

No, seriously. I get the Redskins, people. Really. But I’m not a football fan. It’s all about sticks, pucks and skates – and the cool Zamboni ‘race’ between periods.

Hockey. Where the men have more gaps in their teeth than West Virginians. (I kid! Ok, not completely.)

And yes, Ovechkin, I’m lookin’ at you. Continue reading →

Featured Photo, The Daily Feed
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The star is aligned for you

Photo courtesy of mosley.brian

Washington Monument – West View – 7-15-08, courtesy of mosley.brian

Shooter Brian, talking about the photo above, proves himself to be his own worst critic when he says “This could have turned out better, but that setting sun was really strong. ” I think it’s a great shot, but if one of the things he’d like to change about the photo is the alignment of the sun along the reflecting pool, this is the time to do it. Capitol Weather points out that during the weeks surrounding the equinoxes (ie, now) the eastern sun is aligned with the reflecting pool.

So if you or Brian want to get out and get some shots on the Mall from the Lincoln, you could line the sun up nicely with the Washington Momument. Or Brian could re-create his shot with a morning over the Capital building, though they don’t open till 9am.

added for clarity – it’s the Washington Monument, from which the above photo was shot, that doesn’t open till 9am. Whether or not the Capital is being used is a slightly less consistent schedule…

Sports Fix
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Sports Fix: Hail to the Victors!

2877666816_a18c0c4eb7.jpg
Crazed Fan by Leediehr

26-24. Sorry, Cowboys, no 4 & 0 for you. The Redskins looked quite good in Dallas today, with Jason Campbell starting to look like the Quarterback that the Redskins had hoped he’d become. Two TDs and 230 yards, all without a single pick. Clinton Portis came up big with 121 yards over 21 carries. It was the kind of victory that kept the TV on and the fans cheering right down to the last play. Fortunately, Shaun Suisham’s leg was up to the task, with four Field Goals and a pair of extra points.

Great day for Jim Zorn, and for the Skins as a whole, with the last Redskins Regular Season Game in Texas Stadium coming up a big victory for us. But that’s not all the sporting news…

Continue reading →