Category Archives: The Features

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

Featured Photo, Life in the Capital, The District
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FotoWeek DC: Deadline Is Near!

Attention all photographers!  If you haven’t entered your photos in the FotoWeek DC Photography Competition, you’re running out of time.  The deadline for submissions is next Monday, September 22nd but you can submit your photos until September 29th for an additional fee (no one likes additional fees).

For those of you out of the loop, FotoWeek DC is a brand new photography showcase event for professionals, ameteurs, and students alike.  And now even the little (K-12) kiddies can participate!  For more about this event, allow me to quote from their website:

The week of November 15-22, 2008 will mark the launch of FotoWeek DC, the first annual gathering of a diverse and wide-ranging photography community in the nation’s capital, including photographers, museums, universities and all those involved in the profession across the metro D.C. area, including Virginia and Maryland. Unique among American cities, Washington, D.C. is a nexus of artistic, business, political and public sector energy, in which photography plays an integral role. FotoWeek DC seeks to bring together all photographers and imaging professionals from every discipline to join with the public in celebration of the medium.

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Talkin' Transit
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A District Parking Ticket PSA

Someone is going to have a very bad week if they don't pay up soon

Someone is going to have a very bad week if they don't pay up soon

Do you live in Maryland and own a Mazda 4-door with the license plate number 6EDM72? Might you have parked it on the west side of the 1200 block of Potomac Street NW on Thursday, September 11th? Then the DC parking police say you overstayed your welcome on a residential street.

They recorded the car there at 3:48pm and at 6:31pm, issuing you a $30 ticket for being parked for more than two hours on a zone parking street. Oddly, you may not know of this infraction and fine as I found your parking ticket floating through Rock Creek Park yesterday.

I suggest that you either fight the ticket (good luck!) or use the handy Online Ticket Payment system to settle with the District for the $30. But you better be quick.

No matter if the ticket escaped before you noticed it, the fine will double in 30 days if you do not respond, and after 60 days you could get the boot.

Food and Drink, Getaways, The Daily Feed
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Quattro Goombas Winery

Wine Bottles IMGP0221

My father was in town this past weekend so we took him on a short tour of the Virginia wine country in Aldie and Middleburg. Actually, we visited one winery and drove by two or three others along the way.

Quattro Goombas Winery is on Rt. 15 about a mile north of Rt. 50 in Aldie, VA. I have visited quite a number of wineries in my time and can tell you that I had an experience there that I have only had one other time. I liked every single wine I tasted. Often these things are hit and miss but this tasting hit like a Slant Six, each wine delicious, with its own characteristics and each one smooth.

If you have an afternoon free, go see these folks. It’s only an hour west of DC and you are sure to enjoy it. They will treat you right and at the end of the tasting you will feel like an honorary goomba yourself.

Food and Drink, Night Life, We Love Food
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We Love Food: Sticky Rice

"Sticky Balls" at Sticky Rice

Sticky Rice is a lot like its brazenly named signature dish, “Sticky Balls” – a chaotic gooey crunchy glorious mess.

This isn’t some temple of sushi where a plate of trembling tempura is placed in front of you with a reverential hush like it’s the freaking Holy Grail. You want that, go to Sushi Ko. You want pristine sashimi prepared by traditional chefs, go to Sushi Taro. You want beautiful experiments and the occasional fugu dinner, go to Kaz.

What you will get at Sticky Rice is irreverent cuisine, a florid interior reminiscent of a tattoo parlor’s secret bordello, and a crazy atmosphere like some art students’ late night party. And resign yourself to waiting on a busy weekend… this isn’t the place to hit with a hard time deadline.

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Sports Fix
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Sports Fix: Redskins 1-1, United in Contention, Nationals Vying for Last.

almostthere.jpg
Almost There by littlerottenrobin

1-1! The Redskins played from behind most of Sunday’s game against the Saints, but came up big in the fourth quarter. A 67-yard TD to Santana Moss, despite a major defensive lapse, provided the winning score for the Skins. Jason Campbell finally looked like the prospect we’ve been told he is, with 321 yards and that perfect TD to Santana Moss.

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Food and Drink, Night Life, We Love Drinks
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We Love Drinks: Bar Pilar

at bar pilar, by gingher on Flickr
at bar pilar, by gingher on Flickr

Most everyone has a “go-to” bar, that reliable spot to meet up when you’re just at a loss for new suggestions. It’s convivial, relaxing, and if you’re really lucky, within tripping distance of your abode. Bar Pilar fits this description for me.

It certainly doesn’t hurt that it boasts a truly beautiful old-fashioned bar, retro murals and decor in a sort of New Orleans-on-the-Med vibe, with candles giving off a golden glow, making almost everyone look good. It’s slowly but steadily become one of my favorite bars to hang out in DC.

Usually a low-key spot, Pilar mostly avoids the excess popularity that can plague nearby hotspots like Saint Ex, Marvin or Cork. Perhaps that’s because of its intimate size, attracting people in twos and threes as opposed to packs. There’s a varied selection of wine, beer, and cocktails, not to mention a kicking food menu, encouraging a chill/graze mentality as opposed to a frontloading meat market. But as this is our drinks feature, I’ll just focus on two of their cocktails off the “classics” menu, and leave the food for a later date.

Though I’ve never been much of a gin drinker, I just had to order the Bee’s Knees – considering my goofy tendency to use archaic expressions like “the cat’s pajamas” and “johnny-on-the-spot”. Made with plymouth gin, lemon juice, and honey syrup served straight up with lemon zest, it was like drinking the last of summerlight in a glass. Or maybe I was just high off the gin fumes. Continue reading →

Essential DC, Featured Photo, History, Life in the Capital, The District
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Richard Avedon: Portraits of Power

The Generals of the Daughters of the American Revolution, DAR Convention,
Mayflower Hotel, Washington, D.C., October 15, 1963,
© 2008 The Richard Avedon Foundation

There really isn’t a just way to describe how incredible and important Richard Avedon’s photographs are, at least in words that haven’t already been written or spoken.  He’s been called “America’s pre-eminent editorial portrait and fashion photographer” which is accurate, but he, like all master photographers, is also a great historian.  Richard Avedon: Portraits of Power, a new exhibit set to open this Saturday at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, has brought together more than 200 of his photos that cover over 50 years of his career and of American history, some of them having never been on exhibit or published.

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Business and Money, Special Events, Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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DC Adds EagleBank Bowl

RFK Panorama 2
RFK Panorama by busybee

DC will have the honor of the first College Football Bowl Game of the year on December 20th, with the EagleBank Bowl at RFK Stadium. This year’s game will feature the Navy Midshipmen against the #9 team from the ACC, provided that both teams come up with six wins this season.

EagleBank has signed a four-year sponsorship deal for the new Bowl Game targeted at the military service academies, with parts of the proceeds from each year’s game going to charities that support Veterans. Tickets will run from $45 to $135 a game, or, mostly cheaper than a ticket to the Nationals.

Comedy in DC, Entertainment
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Comedy in DC: She-Ha, Princesses of Power

She-Ha, Comedy that makes up the 25% wage difference with Laughter
She-Ha, Princesses of Power – art by Clay Yount, click to embiggen.

One of the axioms of standup comedy is that it’s a much harder business for women than for men. There are lots of theories floating around about this, usually pointing fingers at SOMEONE’S latent sexism: comedy club audiences, comedy club owners, a society that gives women more family responsibilities than men, etc.  What IS certain is that there are fewer working female standup comics than males, and it’s a shame because there are some damn funny women engaged in this art form.  

She-Ha, Princesses of Power is an all-female lineup appearing next Friday and Saturday at the DC Improv Comedy Lounge, featuring some of my personal favorite superheroines of standup. The show features Erin Jackson, Diana Saez, Aparna Nancherla, Lisa Fine, Leslie Cooley, Kat Wilderotter, Andrea Fuller (Friday), and Jen Wardrop (Saturday).  Having seen Aparna, Lisa, Leslie, and Kat many times around town, I can only tell you to GO. I continue to secretly wish Iran’s president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad would start making noise again just so Aparna can do the bit about Ahmadinejad’s Myspace page some more. So there you have it, these comics are so funny that I’m wishing for an international incident with a potentially nuclear power in the Middle East.

She-Ha, Princesses of Power, will appear at the DC Improv Comedy Lounge on Friday and Saturday, September 19th and 20th, at 8:00 PM. Tickets are $10: buy them through the Improv.

Arlington, Essential DC, Talkin' Transit, WMATA
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Transit: Memorial Memo

Photo courtesy of tsmyther
Pentagon, courtesy of tsmyther

The Pentagon will open the first of three memorials for the victims of the September 11 attacks on Thursday. The memorial will be available to visitors 24 hours a day.

A dedication ceremony will be given tomorrow morning; the site will open to the public in the evening.

If you’re planning on driving / commuting near the Pentagon tomorrow, there’s some things you need to know.

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Featured Photo, Getaways
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Featured Photo

A River Runs Through It by Brian Knight

Fact: I love DC.

Fact: I love this photo that was taken in Harpers Ferry.

Fact: Harper’s Ferry is in West Virginia, not in DC.

Can’t we all just get along?

I’ve been to Harpers Ferry a few times since I moved to DC a few years ago.  It’s only about an hour drive outside of the city, and a scenic one at that.  You pass fields of wildflowers, quaint little towns, and pumpkin patches along the way, as well as a bunch of Taco Bells which is an added bonus. Continue reading →

Food and Drink, Life in the Capital, The DC 100, WTF?!
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DC 100: The List

Photo courtesy of M.V. Jantzen
Green Market, courtesy of M.V. Jantzen

Ok, this project was inspired by a flurry of emails with some of the WeLoveDC staff and an idea.

Don spotted this list a few weeks ago and after some back-and-forth with several of our more foodie–focused people, I thought it would be an interesting series for our corner of the intrawebz.

Starting in two weeks, check out our DC 100 and the staff’s various experiences with food on this list. We’ll be tracking the list’s progress here and on my own website.

Continue reading →

Monumental
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Monumental: Hahnemann Memorial

 Dr. Samuel Hahnemann courtesy Flickr user kimberlyfaye
Dr. Samuel Hahnemann courtesy Flickr user kimberlyfaye

On the East side of Scott Circle at Massachusetts Ave. and Rhode Island Ave. NW, there’s a wide concrete and bronze monument to German physician Dr. Samuel Hahnemann. What an odd thing to memorialize in the capital of the United States, I thought. I vaguely recognized the name because of a high school friend who had been accepted to a medical school named for Dr. Hahnemann, but that was the extent of my knowledge. But as in all things, the Internet knows all.

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Downtown, Food and Drink, Penn Quarter, We Love Drinks
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We Love Drinks: Teaism

Happiness is a Warm Chai, by alykat on Flickr

It may seem odd to launch our new recurring feature on DC’s watering holes with a nod to a mainly non-alcoholic spot, but make no mistake – Teaism can just as quickly become an addiction on par with your favorite bar. Though the food can be some of the most reliable in town (oh, that salmon ochazuke soup! comfort in a bowl), we’re here to talk about its liquid libation. Devotees of tea are never disappointed when
faced with the exhaustive menu of black, green, tisanes – served iced or hot – from a wall of colorful boxes.

There are three Teaisms in DC (Dupont Circle is the original, opened back in 1996). I’m lucky in that my office is equidistant from two, each with their own distinct vibe. The Lafayette Park location has a sunny classical interior, befitting its Decatur House view, and is usually full of suits. Whereas the Penn Quarter branch has mainly subterranean seating, bustling with tourists. Despite the setback of the fannypack crowd, the PQ boasts a koi pond and an adjacent tea shop where the true addict can load up on her own supply to brew at home.

If I head to Penn Quarter, I’m most likely desiring an iced Japanese sweet green tea to takeaway and sip while staring into the nearby fountains of the Navy Memorial. “What makes it so sweet?” I asked the tea shop lady once about the surreally green elixir, “is it a special kind of tea?” “Um,” she replied, “you do know there’s a lot of sugar in there, right?” It was a truly blonde moment.
Continue reading →

Essential DC, Talkin' Transit
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Talkin’ Transit: Capital Connectivity

Photo courtesy of Joe Shlabotnik
Traffic, courtesy of Joe Shlabotnik

Yesterday was “Terrible Traffic Tuesday” – the dreaded day after Labor Day when everyone in the region hits the rush hour roads after the summer stretch of vacations.

However, some good news came out yesterday for commuters from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. While it may not be as beltway-shattering as new construction projects or Metro passenger records, it’s still pretty important.

Yesterday, the council unveiled their newly revamped Commuter Connections website. Continue reading →

Sports Fix, The District
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Sports Fix: United goes for First, Nats for Last, Redskins Home Opener Thursday

the "Barra-Brava"the "Barra-Brava"
Originally uploaded by busybee

Tomorrow night at RFK, DC United faces off with the Charleston Battery in the final of the US Open Cup. Tickets are on sale, and cheaper than the Nationals, and chances are, we’ll come out on top and take home the Dewar Cup for the year. While the US Open Cup used to be an all-amateur competition, since 1995 it’s been open to MLS and other American Pro Soccer teams. It’d be mighty nice to see at least ONE championship come home to DC this year.

United racked up a 0-0 tie against the Red Bulls this past weekend, leaving them at .500, with 32 points. Fourth in the Eastern Division, sure, but that put them inside the playoff structure, given that they can hold it up for another 8 games.

But, what about our other teams?

Continue reading →

Arlington, Featured Photo
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Yep, it’s Autumn, or might as well be

Cucumber from my Garden IMGP1602 copy

I know the season has not quite changed yet, but to me it’s already autumn. The garden has stopped producing, and it was a bum crop anyway this year. Pretty much all I got were some freaky cucumbers (another example here) and a handful of tomatoes that started to grow and then got stolen by some animals who apparently loved my garden as much as I had hoped to.

On the bright side, I was able to get some rosemary well entrenched in place of a dead shrub and with luck my grapes will really take off next year. They say the third year is the magic one, so I hope to have a better report then. The roses did very well in their first year and should winter well in our mild climate.

It’s about time to slow down, pour a glass of wine and make a toast to the passing of summer and the coming of autumn. Who knows – next year at this time we may be celebrating a bumper crop of whatever I plant and snacking on grapes, whose perfume will waft gently on the cool evening air with the promise of a late, delicious harvest.

What culinary delights are you still enjoying from your garden?

All Politics is Local, Comedy in DC, Entertainment
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Comedy in DC: Politics is Funny. No, Really.

Greg Tindale of Washington Improv Theater, Photo by Katie Jett

Greg Tindale of Washington Improv Theater, Photo by Katie Jett

‘Tis the season, friends: it’s a presidential election year. While we here at We Love DC are fond of reminding everyone that DC is more than just the three-ring circus we call “politics,” there’s no escaping the fact that it remains our primary export. So it should come as no surprise that Washington Improv Theater is presenting two politically-themed shows this fall, each distinct and potentially holding up to multiple viewings.

iMusical: The Secret Lives of Presidents is just that- an improvised musical featuring a different president or first lady each week. I don’t know about you, but I’m already pretty impressed with the cojones of people who can promise not only to improvise an entire musical about Mary Todd Lincoln, but that it will also be funny. The show debuts Thursday, September 4th at 8PM at Source Theater.

POTUS Among Us sounds like it might be funny if only because it’s closer to how I wish elections were really run: Performers take suggestions from the audience to create their campaign platforms, and then improvise their way through speeches and debates all the way to the general election. Imagine the glory of unscripted musings from people seeking elected office, completely dependent on what their constituents- er, audience- demand they talk about. This show debuts Friday, September 5th, at 8PM at Source Theater.

Alexandria, Fun & Games, Special Events, We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: The Art of Autumn

Photo courtesy of smleon
32_309 Fish.jpg, courtesy of smleon

Fall is right around the corner…and so is the sixth annual Alexandria Festival of the Arts.

The festival runs this year on Saturday, September 13 and Sunday, September 14. As usual, the festival will occupy the section of King Street between the Potomac and Washington Street, so casual drivers of the area should consider alternate routes through downtown. Continue reading →

Talkin' Transit, Technology, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Smart Bike Thief Thwarted

washington dc by wayan
Photo by Wayan

Apparently, the first thieves have tried to get their hands on a SmartBike. It was a complete failure, according to WTOP:

Someone tried to steal a SmartBike from the rack at the Shaw SmartBike location over the weekend, D.C. Department of Transportation spokesperson Karyn LeBlanc says.

“The person came and took the back tire and lifted it – physically lifted it over the rack – in hopes that it would snap the lock,” LeBlanc says.

The rack proved too mighty for this thief, however, and the bike did not come off the rack. SmartBikes are secured into racks by steel locks.

You’re going to have to try harder than that to get one of the SmartBikes…