Category Archives: The Features

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

Featured Photo
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Featured Photo

David Wax Museum- 930 Club- 9/14/11
David Wax Museum- 930 Club by sightlyworn
As a guy who has photographed many musicians, I know the challenge in capturing the intensity and energy of a live show. Slightlyworn nailed it with this photo. The motion blur is what really makes this photo, because you can just see the guitarist moving and howling into the mic, pouring his heart into every verse. It’s a strong composition; he didn’t focus too closely on the musician, which left plenty of room for the purple and blue divide caused by the stage lights, which is one of the most important features of the photo. Adding a second singer to the frame and including part of the drum kit definitely frames the context of a musical machine working together. Well done, sightlyworn.

Remember to contribute your best shots of DC to our flickr pool. You may just get noticed for our featured photo or weekend flashback.

Sports Fix
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49ers defeat Redskins 19-11

Photo courtesy of
‘Frank Gore’
courtesy of ‘dkaz’

Sunday’s loss against the 49ers was another standard issue Redskins loss as the offense couldn’t sustain drives or hold onto the football. Three drives came to an end because of turnovers and one other ended because of a dumb unnecessary roughness penalty by Trent Williams. At the time that the penalty against Williams happened the 49ers held a 3-0 lead and John Beck had just completed a 10 yard pass to Jabar Gaffney to move the Redskins into 49ers territory. 

It was a strange play all around as it began with the 49ers jumping offsides, realizing they did it, and then looking like they stopped playing as John Beck completed his pass to Jabar Gaffney. If the play were allowed to stand the Redskins would have had first and ten at the San Francisco 41, but as soon as the play ended Trent Williams pushed a 49ers defender to the ground which instead gave the Redskins a third and 23 at their own 34 yard line. This play as much as the two lost fumbles and the interception should count as a turnover for the Redskins offense. That is what the end result was. The Redskins had momentum and were driving, but all of that was lost when Trent Williams couldn’t keep his cool.

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Weekend Flashback
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Weekend Flashback: 11/4-11/6

Photo courtesy of
‘past peek’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

We have officially fallen back. Now it’s the long, dark road to the Winter Solstice. But along the way is turkey day, seeing old Saint Nick, and an out of nowhere day off called Veterans Day (well, not all of us get Veterans Day off). And let’s not forget that this Friday is also Nigel Tufnel Day; because it goes to eleven (11/11/11). So though we lose some light, we gain some fun things to do; it all evens out. Check out below for what people did with the last light of Daylight saving time. Continue reading →

Sports Fix
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Redskins Week Nine: The 49ers

Photo courtesy of
‘IMG_8421’
courtesy of ‘Monica’s Dad’

Here is something to consider when people talk about the Redskins getting better at the quarterback position. Alex Smith was drafted in 2005 and struggled early on as the 49ers QB, but this season he has completed 63.2% of his passes for 1267 yards and has thrown 9 touchdowns and just 2 interceptions. In order for the Redskins to be a good football team they are going to have to get better at multiple positions including the quarterback, but this is no quick fix. Simply getting a top pick and using it on a quarterback is only the first step. The Redskins have to be willing to give the player the time to development and not rush to judgment.

The 49ers are the toughest team the Redskins have played in awhile. Unlike the Bills, Panthers, and Eagles the 49ers are not an unbalanced team. In fact the 49ers defense is tops in the NFL having allowed only 15.3 points a game. They do rank 21st against the pass having allowed 255.7 yards a game, but John Beck and the Redskins receiving core pose a threat to no one.

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Talkin' Transit, The Daily Feed
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Metro Board authorizes new Station Names for map

Photo courtesy of
‘DC Metro Spiral (Names)’
courtesy of ‘thisisbossi’

The Metro board today met to consider some station names and changes to be made ahead of the next redesign of the map and authorized a number of changes to stations you may know and love. Here’s the skinny, straight from Metro:

  • Navy Yard becomes Navy Yard-Ballpark.
  • King Street becomes King St-Old Town.
  • Waterfront-SEU will drop SEU, because the university no longer exists.
  • Forest Glen will be shown on the map with the universal “H” symbol to indicate the location of Holy Cross Hospital.
  • Foggy Bottom and Medical Center will also be shown with “H” symbols reflecting proximity of hospitals.
  • New York Ave-Florida Ave-Gallaudet U will be renamed “NoMa-Gallaudet U.” “New York Ave” will be shown as a secondary name for one-year to assist customers during the transition.

Four stations were unaltered, due to public familiarity with their names, despite their length:

  • Grosvenor-Strathmore
  • Georgia Ave-Petworth
  • Franconia-Springfield
  • Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport

The new names will take effect next year when the June 2012 Metro Map hits the streets.  The cost to rename the stations is estimated to be approximately $400,000, though no formal figure is available.

Weekend Flashback
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We Love Weekends: Nov 4-6

Photo courtesy of
‘028096-30Crop’
courtesy of ‘furcafe’

Well, the chill is in the air for good, it seems, though we’re still feeling it a lot more at night than during the day. But we’re not going to let that stop us from enjoying those delightful 48 hours between quittin’ time Friday till the sad moments Monday morning when we return to our punishment jobs.

Marissa: This weekend is promising to be a busy one. Friday night I’m heading to 9th and U street to see my friends’ band, Level 7, headline at Axum DC. On Saturday, I’m heading out to the second annual Vices of Virginia for bourbon, cigars, oysters, a photobooth and a ton of food all on a scenic farm. Me and my tastebuds are beyond excited. Hopefully Sunday morning I’ll mosey over to Eastern Market, grab some brunch, read the paper and settle into the idea of Monday.

Mosley: Interesting Saturday for me.  I recently went to see the Anglo-Saxon Gold Hoard exhibit at the National Geographic Museum (review coming soon); put very simply, well worth seeing.  But in addition to the exhibit, Nat Geo is doing some workshops in connection with the exhibit.  This Saturday is one about Anglo-Saxon poetry and language, using Beowulf as the example.  It sounds fascinating.  In addition to that, this weekend kicks off FotoWeek DC.  I might be the only photographer in the city not thrilled with this festival, but there are some intriguing events.  For example, Saturday night is Night Visions; basically an all night (8pm to 4am) photo party.  I’m equally interested in the staying up all night and the night photography.  And bonus: extra hour as we Fall back!
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Alexandria, Dupont Circle, Food and Drink, The Daily Feed, We Love Food
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Pizzeria Paradiso Celebrates 20 Years

Photo courtesy of
‘Pizzeria Paradiso’
courtesy of ‘afagen’

There’s an old friend in town who’s turning 20 next week: Pizzeria Paradiso.

Back in November 1991, the pizzeria opened its first location in Dupont Circle and over its history has not only revamped the original spot, but expanded to Georgetown and Old Town Alexandria. Not too shabby of an accomplishment for a local small business, right?

“When Pizzeria Paradiso was created, the things motivating it were community, laughter and tasty food,” said chef and owner Ruth Gresser in a news release. “We were all so excited when our first customers entered the restaurant a few minutes after we unlocked the front door. And now, we’re so happy to reach our ’20 Something’ anniversary so we can celebrate by eating and laughing with our family of customers and staff.”

In honor of its 20th birthday, the restaurant is hosting a week of events as part of their “20 Something” Celebration:

  • Monday, November 7th – Get one large and one small pizza for $20 on take-out orders only.
  • Tuesday, November 8th – Receive a 20th anniversary beer glass when you purchase a beer with your meal. The 8th is the restaurant’s official birthday.
  • Wednesday, November 9th – Pay $20 for all you can eat pizza and beer (note: you can eat all the pizza you want, but there’s 2 beer maximum).
  • Thursday, November 10th – Pay $20 for a small special pizza and an anniversary beer.
  • Friday, November 11th – Your first beer is just 20 cents.
  • Saturday, November 12th – Dine in at a location and pay just 20 cents for toppings (note: 3 toppings maximum)
  • Sunday, November 13th – Round out the week with “20 Free Pizzas” Family/Kids Day from 1-4 PM. Kids can be part of a make your own pizza demonstration with owner/chef Ruth Gresser and the first 20 kid’s pizzas are free (note: Old Town location only).

Plus, Pizzeria Paradiso will be hosting a trivia contest on their Facebook pages (Georgetown, Old Town, Dupont) with $20 gift certificate prizes twice per day. And their lucky 2,000th Twitter follower will receive three $20 gift certificates, one for each location.

Congratulations and happy birthday to Pizzeria Paradiso for serving up tasty slices to DC for 20 years!

The Features
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We Fight We Die: How The Disenfranchised #Occupy

Jeff Kirkman III, Alexander Burton, Michael Rodriguez and Stanley Andrew Jackson III; Junesong Arts’ We Fight We Die. Photo by C. Stanley Photography.

Self-defined as representing the masses, it’s no surprise that a majority of Americans approve of the now-global “Occupy” movement—they understand it as the manifestation of desperation, a fight where compromise failed. Feeling powerless in the face of corporate greed and political corruption, hundreds of thousands are venting their anger in the most public, most drastic way possible: by taking to the streets.

But what about those who are neither among the wealthy one percent, nor among the “other ninety-nine”? That is, those truly at the bottom, for whom money-hungry CEOs and rotten Congressmen are perhaps the least of worries; for whom starvation, extreme cold, or gang violence are a much more real threat than losing healthcare or facing foreclosure. Where can they rally? How can they express themselves?

After watching Junesong Arts’ new stage production We Fight We Die, the answer may be that they, too, must occupy the streets…but with aerosol cans instead of pitchforks. Continue reading →

Capital Chefs, Food and Drink, The Features
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Capital Chefs: Todd Gray of Equinox and Watershed (Part 2)

Shrimp and grits at Watershed
‘Shrimp and grits at Watershed’
courtesy of ‘bonappetitfoodie’

With winter approaching, I’m feeling more in the mood to spend time in the kitchen cooking up warm meals. Chef Todd Gray’s recipe for shrimp and grits is one of those that you can spend a little extra time preparing and will hit the spot when you’re cozy inside on a chilly winter’s day. You can find the dish on the menu at Watershed Restaurant or make it at home with the recipe after the jump.
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Capital Chefs, Food and Drink, The Features
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Capital Chefs: Todd Gray of Equinox and Watershed (Part 1)

Todd Gray at Watershed
‘Todd Gray at Watershed’
courtesy of ‘bonappetitfoodie’

Juggling multiple restaurants and two catering companies, along with a recent RAMMY award win for 2011 Chef of the Year and several James Beard Foundation Award nominations, you could call Todd Gray a powerhouse of sorts. This year alone, the chef and his wife and business partner, Ellen Kassoff Gray, have expanded their hospitality group to include Todd Gray’s Watershed and Todd Gray’s Muse at the Corcoran just this year. So where did the chef start all of this?

For Gray, who grew up outside of Washington, DC, he knew he wanted to own a restaurant before he knew he wanted to be a chef. While he was studying at the University of Richmond and was working in the front of the house at a local restaurant, he found that he fell in love with the kitchen. “The culinary bus came and I jumped on,” he says.

Flash forward to years of building a successful career, it’s certain that the chef has far more planned for the future. Gray and his wife are working on a book due out in September 2012 with the working title, “Kitchen Conversations: Blending Jewish and American Flavors for Delicious, Easy Meals.” The chef slyly adds that there may be a few more restaurants for him on the horizon, but plays off any specific plans by saying simply, “I’m just going to keep on cooking and having fun.”
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Featured Photo
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Featured Photo

Photo courtesy of
‘View from a friend’s place’
courtesy of ‘Veeresh_ai’

Well, Halloween is now behind us. October is officially kaput. I always view November 1st as the real beginning of Winter, regardless of what the calendar, weathermen, or thermometer says. And with this end of Fall, I also like to say that “sunset season” has ended. I normally consider that season to stretch from beginning of September to the end of October. In that two months, there are lots of dramatic sunsets but, more important, sunsets we all get to see. We see them while walking home from work; or while out with friends; or after seeking shelter from all those late summer/fall rain storms.

Veeresh_ai does a fantastic job capturing the beauty of this season. He has wonderful gradation of colors in the sky; as well as some simply beautiful colors, from a brilliant orange to a great, deep purple. And then he was able to get a perfect silhouette of a fascinating building; a building that gives the viewer a sense of scale of the sky. Truly, a picture for all seasons; but, most importantly, for sunset season.

Music, We Love Music
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We Love Music: M83 @ Black Cat, 10/28/11

M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming

I remember when M83 released their breakthrough album Dead Cities, Red Seas, & Lost Ghosts back when I was in college. M83 easily fit in my collection with groups like The Postal Service and The Notwist, yet the album had no vocalist to connect it with mankind. The occasional words were only samples; it was like a glimpse at a dystopian future, where maybe people weren’t even around anymore. I could imagine their core member Anthony Gonzalez in his French chateau, sitting at his laptops and keyboards, writing minimalist, electronic soundtracks for lonely bedrooms.

M83 has evolved tremendously since then; while their current music retains its electro roots, it’s all in all more varied, more approachable, more poppy, more epic. Their new material makes for a hell of a live show, too. They sold out two shows at Black Cat on Friday night; I stopped by the late show to see what they had to offer. The show had exactly what I want from live electronic music – infectious beats, atmospheric lighting, and an enthusiastic crowd.
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Downtown, History, Special Events, The Features, We Love Arts
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NMAI: Hear the Song of the Horse Nation

Photo courtesy of
‘DSC_0006’
courtesy of ‘bhrome’

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian opened its doors this past weekend to a new exhibition, “A Song for the Horse Nation.” The exhibition, nestled on the third floor of the museum, tells the epic tale of the how the return of the horse to the Americas changed Native culture, from lifestyle to war to art and beyond. “For some Native peoples, the horse still is an essential part of daily life,” said exhibit curator Emil Her Many Horses (Ogala Lakota). “For others, the horse will always remain an element of our identity and our history. The Horse Nation continues to inspire, and Native artists continue to celebrate the horse in our songs, our stories, and our works of art.”

To walk the exhibit’s path is to walk side by side with the conjoined path of Native and horse. Though horses were introduced to the Native Americans relatively late in North American history—the early 1700s saw the initial widespread explosion of the horse from captured Spanish mounts in the southwest—the image of Indians astride these graceful animals is one that is common to modern Americans. The “Horse Nation” quickly entwined themselves with Native communities, forever altering tribal culture and the Indian way of life.

The Smithsonian’s exhibit seeks to give us a view into that not-so-distant past. But it’s more than just a simply history lesson: subtly but surely, “A Song for the Horse Nation” reveals how interwoven both horse and man became among 38 tribal communities from the Plains and Western United States. The horse was more than a beast of burden or a tool; the animal became a part of Native culture that still resonates among the people today. Continue reading →

Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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Nationals name Davey Johnson 2012 Manager

Photo courtesy of
‘PRE’
courtesy of ‘MissChatter’

The Nationals announced this morning that they have exercised Davey Johnson’s managerial option for the 2012 season, returning Johnson to the helm after a successful first half season as the manager.  Johnson took over after Jim Riggleman resigned in a huff over contract negotiations during the middle of the 2011 season. With a 40-43 record for the second half, the Nationals finished third in the NL East, their highest finish since baseball returned to Washington.

Johnson has amassed a career record of 1188-931 in fifteen years as a manager (a .561 percentage) and lead the 1986 Mets to a World Series victory. Johnson has also been at the helm for five divisional titles, as well.

Sports Fix
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Bills defeat Redskins 23-0

Photo courtesy of
‘DeAngelo Hall’
courtesy of ‘Keith Allison’

The talk this week is going to be about how far away the Redskins are from being a good football team. The Redskins do have a lot of holes, mostly on the offense, but last season they had even more holes and that included a lot on the defense. This past off-season the Redskins fixed a number of problem areas, but didn’t or couldn’t address others. In 2010 the Redskins defense was the second worst in the NFL. So far into the 2011 season the defense has improved to 14th in yards a game, and seventh in points a game. The big problem is as much as the defense has improved the offense might have taken steps backwards.

If the Redskins want to understand how a team is built look at the team that just beat them. Driving into work I heard from the radio that it would take five first round picks to find a running back, quarterback, wide receiver, and corner back to make the Redskins a complete team. Look at the Bills. Their quarterback is a seventh round pick that was cast-off by the Rams, and their running back is an undrafted free agent. Most of the players on their team were overlooked. Good teams can find overlooked talent in late rounds in the draft and in free agency. Players don’t have to be first round picks or big money free agents to be good. It just takes an organization that has an eye for talent.

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Weekend Flashback
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Weekend Flashback: 10/28-10/30

Photo courtesy of
‘Occupy DC: Life in the Camp’
courtesy of ‘pnzr242’

It’s the big day. A day of ghosts and ghouls. A day of thrills and chills. A day…well, a couple of months really, of candy. It’s all hallows eve! I hope you and your little goblins have some frightful costumes in store for trick-or-treating tonight. If you need to get ready for the big night, I suggest checking out the pictures below. A lot of people got a head start on the festivities this weekend. And snow is just oh so scary in this town. And before I forget: Happy Halloween! Continue reading →

Food and Drink, Special Events, The Daily Feed, We Love Food
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Second Annual “The Vices that Made Virginia”

Photo courtesy of
‘Hazy Morning’
courtesy of ‘Vileinist’

Ah, Virginia–home to part of the Blue Ridge mountains, the Virginia ham, and of course, the land for lovers. So to celebrate the greatness of Old Dominion, Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food & Agriculture and Woodlawn, a National Trust Historic Site, are hosting the second annual “The Vices That Made Virginia.”

From 4 to 8 PM on November 5th, you can indulge in bourbon, oysters on the half shell, cigar rolling, as well as other “vices” from the state. In addition to specialty drinks from local distilleries, brewers and winemakers, chefs Nathan Anda, Kyle Bailey, Bertrand Chemel, Tiffany MacIsaac, Steve Mannino and Rob Weland will be serving up a scrumptious autumn spread. Dishes include local lamb, corn spoon bread with leeks and cheddar, spiced apple-oatmeal crumble and much more. Some of the local purveyors showcasing their ingredients in the chefs’ dishes include New Frontier Farms, Kilmer’s Farm & Orchard, Meadow Creek Dairy and Rappahannock Oysters.

Get ready to get your vices on at the farm next weekend, fellow Washingtonians. Tickets are $125 per person and all proceeds from the evening go to support Arcadia and Woodlawn.

Downtown, Education, History, Special Events, The District, The Features, The Mall, We Love Arts
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The Song of Emil Her Many Horses

Photo courtesy of
‘DSC_0027’
courtesy of ‘bhrome’

out of the earth / I sing for them
A Horse nation / I sing for them
out of the earth / I sing for them,
the animals / I sing for them.
~a song by the Teton Sioux

Emil Her Many Horses is, by first appearance, a quiet, unassuming gentleman. A museum specialist in the office of Museum Programs at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI), he is responsible for the facility’s latest exhibition “A Song for the Horse Nation.” A member of the Ogala Lakota nation of South Dakota, his expertise on the Northern and Southern Plains cultures is well served and seen in the exhibit that opens to the public tomorrow.

NMAI’s latest offering is a touching and brilliant display of how the horse has deeply impacted and affected Native cultures since their introduction to the Americas in the 17th century. “The exhibit tells the history of the horse; that they were here once before, migrated to Europe, and returned as the horse we know today,” explained Her Many Horses. “They changed Native culture. The horse had a major impact on hunting, warfare, travel, spirituality. These were big changes.” Changes that extend beyond the European vision of the animal.

Seen as a beast of burden, a tool, a weapon, the horse was brought and used by European explorers and colonists early in America’s “New World” history. And their introduction, according to many Natives, was probably one of the biggest positive changes brought about by the white man.

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Sports Fix
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Redskins Preview Week Eight: The Bills

Photo courtesy of
‘Buffalo Wings – Hot!’
courtesy of ‘andynash’

The narrative that comes out of this Sunday’s game against the Bills will either be the Redskins got their season back on track or it is continuing to fall apart. Narrative is important to most fans but it is based too heavily on preconceptions. Before the season began the Redskins were predicted by most major sporting news sources to win between two and three games. At 3-3 the Redskins are better than what most people expected, but for some reason this is seen as a negative. Some have already begun the Shanahan is on the hot seat talk. Yet another coaching change is the last thing the Redskins need. If they hope to ever become a winning franchise hitting the reset button every two or three years is not the way to go.

A lot of meaning is being put into this game against the Bills, but it shouldn’t be. In order for the Redskins to win this game they are going to have to have a lot of players play over their heads. The injury list is growing by the week and a lot of the names aren’t good. The two worst players to have out this week though are Santana Moss and DeAngelo Hall. Secondary and receiver are two of the Redskins weaker areas, and missing their best cover corner and best pass catcher is not going to help. Tim Hightower is also out with his knee injury, but he has not performed up to expectations and his production can be replaced by Torain and Helu.

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Entertainment, Essential DC, Special Events, The Features
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Harvest Moon at the Textile Museum

Harvest Moon at Otsukimi event. Photo credit: LMorris.

The Japanese traditionally enjoy Otsukimi (moon-viewing) on the night of the full moon in autumn. Centuries ago, Otsukimi was introduced to Japan from China, though as it spread throughout the land it was modified to include native Japanese products. The Japanese typically make offerings to the moon of autumn fruits and vegetables, odango (rice dumplings) and susuki (Japanese pampas grass) to give thanks for the year’s harvest.

Approximately 125 people attended this year’s event, hosted by the Japan-America Society of Washington, DC and the Textile Museum earlier this month. Perfectly clear skies, comfortably cool temperatures, and an atmosphere of serene enjoyment were to be had in the Textile Museum’s lovely moonlit garden. Contributing to the ambience were calming traditional Japanese tunes of koto (Japanese stringed musical instruments), including an homage to the “round, round moon.” Continue reading →