The Wizards clinched a playoff berth last night with a win over LeBron James and his Cleveland Cavaliers. Now, you might think that’s something that’s fairly impressing, and unusual for the area, but when you figure in that 16 of the league’s 30 teams get to go to the playoffs, well, it’s not so amazing. Given that the Wizards are only at 40 wins and 40 losses for the season, and haven’t yet clinched a winning record (and would need wins over the Bucks and Pistons to do it), you have to ask, isn’t the NBA one giant joke? Baseball has 30 teams, but only sends 8 to the playoffs. The NFL has 32 teams, but sends only 12 to the playoffs. Even hockey only sends half its 32 teams to the playoffs.

But yet, the Wizards are in the playoffs. And they’re our team. Gooooooo Wizards! You can purchase playoff tickets already, even though the dates are TBA, and so are the opponents. Both games 1 and 2 of the first series will be here in DC at the Verizon Center, though two tickets in Box E, Row HHH will run you a cool $450 plus convenience fees. I tried to get upper concourse seats, but they were all sold out already. The cheapest pair of of tickets I could find were $90 apiece. If you’re going to spend $200 on something, for God’s sake just go to Galileo or any of the other awesome DC area restaurants and have dinner.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

photo courtesy of Son of Groucho

Easter is a holiday celebrating rebirth, and what I think is one of the most appropriate articles actually appeared on the back page of the Post’s Outlook section, under the heading “Green goes underground.” Apparently the high ceilings of the Woodly Park Zoo metro stop are the surprise home of a number of maidenhair ferns, a species not normally found this far east in Virginia and actually an at-risk species in North Carolina and Kentucky.

The underground stations of the Metrorail system are sterile by design, so it is ironic that one should host such a growing colony of plants. But the plants make do with what they have, where they find it. Survival is like that — unpicky, because the choices are few for any given species.

Kudos to you, adiantum capillus-veneris, and thanks for putting a little green in among the grey.

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There was a lot of discussion and head-shaking when the Nationals sent Center Fielder Ryan Church to AAA New Orleans after Spring Training. Most folks seemed to think that Church got the bad end of the stick from the Nationals and wasted a good shot with a potentially great young outfielder. However, on Friday, Big Frank and Jimmy Bo did some serious shakeup work on the then 2-8 Nationals. They brought up Ryan Church and Brendan Harris, both of whom have had game-saving consequences since their arrival.

On Saturday, Brendan Harris leapt an approximate 387 feet above the ground in order to snag a ball well over his head to protect John Patterson’s 8 inning, 13 strikeout mutilation of the Florida Marlins. On Sunday, Ryan Church went 2 for 4 with 3 runs scored and 4 batted in, including driving home the game winner in the top of the ninth.

Anyone else wondering what would’ve happened if we’d brought these guys up on Opening Day?

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Long Live Spring!

It’s on the street. Per the official Sun Trust Dupont Circle Clock and Thermometer, it is 82 degrees Fahrenheit today, making this the first 80+ day this year and time to officially call an end to winter.

Break out the bikinis and the margaritas, I’m headed to my rooftop deck and dreaming of pool openings and beach runs. Well, right after I do a real run to burn off my winter weight.

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seldon

As Seldon here shows, Cafe Asia downtown is a great place for a drink. It would even be better on a cold and wet night, not one of the most beautiful Friday’s so far this year.

Why?

Because Cafe Asia downtown (I Street between 17th and 18th) doesn’t have any outdoor seating.

It is pretty artsy inside, like its cousin in Arlington, if a little smaller. And it does have the freaky-fresh giant unisex bathroom, complete with surgical gloves by the washbasin(!).

Happy hour there last night was worthy too, but still, better if we were outside.

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Grr… Let’s say you fully intended to spend the night at a kick-ass concert where you would be serenaded by both the French Kicks and Ladytron, but you had no idea they both were so popular that the concert at the 9:30 Club tonight would sell out. And of couse, you did not get tickets in advance.

Grr.. So here you are, several bottles of sake and several vodka-and-soda’s later, wondering how said concert was. Wondering as you comiserated at DC9, nursing said cornucopia of drinks, bashing your head against the table in a paroxysm of guilt over not having bought tickets in advance, sucking in the heavy smoke-laden air and wondering why young twentysomething girls think cut-off jean miniskirts with flip-flops are a cool look. Sigh.

Did anyone get into the concert last night? Can anyone tell a sad sack like me how it was?

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Back in December while we were busy getting screwed by Ridgewells Catering, my fiancée and I called up Michael Landrum from Ray’s the Steaks and asked about the opportunity to rent out the restaurant for an evening. Sure, it might cost what those dirty stinking liars at Ridgewells were going to charge us, but at least we like Michael and Ray’s, and wedding steak is a good alternative to wedding cake. Michael told us about his new space that he would be opening in January February March April May in Silver Spring, and that there would be private dining space that could seat 60.

Sweet. That would work out nicely.

He told us to call him as the opening got closer. So we kept checking on the progress. We admire Michael for creating the new Ray’s on the profits of the old Ray’s instead of taking out a massive bank loan, and so we waited in patient hope. Tuesday marked the 60 days-until-the-wedding-day date and my breaking point. I called the Arlington Ray’s in hope of talking with Michael. I got the new and improved message announcing their no-reservation policy and left a message for Michael to call me. Today, he did.

In short, the new Ray’s won’t open with the new private dining area available for reservation. They need to make the right staffing decision to handle that, and right now, they don’t have the available data.

While I don’t feel screwed by Michael, I certainly feel screwed by fate. I need a nice place to have our wedding reception. Seats 60. Wine available. And I’d rather not pay so much that I’m paying it off like a student loan. Got a recommendation? Post in the comments. If you send us the right direction, there will definitely be a reward.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Now, I realize it takes a while for an area that is Cool to catch on with the big media, look at Healdsburg California, which people like Dori and Tom have known as the coolest unknown city in Wine Country, but it seems that the New York Times has discovered U Street. It’s nice to see some other places recognize that DC has its amazingly cool sections, because getting most New Yorkers to admit that any other place in the world has cool night spots and great shopping and good atmosphere ain’t easy at all.

Thanks, New York Times, for realizing that it is damn cool to live in DC.

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Have you looked up along K Street recently? Did you notice a new source of nighttime illumination? Realize those light posts now have new arms and bulbs?

I did.

And they’re along K Street NW at least from 16th to 14th Streets NW. Not sure past that, I only walk so far looking up, tourist like, and only figured it out myself when doing a night-owl gym session yesterday.

So a challenge to you, DC Metroblogging readers: Find all the new light posts in downtown (Doug, you have to geo-post them for creidt). First to name them all gets a T-shirt and our condolences. Not even I am that obsessive or lacking of a life.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Another Empty X2

Why do I always see you empty as you pass McPherson Square?

You start out at the Minnesota Ave Metro Station and drive Benning Road and then H Street NE, but yet, here, downtown, where you should be full, you are empty. I see you as I board the S busses, all packed to the shouts of “move back, please” and I envy.

You are empty, nary a ride I view, and you roll around with arrogance. From the right to the left of I Street you move, as you pass 15th, not a care or a passenger to worry your drive. You would think, with your long trip, you might have some to deliver here, downtown, and yet, you do not. Ever, that I see.

Might you then end sooner, before Lafayette Square, so you can be better ridden, or at least less envied? I wish I had an empty X2, late, as I crowd onto an S2.

Justice or efficiency, that is all I ask.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

If you didn’t get out to see the cherry blossoms there’s still a sight to see over in that area. Just off the parking by the tidal basin by the paddle boats there’s the National Park Service’s Tulip Library. There’s more variety than I knew existed in the tulip family. It’s well worth a visit – this was just one of many wonderful varieties there in all the colors of the rainbow.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

falun gong on the move

Not content with their usual protest space in front of the Chinese Embassy, Falun Gong is now is Farragut Square.

They also changed protest topics and are now saying the Chinese government is organ harvesting from Falun Gong detainees.

Just in time for lunch, they’re backing claims with vivid dissection photo too.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Well, it’s that time of year again, and tickets for the Easter Egg Hunt go on sale on Saturday morning at 7:30am at the Ellipse ticket office. Most of the tickets will be given out nearly immediately, but there’s another set that will be given out at 7:30 on Monday morning. In order to qualify, you must have a child under 7, and there must be no more than two adults in the group. What’s rather interesting, this year, gay families are lining up tonight to take a portion of the tickets as a protest against the administration’s anti-gay policies. So, if you’re interested in tickets, now might be a good time to get in line.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Over the past week, I’ve been watching the slow progression of the chess bum I profiled last Friday.

Before he had the pretense of a chessboard, and seemed an engaging afternoon acquaintance if you had the time. Now he’s dropped that facade and the chessboard is nowhere to be seen. He’s also dropped his contentment with his earlier occupation of the sidewalk; he’s now upgraded and made a nest for himself – in the bus stop shelter.

Oh and before you think it was due to last night’s rain, he was there by Tuesday, I’ve only now had the chance to photograph him asleep in the mess. And a mess it is.

If you look closely, the shelter is now missing a pane of glass with shards of safety glass scattered about. He’s camped out on the bench, negating the ability to rest for those waiting for the bus. He’s also expanded his trash pile, stretching it down the sidewalk and up to the bus shelter.

Homeless no longer; he’s taken over the bus stop with his person and refuse, attempting a check-mate on the sanctity of McPherson Square.

Home Sweet Mess in McPherson Square Buss Stop

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Two years of renovations await the Smithsonian Museum of American History, as the museum will undergo serious interior reconstruction and add “artifact walls” that will display some additional collections that the Smithsonian hasn’t been able to show for lack of space. There will be a new atrium built as a centerpiece of the renovated museum featuring a large skylight and a glass staircase. Though we’ll miss the museum, a little renovation is never a bad thing, and we’ll be right there when they reopen in 2008!

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

They got on the crowded train at Farragut West, he in his father’s charcoal suit and a new canary yellow “Live Free or Die” t-shirt, she in a calf-length white skirt, pink shoes and a sweater set. They stood among the rest of us who were standing on the ride home from RFK and the Nationals loss, talking about their exes. She made reference to her high school ex who just kept coming back, he mentioned his 5 or 6 college girlfriends. They stood and she leaned on the pole, her right heel just coming out of her pink mary janes.

The train headed for Foggy Bottom, and the din of the tunnel drowned out his response to her flirting. As we pulled into the station, she talked about moving to Texas, glancing at the sheen of sweat on his forehead in the hot traincar. He laughed and rolled his eyes. They moved to a bench seat as the train cleared out. As the train pulled out of the station and into the noisy tunnel, she asked “Can you ever just stop being a player?”

The shaking car and thundering wheels drowned out his reply.

He was being played, he just didn’t know yet. She slipped off her mary janes for some equally pink mules, and tossed her hair.

Or he knew. And didn’t care.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

late night gym

It is 10.45 and I am the last one out of the YMCA tonight. See, while some folks got an afternoon off to walk about, others worked till late.

Thankfully the Y’s late weekday hours are made for night owls like me who wanna sweat till 10.30pm. I only wish it was open past 6ish on the weekends.

My bird chest could use a pre-date pump-up. Could yours?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Apparently we’ve qualified as #52 in Prevention magazine’s list of 100 Best Walking Cities. I can only assume this ranking is a result of the pure chance of when they pulled our name out of the hat they put all these names in given that they otherwise seem to bear little resemblance to reality.

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begging her to stop

There’s a new twist to bumming change in DC. Homeless are no longer content with lurking outside the CVS or overflowing McPherson Square with their demands for donations.

Now panhandlers have upgraded past pedestrians, forgoing our easy mark but quick steps for those who might have more money and definitely can’t move as fast, drivers stuck in traffic.

Penniless here wasn’t insolvent for long as she accosted driver after driver stuck in the right turn lane exiting K Street for 15th Street today. She was making a swift buck busting folks up for change who had windows down but nowhere to go.

What next? Actually following me along going “Mister, mister, give me money!” like the beggars do in Ethiopia?

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Despite the lackluster opening day, something interesting did come out of the afternoon spent at RFK yesterday. In talking with one of the ushers, it was revealed that last week, all the ushers for RFK (green polo shirts) were called in to a special meeting where they were instructed to fill out brand new applications. They’d been fired from the DC Sports & Entertainment Commission and rehired by the Nationals themselves. The new owner, whomever that may be (and apparently it’s set already) wanted to have full control of the usher staff for RFK.

This says a few things to me. It says that Selig and his cabal have settled on an owner, first of all. Secondly, that they’re down to the brass tacks in terms of negotiations if they’re talking about stadium personnel and not payroll, prices, and other large ticket items. Lastly, it means they’re getting to the stage where they’re involving people not typically into honoring non disclosure agreements. We’re close to a deal here, folks, and we could see one possibly before the homestand is over, but I’m betting it will be closer to the All-Star Break before anyone in Major League Baseball shows DC any love.

But, rejoice my friends, for the end of the reign of terror over the Nationals is nearly complete. Soon, we will only have our new owners to blame instead of a massive conspiracy by The Man to hold us down.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs