fence free at 1pm

In what must be a first since the Oklahoma City bombings, the White House will not be protected by an additional fence at the borders of Lafayette Park during a major protest.

Do not take this as an invitation to cut through the park when the march rounds the 15th and H Street corner. The Secret Service assured me they will be reminding marchers to stay on H Street at all times and the Washington Monument, not the White House is the rally point.

No word if this was the high-level info the most recent White House fence jumper was trying to convey.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

If you’re planning on driving anywhere in the District this afternoon starting around 3pm, you’re going to want to take a look at this map, because at 3pm a crowd of protestors is going to make its way from Meridian Park on 16th Street in Adams Morgan down to the Mall, stopping traffic in the pre-rush-hour time. This will stop all east-west traffic on any street they cross, as well as all traffic on 16th St during the time of the march. Making matters more inconvenient, 15th Street will be blocked down near the White House as the protest wends its way to the Mall. Police are estimating that the protest should hit the Mall by 4:30, so rush hour should be free of street closures, but much of that depends on the speed of the marchers.

My advice? Metro.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Today there will be a major immigration rights march winding its way through Washington DC. Starting in Meridian Hill Park around noon and gathering at the Washington Monument by 5pm, the march should be 200,000+ strong, and if past marches are any indication, downtown will be a mess of marchers, police, barricades, and the press.

You’re most likely at work right now and will be during the majority of the festivities. You’ll be nose-to-the-grindstone while the marchers rally against The Man behind HR 4437. And you’ll be wondering what in the hell is going on.

Do not fear, DC Metroblogging is here! We’ll have on-site reporters blogging the scene for you in real time. A flag burnt? A protester arrested? A conga line singing “Today we march, tomorrow we vote“? We’ll be there and you can read it here – on DC Metroblogging!

Better yet, DC Metroblogging, like our nation, is a participatory activity. That means today its time to stop lurking and start commenting. Or get crazy and get out, grab your camera, and add to our photostream here.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

As Jeff said earlier, tomorrow may well be a day for taking Metro, the protests that are scheduled to start at Meridian Park and wend their way through to the Mall by midafternoon are going to be fairly large. Local organizers are expecting up to 100,000 people to gather during the day, despite the fact that their protest permit is for 600 people.

However, despite my earlier thoughts about protests, I’m heading out with my cameras tomorrow to see what’s going to happen during the protest. This is going to be a big event for the local immigrant communities, as well as American citizens throughout the area. As the immigration debate comes to the forefront, and we acknowledge the 11 million or so undocumented immigrants who work in the United States in the agriculture, construction and domestic care industries, emotions are going to run high around here. I’m encouraging people to go and listen to what the speakers have to say tomorrow. We live in a representative democracy, which means that we are responsible for the actions of our nation, it might be a good idea to see what’s going on in yours.

If you’re going, we’re going to try something new here at Metroblogging, and that means we’re going to publish a lot of what our readers and open commenters are going to say. Got an opinion? Post it in the comments. Got a photo to share? Add it to the photostream here. This is a community site, and we’re interested in what you have to say. Let’s here it.

One last note: Keep it Respectful. This is a place to discuss ideas and topics, not engage in namecalling.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Forgive the stretch in the title, the latest crazy guy to invade the White House grounds didn’t make it past security, who approached with guns drawn. That’s two in a month, what’s going on? I don’t remember it being nearly this bad before, but we’ve had two in 30 days and hardly another one during the current President’s term. Is there something in the water? Is there arsenic in the half-smokes? I’m getting a bit paranoid….

Cynthia McKinney notably had no alibi for the period of time…

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

I was sitting in the choir loft today, watching the lesson for the children. Our new religious educator was asking them about Palm Sunday and how they thought a King might arrive today. Horses. Ponies. and then, a little kid said the magic words: “LIMO!”

Clearly, the motorcade culture of Washington has seeped into the next generation.

And that, by the by, inspired my next band name, “Jesuit Motorcade.”

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Despite the cold wet rain of Saturday, we ventured out to the Sakura Matsuri, a Japanese Street Festival downtown.

Samurai saw in the elusive beauty of the fragile cherry blossom a symbol of their own fate, an early death at the height of their powers.

Well, it was hardly that depressing an afternoon, but it did have a certain wistful quality as we dodged the rain, trying to worm through into the tents to see what was going on. Paper-making, magic, bizarrely tempting groceries, cute little cellphone holders with embroidered bunnies. And all of it very wet.

Eventually we made our way to the main stage, where an amazing duo called AUN was performing – twin brothers Ryohei and Kohei Inoue playing the taiko drums with ferocious enthusiasm and wide smiles, backed by a sort of techno-lounge sound. Described by the Festival as “Japatronic Taiko Drums,” I was completely mesmerized and almost started dancing in the rain their beats were so infectious.

But our stomachs were growling, so it was off to the food tents to see what we could feast on…

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs Continue reading →

You are warned

If you’re out and about on Monday, be sure to be beautiful. Due to the immigration protests, the DC Metropolitan Police Department will activate its CCTV cameras Monday and be looking for you:

Beginning at approximately 1 pm on that day, the MPDC will activate its network of 19 CCTV cameras to help police monitor for any suspicious or unusual activities along the National Mall and in the downtown area.

While we can assume most of those unblinking eyeballs will be looking for abandoned backpacks, I would be careful if I were a young black man, an attractive woman, or noticed the camera watching me.

Why? Read on…

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs Continue reading →

In a move that might just cause a ruckus, Montgomery County is offering Community Service credit to High School students who ditch school on Monday and come to the protest on the mall. Of course, pillars of society like conservative talk radio show hosts staged a call-in protest and got six kinds of ticked off at the district. Monday’s protest may well be one of the largest in my years here, and likely one of the largest in recent history.

Frankly, I’m surprised more people aren’t offering credit of some kind to have a front row seat at history, but I guess I understand the ire of conservative radio hosts, I mean, they do get paid to piss people off so….

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Seriously, who thought “Dakota Cowgirl” was a better name than “Hamburger Mary’s?” Aside from the simple brilliance that HM’s name had in that it identified the specialty in the name, Dakota Cowgirl evokes the image of crap bars like “Coyote Ugly.”

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

It is a beautiful day in McPherson Square, sunny, with a light breeze. It is a perfect day really, and I can imagine only one way to spend that day: playing chess.

How about if I take my chess board down to the park & set it up by the 42/S/30’s bus stop? I know folks will be hanging around there all day, maybe one would like to play a game with me. If they think they’re good, I might even bet ’em or at least get a few bucks from ’em while I kick ass.

Now to make it all home-like, to really get folks feeling the chess, how about if I decorate around the chessboard? Pile big plastic bags, assorted empty bottles and trash that cascade out onto the sidewalk. Yeah, that’ll make it nice and inviting.

Home Sweet Home in McPherson Square

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Perhaps you’re like me and weary of the final work day of the week (perhaps you’re luckier and you’ve already left the office, you slacker). Post 3pm on a Friday afternoon in Washington (isn’t it almost recess for those crazy kids on the Hill too?) is snoozeville. So in daydreaming about potential activities tonight and how wonderful it would be if I were a carefree artist I remembered it’s the first Friday of the month – which means party time in Dupont’s art galleries, with most places open until 8pm or so!

Be sure to check out my absolute favorite small gallery, the Kathleen Ewing. Ask to see Rosamund Purcell’s amazing portfolio of photographs and let them mess with your mind. Then head out for an infused vodka at the luxe Russia House and pretend you have the moxie to be a collector. Sigh. Someday.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

DCist “i” Rebel!

Did anyone else catch the major non-no perpetrated by Kyle Gustafson on yesterday’s DCist Photo of the Day post? Did you note the flagrant use, nay, abuse of the letter “i”?

I counted at least 11 lone letter “i”‘s, unsupported by surrounding letters, independent and indivisible in the post. And 24 hours later they’re still there! A totally random and unscientific survey of his entries show this “i” usage is new and different.

Could this mean that DCist is slowing breaking with the “Royal We” rule of the “ist” empire? Is Kyle is the vanguard for change to be more like the ragingly “I” of Metblogs? Or could it be a sinister Singularist mole infiltration?

I, for one, have my suspicions…

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

now I should feel safe?

Following tight on the heels of yesterday’s “Special Police” I noticed that we now have yet another redundant Sheriff in town: Federal Protective Service Police from Homeland (in)Security.

Now I’ve lost count. Does that mean we have one or two dozen different police forces in DC? Let’s see if we can name them all, shall we:

• DC Police
• Capitol Police
• Federal Marshals
• Secret Service
• Park Service Police
• GW Police
• Georgetown Police
• American Police
• Gallaudet Police
• Catholic Police
• Homeland Security Police
• “Special Police”
• ???

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Last night’s game at Shea was one of the strangest thing I’ve heard on the radio in quite some time. It’s not that Pedro Martinez hit batters, that’s to be expected from a power pitcher late in his career and fighting off an injury. Pitchers like that want to make you afraid, make you back down and guess, then overthink and strike out.

Hitting the same guy, twice, though, is going to cause some problems, and so when Jose Guillen got pegged in the elbow for the second time in the game, he walked out to the mound, still carrying his bat. There was hope, albeit brief hope, that he might pull a Juan Marichal and use the bat on his opponent.

The best revenge, though, was Nick Johnson going yard for a three run homer just a moment thereafter. It wasn’t enough, though, as the Nats lost 10-5.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

cherry blossom congestion

If you think you can see the cherry blossoms late, that tourist traffic drops after dark, you would be wrong.

There is a full on bus jam around the monuments these days that makes just driving down Independence a bus and tourist dodging challenge.

My vote: skip the Tidal Basin and head to the Arboretum.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

sonic_no

Today, after work and before yoga, I did a little work at Panera Bread in Ballston. Done with the day labour, and wanting to check what’s up with the world, I typed in http://dc.metblogs.com expecting to find the latest in DC gossip. Instead, I got the notice at right, which says:

The SonicWALL Content Filter Has Blocked this site. If you feel this site has been blocked in error, Please submit a URL Rating Review at: http://cfssupport.sonicwall.com
URL: http://dc.metblogs.com/
Reason for restriction: Forbidden Category

Forbidden Category, eh? I wonder which one that is? Snide Commenatry? Jaded Lifestyles? Or maybe Reality Check?

What’s your take?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Only in Washington can you go get your hair done and overhear such tidbits like, “I knew him socially – I suppose his life is ruined now” or “why didn’t he just get a trophy twentysomething to dress up like a teenager?” Yes, everyone was abuzz over the latest scandal. I felt like I was in a 1930’s ‘women’s picture’ where the manicurists gleefully dispense the latest gossip as cattily as possible. Except this gossip was tinged with political savvy. Well, I was on K Street after all…

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs Continue reading →

“Um, can you go outside with that?” the bartender sheepishly asked as my husband lit up.

We were lounging about in the convivial Science Club, one of my new favorite bars. Or is it a restaurant? That’s the question of the hour – for this legal delineation now controls the thought uppermost in the minds of DC smokers – where can I go?

Though we may think everyone is clued into the ban, apparently not. The owner found out about it on the news the day the ban began. There was some confusion over who exactly is covered under this first phase – the consensus of the happy hour crew was that it depended on whether you had a restaurant license or a bar license. This isn’t immediately apparent to patrons, as some establishments you think are bars that serve food have a restaurant license, while others have a bar license. Think for a moment about your favorite watering holes and see if you can categorize them correctly – sometimes the type of license depends on the zoning. For example, Science Club has a full food menu, a vibrant bar scene, and a restaurant license. Big Hunt also has a full food menu, a vibrant bar scene, and a bar license. Ah well, it won’t matter much by January 2007.

“An era is ending,” the barflies sadly toasted. Despite this wistfulness, all agreed that it would certainly help them quit.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Washington is often thought of as a town of smoke-filled rooms, with leather upholstery, high-backed chairs, and good scotch served in crystal decanters. More often than not, though, most of us that live here never see that side of things. Tonight I was invited to join some friends for an exclusive game of poker with Howard Lederer and Chris Ferguson at the University Club on 16th Street. I was in for a glimpse into those smoky rooms for the first time since I moved here in 2000.

Why are luminaries from the poker world in Washington? There’s a bill in committee over in Congress called HR 4777 that would heavily restrict and potentially criminalize online gaming in its current form. That clearly concerns the Poker Players’ Alliance and so they came to Washington with some of their best ambassadors, the aforementioned Lederer and Ferguson as well as 2005 World Champion Greg Raymer. They gave testimony before Congress, met with influential politicians and lobbyists, and played some cards with soldiers at Walter Reed Medical Hospital.

Tonight, though, it was all about local bloggers and poker players. I arrived at the posh University Club just before eight and I was ushered into the billiard room on the second floor, with beautiful lush carpeting, a nice spread of food and a server running drinks from the bar. I ordered a Sapphire and Tonic and watched as Radley Balko from The Agitator recorded a podcast with Lederer and Ferguson. Before I knew what hit me, I was sitting at a table playing Texas Hold’Em with Howard Lederer and seven other players including the fabulous Julian Sanchez and my good friend Ben Stanfield.

Howard spoke very candidly about playing poker, about life as a professional poker player, about watching his Red Sox win the World Series in 2004, about pretty much every and anything. He was incredibly relaxed, and really enjoyed talking with all of us. I only got into one hand with Howard, but I came out on top, with a set of queens to his top and bottom pair. Afterwards, we talked a bit about how he liked Washington (He does, though he’d like to have seen more of it than he did on this trip) and about what he makes of the Department of Justice and the move toward banning online gaming (He’s against it, for reasons of civil liberties, anti-government-interference and DOJ overstepping their mandate), and a ton of other things. He even took a Metroblogging DC t-shirt and wore it on his shoulder most of the evening.

I left the evening feeling better than I’ve felt about Washington in a while. And not just because I’d taken down my poker idol in a hand of honest cards, either, but because Washington is the place where government is controlled and created. People come to this town itching for an honest discussion, whether it’s about free trade, poker, abortion, immigration or even balanced budgets (a novel idea in our time), they come here looking to engage in that most American of pursuits: petitioning their government for redress. And it was that, tonight, that put the spring in my step as I walked to my car through the cool spring evening.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs