DC USA Construction

Over on the Columbia Heights listserv there is a flame-tastic email exchange going on over the revelation that the DC USA retail center might be leasing space to Ross Dress for Less now that Whole Foods has pulled out.

That somehow the addition of Ross to a retail mix that includes Target and Marshall’s, both discount retail chains, will bring down the mall and the neighbourhood.

Or in RJ Mauch’s words:

I think most people would prefer NOT to see Ross and Marshals. We need that like we need another damn CVS in this city. Enough unless you’re interested in experiencing a Silver Spring City Place disaster, because that is where this headed with all this dumping of low-end retail junk.

The fine citizen of Columbia Heights want DC USA, the multi-million dollar retail extravaganza in the center of their community to be uplifting and diverse as it was in the past. Or as Adam Aaronson says:

The issue is that we are getting retail that isn’t best suited for the neighborhood, and that much of it is redundant – all the banks, all the drycleaners, etc etc. Marshalls and Ross are the same store. I’m sure if Safeway or Harris Teeter opened up across the street from the Giant, the uproar would be the same.

But would it? Could this really be an issue of class? Of the socio-economic desires of a “transitional” neighbourhood to have a Logan Circle effect with DC USA? A transformation of image (and residents) from working class to high class through retail establishments? I think I have to agree with batboy8686’s conclusion:

The debate about Ross Dress for Less in Columbia Heights REALLY comes down to peeps thinking they could make 10% annually on a real estate investment.

You have a Starbucks. You have some condos that have presumably sold. The anti-Ross campaign really comes down to people thinking they were going to move to Logan Circle – no more, no “less”.

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And there it is, the first casualty of the Deborah Jeane Palfrey case, Senator Vitter (R-LA), who admitted to a “serious sin in his past” related to the phone records of the DC Madam. If you’re interested in digging through the records, they’re now available for download on Palfrey’s website, which has currently crumpled under the strain of a million people looking for perverts to crucify.

The next day or two should be interesting as groups like the Smoking Gun and TMZ dissect the records searching for more victims. Get out the popcorn and the lawnchairs, this may finally get good.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

It was 101 degrees on my drive home from work this afternoon. How lovely! It makes me want to take a long stroll down to the Mall and take in some sights. Maybe grab a bomb pop from one of the street vendors, sit on a bench, soak in some rays. In the words of Borat, “Not!”

I don’t know about you, DC, but I think this weather just plain sucks. Just ask my dog who has gone into her summer hibernation. Aren’t we supposed to be able to enjoy our summer days? Instead, I think I’ll be sitting in front of this computer or my TV until bed time. Tomorrow will be just as bad. And just when it starts to “cool off” down into the mid to high 80’s, I’ll be headed back to Tucson in time for their monsoon season (think 100+ degrees and humidity).

I just can’t win.

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In a news release that will shock no one, the State Police have announced that the speed the tractor trailer truck was traveling did not contribute to the accident we’ve discussed here in the past. Hopefully everyone reading this has gotten the lesson from their parents and/or driving instructor that being safe on the road isn’t only about not making mistakes of your own: you’ve also got to protect yourself against other people’s mistakes.

Similarly, everyone else can be doing everything right and you can make seemingly minor decisions that will get you killed. Please, when you miss that exit, just keep going and loop around. In the month since this accident happened I’ve seen at least three incidents of people slewing across several lanes to make a last-minute exit and one person backing up on the side of the highway to take an exit they drove past. I guarantee you that if you don’t want to miss that appointment by ten minutes you sure don’t want to miss it by forever.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Approved for you to see by the same folks who once rejected ads that questioned the value and purpose of the war on some drugs.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Tip jar at Murky Coffee

Let’s nail something down once and for all. I have to get this cleared up, so as to avoid future mishaps and hard feelings.

The standard tip for restaurants is something like 15%, right? I generally range from 1-20%, depending on service quality. No, I never fail to leave a tip, even for bad service. I want them to know that I did not forget and that their service is being duly rewarded with a quarter or whatever I deem appropriate.

You don’t have to do much to get a 15% tip from me. That’s like a baseline. Make pleasant banter, mostly get the order right and bring me silverware if appropriate – pretty much the basic stuff. For folks who really bust tail and do a great job, it will be higher, maybe 20 or 25%. If they don’t refill the water glasses, act surly or fail to bring the right food and act like it’s my fault, the tip might be 10% or lower.

But here is the wildcard. What do you give for people, such as the fine folks at Murky Coffee, who are always pleasant, make small talk, do a good job and then don’t kick you out for nursing a cafe au lait for two hours? $1? My au lait cost $2.45. That’s almost 41%. A 15% tip is 37 cents. That just seems cheap. Is there a standard dollar amount for counter employees versus wait staff?

So tell me, DC – how do you tip when you go to a coffee shop or other counter-based place?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

If you’re not yet familiar with the concept of churrascaria, you are likely a vegan, or perhaps someone who’s been living under a rock for the last ten years. It’s a Brazilian-style barbeque feast, featuring what can only be described as a festival of meat. As it’s been implemented in the States by groups like Texas de Brazil and Fogo de Chão, gaúchos dressed in traditional garb bring you meat after meat after meat after meat after meat until you inadvertently explode, or you turn over the serving dot on your table.

The serving dot is a bit of an interesting phenomenon for a restaurant. When you’re seated, each person at the table is issued a serving dot, one side is red, one side is green. Flipping the dot results in a stampede of gaúchos bringing you everything from sausage to leg of lamb to filet mignon wrapped in bacon. It’s all carved directly from a long skewer to your plate, by every passing gaúcho. Of course, there’s also a salad bar, so if you’re not doing Atkins, you can get a huge salad, or maybe some caprese or some soup, or even possibly some seared ahi tuna. Prepare yourself, though, when you flip that dot over, as the gaúchos will come without ceasing until you flip that dot again. Remember, also, that everything is coated in rock-salt before it’s roasted, in the traditional brazilian style. This results in steak and pork that’s phenomenal, but lamb that loses its subtlety.

We had a great time at Texas de Brazil out in Fairfax, and though the bill was a little high for just two, I don’t think I’ll need to eat again for at least three or four days. Oh, and remember to have the crème de papaya. It’s fantastic.

Texas de Brazil (warning, website has sound)
11750 Fair Oaks Shopping Center
Fairfax, VA

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

All students who took Advanced Placement exams this year at Wicomico High School may have to retake them – the school accidentally recycled every single one.

School administrators told several families Friday that this spring’s AP exams had been inadvertently destroyed.

Families were told by phone and a letter Friday that the school has requested The College Board provide a retest opportunity. The College Board is considering that request, according to Faye Wilson, school district spokeswoman.

Allow me to say that it surprised me not at all that they elected to inform them families by phone and letter. I am somewhat shocked that they didn’t decide to do it from an undisclosed location. I think Cheney isn’t using his.

And hey, College Board? Don’t be a bunch of douchebags. It’s not the kids or their families’ fault that these tests went missing. Not only does a qualifying AP result help kids get through college faster but it can be a significant savings. If any of you wanted to contact them and express your opinion on the matter there’s a web contact form here or, better yet, write or call.

The College Board
45 Columbus Avenue
New York, NY 10023-6992
(212) 713-8000

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

My car is 11 years old – not ancient but far from brand new. When the time came to do the emissions inspection I was a little hesitant. It had passed its last inspection, last year in Massachusetts, but all you need is one sensor to malfunction for the test to fail.

Fortunately, my car passed the test. The folks at the service station entered our vehicle’s information and test results in their computer and by the time my lovely wife got home to renew our registration online, the test information was right there, already in the system. The process was nearly seamless and she was done in minutes.

In other places I lived, you had to go through all sorts of machinations to make this kind of thing happen, between buying unnecessary parts from the mechanic and greasing him up to pass a car that should pass anyway. For a while I sold car parts and knew enough mechanics that I could get someone to pass an old-ass car that shouldn’t. You do favors, they do favors.

I’m glad those days are over. I’m glad to have a decent car and decent friends and not be dependent on doing favors to skirt the law. With today’s computer technology, I am not even sure if I could benefit from being in my colleagues’ good graces, as I used to do.

Let’s face it – mechanics don’t make any money on this type of thing. It’s a loss leader, or hopefully a break-even leader to get people to buy other products and services. We are at their mercy on some level, hoping to get a square deal. It’s a blessing to know a good mechanic, both in skill and spirit.

Thanks, Arlington County, for helping to make this a painless process, and thanks to all the good, honest service stations in the area. We only see you when we are in need of something and we appreciate you doing a heck of a job for us. Folks – if you know a good mechanic, send him/her a shoutout by leaving the station name in the comments here. It will help all of us, knowing that we can get a good deal when we are most desperate.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Local media guru Andy Carvin posted a video of Kong Nay, who is a master of the Chapei, which is something like a Cambodian folk guitar. What struck me about this was how familiar the music seemed. Definitely different from our music but somehow it resonated with my experience of traditional improvisational music we have here in the US.

The video was shot at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. If you haven’t been down there yet, get on down and see something really incredible. Only one more day remains before the Festival wraps up and you have to wait another year for entertainment like this. You can’t beat it – free culture. If they only had free food it would be perfect, but that’s asking a little much.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

What! you ask, DC has an Italian festival? Once upon a time, DC had a Little Italy right downtown, around Holy Rosary Church on 3rd St NW. That neighborhood is mostly office and judicial buildings today, but since 1999 the DC Italian community has used that same stretch of 3rd St for their Italian Festival, sponsored by the church itself and a couple of related Italian cultural societies. Food, music, fun, crafts, history — think of it as an extension of the folklife festival, but with calzones. And Ferraris.

Festa Italiana DC is tomorrow (Sunday), from 11:30 AM to 5:30 PM at 3rd and F St NW. I’ll be there. Stuffing my face.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

The Arlington Community Role Model (CRM) Program, which aims to bring young adults into the fold of civic life here in Arlington, is celebrating another successful year. What a great program, I thought, upon reading about it. Unfortunately, I am pretty much at the top end of the age spectrum and already involved in enough community and professional activities to tire out a racehorse, but a lot of you young people who get on the internets to look at the blogs are well within the range of ages.

Why not go and report back how things went? I think it’s a super idea. Most people in their 20s and 30s are lost when it comes to civic life, partly because of a dreadful civic education in high school and college but also because at that age many people don’t take us seriously because of our youth.

Here is a great way to get involved in the community, learn about what’s happening in your own backyard and connect with other civic-mind folks in our community. If nothing else, it’s an interesting evening with some free food.

Read on:

Come help CRM celebrate another successful year of connecting young adults (20s and 30s) with the Arlington community. Join us on July 11th at the Eleventh Street Lounge for an informal evening with County Board Member J. Walter Tejada. Doors open at 7:30, short program at 8:00 PM. Come out on the eleventh to eleventh and enjoy the low key vibe, seasonal appetizers, and meet other community minded young Arlingtonians!!! All are welcome, please RSVP Here.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Fire Hydrant

Originally uploaded by Oh So Koooky.

With just 2500 fire hydrants left to test, DC’s Fire Chief Dennis Rubin says 14% of DC’s fire hydrants just don’t work. 14% of the 7,000 they’ve tested would be just under a thousand broken fire hydrants. Good God, folks. That’s insane.

That’s 1 in 7 hydrants out of service. Count seven fire hydrants near your house, and 1 of them won’t work, and when the fire department shows up to put out the house fire, you’re pretty much boned.

C’mon, WASA, get it together!

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

When I was a kid my dad would always whistle a tune that I’d never heard. I chalked it up to being “an old person thing” and never asked him what the song was called or why he liked it so much. But unlike most of my childhood memories which are forever gone, that one will stick with me to the grave. The name of that song, “La Vie En Rose”.

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

This town, maybe America as a whole, is in serious need of some sidewalk etiquette training.

Let me set the scene. You’re walking down a sidewalk, not a very busy one in fact. The only people involved are you and the group of 2-4 people coming your way. You, being courteous and mindful of other peoples’ space, are walking on the right side of the sidewalk, much like you drive on the right side of the road. You clearly see the other people coming and want to make it easy for them to pass by you. Sound good so far?

Here’s where the problem is. The other people seem to think that either:

a) They own the sidewalk and can do as they please.
b) Their conversation about how Dave didn’t call Jenny back last night is more important than making room for you to pass.
c) You have your invisible cloak on and they have no idea that you’re coming the other way.
d) They’re just rude and deserve to be that way, so deal with it.

Oh no you didn’t! Listen up people. You had better hope that, male or female, you wore your shirt with extra shoulder padding in it because my shoulder is pretty tough and it’s going to introduce itself to yours. And if that does happen, don’t give me a look of disgust. Instead stop and think about what just transpired. There are other people living in this world of yours and you have to respect their personal space! If you can’t grasp this concept, feel free to move to NYC or start bulking those shoulders up.

Ahhhh. I feel much better.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

photo courtesy of Gisela Giardino

If you’re reading this when you should be doing maintenance on a server then perhaps you’re eligible for some free stuff. The EtCetera jobs in craigslist had this entry looking for server/system administrators at organizations with 1,000 or more people.

This is an observational research study involving a brief visit to your workplace. The visit will take approximately 1 hour and is designed to be as non-intrusive as possible. Each participant will receive their choice of a retail Microsoft software title from a list of our most popular titles. See the end of this post for a examples of available titles.

Some expensive stuff, too. Visual Studio .NET, Office Pro, etc. Worth a look if you qualify and can spare the hour.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

I just harvested some bamboo from a yard in Falls Church. Yes, the lady who owns the house said I could take it and I don’t have any new trespassing warrants against me as far as I know.

This stuff, as lovely as it is, is a plague upon our landscape here in the DC area. And barring the use of our welfare panda population, there are few ways to really get rid of it. However, with some creative thought, we can at least have something productive come of the infestation.

My use for it? Tomato stakes. I figure I have about two weeks before my tomato plants are too big to support themselves, so I am hoping for some good hot, dry weather between now and then to dry out the stakes I cut.

If the stakes are still green when it comes time to stick them in the ground, they will sprout and grow like the weeds they are and I won’t get my security deposit back unless I get a panda or two in here to deforest the yard.

What are your creative uses for our overgrown bamboo?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

I thought Bumblebee was a Camaro, though, not a 95 Mustang convertible. Note the matching steering wheel cover.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

When my wife told me that the DC Madam finally had her records emancipated from the courts and can now release them to the media, the first thought that came to mind was “I can has scandal nao?”

Yes, it being Friday, and my brain still being pickled from Three Philosophers drunk on Independence day, I went straight for the lolcats reference. Besides, can’t you picture this whole sordid affair told by barely literate cats with bad spelling? I mean, it makes the whole thing way funnier.

C’mon, you know this would be way funnier as a lolmeme.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs