20 people were injured, 1 seriously, by a green line train that derailed at Mt. Vernon Square station this evening. The station is now closed according to the Metro Service Delays page, and there’s a good chance that will affect tomorrow’s commute on the Metro. Be wary if you’re on the train tomorrow, there’s a good shot the yellow and green lines will be a bit messy.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

When it comes to photography, it’s much easier in my opinion to take photos of inanimate things such as monuments, flowers, or snowy landscapes. These things aren’t going anywhere, they’re not posing for you, and you usually have all the time in the world to get the shot that you’re looking for.

Photographing people on the other hand, is a completely different game. There are so many elements that have to fall in line for a good portrait to happen. Does the person want their photo taken? Are they photogenic? Is the lighting right? Are they posed right? Do you know how to pose them or do they know how to pose themselves? Are they worth photographing in the first place?

In this case, digital_don has answered all of these questions and come up with a winner. The composition, exposure, and depth of field are dead on in this portrait that tells a story by itself. You can tell just by looking at this guy that he’s lead an interesting life, and the photographer went the extra mile to interview his subject, confirming just this (be sure to read the notes below the photo). His use of black & white here really gives the details some added “pop”, from the weathered face and hands to the dirt under his fingernails (it doesn’t look like the smoking ban has affected this guy). Many of these details can be overlooked in color.

If you like what you see, be sure to check out digital_don’s Street Portraits photo set for some other wonderful shots. In a city like DC, these opportunities are waiting for all of those who are tired of photographing marble buildings and reflecting pools.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Photo by DC Metroblogger

Every weekend there is a line at the Diner. And not just a casual few minute pause, but a full on 30+ minute wait while the hostess calls out others in line before you.

I have never understood the wait and my clock-stopping-hottie refuses to go there because of the line.

Today is a great case in point. The line is out the door and the wait is 45 minutes minimum. And yet The Reef, where we are enjoying $3 mimosas and pancakes with orange-honey butter, is instant seating.

So please educate me DC, why wait at the Diner?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

The Shakespeare in Washington Festival has begun!

From January to June, Washingtonians get to enjoy six months of Will. In various guises, from traditional to experimental, theatre to music to dance to film, any and all interpretations of the Bard will be covered. From small troupes to venerable groups, almost every theater has something planned, plus galleries, lectures, the list goes on and on.

Eve Zibart has a ripping good intro to the festival to get your anticipatory juices flowing. It’s pretty overwhelming how many choices there are, but remember it’s spread out over a long period of time.

That being said, I’m stunned to find out that the event I’m most looking forward to, The Folger Consort’s performance of Purcell’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream featuring the dulcet tones of my favorite actor, Sir Derek Jacobi (who by-and-by was the greatest Hamlet ever), may actually already be sold out. Or the online ticketing for April isn’t working yet. Let’s hope it’s the latter… or else I’ll feel so disappointed that I might “do such bitter business as the day would quake to look on” !!

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

I have to give credit where it is due. For the past several weeks I have been enjoying Murky Coffee at Clarendon. This place is where I wanted to be all my life, except for the lack of helper monkeys and free stuff. A better cup of coffee cannot be found in the area, as far as I can tell

For years I went to Starbuck’s and felt like I was dumbing down my world by ingesting such harsh, bitter coffee. They make their name by the stuff but I could never see how. It must be one of those fads I never understand, like people going nuts over places like P.F. Chang’s or Wolfgang Puck’s. They aren’t really bad places but they certainly aren’t that special either, in my estimation.

I discovered Caribou Coffee when I was in college at NCSU. They were certainly masters of the hot chocolate (and still are) but still lacked something in the coffee department. Their brew is a little milder than Starbuck’s but still has a bit of an edge.

Finding Murky Coffee was like a godsend. The coffee is full-bodied and rich but never harsh. The hot chocolate is rich as well but could be just a tad sweeter. All the same, it’s an excellent drink and topped with real whipped cream, not that canned stuff from the supermarket that teenagers do whippits with. Plus, the free wi-fi means I can spend quite a bit of time there, away from my office at home and can get some good work done as I sip a beverage of my choice.

Two suggestions to make Murky Coffee a better place. First: food. There really isn’t a great selection of foods, mostly just sweets and such. How about a nice selection of prepackaged sandwiches? Of course, they are probably banking on turning over seats probably once an hour or so, so having people eat and stay longer could really impact their customer throughput. Second: helper monkeys. Do I really have to go get my own napkins?

If you haven’t tried Murky Coffee yet, definitely go check it out.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

I saw this bag of Ice Melt today at Clarendon:

I don’t suppose we will need that stuff for a while at this rate. Perhaps it has already gone to seed, sitting there for so long.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Photo by DC Metroblogger

Is this January? Can such warm breezes and sunny skies be winter in Washington DC?

People are in shorts and t-shirts on the Mall. I am off on a six mile run. What are you doing to enjoy the day?

Please let it be outside. This beauty will not last. It is winter after all!

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

I got a call around 5pm last night from a friend who needed some emergency computer help. I was on my way home from Clarendon, but Old Town’s not too far away, is it? So I trekked on over to Old Town to help him out. We finished for the night at 2am, I got in my car and headed back to my Fairlington digs. I cut through Old Town in the rain, it’s a place I’ve always loved when the streets have a bright sheen from fresh rain, and the christmas lights in the trees are up. The Masonic Memorial at the end of King Street was still lit up, and looked amazing.

I was headed westbound on King when the light at Payne street turned yellow and I put the brakes on to stop.

Sadly, the drunk woman behind me did no such thing and slammed into me at somewhere between 10 and 20 miles an hour. I put the car in park, set the GPS back on the dash, and opened my door to see how bad she clocked me. I got out, and there was the woman, window down, screaming at me, wanting to know why I’d stopped at the yellow light. Bad enough I’d gotten a parking ticket today for not feeding my meter, I didn’t want a red light ticket on my bill, too! Don’t you hate it when the car in front of you decides not to run the same red light you wanted to?

I called the Police as she was being belligerent and screaming at me. When I read her plate number to the cops, she rolled up her window, swerved around my car and tore up King, nearly mowing down a pair of pedestrians crossing the street at West street. I confirmed the plate with the 911 Operator and saw as an Alexandria Police Squad Car nailed her right at the corner of West and King. She apparently also sideswiped a car on West Street after she made the turn to pull over.

An officer came over to get my information and take my statement, which I gladly gave, my brain still a bit shocked by all the hubbub. He asked me to come over to the assailant’s car, and we moved my still quite healthy Jetta to the scene of her arrest. When I got there, she was in the back seat of a squad car, cuffed, and screaming like a banshee. She demanded a trip to the bathroom, swore she’d sue the whole police department, and when they took her out of the car to change her handcuffs, she screamed like she was getting the Rodney King treatment, even though she was being handled quite calmly by the very professional Alexandria PD.

Not exactly how I intended to spend a Friday night after closing time, but there you have it. The ultimate irony? Her name was Angelique. Not so much.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

I needed money the other day to get my regular fix at Murky Coffee and crossed over to Wachovia, where not only was I charged the usual extra bit to use the ATM, but I was insulted as well. Instead of calling it a service fee or transaction fee, they call it a “convenience fee.” Come on, Wachovia – don’t piss in my ear and tell me it’s raining. There’s nothing convenient about that.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

photo courtesy of Weather.com

Well it’s very oddly warm today, which demands outdoor activity. But what? Few places have outdoor seating this time of year and all the foliage is D-E-D dead. Normally my darling girlfriend and I bop off to out favorite under-appreciated monument location, Roosevelt Island when we need a default outdoor activity. But even ol’ Teddy’s hangout is drab in January. So where to go?

Hopefully all of you figured out someplace to go and enjoy the day, so when you get back why don’t you tell us: Where did you go?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Yes Virginia drivers, Smokey is back in the air. Virginia police are expanding aerial enforcement of traffic laws after a multi-year lull.

And while we all can agree that aggressive drivers should get tickets, they cause the most accidents and give us all rashes of road rage, how do you feel about an eye in the sky?

Would flying cops be the newest red light cameras? Or more akin to DC MPD CCTV and neighbourhood spy cams?

They are engaging in generic surveillance of the general public, indiscriminately check out your driving habits. Yet, as the Wash Post article points out, they can catch crazy drivers better than land-based police.

And no word yet if they will be looking for Dulles Tool Road toll dodgers too.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

The Bizarro Winter Continues! Tomorrow it’s going to be partly cloudy with a high of 72 degrees. On January 6th. We’re in the middle of winter, and apparently it feels more like April than January. Not that I’m complaining, mind you, but is anyone else worried about the karmic retribution the weather gods may have in mind for us? Are we going to get another monster blizzard like in 2003, which paralyzed a good portion of the metro area for several days? Are we going to have a brutal, dank summer? Will the Cherries blossom early in February, just to mess with the tourists? Will Fall consist of a never-ending rainstorm?

Only the global warming climatologists can tell us…

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

If you’ve been reading this blog…uh…since yesterday, you know that Pat Robertson has been informed by the Lord that we are all going to be struck by some horrific terrorist event later in the year. Well, if the old wise man in the clouds had a camera, this is what his photos would foreshadow.

Instead, this image was captured by a mere mortal who goes by the name of moocatmoocat. That’s right. Evidently in the year 2007, there will also be a cat/cow hybrid that ignores you unless you have food, and leaves giant frisbee-shaped piles of dung in your coat closet.

In all seriousness, this is only a harmless Yule log burning near our beloved Washington Monument. Or is it? Hmmmmm.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Come one, come all. Jill Foster has a bit more info here but I will give you the short version.

6:30, Busboys and Poets at 2021 14th St. NW. Anyone who is interested in online media is welcome. We are mostly online video producers but do other types of blogging/online media creation as well.

A fun time is sure to be had by all!

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

From my laptop…

Originally uploaded by tbridge.

It’s fun to be at the coffeeshop, peruse the bulletin board and find something just plain awesome. Check out Smouse Productions’ Surfin’ with the King party which is going on in Bladensburg this weekend. $15 gets you in for the most Elvisest of parties! Plus, can you go wrong with a band named “The Hula Monsters“? Bring your giant sunglasses and gold lamé suit, and I’ll see you there.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

The YMCA of Metropolitan Washington has made the welcome announcement that no longer will there be a special membership for anyone who wants to be able to use more than one facility. Under the “One YMCA Membership” program (catchy, huh?) you’ll be able to visit the other facilities whose membership fees are equal or lower than what you pay at your facility. For you National Capital members that means you’ve got free reign – your fees are the highest in the local cluster. Lucky you.

Here’s the locations, starting with the highest cost and working downward and grouped by price.

YMCA National Capital
YMCA Fairfax County Reston & YMCA Bethesda-Chevy Chase
YMCA Alexandria & YMCA Silver Spring
YMCA Potomac Overlook & YMCA Upper Montcomery
YMCA Arlington
YMCA Anthony Bowen

It’s a small thing but if you’re one of the many people who commute from one area to another maybe this’ll open up some new workout options for you.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

According to the almighty prophet Pat Robertson, many of us who live in major US cities are about to be snuffed out.

His prediction, or rather, “message from God”, states that there will be a “mass killing” in late 2007.

The all knowing whacko master stated, “The Lord didn’t say nuclear. But I do believe it will be something like that.”

So what do you think? Is the silver hair fox onto something here? Have any of you heard God mention a major terrorist attack in any of your recent conversations with Him? Or is Mr. Robertson’s prediction as good as saying, “I think that it may rain sometime next year, somewhere in the US….and I’m told it will be wet rain.”

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Photo by DC Metroblogger

We live in Washington DC. A super high profile terrorist profile city.

A city that should fear cargo trucks like this. Trucks that leveled a Federal building in Oklahoma. Trucks once thought to harbor snipers.

Yet do you fear a truck like this one, innocently parked on a random street corner?

Most days I do not even notice them. Other days, like today, I do.

Am I irrationally paranoid? Are you?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Upon my arrival home from my holiday travels, I found this vending machine in a men’s room at DCA:

The picture isn’t quite clear because I knew if I waited too long in setting up the shot I would be caught by the next guy who came in the door. Not a terrible fate but not great either. Not many people want to be known as the guy using a camera phone in the men’s room.

Anyway, the first option on the left is for condoms. Does anyone really need condoms at the airport? I didn’t check but I am pretty sure at least Air Canada and US Air don’t validate memberships in the mile-high club.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs