Tag Archives: dc

Entertainment, Music, The Features
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We Love Music: Vampire Weekend @ 930 Club – 12/08/08

If Vampire Weekend fans had a case of the Mondays at the 9:30 Club the past two nights, then they were delighted out of that funk and transported to, well, brace for cliché…the weekend.

Taking the stage Monday night against a large canvas banner of their January 2008 self titled album “Vampire Weekend,” the four band members looked shockingly youthful. Dressed in their trademark prepster style, there was tremendous display of plaid, three of four musicians donned tartan shirts, and the drummer, always edgy, rocked a tie dye shirt.

The band’s two night stint at the 9:30 Club marked their first DC performance since a February concert at the Rock and Roll Hotel. This DC performance gap is particularly ironic given keyboardist Rostam Batmanglij’s metro area roots; for Batmanglij, who had strong crowd support, playing this venue must have been surreal, as one of his first concerts, Sigur Ros, was at the 9:30. In one of the brief set pauses Batmanglij admitted that he had seen another act prior to Sigur Ros but was too embarrassed to share the name with the crowd. Hanson, perhaps?
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Foggy Bottom, The Daily Feed, WMATA, WTF?!
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The Eternally Receding Horizon of Metro Escalator Repair Deadlines

Still Broken

I don’t even remember what date WMATA originally put on the repair notice when they closed the middle escalator of Foggy Bottom back in summer. I just knew that there was a 100% chance of them changing that date as soon as it came close. Sure enough, they changed it to Nov 29th. And when Nov 29th rolled by, naturally the repair deadline became Dec 19th. Will they make that deadline?

Of course not. Watch for when they bump that date to late December or early January, as the on-again-off-again nightmare of Foggy Bottom traffic bottleneck management continues.

Downtown, Monumental
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Monumental: Casimir Pulaski

Pulaski in the Snow
Casimir Pulaski in the Snow by tbridge

On the Eastern side of Freedom Plaza stands a horse-mounted General, with one hoof raised. It’s Casimir Pulaski, the Polish-born Father of the American Cavalry, a Revolutionary War Hero. I only mention the one hoof in the air because of the old “How many raised hoofs determines how the historical figure died,” trope. It’s totally not an accurate rule. Sure it works some of the time, but it’s a bad guide more than it is a good one. Sure, it works better at Gettysburg, just up the road, but not in DC.

Casimir Pulaski, a native of Poland, came to the Colonies after his own failed revolution against the Russians failed. His land seized, his army gone, he left in disgrace, but with a brilliant military mind. Pulaski’s arrogance, and lack of command of the English that was common on the battlefield made him a difficult fit in the Continental Army. Through the intervention of General Washington, Pulaski was made Commander of the Horse, and eventually General of an independent horse corps that fought in the Siege of Charleston and the Battle of Savannah.

Pulaski was fatally wounded in an attempt to retake Savannah from British forces, shot in the groin by grapeshot. Thus, his statue, according to the horse code, should have both front hooves raised.

Arlington, People, The District
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Why I Love DC: John

Let me be honest. I never meant to come to DC, let alone stay here.

I came here in the fall of 1995 as a college freshman. I had hoped to get into UVA’s architecture school, but I got into Catholic U’s program instead. I spent the last five years of the millennium in Northeast DC, rarely venturing outside of the typical college student haunts. Making the typical student mistakes; getting off at the GMU stop on the orange line when trying to go to a concert at the Patriot Center. Driving to the Southeast end of Pennsylvania Avenue at 11 at night because of shoddy directions. Going to Rumors. That’s just the tip of the iceberg.

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Petworth
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Why I Love DC: Wayan


Photo by mosley.brian

After five hours crammed into this seat on a red-eye from San Francisco, I can tell by the shift in the plane, that we’ve started our decent into IAD. Its another bi-coastal BBQ week for me, and I can’t wait to be home.

Home, where the South Asian driver of the Washington Flyer taxi and I will have a long talk about Pakistani politics as we glide past iconic symbols of our nation and then drop into the green valley of Rock Creek park.

Home, where my block party neighbours will be just waking, about to take their morning walks around the neighbourhood, where I shall soon join them with my personal Taxi in tow.

Home, where my half-million dollar mortgage shelters my still-sleeping wife, who let’s me travel even with a Ziggy on the way.

Home, where after a decade I feel I have found my place, my life, a whole community of good friends and great times that make me love this great city.

Home, I love Washington DC because its my home.

Alexandria, All Politics is Local, Arlington, Technology, The District
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Why I Love DC: Tom Bridge

This is the first of a series of posts from our authors, designed to give you a peek into who we are, beyond what you’ve read from us in the past. We’ll be featuring two authors a day for the next week in this space, as well as our usual features. We hope you enjoy!

I never intended to fall in love with DC.

Hell, I never intended to stay here so long. I got here in July of 2000, eight years ago this past weekend, after being offered a tech job in Courthouse. I was supposed to be working with a little startup, my own little piece of the dotconomy. Until they went broke. Before I even started. I asked the leasing office what my options were. The secretary snapped her gum, and said, “Well, there are provisions for death or bankruptcy.”

Neither was appealing.

Clock (Closeup)

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People
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Why I Love DC: Don

If you think I’m wrong, say so, but I’d suggest that it’s a lot easier to talk about why you dislike something than why you hate something. Hate or simple dislike is easy. One or two things bug you enough that it outweighs your enjoyment, and identifying them is simple. After all, they’re eating at you. Love and like are harder. People, meals, paintings, songs, places… we love them not for that one trait, that particular spice, that bassline, but because they add up to something more.

I’m having that problem telling you what it is that I love about DC. I could fill your screen with all the things here that delight me, but I don’t think that would really answer the question. Besides, so many things you could respond by saying “you could have that lots of places.” For instance – having grown up in Miami, I can put seasons near the top of the list. I think those of you who grew up seeing fall colors don’t fully grasp the magic. There’s a subtlety to the change that sneaks up on me. Perhaps it’s different for some of you, but every April I have a moment where I suddenly realize I can’t see through that cluster of trees – where’d those leaves come from all of a sudden?

Some things are a little more specifically regional, like Maryland Blue Crab. More specific to us, I love the Smithsonian, not just because it’s wonderful, but because it has completely ruined me for museums everywhere else I travel in the world. Wait, I have to pay to get in? Are you nuts? The way I feel when I look down the mall and see the Washington Monument, which in my six years here I don’t think has ever failed to make me smile… can I even claim that a feeling is a reason? That’s like saying I love DC because I love DC.

Maybe that is the reason. I love it because it’s never stopped giving me things about it to love. Weather, museums, scenic vistas, music, theater, sports, events… Its no different than loving a person – you could certainly get some or all of those things elsewhere, but that entire package together in that ratio is unique, and it keeps giving. The most recent treasure DC gave me was that my darling girlfriend agreed to become my darling fiancée here – on the under-appreciated Roosevelt Island – and that’s going to be a hard one to top.

But I’ve got faith.

Legacy articles, Talkin' Transit
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DC Speeding Ticket Sidewalk Scene

photos by wayan

If you speed on K Street NW this month, you’re going to meet DC’s finest around 23rd Street as you come from under the Washington Circle tunnel. There, on the right-hand sidewalk will be Mr. Police Man with his laser speed gun, clocking your lead foot and tagging your license with points and fines.

I watched two officers tag-team K Street one afternoon, writing speeding tickets on every batch of cars zipping up the hill, and unlike others, even welcomed my photography. Their goal is speed limit enforcement and they were happy to have ticket-writing publicity.

No word on the wants of the cabbie pulled over for speeding, but I’m sure we all know what he was thinking…

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Legacy articles, The Daily Feed
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Condo Intersection

Would you ever want to live here? These condos are right at the I-395 terminus at New York Avenue in DC.

Right where a few thousand cars a day would drive by, or worse, idle. All that exhaust, heat, car tire soot.

I know I would not. And I know from experience. I used to live on 16th Street.

It was convenient. Yet noisy, dusty, and dirty. Nothing like the clean tranquility of Petworth.

But someone will buy one, someone will live here. Will that someone be you?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs