If you were thinking of going anywhere in Northern Virginia by car this weekend just don’t. A 6 mile stretch of the Beltway, between the Wilson Bridge and the Mixing Bowl, is going to be reduced to one lane while crews do some more work on the new Wilson Bridge. You won’t be able to head in that direction from northbound 95. On ramps to that stretch are going to be closed to keep people off it. Other thoroughfares in the area are going to be clogged as they’re used as both official and unofficial detours.

So just stay off the Beltway this weekend, and if you were planning a trip someplace in Northern Virginia, put it off until next weekend. Seriously. It’s going to be ugly.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Metro trains through Rockville are currently not running as a suspicious package has been found chained to a tree near Rockville Pike at College Parkway, next to a natural gas distribution center. The bomb squad’s doing their thing now. Service for Metro (and CSX trains) is interrupted between Shady Grove and Rockville.

update: We’re safe. It was an “Environmental Monitoring Device” placed there by Columbia Gas. Nothing to see here.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Sure, collusion’s the “in” thing these days, and “You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours,” should be the credo of this town rather than the fairly inaccurate Justitia Omnibus. And so it should come as no surprise that last year’s “Hands Free” legislation proves to benefit no one in this city, except for the retailers of cellphone accessories. In the District, if you want to talk on your cellphone while driving (and given the number of people who are surgical attached to their phones, this is everyone with such a device), you have to wear a headset, or you face a $50 ticket.

Of course, now it comes out hands free driving is no safer than just talking to your shoulder while trying to steer two handed.

Ladies and gentlemen, I am simply shocked. Apparently the root cause of such accidents is talking on your cellphone while trying to merge through four lanes of Beltway traffic at 50mph and not just the holding of said phone to one’s ear. This news will likely not spur the City Council into repealing the ban on handsets-while-driving, nor will it likely encourage them to do something to actually help prevent accidents (like banning them altogether while driving).

Ahhhhh DC.

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PNC Diamond Club

Originally uploaded by tjbax.

Last Thursday, Tom and I had tickets to the Nationals’ day game against the Mets. During the game, the Nationals held a “networking event” in the PNC Diamond Club downstairs from our seats.

The game was tied, so we decided to check it out.

Lesson 1: The attendees at a day game are generally either people who don’t work normal business hours, or people who have taken the afternoon off to watch baseball. Neither group is likely to want to stop watching the game in order to network.

Meanwhile, the PNC Diamond Club accommodations made me feel much better about my $15 upper deck seats. It’s way in the outfield over the visitor’s bullpen. The seating consists of cheap-ass metal bar chairs of the sort hanging around in my office, and cafe tables. There are more photos in my Flickrstream.

So the short version is: At RFK, the plebes get better seats than the rich old men. Thank you, Nats.

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The Redskins winning a Super Bowl.
Marion Barry retiring.
Metro Escalators in Working Order.
The MD ICC getting built.

These are all dreams for DC area residents that have just not been possible for the last few years. Of course, the MD ICC is now a step closer to construction, as its route was chosen today. The road itself dates back over 50 years as part of the first Beltway plans (there were going to be three, count’em, THREE Beltways in the early plans), but don’t go getting excited now.

$2.4 Billion is what the road will cost, but expect more than just a few lawsuits between now and when they’ll break ground early next year.

Ouch. And you thought baseball stadiums were expensive!

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The urban oasis, a centering spot for self amongst a busy life in a busy city. Here are a few of our Metbloggers’ choices!

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Sunday night we decided to head out to Adams Morgan and revisit an old reliable for an early dinner. So we stopped into New Orleans Cafe on the 18th Street strip, a narrow place with a cosy and welcoming atmosphere.

With its tin-pressed ceiling, warmly colored walls, and no-frills feel it definitely reminds me of New Orleans, a city we’ve visited often and enjoy every time. I’ve always liked Bardia, the soft-spoken and friendly owner. Though we hadn’t been for awhile he still remembered us.

It was nice to reminisce about our trips to New Orleans over fried oysters and crawfish etouffe.

One of the best reasons to go to the Big Easy is beignets, so of course we had to finish off with a plate of the delicious fried dough, piping hot and sprinkled with powdered sugar. I think that Bardia’s beignets are better than Cafe du Monde’s because they are lighter and not as dough-y. Sacrilege!? Maybe. But whatever your preference, if you love beignets, head on over and try Bardia’s version. They are perfect for brunch or dessert, or anytime in between.

And the sweetest part of the meal – he quietly comped the beignets, and offered a second plate with a smile.

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After a hilarious meeting of the DC Metrobloggers (see below) at Love Cafe, hopped up on a particularly good dose of buttercream icing, I decided what better way to spend my walk home than by indulging in some Fantasy Shopping!!

For those of you who don’t know, Fantasy Shopping is basically a more involved form of window shopping, where you lift your spirits by bringing yourself right to the point of purchasing, but you don’t actually allow yourself to buy because, alas, you have no $$$.

(I know, I know…)

So I headed into Wild Women Wear Red at 15th & U, a lovely little shoe boutique that has been open for three years and has an adorable selection of very different shoes, bags, and jewelry.

Shoes are usually a safe Fantasy Shop for me because I am that female anomaly, a Girl Who Doesn’t Like Shoe-Shopping (gasp!). Unfortunately, owner Toddre is currently having a 50-60% sale, and I just had to try on a pair of mismatched Mary Jane’s from Spain, and they were so cute I just had to buy them (I blame the buttercream icing high). I recommend Girls Who Do Like Shoe-Shopping to check out this very unique boutique.

Feeling flush with the excitement of having broken my Fantasy Shopping rule, I headed into Pink November at 12th & U, a clothing store whose flamboyant window displays I’d been eyeing since it opened. I almost went into overload. Feminine, flirty tops and skirts, yet with an edgy, urban chic – it was all too much stimulus and as the sugar high dropped I wistfully admitted my cha-ching-less state and that I would have to come back, “with my husband.”

Which makes me a Girl Who Lets Her Husband Dress Her Up.

Ouch.

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“She’s just lips and ass. That’s what goes into sausages!”
— Desert Island Boy, on Angelina Jolie

“I’d do Angelina Jolie.”
— Tiffany, after Desert Island Boy

“Crikey! A douchebag in their natural habitat.”
— Tom, on the guy in the lavender polo, with the collar popped

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Sitting over at Cake Love’s Love Cafe this afternoon, I came across the annual rankings for “Top 100 Unwired Cities“, which puts DC in the number 14 slot, behind our friends in Chicago, Boston, Orange County, Minneapolis, Atlanta, Austin, San Francisco, and Seattle.

Of course, for Top Unwired Universities, American ranks #9 and Howard ranks #24. Georgetown, GW and UDC had better get working if they want to get on that list. Unwire!

For airports, we’re 5th for BWI, 14th for Dulles and 19th for Reagan, which I find terribly odd, seeing as there is no terminal-wide wireless for either Reagan or Dulles. Such is the state of wireless in our nation’s airports. Clearly, some things need improvement.

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The Baltimore-Washington Parkway headed North from DC is currently closed due to a massive sinkhole that popped up after the rain storm.

No, we’re not referring to Charm City herself, the hole popped up beneath the roadway just north of Laurel near Route 32, and while repairs were expected to be finished overnight, it looks like they won’t be finished until somewhere around Midnight Tonight. Expect delays going North on 95. If you’re headed up to the Nats/Phillies game that starts in about 30 minutes in Philadelphia, you’d better be prepared to be late!

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That’s right, our famously finicky pandas are now Momma Mei Xiang and Papa Tian Tian. A tiny baby panda “the size of a stick of butter” (thanks Washington Post, that line was too good NOT to use) was born at 3:41 this morning. Zookeepers are quite nervous as the Pandas are just as bad at parenthood as they are at the whole “mating and breeding” thing.

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The 10th Annual “Made in Hong Kong” Film Festival opens tonight at the Freer Gallery, with Johnnie’s To’s “Throw Down.”

The Festival runs every Friday and Sunday now through August 28 and is always a great way to catch both classics and recent hits of the genre. This year’s group includes the first all-CGI entry, “Dragonblade,” which I definitely want to catch.

Films are shown in the comfortable Meyer Auditorium, with free tickets distributed up to one hour before showtime. It’s usually very popular so get in line early.

The Freer is also currently showcasing “Bollywood Noir” films. Take advantage.

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Every time I ride the bus, I’m always annoyed by the folks who congregate around the back door. These folks not only block access to the back of the bus, they cause overcrowding in the aisle in front of them, restrict exit access for those behind them, and generally stop efficient movement within the bus.

Usualy it starts with one person who decides that they want to stand, but don

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We are flying the Union Jack in solidarity with London this week.

The State Department felt so moved by the tragedy today that they raised the Union Jack on their flag pole, making it the first foreign flag to fly over our State Department.

Thanks to Jeff Harrell for the art.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

The Nats have had an incredible first half of the season. They hit the halfway mark at 50-31, on pace for a hundred wins, some 30 or so more than they were last season, and they were doing most of the hard work in those tight one run games.

Well, today they lost one of those one run games. Before a crowd of 44,492, Tony Armas gave a strong 7-inning 2-run performance, but our offense just couldn’t work the usual miracles. Jose Vidro has been looking great in his return, picking up his second RBI in as many days, but it just wasn’t enough. Of course, this was a game that could well have gone either way, had Guillen not flied out, had the throw to home been better in the 11th, who knows. The only I think I do know is that Wil Cordero has no place on the Nats roster. With an average around .128, the only thing he can hit with any regularity is his wife. Frank, of course, decided that he belonged at the plate with 2 outs in the 11th. No explanation here. Sorry, I got nothing.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

When the stress of your day job ails you, its time to walk into Tonic, the restaurant or the bar, and feel relief. Populated by Mt. Pleasant locals, its cool and relaxed, with a ‘Hi’ here and there, you soon get to know the faces that show often and take Tonic speed in stride.
Now that doesn’t mean the service is slow. On the contrary, it’s the great service that keeps people coming back. Great servers like Patrice, who love to chat and laugh with customers while she slings drinks. And great owners who back them up because they really love the business.

Jeremy and Bernie are seasoned restaurateurs; they do this for the love of it as much as the money. Here there is no hard sell or corners cut. No at Tonic Restaurant you know what you’re getting is good food at a fair price. Hey, I should know, I’m a local there. Again, it’s not just for the good food but also the fun people.

Where else would a random football game turn into a hair-dye bet? Yep, after too much talking last year, Jeremy and Bernie bet on the Lions vs. Giants, with each throwing down their manes for their teams. After the scream and the suds settled, Jeremy was a brand new blonde. Gotta respect a man who gives up his mane to keep his word.

Then again, they do this on regular occasion, like when another big talking late at night got Tonic Bar in a duel with Wonderland Ballroom, a Columbia Heights bar. A kickball duel with bragging rights that are worth more than a football game. We’re talking bar bragging rights, which after an afternoon of shouts, screams, beers, and bruises, went to Tonic with a score something like:

Tonic Restaurant and Bar: A lot
Wonderland Ballroom: Not much

Like I said, Tonic cures what ails you. And if you excuse me, I’m headed there now. If you want to join, here’s the details:

Tonic Restaurant, Bar, and Grill – Cures What Ails You
3155 Mt. Pleasant Street, Washington, DC 20010
Phone: 202.986.7661

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

There’s now a Flickr Group for the Attacks on London. The pictures appear to mostly be of news coverage, but some in there are of the running crowds.

So far, of all the Blog coverage, Josh Trevino’s “Bloody Seventh” is best.

The picture that sums it up, though, is this:

DC’s stepped up their alert level, so expect to see more dogs and well-armed police on the Metro for the next week or so.

London’s close pretty much all of Zone 1. For a DC comparison, this would close the Orange Line from East Falls Church to Deanwood, the Blue Line from National to Banning Road, the Yellow Line from National to Gallery Place, the Red Line from Van Ness to Takoma, and the Green Line from Fort Totten to Congress Heights.

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…to those in London who died trying to go to work this morning.

This could have been the Metro.

This could have been the NYC Subway.

This could have been the LA Metro.

This is not how I wanted to wake up this morning.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Coming off her amazing winter show at Tonic Restaurant, my photographer friend Caryl Feldacker is having a summer showing of her splendid travel photography at Love Cafe. Caryl’s travels span South America (Ecuador to Brazil to Patagonia), South Asia, and even Southeast Asia, and she’ll have 25 photos from her wanderings framed and hanging on the walls for your viewing pleasure.

The kickoff party starts this Friday, July 8th at happy hour (5-7pm). While there will be no beer, Cake Love’s Love Cafe has lots of delicious coffee and chocolate, and after the show, you can always head to area spots like Local 16 or Saint Ex for your booze fix. Trendy, yummy, Love Cafe is at 1501 U Street, Green line Metro (exit at 13th)

In case you’re wondering, Caryl will be the one covered in cake with the camera…

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs