Yearly Archives: 2010

The Daily Feed
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Anthem Idol

Photo courtesy of
‘the lineup’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

Saturday morning in the midst of the rain, more than 60 talented performers gathered at Nats Park to tryout to sing the Star Spangled Banner. Ranging in age from as young as around 6 to as old as late 60s, and in style from Operatic Baritone to Pop Diva, it was an interesting crowd. The tryout itself is very simple: take a deep breath, now sing the Star Spangled Banner. Pick a key, but just one. Pick a speed, but know you have only about 90 seconds.

My own audition went fairly well, or at least so I thought, and I’ll find out in the next couple of weeks if Tom Davis, the Entertainment Coordinator for the Washington Nationals, thinks I have what it takes to be an Anthem Idol for the Nats. It was a chilly day for standing outside for about an hour, and then down into the tunnels beneath Nats Park. Sadly the weather had us trying out in the Umpire’s locker room, a bright reverberant space that did my big voice no favors. I had hoped the rain would have let up, and we could take our chances behind home plate.

Here’s to hoping I get that chance yet.

Weekend Flashback
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Weekend Flashback: 3/12 – 3/14/2010

Photo courtesy of
‘Whites Ferry Store, Potomac River’
courtesy of ‘Photos by Chip Py’

Dried out yet? Hmmm, probably not, considering today’s forecast.

Still, despite the wet weather (at least it wasn’t snow!), opportunities abounded for photos and happily, our local photogs obliged. So while you’re settling in for another wet Monday, indulge in a look back at the weekend through some other perspectives.
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The Daily Feed
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Move Over Van Hollen, Corporation to Run for MD-8 Seat

Photo courtesy of
‘Guarding Justice’
courtesy of ‘Photos by Chip Py’

I enjoyed this article today from WaPo that was written in a semi-serious, semi-tongue-in-cheek tone about Murray Hill, Inc., a company based in Silver Spring, MD that has announced its intentions to run for Congress in the 8th CD of Maryland. The seat is currently held by Mr. DCCC himself, Chris Van Hollen. The story is no joke – these guys actually are trying to run for Congress. A mere 6 months ago, this would have seemed so obnoxious, it wouldn’t even have garnered sensational press attention. But thanks to Justice Roberts and pals on the big bench, the United States now officially views corporations as people when it comes to their rights related to campaign finance, and Murray Hill is out to prove that corporations deserve all equal human rights.

The progressive PR firm obviously knows how to pull off a PR stunt. (Check out their campaign Facebook page and their YouTube videos.) But this is really more than that. This is actually proving a very valid point in showing that treating corporations as people is flat out ridiculous. Giving corporations the right to have a seemingly unlimited level of influence on members of Congress destroys the many years of bi-partisan handwork that has gone into trying to tone down the sick impact that wealthy corporations can have on the everyday lives of Americans. This is NOT about stifling capitalism, this is about stifling the downright unfair ability that corporations have to alter legislation passed in Congress so that it favors their profits, instead of the needs of the country’s citizens. Allow great ideas to flourish in capitalism, but don’t allow those ideas to directly control our laws.

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Food and Drink, The Daily Feed, We Green DC, We Love Drinks
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Friday Happy Hour: Guinness

Photo courtesy of
‘christmas eve’
courtesy of ‘volcanojw’

I know that St. Patrick’s Day isn’t until next week, but let’s be honest, it’s on your mind.  So, why drink anything other than Ireland’s finest: Guinness Stout. I don’t feel like I need to expound upon the flavor and richness of Guinness as I’m sure that everyone has tried it.  But, lest anyone fear that the upcoming holiday may contribute to growing waistlines, let me assure you that Guinness will not be the culprit.  It is a wonder beer, of sorts.  Despite it’s thick texture and powerful flavor, Guinness stout is actually very light.  It actually has fewer calories that Coca Cola.  In fact, there is evidence to suggest that may be healthy, if drunk in moderation.

Another fun fact: the great-great-great-grandson of Arthur Guinness is a local.  Os Guinness, who is a prolific author/critic/theologian lives in McClean.  So, this weekend drink for your health, drink for our local Guinness family member, and most of all, drink for St. Paddy’s Day.

People, The Features
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Why I Love DC: Courtney


‘IMG_0650’
courtesy of ‘mkuhnert’

It’s funny, because when I sat down to write this, I was reminded again that DC was definitely not the plan when I was making decisions about college, and yet, here I am. Rewind to my senior year in high school. I was set on a school in the midwest, and even though I had applied to Howard, I have to admit I was petrified of moving so far away from home. What I didn’t know then is that, five years later, I wouldn’t regret that application at all.

I promise this won’t be completely about Howard, but what I do have to mention is that attending Howard University was one of the best decisions I have ever made, and I am extremely proud that I had the opportunity to study at a school with so much history and so much culture. Ok, that’s that. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Operator who derailed Red Line has been fired

Photo courtesy of
‘derailed traffic’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

Metro has just announced that the train operator involved in the February 12 post-Snowpocalypse train derailment at Farragut North has been fired for “failure to follow standard operating procedures.” She had been placed on administrative leave immediately following the accident, which is normal in such situations, but has been terminated effective today.

The Daily Feed
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Chicken with a side of noise and fume

Photo courtesy of
‘IMG_9391’
courtesy of ‘gurms’

Today’s DC Register tolling turns up this interesting but, in my mind, somewhat questionable effort: the Nando’s Peri-Peri on 18th street is looking to add a dozen cafe seats on the sidewalk. I’m excited by the impending outdoor cafe action myself, but that’s a pretty busy and loud road there; I don’t think it’s a coincidence you don’t see much street seating along that stretch. No matter how beautiful a day, I don’t know that I want to dine while being serenaded by cabbie horn.

If you’re not intimidated, well, the hearing is set for early May so perhaps they’ll be clear by Memorial day.

The Daily Feed
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Wale to Help D.C. United Kick off the 2010 Season

Photo courtesy of
‘Vamos United!’
courtesy of ‘IntangibleArts’

District native Wale will be the entertainment of choice for D.C. United before their home opener this season.  Saturday April 3rd, he will be the headliner for the “It Takes More Concert Series,” a series of pre-game performances designed to support local acts and to highlight various organizations in the community.  At this game, the team  will take on the New England Revolution and the organization to be featured is the DC chapter of Habitat for Humanity.

Wale, who was first featured in the “Unsigned Hype” column of Source magazine in 2005, has recently seen much success with his debut album Attention Deficit (which is a GREAT album by the way!).  He’s performed at the VMA’s and toured with Jay-Z, but is bringing it back home for a FREE concert open to the public..you don’t want to miss this one!  It’s for a great cause as well.  Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing safe shelter for people all around the world, and they’re even going to be building in conjunction with D.C. United and other sponsors later this season.

The concert will start at 6 pm on the Armory Mall located on the west side of RFK Stadium, and the game will begin at 7:30 pm in the stadium.

The Daily Feed
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Spring Forward On Sunday

Photo courtesy of
‘On the Clock’
courtesy of ‘Sprezzatura Images’

With spring upon us, I pass along this friendly reminder to turn those clocks forward an hour on Sunday, March 14 at 2 am.

But if you do forget, I suggest checking your cell phone or computer, they update automatically. So really … you should be all set!

Think of it now — an extra hour of glorious sunshine after work. Time for patio happy hours, outdoor dining, and longer days. Glorious.

Alexandria, Food and Drink, The Features, We Love Drinks
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Drinks Smackdown! Beer vs. Wine

Remnants of Beer vs. Wine

Remnants of Beer vs. Wine, by Jenn Larsen on Flickr

Thor Cheston is the beer director for Brasserie Beck, while Leah Dedmon is the wine director for BRABO. They may both work for Robert Wiedmaier (Rammy’s Chef of the Year last June), but they are passionate rivals on the merits of beer vs. wine, especially when it comes to which will pair best with food.

Oh, they’re also engaged.

Fellow WLDC author Kirk and I aren’t engaged. We aren’t even really rivals, he just happens to be partial to beer while I prefer cocktails. But we are committed to bringing you the very best in drinks! So when we learned Thor and Leah would be going head-to-head in a battle to prove whether beer or wine would win as best for food pairings, we jumped. Four courses crafted by Robert Wiedmaier, paired by Leah and Thor with both wine and beer? There was even a tie-breaker course! It’s a rough life, but we suffered for you.

Most importantly, the loser of this ancient struggle has to do the other’s laundry for a month (that would be Thor or Leah, not Kirk or I!). Along the way we learned a lot about interesting ways to do food pairings with different types of beer and wine. All took place Wednesday night over at Wiedmaier’s “foodie trifecta” partnership with Kimpton’s Lorien Hotel & Spa in Old Town, Alexandria – BRABO, the Tasting Room, and the Butcher’s Block.

It was a tough crowd of fervent wine and beer lovers. So let’s kick this battle off with some oysters, a strong golden ale, and a chablis…. Continue reading →

Downtown, The Daily Feed
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Neighbors Ask Fans To Keep the Beeps Down After Caps Home Wins

Photo courtesy of
‘DSC_4085’
courtesy of ‘Ghost_Bear’

“FANS: As you leave the arena, please be considerate of our neighbors and use your horn only as a necessity. Thank You.”

The Capitals are having an immensely successful season, and as Ben noted earlier this morning, the squad just locked up their third straight division championship. Much of the success has been at home; until a shootout loss earlier this week, the Caps had enjoyed a double-digit win streak on home ice. The hometown crowd has certainly been enthusiastic in the Phone Booth, but some neighbors are now asking that the raucousness stay inside.

WTOP.com reported that the sound of constantly honking cars after Caps wins at the Verizon Center have moved nearby parking facilities to ask fans leaving to not lay on the horn so much to celebrate. The above warning can now be seen on signs in the garage under the facility, and we’ll see how well it works come late-April now that the men in red are about to set off on another playoff campaign.

News, The Daily Feed, WMATA, WTF?!
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Another WMATA Rail Yard Derailment

Photo courtesy of
‘Car Chrisholm (LOC)’
courtesy of ‘The Library of Congress’

Metro can’t catch a break. Yesterday, the Examiner revealed, a Red line train operator ran a red signal in the Brentwood yard, causing a car to derail and damage the tracks and the third rail in that segment of the yard. No damage estimates were available, and it’s not clear why the operator ran the red signal.

C’mon guys, this just isn’t fun anymore.

The Daily Feed
By

Cyclists, Mark Your Calendars

Photo courtesy of
‘Busy Bike Lane’
courtesy of ‘M.V. Jantzen’

Tony Kornheiser may hate us, but cyclists should get excited about three major biking events coming this spring:

WABA has announced that Bike to Work Day will be May 21 this year, so get excited for pit stops and commuter convoys on your way to work!

Bike DC, the annual event in which major DC and Arlington roads are closed to cars to allow cyclists to rule the road, will be held two days later on May 23.

Finally, the Air Force Classic Crystal City Ride will close streets in Crystal City on June 13, so cyclists of all abilities can bike around Arlington on car-free streets.

News, The Daily Feed
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Top Chef Coming to DC!

Photo courtesy of
‘Tom Colicchio Visits DC Central Kitchen’
courtesy of ‘DC Central Kitchen’

There had been whisperings for weeks that Tom Colicchio and the Top Chef gang from Bravo would be coming to DC for their next season, and this morning the Washington Post confirmed it. To give credit where credit is due, Amanda from Metrocurean broke the news late yesterday that filming would start on April 5th.

It’s great to see the DC restaurant community get the respect it so richly deserves from the folks at Bravo.

The Daily Feed
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Food & Folklore: A Night with Women of the Vine

Photo courtesy of
‘glass of bokeh, anyone?’
courtesy of ‘Robert S. Donovan’

Last night I had the pleasure of attending this month’s installment of Eatonville’s Food & Folklore series, entitled “Women of the Vine.” The event featured Deborah Brenner, who is not only the author of Women of the Vine, a book chronicling the stories of various women in the wine industry, but also the founder of Women of the Vine Cellars. The event was an entire four-course dinner complete with great food, great conversation, and of course great wine. In fact, for each course, there was a different wine to taste…what more could a girl ask for?!

What I loved is that the dinner was so appropriately scheduled during Women’s History Month, and that it took place in Eatonville, a restaurant dedicated to Zora Neale Hurston, a woman who is known for her own contributions to the literary world and attended DC’s own Howard University. While we ate, Brenner gave us a mini-lesson about recognition of women in the wine industry, or lack thereof, which actually inspired her book and winery.  From the asparagus soup with parmesan custard (which was to die for), to the creme brulee, the food definitely got a thumbs up on my end. But of course, we can’t forget the wine. Although I’m usually partial to white wine, the merlot served with the entree did make me briefly consider the red team..so all around it was great.

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Arlington, The Features, Where We Live
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Where We Live: Court House

Photo courtesy of
‘Courthouse’
courtesy of ‘rpongsaj’

After profiling 22 neighborhoods in the District, it’s time Where We Live headed out to the suburbs. This week we’re focusing on Court House, an urban neighborhood in the middle of Arlington’s Rosslyn-Ballston corridor. Sure, it’s technically a ‘suburb’, but with a movie theater, multiple grocery stores, tons of bars and restaurants, and office and government buildings, Court House has more to offer than many neighborhoods in the heart of DC.

History: In 1791, this area used to be part of DC.  But Virginia wanted Alexandria County back (mostly due to the sad fact that Alexandria was a big slave port, and talk of abolishing slavery in DC had Virginia scared), and this land was retroceded in 1846.  Fort Woodbury was a Civil War fort built in 1861 that stood where the current courthouse stands.  In 1852 the City of Alexandria split off, and in 1920 this area was renamed as Arlington County.

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capitals hockey, The Daily Feed
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Caps Clinch Southeast Division

Photo courtesy of
‘DSC_5748’
courtesy of ‘Ghost_Bear’

They didn’t even play last night and still the Caps keep winning. With Atlanta losing to Columbus 2-1 last night, the Washington Capitals clinched as Souheast Division champions for the third year in a row. This is a guaranteed Top 3 playoff seed slot and pretty much a no-brainer. I mean, who didn’t see this coming since November?

Congrats to owner Ted Leonsis, GM George McPhee, Coach Bruce Boudreau and the entire Capitals organization for their success so far this season.

The Daily Feed, WTF?!
By

Tony Kornheiser Hates Cyclists

Photo courtesy of
‘Caution’
courtesy of ‘Chris DiGiamo’

Tony Kornheiser is a plague that I wish we could end with some sort of deity sacrifice. I’m not sure what’s appropriate in this particular situation, and I welcome suggestions in the comments. Today on his radio show, Tony had a bit of a beef with the additional bike lanes (sorry, cycle tracks) that the city is putting in through downtown. Specifically, according to a transcript provided by Washcycle, Kornheiser said:

And they all wear…my God…with the little water bottle in the back and their stupid hats and their shiny shorts, they are the same disgusting poseurs that come out in the middle of a snow storm with cross country skiing on your block. Run them down.

Tell us how you really feel, Tony. Just let it all out. Jackass.

News, The Daily Feed
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DCPS Lottery Applications Skyrocket

Photo courtesy of
‘Dent Capitol Hill Day School’
courtesy of ‘Tony DeFilippo’

Every year, DCPS holds an out-of-boundary lottery to allow families to apply to move from their neighborhood school to another nearby school in the District. This year, over 5,000 families applied for the lottery, and more than 3,300 were able to be placed at schools of their choosing. Chancellor Michelle Rhee expressed some happiness at the increase, saying, “a number of schools have gone from under-enrolled to flourishing,” during the past few years. In addition 14 schools now have waitlists for the first time in recent memory.

Here’s hoping they can continue to boost enrollment, which will increase funding for the District, as well as, hopefully, allow for the recruitment of better teachers, allow for more professional development of staff, and increase test scores and learning in the District’s public school system.